YOUNG LOVE "When Love Has Gone"

It's hard to believe this tale by a master of graphic storytelling has never been re-printed...

...since its' only appearance in DC's Young Love #73 (1969)!

When this story was published, illustrator/letterer/colorist Alex Toth was only doing a few comics tales a year due to his incredibly-heavy workload as character designer and storyboard artist at animation giant Hanna-Barbera on everything from Space Ghost to Scooby Doo!

It's a textbook example of a comic story that could be used as a shot-for-shot storyboard for a TV show or a sequence in a feature film!

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Treasures Retold

Lost Art of Alex Toth

A MOON, A GIRL...ROMANCE " I Was Jilted and Had No Desire to Live!"

Sometimes, you just want a three-hankie tear-jerker...

...to cleanse your soul...and here it is!

I know, I know.

This being EC Comics, you half-expected her to take the poison, become zombified, and eat Gregg when he came to the door.

And, the story from EC's A Moon, a Girl...Romance #9 (1949) is so cliched that it might have inspired writer/illustrator Al Feldstein to think about doing exactly that when, a year later, EC began doing its' now-classic horror comics titles!

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A Moon, a Girl...Romance / Saddle Romance

The Two Complete Series in One Volume

Asian Amour JON JUAN "World's Greatest Lover"

The guy who co-created Superman and Lois Lane...

...has some rather "old fashioned" ideas about love and romance as illustrated by Alex Schomburg for Toby's Jon Juan #1 (1950)

Is it just me, or does anyone else need a shower to feel clean after reading this?

To be fair, Jon Juan is an equal-opportunity misogynist, whether the woman is European, African, or Asian/Pacific Islander!
"I'll give her Smile Number Three...the one I reserve for emergencies! It never fails!"
"Can I help it if their neglected women cast lovelorn glances in my direction? Can I be blamed if my nimble tongue sought out the proper words to solace thwarted femininity?"
Women are foolish and easily manipulated, according to this story.
"Like a thousand women before her...and a thousands yet to come...she surrendered!"
Note that in this origin tale, Jon wears Superman's color scheme!
Do you want to see the rest of Jon's extemely-brief run?
Post your response in the comments...

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Agonizing Love

The Golden Age of Romance Comics

Asian Amour ALL TRUE ROMANCE "Korean War Bride"

I've been going through the archives looking for romance comic stories featuring Asians...

...and besides some relationships in super-hero and martial arts series, all I found, so far, are tales about "war brides"!

With the current explosion of overt anti-Asian racism, we're running a RetroBog-wide presentation of stories showing how Asians and Asian-Americans been portrayed in comic books.

This never-reprinted story from Comic Media's All True Romance #11 (1953) is the first example.

Distrust and suspicion of "war brides"...whether Asian or European...was common, with many believing the women were "seductresses" taking advantage of "innocent" Americans via sex!
There are other types of tales out there...it's just going to take time to find them...

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Agonizing Love

The Golden Age of Romance Comics

MR ANTHONY'S LOVE CLINIC "If Only You'd Grow Up"

You think today's 18-30 crowd has problems "adulting"?

It ain't a new phenomenon, as this never-reprinted tale from Hillman's Mr Anthony's Love Clinic #1 (1949) proves!

You may well ask: "Who the hell is this Dr Phil wannabe?

To start with, he wasn't actually "John J Anthony".

His name was Lester Kroll.

He wasn't a doctor,...or even a licensed therapist!

In fact, he was a high school dropout!

But he had a great voice, so he became a radio disc jockey!
He suffered clinical depression and sought out therapy...which gave him an idea.
Utilizing his sons' names (John and Anthony) he created the persona of "John J Anthony" and his show dropped the music format, creating what many historians consider the first interactive "talk radio" show!
If you're wondering why people accepted him without question as an authority on such things, he claimed he was the director of the Institute of Martial Relations on the campus of Vassar College...then a women-only university!

His top-rated radio show became the basis for a licensed romance comic from Hillman in 1949.

But the show's name (Good Will Hour, then The John J Anthony Hour, wasn't dramatic enough!

So the comic was given the catchier title Mr Anthony's Love Clinic!

The comic seems to have been based on actual situations drawn from episodes of the radio show, but since so few of them survived to the present in any form, there's really no way of knowing!

Next Week...

We Don't Yet Know What We'll Present!
But we Can Guarantee That...

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Agonizing Love

The Golden Age of Romance Comics