Dr. Love

Probably 90% or more of the customers who have these slabs don't know about it and wouldn't care even if they did. At this point I would pay the re-holder fee for a slab guaranteed to be free of puddling. I would hope they're actively seeking a solution to the QC issue. Mark Z will bring some light and perhaps heat to the issue.

Humph What he said

I knew it existed...was waiting for it to surface...and here it is! The highest graded copy, simply beautiful. In the hands of our own Sqeggs! I WANT IT GIVE IT TO ME NOW

Steve! (thumbs u Indeed, Young Romance #1 is where it all began for this genre. This 8.5 is the second highest graded, behind two 9.4's (one of which is the Church copy) in private hands. Davis Crippen didn't get into this until issue #8, Crowley much later. There are Rockford early Young Romance copies - starting with #2. There's an Ohio #2. To the best of my knowledge, none of the other Golden Age pedigree/collections have copies of this title. After all this time, the odds are the market has seen the existing #1's. It is a grail book for romance collectors.

Thank you adamstrange! and Cape Cod it is. No-Prize to you!

Some used to make a case for this book as the first romance comic. But that hasn't held up either.

The Simon & Kirby books in 1947 that started the Great Transition from teen humor to romance. Some used to say that My Date 1 was the first romance comic. It wasn't. Win a No-Prize if you can name the pedigree collection the My Date 3 came from.

Thank you Michael. My inventory runneth over.

and for some good old fashioned arm yanking, as comixnoir posted earlier, Fox has got you covered. There's more where this came from, too. but nothing tops True Life Secrets 25 for the most violent romance cover going. Everyone's all "oh look at my True Life Secrets 23, it's so hot, she's so hot". Whatever. This cover is for adults only - children, avert your eyes.

another Buscema classic from a companion title, Love Diary - lovely shades of purple and yellow and from the same title, the always popular Tiny Man photo cover. Just the mention of the Tiny Man can drive romance collectors into a frenzy.

here's another couple of Love Journals, 11 & 16. The 16 is signed by John Buscema. A few years in the business and he's signing his work - not too shabby. Catch the title on that book - "IS PETTING DANGEROUS?" You can't make this sh*t up...

Yeh the Dear Lonely Heart series is sweet. Comic Media/Artful - not a lot of output over a four year span - 40 issues. But good stuff. and here's one of the Lovelorn books. I love finger pointing/bad mouthing covers. And I dare anyone to find another comic with the word "Unexpurgated" on the cover! Also love that they chose to hyphenate the word "Con-fession" - too much!

Terrific books! It's hard to pick just five...especially with Flex Mentallo starting things off with single census and or highest graded copies of some very rare stuff. I have seen dogfights over the Romantic Hearts catfight book, and collectors going crazy over the "Love of a Lunatic" Romantic Adventures 50. Together with 143ksk's Romantic Adventures 49, these are half of ACG's "Fab Four" - a marked departure from the usual content in 1954 to test the waters for a new type of racy material. Didn't stick. Unfortunately. The rare ACG Fab Four: Romantic Adventures 49 - Jailbird's Romance Romantic Adventures 50 - Love of a Lunatic Lovelorn 52 - I Sold My Baby! Lovelorn 53 - Heart of a Drunkard!

That is one sweet full run, 18 for 18, man oh man. A labor of love, as we all know too well. If I'm dreaming, don't wake me up. "The collectors were nestled all snug in their beds While visions of Baker books danced in their heads"

The highest graded...the ONLY graded...Teen-Age Diary Secrets 9. Not often seen is right, more like never! And that is one heck of a nicely presenting 4.0. Graded back in '08 - was that your submit, Joanna? Those chuckleheads in Sarasota can't seem to keep these titles straight btw. It's Teen-Age Diary Secrets, of course, not Diary Secrets. And to add insult to injury, it is a Baker cover for which cgc didn't credit him on the label. The only Baker cover of the run for this 6 issue title. True, it's not an original cover - it's a blowup of an interior panel. Don't ask me from which story though. For that we'd need to have an open copy of the book. Anyone? Also, interestingly enough, this issue is an all Baker reprint, 68 big pages in a little digest format, and it's an exact reprint page for page of Teen-Age Diary Secrets #7.

Romita - the DC silver romance look belongs to him. Thanks, John Sr.

The seller has two .99 baseball cards closing in 2 days with no bids yet. $2.07 shipping. For $3.06 you'll get his contact info. Just decide who's gonna be the point guy on which listing and everybody else stay clear. Eazy peazy.

Yes very very difficult to find. I finally had to pull the trigger on a Superior copy. Notice the change in title.

Maybe, but maybe not. It's a big world for sure - but those squarebounds are a beotch to find in grade and dats the truth. Your copy is killer. As far as show and tell - bring it on Bumble. It's time your stash got the attention it deserves.

Who is this "Bumble Kitty", stepping out of the shadows with the highest graded GCE 13 and, if the rest of the book looks anything like the GORGEOUS front cover, what would be the highest graded GCE 15?

That makes a lot of sense. And the quote below from Alter Ego, concerning the St. John years: "It must be said that his covers would generally look better than his interior work, as he would usually ink them himself. Once again, some inkers would make his drawing look rather stiff here and there, and the heavier-handed ones amongst them would even "hide" his pencils... Once again, Ray Osrin was the inker who best interpreted Baker's pencils."

A slabbed 1.8 with brittle pages went for $575 a few months ago - and it could have gone for more. The winner put in a protective bid over his lead in the last few seconds. So we'll see. To tell you the truth I'm as interested in seeing whether Sparkle can reliably sell mid-grade mid-run SA DC romance with start bids of $99.99. For this genre to accomplish that would be a big deal.

No, not a swipe. Just picked up a rep as an unattributed cover with Baker slyly tipping his hand on the only drawn Negro cover in romance. Well, maybe there's one or two others. Kinda. The face of the man in the car is considered "Bakerish" by some, a possible self-portrait. Baker fingers on the woman. The fact that Baker owned a canary yellow Olds convertible. Added to all this speculation is the fact that this book doesn't come around, and never comes around in grade. According to the Alter Ego article, Jim Vadeboncoeur doesn't think it's Baker. Alberto Becattini feels that Baker was at least responsible for the penciled layout.

Remember this book, sold by the sports card guy for $1299 BIN? A press and a slab and it's back offered by Sparkle, on consignment I would imagine. Those color spots on the front and the possibility of resto kept me out of that one, which ultimately was not an issue. The back, though...looked relatively clean in the original auction except mild shadow lines etc. However, in the slab the stain on the back top is a whole different story. I would have been unpleasantly surprised when I opened the mail. It'll need to get $1732 to return a profit to the buyer.

I'll keep you company.