Original "Marc - On the Man's Side!" Page - Young Love #119 (December 1975/January 1976)

One of the books I found this weekend was Young Love #119 (December 1975/January 1976). This issue was definitely on my want list because a couple of years ago I acquired the original page of the "Marc - On the Man's Side!" column from this issue. Below is the scanned original page, as well as the printed version!

Be sure to join me tomorrow
for a special guest post!!!

My Very Special Valentine's Day Gift!

Happy weekend, romance fans! I hope you all had a lovely week and a most wonderful Valentine's Day! I was out of town for the holiday, but upon my return I had something very special waiting for me at the Post Office from my dear boyfriend, Justin!!!

Despite the fact that Valentine's Day isn't celebrated in Denmark as far as he could tell, Justin went all out this year and found and purchased for me the splash page of Win Mortimer's "How Do I Know When I'm Really in Love?" (below). This piece of original art is very cool for a number of reasons... 1.) It is illustrated by Win Mortimer -- no need to elaborate! 2.) It is a splash page! 3.) Not only is it the splash page of the story, it is also the first page of the expensive and scarce romance comic, DC 100 Page Super Spectacular #5 (1971)!

Original Page with art by Win Mortimer
DC 100 Page Super Spectacular #5 (1971)

Page from the 2000
"Replica Edition"

I just had to share -- I am totally smitten with it! No chocolate or flowers for this girl!!! Hooray!

Justin also seized the opportunity to purchase the original art for the stunning three-page Art Saaf illustrated story, "You're Not My Type... Mr. Winslow!" from Heart Throbs #129 (December 1970/January 1971). He had these pages shipped to him in Denmark, so I definitely can't wait to see these in person once I am there!


All of this was such a huge surprise, so thanks for allowing me to take time to share with you! When I think about the fact that these amazing artists poured all of their energy and talent into these gorgeous pieces it just makes me feel so connected to history and all giddy inside!

Chicago Comic-Con 2009

I am back from Chicago Comic-Con 2009 folks! I had a blast! Saw some old friends, made some new ones and bought a ton of romance comics -- about sixty! Like I mentioned in my previous post, Chicago is a great convention for picking up romance books. There were a ton of dealers, and with the show's new image and branding campaign there seemed to be more dealers with back-issues than ever.


I liked the feel of the show overall. It had such a warm, intimate feel to it, but perhaps that is just because San Diego (the exact opposite of intimate) was just the other week and was still fresh on my mind. Things were really hopping in Artist Alley, with lots of friendly people coming by to say hello at the Urban Sequence table, where I was helping to promote Super Human Resources. We sold out of books by early Sunday morning, leaving Justin and I free to walk around the convention. While I was looking for books, Justin was in the market for original art. He found a piece from our favorite artist...

Justin scored this beautiful Winslow Mortimer page from
Young Romance #198 (March/April 1974)

He sure found a great piece, and it was at a really decent price. Funny thing though was that the dealer had it marked as an Estrada piece, but it is definitely a Mortimer inked by Mortimer. The same dealer, Anthony's Collectibles had an entire portfolio of original art from romance books, which was great fun to flip through. Justin is going to have it framed and hang it up on the wall in our reading room, so luckily I will get to enjoy it too!

I did something at this show that I have never done before. I bought romance comics from the 1950s! I thought it would be a good idea to have a few, if only for comparison's sake. They are pretty beat up, but should be fun to read anyway.

Overall, it was a really nice con. It almost felt like it did years ago before it was a Wizard show, just on the larger side. Anyone else go to Chicago? What did you think of the rebranding of the convention? Did you buy any romance comics?!

By the way... be sure to vote in the new poll! :)