True Love Comics Tales

Wednesday, July 18, 2018

A MOON, A GIRL...ROMANCE! "Summer Love"

Before EC Comics became (in)famous for doing horror comics...

...they covered every genre in comics, including romance!

They just didn't do all of them as well as horror...

Illustrated by "Ghastly" Graham Ingels, this never-reprinted, tacky tale from EC's A Moon, A Girl...Romance #11 (1949) is, perhaps, the perfect example of why EC is not known for its' romance comics.

That's not quite accurate...EC's post-horror comics title Confessions Illustrated was a first-rate b/w romance graphic magazine (not comic), targeted at the late-teen/young adult audience!

But it didn't sell, and, like the rest of the Picto-Fiction line is incredibly hard to find today!

Next Week:

We don't know yet what we'll present, but we can 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...

EC Complete Picto-Fiction Library
(includes all 3 issues of Confessions Illustrated [including the never-published final issue]
Note: The Confessions Illustrated volume is unavailable seperately from the set)

Wednesday, July 11, 2018

GOTHIC ROMANCES "As Midnight Becomes Morning"

Unlike their Marvel magazine rival, Gothic Tales of Love...

...Atlas/Seaboard's Gothic Romances used "name value" comic artists to illustrate their tales!

"Caroline Rivers", the author of this tale is apparently using a pseudonym.

There is a historical Lady Caroline Rivers, but the style of the story is clearly contemporary, so she can't be the writer!

One website lists her real name as "Carolyn Weaver", but I can't find anything about her, either!

The artist is Howard Chaykin, noted for his extremely-macho work on American Flagg, Blackhawk, The Shadow, etc.

He was also doing The Scorpion for Atlas/Seaboard at the time!

Next Week:

We don't know yet what we'll present, but we can 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...

Gothic Tales of Haunted Love

Wednesday, July 4, 2018

HOLLYWOOD ROMANCES "Bikini"

It's the 4th of July, and many of us are at the beach!

Empowering or condescending?

Interpret this short from Charlton's Hollywood Romances #50 (1969) as you will!

BTW, we have no idea who either the writer or artist are.

Next Week:

We don't know yet what we'll present, but we can 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...

Love on the Racks

A History of American Romance Comics

Wednesday, June 27, 2018

MY LOVE "He Doesn't Know I Love Him!"

When most people think of "romance comics", this is the type of tale they think of...

...with cliches aplenty, and a plethora of pretty people posing and pouting!

Did I mention the totally-unlikely ending?

Written by Stan Lee, illustrated by John Romita Sr, this rarely-seen tale from Marvel's My Love #2 (1969) is a textbook example of well-crafted "fluff" enhanced by pop culture references (like "Fillmore East", a famous late-60s music venue on 2nd Avenue and E 6th Street!) and kool retro fashions.

Next Week:

We're Not Sure Yet Exactly What We'll Present!
But...

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

And now a word from out sponsor..

Please Visit Amazon and Order...

Marvel Romance: the Trade Paperback!

Marvel's picked some of the best love comics from the 60s and 70s!

"It Happened at Woodstock," "My Heart Broke in Hollywood," "Love on the Rebound!"

Collects Love Romance #89 and #101-104; My Love #2, #14, #16 and #18-20; Teen-Age Romance #77 and #84, Our Love Story #5; and Patsy Walker #119.

Wednesday, June 20, 2018

COWGIRL ROMANCES "Stars Fell on Arizona" / MOVIE COMICS "Mitzi in Hollywood Meets Sonny Sagebrush"

We've shown you reprints where fashions and hairstyles were updated...

but this story from Fiction House's CowGirl Romances #10 (1952) doesn't do that!

OK, pretty straightforward tale of a starry-eyed girl living near a movie location, getting to appear in the movie, meeting her screen idol, and not finding true love, right?

But, that's not how it started out!

This is actually a re-use of lovely Matt Baker art for an earlier ongoing series, Mitzi in Hollywood, about a struggling actress looking for her big break in Hollywood!

This particular episode from Fiction House's Movie Comics #4 (1947) was about working on a Western, and the original script was quite different...