STAR-STUDDED COMICS "Ghost Woman"

She returned from the dead to save her husband from werewolves...

...in her one-and-only appearance in Cambridge House's Star-Studded Comics #1 (1945)

If this series continued, we would have learned more about Ghost Woman's abilities and limitations and her husband John would come to the realization that she was serving as his "guardian angel".
Presumably, she'd eventually lead him to his presumed-dead daughter...who was still alive!

Unfortunately, publisher Cambridge House produced only one issue each of three anthology titles featuring a number of potentially-interesting series...and then went out of business.
None of the strips and characters were picked up by other publishers.
I'm surprised something similar to Ghost Woman hasn't come along since 1945!
Considering the ongoing popularity of both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the Twilight Saga, a concept like Ghost Woman seems like a sure hit!
We hope you've enjoyed our month-long look at our idea of "weird love" comics.

Next Week
The Finale of our Annual Halloween Horror Blogathon!
You'll Cry Your Eyes Out if You Miss It!
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Weird Love

Vol 1

JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY "Beware! He Isn't Human!"

Is this unseen-for-fifty-years tale a love story or a lust story?

Actually, it's both...as you shall see!

Reads like an episode of The Twilight Zone, doesn't it?

Plotted by Stan Lee, scripted by Larry Lieber, penciled by Jack Kirby, and inked by Dick Ayers, this story of hearts (both human and mechanical) first appeared in Atlas' Journey into Mystery #77 (1962), then once more in Marvel's Fantasy Masterpieces #10 (1967)!

We unearthed it from it's half-century-old tomb, dusted it off, and re-presented it for your entertainment!

Next Week
MORE Halloween Horror!
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Weird Love

Vol 1

BARBIE HALLOWEEN SPECIAL EDITION "Too Many Ghosts"

Our Halloweenfest continues with the world's most famous doll (literally)...

...in a cliched, but cute, tale!

Writer Trina Robbins and penciler Mary Wilshire certainly deliver "girl power" in this short, but sweet, All Hallows Eve tale in Marvel's Barbie Halloween Special #1b (1993) giveaway issued to comics stores for promotional purposes at Halloween.

NOTE: The giveaway "book" was just the 8-page story reprinted from Marvel's Barbie #11 (1991).

The other Halloween-themed story from that issue was re-purposed into Halloween Special #1a and also given out in 1993.
We presented it HERE last year!

Barbie, and its' sister title Barbie Fashion, were two secret success stories for Marvel in the 1990s.

Because they weren't superhero titles, hardcore, mostly male, fans never even noticed them, but the two books ran an impressive 63 and 53 issues respectively at a time when many titles lasted 12 issues or less!

Barbara Slate, who wrote 65 issues of the two series, told the tale...

In the 90s, Tom DeFalco, editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics, started a girls’ line.

It was a courageous move because ‘girls don’t buy comics’ was the catch phrase whenever the subject was brought up.

But Tom boldly went where no man had gone before and got licenses for Barbie (Mattel) and then a few years later, Belle (Disney’s Beauty and the Beast) and Ariel (Disney’s Little Mermaid).

I wrote 65 Barbie comics. Every month Barbie would have a different profession.

She was an astronaut, a teacher, and a designer, to name a few of her seemingly endless career paths.

Barbie could do anything and live anywhere.

We won the Parents Choice Award two years in a row.

Even Ms. Magazine loved Barbie comics!

Her breasts were normal size.

Why?

Because under the keen eye of the marvelous Marvel editor, Hildy Mesnik, a team of women wrote, drew and adored Barbie.

We were all conscious of the fact that young girls would be reading our work and we wanted them to grow up to be strong, independent and successful women.

Of course our sales couldn’t compete with Spider-Man and other male dominated superheroes.

Comic book readers were, after all, 95% boys.

But every month our numbers increased.

To make a very sad story short, just as the girls’ line was getting traction, some a-hole who knew nothing about comics bought Marvel, looked at our monthly sales numbers, and eliminated the entire girls’ line while sending Marvel into bankruptcy. (Don’t get me started.)

From "Let the Girls Take the Lead", available HERE.

Next week...

Our Annual Halloween presentation of spooky,  sci-fi, and Gothic romance tales continues!

You'll Cry Your Eyes Out if You Miss It!

(Oh, you've heard that, eh?)

And now a word from out sponsor...
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Barbie Halloween Witch Doll

HAUNTED LOVE "Beware, Do Not Love Him!"

Let's start off our Halloween festival with a never-reprinted Gothic tale...

...from Charlton's Haunted Love #10 (1975)!

Usually these types of tales take longer, building up mood and suspense!

See HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE for book-length examples!

Even the shorter stories, like this one, don't read like Reader's Digest condensed versions!

Despite that, the writing is wonderful purple prose, and the art (despite typical poor Charlton printing) creates the proper mood!

Next Week...

Another Horrifying Tale of Love...

You'll Cry Your Eyes Out If You Miss It!

And Now a Word from Our Sponsor...

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Haunted Love

PRIVATE SECRETARY One-Page Tales

Dell's Private Secretary was an attempt at a "mature content" romance comic...

...from the use of paperback cover art...

...to these curious text-heavy one-pagers...

...the b/w ones were on the inside covers, the color one was on the back cover...

Penciled by Hy Eisman and inked by Vince Colletta, these never-reprinted shorts from Dell's Private Secretary #1 (1962-63) were probably a one-off attempt at combining the text piece the Post Office required for Second Class mailing privileges with more illustrations.

Next Week:

We begin our month-long Halloween sci-fi/horror festival, and we guarantee...

You'll Cry Your Eyes Out if You Miss It!
And now a word from our sponsor...
Please Support True Love Comics Tales

Visit Amazon and Order...

Agonizing Love

The Golden Age of Romance Comics