A Month in the Life of the Comics 4 4

[Point Five]

Great stuff, Scrooge!

 

It seems like there was an infinite number of western titles with photo covers in the 50s. To be honest, they all kind of blur together for me. It probably helped to be a kid who knew all the western TV and radio shows.

[Scrooge]

Great stuff, Scrooge!

 

It seems like there was an infinite number of western titles with photo covers in the 50s. To be honest, they all kind of blur together for me. It probably helped to be a kid who knew all the western TV and radio shows.

 

Sure it did. Maybe we should ask the more "seasoned" collectors in the forum if they could keep them all straight. I don't want to name names but I am thinking of BB and BZ, even though they were only tots when the Western craze was full on.

 

What we need in this forum is more older collectors btw.

 

I have a friend in OK in his late 50's - early 60's who is up on all the Western heroes and watch those movies as a kid and you can't fail him. Show him a b-western star and he knows them all so kids from that period knew who they were and what they were buying. Plus, while to me Thunder or Black Jack or Silver all blend together, to these kids, they were as distinct as the actors themselves.

 

Oh, and .5, wait until the next entry on the even more obscure Rod Cameron

[selegue]

# 185

 

Rocky Lane Western # 35 - Con Purchase

 

Sadly the GCD is down at the moment so I can’t provide a group shot of the covers for the Fawcett Rocky Lane series. Unfortunately, I can’t provide credit info with certainty either.

 

HOORAY! It's the return of my favorite feature.

This is the thread that persuaded me to join the board a few years ago.

 

Don't despair -- GCD will soon be back, more reliable and user-friendly than ever.

 

Thanks,

 

Jack

(I can't tell most of the Westerns apart either.)

[Scrooge]

Don't despair -- GCD will soon be back, more reliable and user-friendly than ever.

 

Oh no despair but the database was offline for a moment yesterday. Here's the cover-gallery snapshot of the early issues of the series. All issues used photo covers and the first 2 issues had photos on the back cover before leaving that spot to ads -

 

[precodekeith]

I love this thread!

[Scrooge]

# 186

 

Rod Cameron # 13 – eBay purchase

 

 

Content:

Rod Cameron in The secret water mine! by ? – Chapter 1: Range War! – 7 pgs

Riding Trail with Rod Cameron – 1 page feature

Ambling Andy – 1 pg humor

Rod Cameron in The secret water mine! by ? – Chapter 2: Bronc terror – 7 pgs

Sam the Sherriff in The sour note by ? – 4 pgs

Hoghead Harry in Infantile – 1 pg humor

The no gun sheriff by Eando Binder – 2 pgs text

Rod Cameron in The secret water mine! by ? – Chapter 3: Rampage! – 6 pgs

 

Right on the heels of Allan “Rocky” Lane comes another B-Western star in the Fawcett line-up: Rod Cameron. If to most, Rocky Lane is unknown, Rod Cameron is quite obscure. To wit, his comic book career consisted of only 20 issues, all seen below:

 

 

It is my belief that issues of Rod Cameron are harder to come by than other contemporaneous Fawcett westerns from my time looking for them.

 

Rod Cameron like most silver screen cowboys started with bit parts and some stunt work until given a chance in serials. Rod Cameron appeared in two serials by Republic in 1943. Born in Calgary, Canada in 1910, Nathan Roderick Cox, a.k.a. Rod Cameron, was in his early ‘30’s at the time. Neither serials was a western. In fact, both were spy stories. The first, Secret Service in Darkest Africa took Rod Cameron as Rex Bennett to Casablanca where he tries to foil Nazis and their plan to use the Dagger of Solomon to swing the African Arabs to their cause.

 

Cameron is seated at right. Standing at left is The Cisco Kid (Duncan Renaldo).

 

In G-Men vs. the Black Dragon, Rod Cameron also as Rex Bennett tries to stop the Black Dragon Society that aims to sabotage US ships. Check out the snazzy tie

 

 

 

Later that year, Rod Cameron switched to westerns to take over some vehicles created for Johnny Mack Brown by Universal and he continued his career as a western star at full tilt until the early ‘50’s when he started to appear in TV shows. He had a good run of several years starring in a series of shows: City Detective (1953-1954), State Trooper (1957-1959) and Coronado 9 (1959). Thereafter, his career is spottier but he remained active until the late ‘70’s. Rod Cameron died in 1983. The most often cited information about Cameron is that he divorced his first wife to shortly thereafter marry her mother!

 

Rod Cameron’s horse in the comic is named War paint.

 

Artistically, the style of the art in the comic is very distinct and I wish I knew someone who could ID the artist since the style is so characteristic. The information even in the Who’s Who is scant. Only one artist is mentioned as working on this short lived-feature: Robert Butts, generally known as Bob Butts. It is somewhat a surprise since Butts is generally credited as inker or as a background artist. Sad to say, Butts is one of those artists that fell through the cracks of fandom. I know of no interview with the artist and other artists’ recollection of Butts are few.

 

Bob Butts was born circa the early 1920’s. He graduated from the Pratt Institute in 1941 / 1942. Going through the archives, I was able to find a picture of Butts at a party at Jack Binder published in the Fawcett Companion. I circled Butts in the scan below:

 

 

Butts spent most of his career working for Fawcett starting in the industry at the Binder shop. My guess is that he stayed there until the shop closed in 1942 / 1943 then worked around the industry for Better (Nedor) and Street & Smith before being drafter. He resurfaces in the late ‘40’s, starting in 1948, where he finds work for Fawcett again mainly, including for Rod Cameron. His credits dry up circa 1953 – 1954 where he presumably moved on to another career, maybe in advertising (but that’s pure conjecture).

 

I was able to locate an account of Butts’ introduction to the Binder shop via Bill Ward who started there first and then brought in his Pratt boys. Here’s the story in Ward’ own word (see http://womenofward.net/bio.htm for more information)

 

 

Scrooge Note: After working upon graduation at an art service sweeping floors, Ward gets a chance to do some real work:

 

“The art service finally let me get into the art picture in a small way. They had the Ford automobile account, and I was at the board pasting up a brochure. I had to make a cut with a matt knife and to my horror, when I lifted up the paper, I discovered that beneath it I had cut a full color painting of a Ford car in half. I was fired on the spot.

 

A few days later back in the fraternity house (I roomed there after graduating), I was completely deflated and reading a 3-day-old newspaper in a brother’s room when I noticed the word "Ward" written at the top of one of the pages. "Oh jeeze, I forgot to tell you, Pratt phoned the other day . . . they had a job for you!" He told me when I pointed it out to him.

 

It has occurred to me many times that if I hadn’t sliced through that *&$%+@ painting and if I hadn’t gone into my fraternity brother’s room for a beer and found my name written on an old newspaper, I no doubt never could have been a comic book artist; and Ken Bald, creator of the syndicated strip "Dr. Kildare," John Spranger, artist of the syndicated strip "The Saint," Kurt Schaffenberger, one of "Superman’s" top artists to this day, Vic Dowd, Bob Boyajan, Ray Hartford, Bob Butts, and about 25 other Pratt graduates probably wouldn’t have either. Through these strange series of circumstances, I was due to meet the man who was to have the greatest impact on my career.

 

Jack Binder worked out of his apartment in the Bronx along with an assistant, Pete Riss, a fabulous Russian who unfortunately passed away a few years ago. The thing that pleased me the most when I phoned Jack was that he was moving to Englewood, New Jersey, a stone’s throw away from Ridgewood, a town where I had spent most of my life (and have to this day, I might add). Strangely, Jack Binder wasn’t that great an artist, but as a teacher he was a genius. Pratt had the finest teachers in the land, but to me none could have held a candle to this self-taught comic artist.

 

When I arrived at his apartment in the Bronx, Jack greeted me brusquely: "Sit down at that table and draw me a bridge. I want to see what kind of an eye for detail you have." An eye for detail, like perfect pitch in music, is something you have or you don’t have. Teaching won’t help you much more than train you to be more observant. Memory, the ability to retain images, wasn’t one of my fortes. Fortunately, I had driven across the George Washington Bridge so many times I was able to do a fairly respectable job. "Good enough," he grunted, "I’ll start you on backgrounds."

 

So Jack Binder, Pete Riss, and I moved into the upstairs of a huge barn in Englewood, New Jersey. Jack’s wife and seven kids resided in the old clapboard farmhouse nearby. Jack layed out, Pete penciled and inked the figures, and I penciled and inked the backgrounds.

 

Jack had a good contact with Fawcett and we did stories mainly for them, such as "Mr. Scarlet," "Bullet Man," and "Ibis." Others that I remember were "Captain Battle," "Doc Savage," "Ajax," "Black Owl," "Saga," "The Shadow," and "Fury."

Fortunately for me, Jack spent a great deal of time training me. He taught me how to "feather" with a brush. "I want you to gain control of the brush to the point where you can feather on the head of a pin," said he. "Feathering" is a series of lines close together, curling, swirling, all equal distance apart. This is the way you create the shading that forms the muscles on figures and renders the hair. He had me practice this in my spare time until I mastered the art. Consequently, control of the brush is one of my best assets today. Note Torchy’s hair on the cover as an example. He also taught me to ink around the figure with the inside of the brush, the part that’s against the flesh, so that if you put solid black behind the fingers, for example, their shape would be right.

 

Jack was being forced to spend more and more time selling and less time laying out since we were now turning out much more work. It was my great luck that he decided to teach me how to lay out stories. He impressed me on how important it was not to think of each story as ordinary comic book art, but as though it were "Prince Valiant," "Flash Gordon," or something else terribly important; to get keyed up, excited about it. He told me to think of myself as director of a play acting out the parts of each actor in my mind, then sketching them out on paper. To my amazement, layout and storytelling came easily to me under his tutorage, the only thing in art that ever had.

 

Jack now needed a background man to do the work I had been doing, so one day in July of 1941 he asked me if I knew of anyone who could do backgrounds.

"Know of anyone . . . I know twenty-five or more."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"Get them."

"All twenty-five?"

"Yes."

 

Comic books were mushrooming – after all, it was their "Golden Era." Unable to find enough trained artists, the publishers were turning more and more to shops. I phoned the fraternity house. A wealth of raw talent lay there, ready to be gulped down by the artist-hungry comic book boom. Recently graduated a mere year after me, they lay ready and waiting.

 

For Jack Binder the timing was excellent. It was less than a month after they had graduated and Pratt hadn’t had a chance yet to place them with their employment service. I was overwhelmed and a bit apprehensive at their response. Almost all were coming, all my brothers. Most importantly of all, better artists than I were coming; could they reduce me to a minor role?

 

Of course they could. One of the unusual things about artists is that they can’t be unionized. It has been tried many times, but seniority means nothing. A talented kid, just out of art school, can do a better job than the little talented man who has worked 25 years in the field.

 

A group of ten or more showed up first, headed by Ken Bald, destined to be the most successful amongst us, destined eventually to be Jack’s art director of a shop of over 40 men. Comic books in those days were, to say the least, frowned on by art students at Pratt. They were thought of as the lowest rung on the ladder for a graduate – we all wanted to be illustrators. However, remember that we were still in the depths of the Depression – jobs were few and far between. All ten were absorbed; more and more trickled in as they gave up and accepted their fate.

 

The room in the barn was at least 55 feet by 30 feet, enough room for 40 men at least. Had I made a mistake? Would I be driven back to become a background man, the bottom of the ladder? As it turned out, I had just enough training by Jack to maintain my lofty position as the sole layout man for the Binder shop. The scripts poured in, most written by Jack’s brother Otto, a prolific science fiction writer and Fawcett’s foremost writer. The shop grew to 20, then 30 men.

 

Perhaps it might be of interest to mention the system that Jack developed as time went on. On the back of each page was a box with eight categories listed: layout, penciling main figures, penciling secondary figures, penciling backgrounds, inking main figures, inking secondary figures, inking backgrounds, and lettering.

As each man did his individual bit, he signed the back of the page. Pay was simple: he was allotted a dollar for each item signed. Hence, Jack Binder was getting complete lettered pages for $8 each.

 

It always intrigued me that with eight men working on the same page a shop-style developed. However, there were over 30 men working altogether, not just eight. True, I did all the layouts, but there were three or four persons each in the other categories, mixed together with each succeeding job, resulting in no true shop style. Yet somehow it was recognizable, and it is to me to this day. I can always spot it in the books of the "Golden Era."

 

Draughtsmanship had always been my main problem: the ability to draw the figure in any position, at any angle. This was the fruit of my inattention at Pratt. Now however, under Jack’s guidance my draughtsmanship was improving. After hundreds and hundreds of layouts, I felt I was now able to do a strip on my own.

My chance came when Jack was offered a complete book of Captain Marvel (to this day I don’t know, but it may have been No. 1), a great feather in his cap. I had layed out a few Whiz Captain Marvels for C. C. Beck. Jack knew that the shop style wouldn’t do, so when he took me off layout for the time being to do the book, it was my greatest break. Bob Butts did all the backgrounds and I did all of the figures.

 

I was no Beck, but Fawcett liked the job and I felt I was on my way. After over a year of layout, inking, penciling, and backgrounds, I finally got to do a story, and not only that, an entire book on CAPTAIN MARVEL!

 

One day on the trip home from Binder’s, as we coasted down the hills, I told Wendell I felt I was now able to handle a strip . . . who would he suggest I go to?

All artists have idols in their fields. Most of us at Binder’s admired the work of Beck and Mac Raboy at Fawcett; Simon and Kirby of Captain America; and most of all the group at Quality Comics, Will Eisner of the Spirit, Jack Cole of Plastic Man, Lou Fine, and my personal favorite, Reed Crandall of Blackhawk fame.

 

Wendell said, "Shoot for the top; try Quality. If you’re rejected there, go right down the line."

 

I had incredible good luck. My timing was perfect. When I walked into George Brenner’s office, the top editor at "Quality," he welcomed me with open arms. Reed Crandall, you see, had just been drafted.

 

My head was whirling. I had been hoping for some little secondary story in a book, something I could do on weekends. They offered me the moon instead; Blackhawk in its entirety, covers and all. And I had to replace who was in my mind the greatest comic book artist of them all – impossible!

 

I took naturally to Blackhawk. My training by Jack in layout stood me in good stead. All of that practice in inking paid off. They especially liked my covers. I’m especially proud of Military No. 30, a shot of that silly Blackhawk plane coming at you, cannons firing, Blackhawk piloting, Chop-Chop waving his meat cleaver menacingly over his shoulder.

 

I drew that idiotic plane (from the early Military Comics) for years before it was changed to a jet. I used to wonder what nut designed the damn thing. Of course it could never fly – ridiculous to think so.

 

A few years ago I was leafing through a copy of a 1942 "Aerosphere" that I had acquired. Imagine my astonishment . . . there it was, an actual photograph of that same silly plane! Reading on I found it was an experimental model, the Grumman "Sky Rocket," that the army had rejected. Can you blame them? ... but it must have at least flown!”

 

Chapter 1: Range War! Splash

 

Chapter 2: Bronc terror Splash

 

Chapter 3: Rampage! Page

[Scrooge]

# 187

 

Romantic Adventures # 19 – Bought from Al Stolz

 

 

Content:

Lovely to look at by ? – 7 pgs

The Heart knew Best – 1 pg feature (text)

Second Best! by ? – 8 pgs

I tried to play the love market! by ? – 10 pgs

Ladder to love – 1 pg feature (text)

Too many men? by ? – 10 pgs

Love to the rescue – 1 pg feature (text)

Cupid #3547! by ? – 9 pgs

 

Romance books are even harder when it comes to artist IDs so I do not offer any here even though in this book there are plenty of familiar hands. In truth, like many other companies, ACG was never shy in using some of their Horror artists on Romance stories. This is a testament of how all lines were important to the publishers and to ACG more than others. ACG was the king of consistency through its history, very much like Fiction House a decade earlier. ACG’s stable of titles were long-lived and ACG kept its number of titles narrow in conjunction.

 

To wit, ACG, while it produced a total of 242 Romance issues, only ever had three titles (with 2 title changes): Lovelorn, Romantic Adventures and Search for Love (for all of 2 issues). That’s consistency compared to a Goodman! ACG used its typical line-up of artists: Ogden Whitney, Al Williamson, Chic Stone, Howard Alexander, Paul Cooper, …

 

 

According to Norman Fruman, ACG’s assistant editor from 1951 to 1957, ACG’s line of Romance comics were aimed at “[..] unmarried woman, working-class girls, and also teenaged girls, although the stories were often sophisticated; like the movies with white tie and tails were also directed at working-class women, as fantasies”, as reported in Michael Vance’s Forbidden Adventures: The History of the American Comics Group.

 

This view is supported by Michele Nolan’s recent analysis of Romance Comics, Love on the Racks, which reports that ACG’s Romance stories were carried by “the twin themes of romance and dangerous dramatics.” She also notes that “the often highly unlikely, plot-driven stories were often far more quirky and complicated than the covers could even hint at.”

 

Despite what seems like very innocuous stories, Fruman recalls that upon the advent of the Code, even Romance stories were not immune. Fruman recollects: “[..] the outrageous form of censoring the occasional story we had in which parents and children were in conflict. It just seems to me that that [the censorship] was disgraceful. They had no right to do it. There was nothing immoral or improper unless you take the position that family values are endangered.”

 

Due to the dearth of artist information, I’ll throw in a synopsis for each story. Please note that since ACG’s stories are generally longer than the standard of the time: 9 – 10 pages versus 6-7, the writers could pack more into one stories and it does benefit the comic. While Second Best! is lackluster, Lovely to look at is interesting. I find Cupid reminiscent of some of the better screwball comedies while Too many men is just OK. All in all, an above average Romance comics to enjoy.

 

Lovely to look at – Beautiful Jeanne Hemsley comes back to Middletown after finishing school and runs into up-and-coming town shaker Giles Craven. After a quick romance and engagement (see scan), Jeanne’s life is impacted by her brother’s death in Korea. She decides to start volunteering at the local ammunition plants. Giles Craven is furious that she would degrade herself so and plows into her supervisor at the plant. Hemsley overhears the scene and kicks out Craven and goes in for the supervisor who stood up for her.

 

Notice the Al Williamson-esque art (even though it is not Williamson)

 

 

Second Best! – After Susan’s dad died, she and her mother take over a dress shop and become a success. One day, Mrs. Rossiter places a rush order and her son Josh comes for the pick-up and it is love at first sight between Susan and Josh. After a whirlwind romance and engagement, the town folk start whispering Valerie’s name: Josh’s prior sweetheart. Valerie’s mother comes and talks to Susan stating that Josh is only interested in her on the rebound but once her daughter comes back into town, he will take Valerie back (see scan). Susan is all upset but once Valerie is back in town, he stays true to his promise and marries Susan.

 

 

I tried to play the love market! – Upon college graduation, Lona dumps her college sweetheart Jim as she has better plans. Through college, she secretly studied Wallace Marshall’s successful logging business so she would become indispensable to him and ingratiate herself into his life. She does so successfully. On a trip to one of the logging exploitations, Lona butts head with Peter, who turns out to be Wallace’s son … and she falls in love with the son. In the wrap-up page below, her conscience, taking the form of her former college sisters, talks her into accepting the truth.

 

 

Too many men? – Linda and Myra are cousins. Linda grows up to be very popular with boys while Myra considers herself an ugly duckling until the day she decides to take matters into her hand. She goes to Success School where a make-over does her wonder by highlighting her rather exotic features. Success ensues (see scan) and Myra comes back into town intent on showing up Linda in revenge. Unfortunately that behavior turns off her boyfriend who whacks her on the side of the head in the kitchen during one party for her callousness. Thankfully he calms down and Myra learned her lesson and we suspect they will live long and happily thereafter.

 

 

Cupid #3547! – Ahhh, what’s better than a story where a cabby plays cupid? Moe Wozzeck picks up Brian on a rainy when Brian is down on New York, finding it not easy to make friends and sorely lacking in love. Moe insists New York is a swell town and promises to find him a date within 24 hours! At the same time, Lee is being chewed out by her editor at the newspaper for how lackluster her interest stories have been (see scan). Lee, of course, steps in Moe’s cab and upon hearing Brian’s story, agrees to date him, unbeknownst to Brian that it is Moe who arranged their meeting. They hit it off … but Lee mentions their romance in her new column. Brian is fuming and runs away from New York. It’s up to Moe to reunite the lovebirds, … which he does in the end!

 

 

[selegue]

I love this stuff!

(So appropriate for a romance comic)

 

# 187

 

Romantic Adventures # 19 – Bought from Al Stolz

 

 

 

Romance books are even harder when it comes to artist IDs so I do not offer any here

 

 

Almost impossible except for some of Colletta (shop) and later DC's use of Pike, Romita and the like. Even experts at art ID can't agree on many homogenized romance stories.

 

 

This view is supported by Michele Nolan’s recent analysis of Romance Comics, Love on the Racks, which reports that ACG’s Romance stories were carried by “the twin themes of romance and dangerous dramatics.” She also notes that “the often highly unlikely, plot-driven stories were often far more quirky and complicated than the covers could even hint at.”

 

 

Recommendation? I've been putting off buying that book.

 

 

 

Lovely to look at – Beautiful Jeanne Hemsley comes back to Middletown after finishing school and runs into up-and-coming town shaker Giles Craven. After a quick romance and engagement (see scan), Jeanne’s life is impacted by her brother’s death in Korea. She decides to start volunteering at the local ammunition plants. Giles Craven is furious that she would degrade herself so and plows into her supervisor at the plant. Hemsley overhears the scene and kicks out Craven and goes in for the supervisor who stood up for her.

 

 

Interesting title to go with this story.

 

A soupy 30s hit by Eddie Duchin, a movie contemporaneous with this story, I think, then later the cliché expression, "lovely to look at but deadly to touch" -- I don't know where that comes from. A novel or mystery story?

 

 

 

Second Best! – After Susan’s dad died, she and her mother take over a dress shop and become a success. One day, Mrs. Rossiter places a rush order and her son Josh comes for the pick-up and it is love at first sight between Susan and Josh. After a whirlwind romance and engagement, the town folk start whispering Valerie’s name: Josh’s prior sweetheart. Valerie’s mother comes and talks to Susan stating that Josh is only interested in her on the rebound but once her daughter comes back into town, he will take Valerie back (see scan). Susan is all upset but once Valerie is back in town, he stays true to his promise and marries Susan.

 

 

 

Ominous shading, esp. in panel 3, which might also be a photo swipe/trace. I wonder whether an expert could ID it from that.

 

 

 

 

I tried to play the love market! –

 

 

 

Such overwrought melodrama wouldn't be seen again until Stan Lee's superhero angst and Steve Ditko's objectivist rants!

 

 

Too many men? – Linda and Myra are cousins. Linda grows up to be very popular with boys while Myra considers herself an ugly duckling until the day she decides to take matters into her hand. She goes to Success School where a make-over does her wonder by highlighting her rather exotic features.

 

 

Lemme guess -- she stopped wearing her horn-rimmed glasses and baggy sweaters. It always works in sitcoms.

 

 

Success ensues (see scan) and Myra comes back into town intent on showing up Linda in revenge. Unfortunately that behavior turns off her boyfriend who whacks her on the side of the head in the kitchen during one party for her callousness. Thankfully he calms down and Myra learned her lesson and we suspect they will live long and happily thereafter.

 

 

Oh, for the "good" ol' days when beating up a woman solved romance problems.

 

 

Cupid #3547! – Ahhh, what’s better than a story where a cabby plays cupid?

 

 

A story where a Space Cabby plays cupid for a gorilla?

 

 

Moe Wozzeck picks up Brian on a rainy when Brian is down on New York, finding it not easy to make friends and sorely lacking in love. Moe insists New York is a swell town and promises to find him a date within 24 hours! At the same time, Lee is being chewed out by her editor at the newspaper for how lackluster her interest stories have been (see scan). Lee, of course, steps in Moe’s cab and upon hearing Brian’s story, agrees to date him, unbeknownst to Brian that it is Moe who arranged their meeting. They hit it off … but Lee mentions their romance in her new column. Brian is fuming and runs away from New York. It’s up to Moe to reunite the lovebirds, … which he does in the end!

 

 

Bizarre perspective in some panels!

 

Great overview, Scrooge. That's a lot of story for a dime.

 

Jack

[Scrooge]

Bizarre perspective in some panels!

 

Yes, somewhat bizarre and the swipes from photos are obvious too. There's a reason the story is stuck in the back of the mag ... a shame, I liked the story. The editor did a great job of ordering the issue with the strongest art front and center and this one ... tucked in the back.

[Point Five]

 

I think the art's pretty nice here in general. I've seen 50s romance books that really phoned it in.

 

More or less on topic: does anyone have a Romantic Adventures #50? That's one I haven't seen in years, and regret not picking up long ago.

[JvR11]

 

I think the art's pretty nice here in general. I've seen 50s romance books that really phoned it in.

 

More or less on topic: does anyone have a Romantic Adventures #50? That's one I haven't seen in years, and regret not picking up long ago.

 

I just looked up that cover on comics.org. Boy, is that pretty wacked out...especially for a romance comic

[Point Five]

 

I think the art's pretty nice here in general. I've seen 50s romance books that really phoned it in.

 

More or less on topic: does anyone have a Romantic Adventures #50? That's one I haven't seen in years, and regret not picking up long ago.

 

I just looked up that cover on comics.org. Boy, is that pretty wacked out...especially for a romance comic

You are so right! And I've always wanted to read the story. Maybe someday.

[comicnoir]

 

I think the art's pretty nice here in general. I've seen 50s romance books that really phoned it in.

 

More or less on topic: does anyone have a Romantic Adventures #50? That's one I haven't seen in years, and regret not picking up long ago.

 

I just looked up that cover on comics.org. Boy, is that pretty wacked out...especially for a romance comic

You are so right! And I've always wanted to read the story. Maybe someday.

 

I have a copy, and the story is just as bizarre as the cover. One of the few Overstreet "classic stories".

[Scrooge]

The seller took its time sending it ... but at least it's here safe and sound. Down to 4

 

[selegue]

The seller took its time sending it ... but at least it's here safe and sound. Down to 4

 

 

A respectable copy too. It just screams "generic," doesn't it?

 

Go ahead -- list the 4 for us. Maybe someone will turn one up.

(Maybe in your signature but I have them turned off.)

 

Jack

[Scrooge]

A respectable copy too. It just screams "generic," doesn't it?

 

It's an Ace romance. A nothing book I "had" to buy, otherwise, I wouldn't look at it for another second. Upon inspection, the art inside is as great as the art on the cover ... but nothing I wasn't expecting from Ace

 

I am having a lot more fun reading our next entry in the Month series

[rjpb]

Fawcett loved them some Western comics - I count 12 listed in that masthead for Rod Cameron - who has to be the most obscure Westerrn "star" to get his own comic.

[Scrooge]

# 188

 

Romantic Marriage # 11 – eBay purchase

 

 

Content:

My heart’s decision by ? – 7 pgs

I married a clown! by ? – 7 pgs

I lied for love by ? – 7 pgs

The bride grows up! – 2 pgs text

Forgive me, Darling by ? – 7 pgs

Substitute wife by ? – 8 pgs

Cooking with Gas – 3 1-panel gags by merrylen

Wife in name only by ? – 7 pgs

1 pg ad for Strange Confessions # 1

 

As usual, a dearth of credits for this romance comic but it is balanced by tons of content. The cover clamors 52 Big Pages. Well, the pages aren’t big but we have a full 43 pages of comic stories. It takes a lot more than 5 minutes to read this comic!

 

 

Michele Nolan has little to say about Ziff-Davis’s romance output because Ziff-Davis, while a force in both pulps, magazines and paperback never really had a strong presence in comics. In truth, their biggest success was G.I. Joe. Nolan does state that “pulp publisher Ziff-Davis, best known for Amazing Stories, produced four romance comics in 1950 and then returned more than a year later. Like Standard, Ziff-Davis often started with a higher number, so Cinderella Love # 10 was the first issue in 1950. There were a pair of # 10 and 11 issues during the run of 11 issues, since the title reverted to # 4 with the fourth issue. Romantic Marriage # 1 and # 2 (1950), the company’s first romance comics, were edited by Jerry Siegel, the co-creator of Superman.” In the end, Ziff-Davis exited the comics field and sold off its titles and inventory to St. John who continued the titles for a little while longer.

 

While the experiment of Siegel editing the Ziff-Davis line didn’t succeed, Siegel had the correct idea of paying top rates in the business which allowed him to attract real talent to Ziff-Davis’s freelancer pool. It is reflected even in the pages of this romance comics. We noted that the work in ACG’s Romantic Adventures was above par for romance work and the same is true here in the pages of Ziff-Davis. Let us turn to the stories.

 

My heart’s decision – Marylin and Tommy are married and living in a decrepit house that Tommy bought as a surprise to Marylin, promising her he would fix it up … but he loses interest very quickly to the dismay and disappointment of Marylin. Moreover, it appears Tommy can’t apply himself to any job he takes on and quits at the first opportunity his position as insurance salesman and stationary salesman. He does like his time spent in the garden. Marylin is despairing until the day (see scan) a nice car is pulled in front of the house. It seems Tommy hid from Marylin his trust fund and Tommy’s sister is here to deliver to Tommy a check for $5,000 so he can seed his flower business, his true love since his new rose is a local hit. Surprisingly, Marylin is very happy for Tommy and can’t stop staring at the check …

 

 

I married a clown! – Clark and Jane meet and a whirlwind romance ensues and results in a marriage … before, as usual, Jane has the chance to ask Clark what he does for a living. She didn’t expect that he IS a clown! (see scan) She feels that her husband is a joke of a man and that people laugh at him, not with him and shuns him. She separates from Clark and vows never to see him again. One day, Jane has to go to a charity event she sponsored where Clark will perform and she is reminded of his ridicule despite his valor in rescuing a fellow performer. Jane thought it all part of the act but it wasn’t: Clark is a hero. Jane tries to talk to him but he does not want anything with her. In desperation, she joins the circus to win him back …

 

 

I lied for love – After their marriage, Fred and Linda move into their new home and Fred goes back to work and work he does, so hard in fact that he falls ill. He was pushing himself too much trying to build up enough cash to become a partner in the auto shop he is employed at. Linda though she despises working out of the home lies to Fred and claims that she doesn’t mind doing it and in fact is glad to go back into the workforce. She does so not to hurt Fred’s feelings … but he feels useless and takes over the housework. When he is finally able to go back to work (see scan), Linda is ecstatic but Fred refuses to give up the housework to Linda’s frustration as he bought into Linda’s lie. She dares not admit the truth. Eventually, Fred earns the partnership and Linda ends the lie and all is right again with their relationship.

 

 

Forgive me, Darling – After he is injured in a plane accident, Lance Bolton is due for a long hospital stay that ends his career as a special events reporter. It falls on Laurie to pick up the slack at the station where she is a continuity writer. Comes in Mal Kane, program director, who offers Laurie a new woman’s interest show that becomes a smash while Lance is still lingering in the hospital. Eventually, Laurie has less and less time to dedicate to her recovering husband and Mal is putting the moves on Laurie. Laurie finds Mal more exciting as Lance is quite mopping in the hospital. Upon release, Lance becomes Laurie’s assistant, not helping his standing, esp. when Mal is relentless. It all comes to a head (see scan) and Lance leaves town to rekindle his career elsewhere. Eventually, Mal presses his luck and Laurie storms out of reach of the rat and finds back Lance for renewed love.

 

 

Substitute wife – After a whirlwind romance during their vacation, Steve Bartlett and Gail decide to marry on the spot before going back to the suburbs of Chicago to Steve’s house where Steve’s previous wife’s, Eleanor, now deceased, touch is everywhere. This is driving Gail crazy as she believes Steve is still in love with Eleanor and everything in town reminds her of Eleanor, esp. her large portrait prominent in the house. Eventually she cracks (see scan) before being reassured of Steve’s love.

 

 

Sounds familiar? Sure, it’s the exact plot of Rebecca, the novel by Daphne du Maurier adapted to the silver screen in 1940 with Hitchcock directing Lawrence Olivier and Joan Fontaine. The movie earned the Best Picture Oscar.

 

 

Wife in name only – Russ and Lorna’s sister, Betty, have two children when Betty dies. Lorna decides to help out Russ and takes care of the children. When Lorna’s mother dies, Russ asks Lorna to marry him and to move together so that the children don’t have to live in one place during the day and stay somewhere else at night. This appears to be a solution dictated by convenience but Lorna secretly loves Russ. Everything goes smoothly until the day Carole moves next door and puts the move on Russ, a married man. Lorna becomes bitterly jealous but strangely does not fight back against Carole and is willing to let Russ go with his freedom and he almost does … when the children run away upset at the upcoming change. After looking high and low for the children, Russ admits being disappointed that Lorna does not want him as he loves her. The truth out, the family is reunited.

 

 

[selegue]

More romance!

 

 

My heart’s decision – Marylin and Tommy are married and living in a decrepit house that Tommy bought as a surprise to Marylin, promising her he would fix it up … but he loses interest very quickly to the dismay and disappointment of Marylin. Moreover, it appears Tommy can’t apply himself to any job he takes on and quits at the first opportunity his position as insurance salesman and stationary salesman. He does like his time spent in the garden. Marylin is despairing until the day (see scan) a nice car is pulled in front of the house. It seems Tommy hid from Marylin his trust fund and Tommy’s sister is here to deliver to Tommy a check for $5,000 so he can seed his flower business, his true love since his new rose is a local hit. Surprisingly, Marylin is very happy for Tommy and can’t stop staring at the check …

 

 

And there's a moral there, kids. Everything's OK, even if your husband can't apply himself and lies to you, as long as he has money. Good luck starting a business and getting by on $5000 (although worth a lot more than it is now).

 

...

 

 

Forgive me, Darling ...

 

 

Wife in name only – Russ and Lorna’s sister, Betty, have two children when Betty dies. Lorna decides to help out Russ and takes care of the children. When Lorna’s mother dies, Russ asks Lorna to marry him and to move together so that the children don’t have to live in one place during the day and stay somewhere else at night. This appears to be a solution dictated by convenience but Lorna secretly loves Russ. Everything goes smoothly until the day Carole moves next door and puts the move on Russ, a married man. Lorna becomes bitterly jealous but strangely does not fight back against Carole and is willing to let Russ go with his freedom and he almost does … when the children run away upset at the upcoming change. After looking high and low for the children, Russ admits being disappointed that Lorna does not want him as he loves her. The truth out, the family is reunited.

 

 

Good lord, these stories are perverse. The characters spend their whole time keeping secrets and lying.

 

The artwork on Wife in name only is distinctive, isn't it? Almost like photo-tracing with extra-heavy inks. Resembles, but not quite, Forgive me, Darling. Same artist with lighter inker? Do you have any idea who the artists might be?

 

Fun write-up, as usual.

 

Jack

 

[JvR11]

Interesting stuff Scrooge! I really think Ziff Davis did some of the best painted covers. Baker did two really nice covers to Romantic Marriage before the series ended.

Edited September 17, 2009 by JvR11