The Gallery of Regrettable Fashion AKA Your Next Halloween Costume!

Halloween is rapidly approaching! Still looking for that perfect costume? Well look no further than the pages of '60s and '70s romance comics! While most of the fashion choices in the romance books are quite lovely, here are a few that are just a tad off the mark but may be perfect for that costume party you're obliged to attend!

Whoa! That outfit is quite the statement, isn't it?

"I'll Be a Modern Wife"
Pencils and Inks: Luis Avila
Just Married #61
(November 1968)

In his defense, he is a rockstar...

"Forbidden Romance"
Pencils and Inks: Tony Abruzzo
Secret Hearts #137 (July 1969)

Immediately following the
mysterious disappearance of the local zoo's tiger...

"Love is a Game... for Two!"

Girls' Romances #145
(December 1969)

Romance character or lost super-heroine from the DC universe?

"Beggar for Love"
Girls' Romances #146
(January 1970)

Ah, the rebelliousness of youth -- flip-flops and ponchos.

"Love a la Mode"
Pencils: George Tuska, Inks: Vince Colletta
Girls' Love Stories #160
(July 1971)

She stands out?

"Cage of Love"
Pencils and Inks: John Rosenberger
Young Romance #173
(August 1971)

"Please, Joe -- please! Take off that ridiculous
sweater vest before kissing me!"

"Too Easy to Love"
Heart Throbs #134
(October 1971)

Gratuitous hot pants!

"The Facts of Life"
Young Romance #178
(January 1972)

"Welcome to Planet X-72,
you will be given your uniform shortly!"

"Never Give up on Love!"
Pencils: Don Perlin, Inks: Vincent Alascia
Romantic Story #118
(April 1972)

"I said I wouldn't blame you for walking out on me!
...but, I do blame you for that outfit."

"...the Man in my Life!"
Pencils: John Romita (Retouched Reprint)
Girls' Love Stories #170
(June 1972)

My thoughts exactly...

"First Date"
Falling in Love #142
(August/September 1973)

Too bad his date can't
say the same about him...

"Like Love"
Pencils and Inks: Enrique Nieto
For Lovers Only #82
(December 1975)

♥♥♥

Selling Romance - The Debutante Pin!

Ad from the back cover of
Falling in Love #60 (July 1963)

Even if you weren't a mid-century society girl, you could feel like one with "The Genuine Debutante Pin" advertised on the back cover of early '60s romance comics! The mix-and-match set consisting of three pin shapes and three settings, promised to raise charm levels and make any young woman's outfit befitting to that of a "wardrobe of a society princess." Not too shabby for $3.95!

1972 Romance Comic Book Contest - "The Woman I Want To Be!" from DC's Falling in Love

Not only do I love the stories of the romance comics, I love the stuff in between the stories, including the contests that were held to engage with readers. The following pages are from a contest that was held in Falling in Love called, "The Woman I Want to Be." Readers were encouraged to write in about their future plans, hopes, and dreams for a chance to win $5.00 (equivalent to approximately $25 today).

National Periodical Publications asks:
"Do you look forward to a happy marriage?
Or a successful career?"

Contest announcement from
Falling in Love #133 (June 1972)

The contest's first winner, 15 year old Alice Evans declared to the DC editorial staff and fellow readers, "I really feel that I could manage both a home life and a business career, and I want to grow up to be the kind of woman who does."

First contest winners
Falling in Love #134 (July 1972)

The second first prize winner, Eve Davidson had the greater good in mind when she wrote, "I want to be the kind of woman who extends her love beyond her own home. I hope to have a happy marriage and a family, but I would also like to do something for the world."

Second round of winners
Falling in Love #135 (August 1972)

"The big deal is: girls in various parts of the country,
East or West, North or South, big city or small town, are beginning to feel that being a woman is a wonderful thing in today's world."

The final winner of "The Woman I Want to Be!" contest was a young lady named Frieda Margolin who shared that along with marrying a "fine man," her dreams included "...working hard in school to get good grades, so I can go on to a college with a good veterinary school. That way I'll earn money as a vet so I can get my own farm someday."

Final contest winners
Falling in Love #136 (September 1972)

These letters are quite moving, no?! It is so cool that they are not only pages of text, but documents that give a view into the audience of conscientious young ladies who were reading romance comics in the '70s! Not only do I wonder if these young women achieved their goals, I have to wonder if DC held on to all their letters in their archives or if they were regarded as throw-away pieces of everyday business? Either way, I definitely feel lucky that we have these three responses to treasure!

Learning from Romance Comics - Margrete Queen of Denmark, Norway and Sweden - "A Woman to Remember"

This two-page filler story from Secret Hearts #115 (October 1966) is quite fitting since I just moved to Denmark and only last week the country elected their first female Prime Minister.
Since I am not super up on my Scandinavian history (yet!), I'll let "A Woman to Remember" be your guide!

Click to read!

This is totally the kind of feature that would have sucked an eleven-year-old me into romance comics, and kept me hangin' around for more!

A Classic Tale of Unrequited Love... Almost!

Every so often I come across a romance story that is a little on the bizarre side, and I just have to share! This edition of the semi-regular feature "Sweet Mystery of Love" was penciled by Tony Abruzzo and appeared in Girls' Love Stories #136 (July 1968). Contrary to what may seem like a pattern in romance comics, not all stories were about instantaneous attraction!


Janice's first mistake was agreeing to be set up on a blind date by her friend Cara with a guy named Freddy. Freddy is immediately enamored by Janice and she in turn, is completely repulsed!


After an uncomfortable evening and an awkward attempt at a kiss, Freddy professes his love for Janice. As he promises to call, she just shirks and vows to let her friend Cara know exactly how miserable the date was for her.


The next day Janice calls Cara up and reprimands her for arranging such a mismatch. Cara apologizes and suggests that she just refuse Freddy's offers to go out again. As you will see, that plan proves to be a situation that is easier said than done!


Freddy ignores (or doesn't get) Janice's attempts to get rid of him. Not only does he continue to call her, but starts showing up at her work...

...and even on her dates with other guys!

The situation becomes too much to bear, and Janice finally decides that she must confront Freddy directly and firmly. She tells him that he is not her type, and that he is wasting his time and needs to move on. Freddy calmly asserts that his love for her is unwavering, and that he will continue to be there for her until she changes her mind and embraces his love, or marries someone else -- whichever comes first.

Janice goes to the big dance with George. Having told him about the situation with Freddy, he is impressed that her talk with "Old Faithful" seems to have done the trick. As for Janice, she starts to get a little fidgety when Freddy doesn't make an appearance at the dance.


That night after the dance, Janice finds herself unable to shake thoughts of Freddy and his whereabouts. The next morning, the phone rings and Cara delivers some news -- Freddy was hit by a car just prior to the dance.


Janice quickly heads the hospital and while at Freddy's bedside, admits her realization of love for him. It seems that his absence, made her heart grow fonder.


In a way, this "Sweet Mystery of Love" is a classic tale of wanting what you can't have. In another light, it could be interpreted as a story about a young woman merely falling for her stalker. Perhaps Freddy just came on too strong and Janice wanted the thrill of the chase? What do you think? Sweet or scary?

Romance Comics Are All Over the Place!

A lot has been going on in
the world of romance comics lately...

Just yesterday, Erin Jameson's Lovefool column over at PLAYBACK:stl featured a critical review of the 2007 Marvel Romance Redux series. Erin does a nice job of laying out where exactly the concept went wrong and calls for the romance comics to be treated with "sincerity." I couldn't agree more.


Many of you probably already know, but this news is definitely worth repeating. In February, DC will be releasing Showcase Presents: Young Love Volume 1! Yay! It is currently available for pre-order at Amazon. Will you be picking it up?

Though the Showcase romance comics will be in black and white, the upcoming Fantagraphics book, Young Romance: The Best of Simon & Kirby's 1940s-50s Romance Comics will be in full glorious color! Head over here for a preview of the book by editor, Michel Gagne! So excited for this one!


Speaking of Kirby! Last week over at his super-educational new blog (Marvel Mysteries and Comics Minutiae), Nick Caputo discussed covers that he believes Kirby both penciled and inked. Nick's in-depth analysis includes a romance cover!!!

I hope you are having a fantastic week!

Checkin' In!

Yup, I managed to squeeze my entire romance comic book collection into four suitcases and two shipped boxes!
Who needs clothes?!?!

Hi everyone! It has been quite a while, hasn't it? I just wanted to do a quick post to let you all know that my move overseas went smoothly, and that I am settling in quite nicely here in Denmark! I really appreciate all the kind words and wishes that were sent my way -- I truly am so grateful to have you all in my life! I am still working on getting my little office set up, as well as acquiring a new scanner, but I should be back to posting regularly next week! Stay tuned!!!

See You Soon My Romance Comic Loving Friends!

Hello everyone! I hope you had a great weekend! As some of you probably already know, I am uprooting and moving from the United States to Denmark -- this month! While I am super excited, I am also naturally a bit stressed out! Making a move to another country is no easy feat! In light of my relocation, I have decided to go on a short hiatus from Sequential Crush. I will be back early September when my comics have arrived and a new scanner has been purchased! Until then, I hope you enjoy perusing through the archives of all the gems posted over the last few years and reading some of the other terrific blogs I have listed on my blogroll! I also encourage you to check in from time to time on my Twitter feed, as well as my new personal blog -- The Coziness Project which I will probably update a few times during the moving process. Once again, I cannot thank you -- my readers, enough for all of the encouragement, praise and love you have shown me and Sequential Crush over the past few years! I'll miss ya, but see you soon!!!

Back From Comic-Con!

Hello friends! It has been a while! As of late, I have been busy, busy, busy! Besides getting ready to move next month, I attended Comic-Con International in San Diego this past weekend! It was a great time, so I thought I would share a few highlights!

♥♥♥

I arrived in beautiful San Diego Thursday afternoon and headed straight to the convention center. Before heading out there I made up my mind to not purchase anything due to my impending move. So, I slipped by the dealer area (which is usually where I spend most of my time at conventions) and started the day off with the spotlight on Roy Thomas panel. The session was very informative and I finally got to meet Roy with whom I had worked on Alter Ego #102 (June 2011) with! He was just as nice as I had anticipated!


The rest of Thursday I walked around the exhibition hall and said hello to old friends in Artists' Alley. I also stumbled upon some amazing original romance art over at the Romitaman Original Art booth. I fell in love with the following Abel and Flessel pieces, but stuck to my guns on not purchasing anything. Discipline!

Splash page of "Wings on My Heart"
from Our Love Story #16 (April 1972)

Creig Flessel One-Pager "Fate"
from Young Romance #203
(January/February 1975)

Friday was another eventful day! The first panel I went to was the tribute to Gene Colan. I only met him once, so it was great to hear about him from his colleagues over the years. Marv Wolfman mentioned Gene's affinity for old movies a few times during the panel -- a point which I think really resonates in Colan's romance work. Overall, the panel was a fitting way to say goodbye to the recently departed industry great.


My second day in San Diego flew by and evening brought the event for which I made the trip out to San Diego in the first place -- the Eisner Awards! My grandfather, Mart Nodell was inducted into the Hall of Fame and I was there to help represent! There was a lovely dinner beforehand and my Dad and I were seated at a table with Jerry Robinson and his family, as well as the very talented Ramona Fradon. It was a fun evening and I was very proud to help accept the award on behalf of our family!

Saturday morning I had breakfast with Michelle Nolan, author of Love on the Racks: A History of American Romance Comics and collector, Dan Stevenson. The three of us had a nice chat and of course talked quite a bit about romance comics!

This was the first time in a looonnnggg time I had attended the San Diego convention without Justin. It was kind of sad, but I definitely felt his presence! LEGO had a huge representation at the con, and I even had the chance to say hello to a few of his colleagues. I also spotted Justin's 2009 comic book Super Human Resources at the Ape Entertainment booth, which was super exciting. He was missed!!!

I like my comics "Rare!"

The excitement continued on Saturday when I met Jim Steranko for the first time. Naturally, I had to gush over his only romance story, "My Heart Broke in Hollywood!" that appeared in Our Love Story #5 (June 1970). He was kind enough to tell me the story of its inception -- which I think I will save for another post -- stay tuned! He was so nice to talk to me for so long and I only regret that I didn't have a recording device on me!

Artist extraordinaire + super sweet guy = Jim Steranko!

Before I knew it, Sunday arrived -- the last day of the convention! After a short meeting with other women comic book scholars, I headed back out onto the exhibition floor. I "accidentally" made my way over to the dealer area and well... you can probably guess what happened next! Yup, I bought a few romance comics! I just couldn't help myself!

Annual Women Comics Scholars Meetup
(From the left: Jennifer K. Stuller, Jacque Nodell,
Trina Robbins, Candace West and April Murphy)

And just like that, Comic-Con International 2011 was over! I had a great time and I am very thankful that I was able to attend this year! I hope you enjoyed my little recap!!!

Catch Me on the PBS Show History Detectives - Tuesday, July 12 at 8pm EST/7pm CT!

I have some very exciting news!!! I am going to be on the History Detectives! Talking about romance comics, no less! Tune in to your local PBS channel on Tuesday, July 12th at 8pm EST/7pm CT (be sure to check local listings as times may vary) and watch as I assist one of the resident detectives in their search for clues about a very unique romance comic title - Negro Romance! Watch the preview below!

History Detectives on PBS

Tuesday, July 12th 8pm EST/7pm CT
Be sure to check your local listings!

Because You Demanded It! Too Spoiled for Love!

Cover by Bill Draut
Interior art by Jack Abel

After this post back in October, many of you have requested that I feature this intriguingly titled tale from Girls' Love Stories #154 (October 1970). With a title like "Too Spoiled for Love!" -- how could I resist?!

A wondrously
over-dramatic splash page!

Lila is what you would call a playa. She dates a bunch of guys and then ditches them the second it starts to get serious.

She is cool with her lifestyle, but her parents are not. They remind her that most of her friends are either engaged or married, and some even have children. Methinks they may partially just want her out of the house! Anyhow, one evening while headed out to a club, Lila's car stalls. A handsome guy stops to help her out.


The car is in need of major work and the young man named Brett tells Lila she will have to get it towed in the morning. Brett offers Lila a ride to her destination and she accepts, but also, invites Brett to join her at The Cave to see a band called Ghostly Happenings. Groovy!


Things are different with Brett. Lila is completely smitten and has no urge to move onto the next guy. She is even given the chance to meet someone new when her dad announces that he has invited his young assistant to have dinner at their house. Lila tells Brett that she will be unable to make their second date due to her father's arrangements. Brett lets Lila know it isn't an issue... and no wonder -- Brett turns out to be her father's new assistant!


Lila's father aggressively tries to "sell" Brett on her, not knowing they already met. Once given a chance to talk in private, Lila bursts out in anger at Brett. Though he explains that their meeting on the road the night before was purely accidental, she is convinced that he helped her just to get ahead at work. She chases him out with words of resentment and while he declares his love for her she thinks to herself,

"Why? Why you, Brett? Wasn't it cruel
enough that you'd made a fool of me? Did you have
to make me fall in love with you, too?"

Attempting to ease back to her normal playgirl lifestyle, Lila is unsuccessful and can only think about Brett. She decides the best course of action is to stop running away from him and saturate her life with all things Brett until she is completely sick of him. To accomplish this, Lila asks her father if she can work at the plant where Brett acts as floor supervisor.


Lila heads to work on the assembly line. Consumed by how "dull" the job is and Brett's overwhelming presence, she looses track of the settings on the pressure gauges. All of a sudden, an explosion occurs, injuring some of the women on the line. Horrified at the chaos caused by her own negligence and brattiness, Lila splits the scene and wanders the factory. Her father catches up with her and lets her know that Brett admitted to forgetting to do the morning gauge inspection -- resulting in him being fired.


Realizing that Brett only took the blame for her actions because he really loves her, Lila goes to stop Brett from leaving. Their flame is quickly reignited and as ol' Shakespeare espoused, all's well that ends well!

Thanks as always for stopping by, and if you ever have any suggestions on stories or themes you would like to see here at Sequential Crush, please don't hesitate!