A Somber Cautionary Tale - Win Mortimer's Pajama Party!

This four page Win Mortimer illustrated story, "Pajama Party: The Night I Wish Never Happened" from Young Romance #200 (July/August 1974) is a tad unexpected. Stuck in between the usual stories of flirting and heart break, this somber tale chronicles a teenager and the disastrous results of her decision to serve alcohol to her friends one night. Though nothing completely tragic happens, its tone is still unusual to the romance comics. My favorite line?

"So we left my mother's wigs on the chair, and we ran downstairs feeling frisky, and I made the next big mistake that night, by showing them my father's whiskey."

One can only wonder how effective this was, but it definitely points to a younger demographic. Quite a different scene from a mid-1950s romance panel!

"I Hate You, Darling"
Love Romances #54
(December 1955)

How to Make His Parents Like You!

Since romance comic books were centered on the romantic plights of teens and young women, parents frequently played an integral part in the outcome of the stories. So, it is no surprise that articles such as the following, "How to Make His Parents Like You!" appeared in Falling in Love #116 (July 1970) to dispense advice to lovelorn readers.

Just in case you are meeting your date's parents in just a few --

here are some highlights from the article. You too
can make the parental units swoon!

♥ "Don't expect to be taken places that force him to ask his parents for additional allowance." ♥

♥ "Guard against perspiration." ♥

♥ "Avoid looking cheap." ♥

♥ "Always stand up when an older person first enters the room." ♥

♥ "Keep your voice moderately low." ♥

♥ "Don't gossip. It's cheap and in bad taste." ♥

♥ "Avoid slang and hippy expressions." ♥

Despite some of the obvious and funny tips (wear deodorant) and the rather old-fashioned and clinical sounding, "Planning your wedding, dreaming of your future home, improving your homemaking skills and thinking of ways to please your future husband are some of the joys you will be experiencing." -- the advice isn't half bad for any situation you may find yourself in!

Parents Just Don't Understand - Tomorrow is too Late

I am constantly scouring the web, trying to find any and all information about romance comics. From what I have found, some read romance comics and only see the stories that are simplistic tales of girl meets boy, girl waits by the phone for boy to call, girl cries, and so on and so forth. Some only see outdated social mores that are laughable and silly.

I don't. I have read enough romance stories now that I can say that -- yes, there are those stories that are simplistic and frivolous. To say that though and leave it at that, is too much of a generalization. The thing is, every genre has its examples of bad stories, but there are also some really good ones out there that make you feel something. A something that resonates deep down and gets you to think. This four page story, "Tomorrow is too Late" from Young Love #113 (December 1974/January 1975), illustrated by Creig Flessel is one such story.

This short romance tale weaves the reader into the sadness brought on by a young woman's rocky relationship with her mother. It has qualities rather similar to that of Harry Chapin's "Cat's in the Cradle," which incidentally came out around the same time as this romance story. Hinging on the theme of the passage of time and regret, "Tomorrow is too Late" makes for an unexpected read.

You probably never thought a four page comic book romance story could leave you feeling that depressed, huh? The ending is sad in itself, but I think the abruptness with which the poem-like story ends adds to the tragedy.

Romance comics tend to get dogged on for being only about unrequited, puppy dog love that is kitschy and outdated, but I think this story is to the contrary. The genre can be generalized quite a bit, but it takes finding gems like "Tomorrow is too Late" to realize just how lovable and diverse in subject matter the romance comics from the 1960s and '70s really can be.