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Let's discuss Bronze Age Romance!
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52 posts in this topic

Wow, beautiful stuff, Mtlevy.

How would everyone rank the overall output of the various companies?  I can't help but love the Marvel stuff, as they used so many of my favorite artists.  I tried collecting the DC and Charlton 70s romance comics, but eventually focused just on DC because I found the interiors so much more satisfying than Charlton (although I did hold on to some of the weirder ones.)  Yes, I read them...

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I'm collecting all the Bronze Age romance books, and for me personally, it's very hard to choose one over the other. I love Charlton for their willingness to get weird and go off formula, and they have some very underrated art and artists. DC really started loosening up in the late 60's, though, and they certainly presented a more professional package than Charlton. As for Marvel, I actually would have them last as the melodramatic Marvel style sometimes feels over the top when piled onto a romance book. On the other hand, though, it's fantastic to see the Marvel art teams take on romance books and you get some real gems as a result. 

My head says DC, but my heart says Charlton. My top two titles are Young Love and Just Married. 

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4 hours ago, Marshall Crist said:

YOUNG LOVE is great!  It's also the DC title I'm having the most difficulty completing.

I've heard the early ones are hard. I've been doing pretty well with the run as a whole, but my approach has been quite scattershot, plus I don't care too much about condition personally. Are you looking for books in a certain condition range? Just curious which ones you're having trouble finding. 

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4 hours ago, Marshall Crist said:

This might be my "favorite" Charlton cover--SWEETHEARTS #135.  Unusual subject matter.

http://www.mikesamazingworld.com/mikes/features/comic.php?comicid=79170

Good call! I somehow missed that one when making my Charlton "must have" list, but I just went out and bought a copy on ebay. Thanks!

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14 hours ago, Crimebuster said:

I've heard the early ones are hard. I've been doing pretty well with the run as a whole, but my approach has been quite scattershot, plus I don't care too much about condition personally. Are you looking for books in a certain condition range? Just curious which ones you're having trouble finding. 

Thanks for asking.  I'm collecting YOUNG LOVE #68 up.  Have #96-126 and a few others.  I guess my problem is that I am a cheapskate but still a little picky about condition.  Not a great combo.  There's sort of an amount I'll pay for a nice copy and an amount I'll pay for a mediocre copy, and I'm not finding too many in either category anymore.  I guess if I get to the point where I "need" for the process to go faster, I'll have to bump up what I'm willing to pay.

Edited by Marshall Crist
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Hey, regarding DC in general, I fell like YOUNG ROMANCE #179 is kind of significant because of That Strange Girl, "the story they dared us to print!"  Interesting to see them tapdance around lesbianism for nine pages.

Must also confess to picking up SUPERGIRL #3 and 6.  The cover of the third issue particularly tickles me, as it seems to be trying to slip a slightly outre' visual pun under the radar.

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9 hours ago, Marshall Crist said:

Thanks for asking.  I'm collecting YOUNG LOVE #68 up.  Have #96-126 and a few others.  I guess my problem is that I am a cheapskate but still a little picky about condition.  Not a great combo.  There's sort of an amount I'll pay for a nice copy and an amount I'll pay for a mediocre copy, and I'm not finding to many in either category anymore.  I guess if I get to the point where I "need" for the process to go faster, I'll have to bump up what I'm willing to pay.

 

Young Love #68 is one of my absolute favorites. That cover is to die for. 

I'm trying to collect the whole DC run - I've got 52 of the 88 issues so far. I'd probably be further along if I weren't also collecting all the other DC books at the same time! But I'm furthest along with Young Love and Young Romance (the DC issues only). 

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9 hours ago, Marshall Crist said:

Must also confess to picking up SUPERGIRL #3 and 6.  The cover of the third issue particularly tickles me, as it seems to be trying to slip a slightly outre' visual pun under the radar.

Even without that, the Supergirl #3 cover is terrific! 

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3 hours ago, Crimebuster said:

 

Young Love #68 is one of my absolute favorites. That cover is to die for. 

I'm trying to collect the whole DC run - I've got 52 of the 88 issues so far. I'd probably be further along if I weren't also collecting all the other DC books at the same time! But I'm furthest along with Young Love and Young Romance (the DC issues only). 

Impressive!

I do like the cover for YOUNG LOVE #68, but also that is the start of the "Lisa St. Claire" series, which is sort of the earliest DC romance ongoing series that I've found personally interesting.  "Cindy the Salesgirl," which started a few months earlier, not so much (for instance.)  I don't really care for the go-go check aesthetic, so I have been collecting stuff from 1968 forward.  I have 1972 and up completed, although having read one or two of the gothic issues, they are not for me (which is odd because I am a horror nut.)

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On 3/30/2020 at 9:23 AM, bronze johnny said:

Classic “love triangle mother-daughter-boyfriend” book. Definitely the taboo romance book and belongs on any top romance list:

87C87B7B-A7AC-4FE5-A4F1-7D2524CF8CDC.thumb.jpeg.444882b5e8e314911b5ae4681a54f3e3.jpeg

 

If you don't already have it, now you need to get the other Nick Cardy dancing romance cover from this era so you can have the matching set. They definitely go together! Though you can do doubt get a nicer copy than mine:

 

20200331_151747.thumb.jpg.5ef33fa4b50a5b730d1e596ec42fa78c.jpg

 

 

 

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