YOUNG ROMANCE "Love Me, Love Me Not!"

What do you do when the one you love falls for someone else?

Art by Bill Draut

But, at the same time, something happens to you, as shown in the cover story from Young Romance #168 (1970)...

This titillating tale of heartbreak, horniness, and hypocrisy, was written by Jack Miller, and illustrated by Don Heck, who did a lot of romance work from the 1950s to the late 1970s, penciling or inking in conjunction with others, or doing his own complete art (like this tale)!

 Next Week:

We Don't Yet Know What We'll Present, but...

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

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Heart Throbs

Best of DC Romance Comics

DARING CONFESSIONS "My Sister and I"

Two women fighting over a man isn't that unusual...

...but two siblings in conflict can make for serious problems as this story from the aptly-named Daring Confessions #8 (1953) from Youthful Magazines shows...

The art is by Vince Colletta, an inker noted for his amazing speed whose feathery style was one of the hallmarks of romance comics of the 1950s and 60s.

He did very few pencil jobs, and this particular one shows influences, if not outright swipes, from a number of other artists including Alex Toth, Wally Wood, Ross Andru, even Steve Ditko!

Next Week...

Another Tale of Disease, Debilitating Conditions and Desire!

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

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Agonizing Love

The Golden Age of Romance Comics

PICTORIAL ROMANCES "Fast Company"

Though this romance story doesn't have any Black characters (like our Soul Love or Negro Romances entries)...

..it certainly qualifies as a Black History Month post, not because of who's in it, but because of who did it!!

Though the writer of this tale from St John's Pictorial Romances #7 (1951) is unknown, the penciler is Matt Baker with long-time collaborator Ray Osrin inking the story.

Matt Baker was one of the few Black comic book artists of the Golden and Silver Ages, and was easily the most prolific of them!
Though known for his "good girl" art, including the famous (and infamous) Phantom Girl stories, he handled every genre with ease, including horror, war, sci-fi, and romance!

Sadly, though, few of his stories featured Black characters...who were rare in comics until the mid-1960s!

You can read a short, but complete bio HERE!

Next Week:

We Don't Yet Know What We'll Present, But We Guarantee that...

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

And Now a Word from Our Sponsor!

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Matt Baker

Art of Glamour

FAST WILLIE JACKSON "Frankie in 'What -- Me Worry' "

"Sadie Hawkins Dances" were popular in the pre-Women's Lib days...

...when the concept of girls asking boys out was still considered a novelty!

Illustrated by Gus Lemoine, the script for this never-reprinted tale from Fitzgerald's Fast Willie Jackson #6 (1977) was either by him or publisher/editor Bertram Fitzgerald.

Previously, Gus pencilled shorts and a couple of covers at Archie Comics from 1967 to the mid-1970s.

The Fast Willie books were his final credited work.

(There is a theory that Gus was really Henry Scarpelli, a versatile humor artist who did work for Archie as well as Archie-clone books for both Marvel and DC.

The period when "Gus" was active at Archie was before Scarpelli's credited work appeared there and disappeared after Scarpelli began receiving credit for his work on Archie titles.

So...it's like "Gee, Clark, we never see you when Superman's around! Why's that?"

Lois Lane couldn't prove it, either.

For the record, noted art identifier Martin O'Hearn believes Lemoine and Scarpelli are not the same person.)

Next week:

We haven't decided yet what it'll be, but we can guarantee that...

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

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

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Comic Collectibles Store

featuring the cover art from the first, never-reprinted issue!

YOUNG ROMANCE "Without a Doubt"

A never-reprinted one-pager from DC's Young Romance #203 (1975)...

...writer and artist unknown.

The kool thing is that it presents a universal concept in visual form that just happens to feature Black characters.

In fact, odds are the artist(s) made the choice for reasons only he/she/they will ever know...💖

Happy Valentine's Day!