Dr. Love

Pike romance covers for Atlas are rare. 14 of them - and Lovers 49 is undoubtedly the best of the lot. Strong participation I think up to about 1K for this sole graded 4.5, and then it seemed to me two bidders went at each other above the 2K level. A really strong price was the result, establishing this book as a minor grail for sure. Remember - the underbidder is still out there, willing and able.

Cole's versatility means something for everyone. In this title, or actually across all Star romance titles, #5 is one of my top picks. Great composition, beautiful rendering, and with the humor it perfectly represents the title Popular Teen-agers. A true GGA classic, on the younger side, which makes it one of the few romance Cole covers that fit that bill. The great thing about #5, as well, is that the AR copy makes it accessible and affordable for all.

What a fantastic set! Well done! Might I recommend Meguiar's Scratch X-2.0 for that OG case on the #6. Avail on amazon. I find it's the best product for cleaning them up, to whatever extent is possible.

Oh my stars and garters Ken, as usual, bringing the most beautiful books! and thanks for the heads up, Peter

That is correct regarding the contents, approx 80+ pages. It's not a pulp, because of its size, considered a digest.

atomic Edgar killer Infantino/Sy Barry cover with scrumptious DC pink fade and some incredible interior work by Carmine/Joe Giella as well

Fantastic, Chris! Orbits are really really really hard to find in grade, especially the line drawn. 42 with that black cover, and 43 has no census. Pound for pound, maybe the best romance publisher. Atlas vs St. John, I stack Colletta up against Baker, not on covers, on interiors and story telling capability. But Orbits had a nice bullpen, at least four expressive artists, each of whom had their own unique style, each of whom could make a relatively actionless drama come to life - Leav, Lawrence, Buscema, and Anderson. Big John started on western and crime for Marvel in '48, and after a few years made his way over to Orbit. He produced a fairly large body of work there, at least in romance terms. Superb artist. Honed his skills for you know what later down the road. and buddy, no pink, and well, at least you know where the 6.0 lives now

Sounds about the same stuff I used to get from you super hero collectors about my romance comics! Cruel, you fanboys can be!

The IRS is not fond of you classifying your hobby as a business just because it suits you. They have a set of criteria that should be met in order to be allowed to file as such. One of the big reasons is that business losses, once they exceed gains, can be applied to personal income. Hobby losses can only be applied to hobby gains.

Seller has made his egregious position clear. I'd go to Paypal for a refund, securely package the books and return w/signature to seller, and put the seller up for a HOS nomination. It appears he's done with us anyway, could care less what we do or if he sells here ever again, so let's make it official that we're not that into him.

well here's certainly one of my fave purchases - I was so fortunate to get the whole seven page story, it was like a dream come true for you buddy @davidtere one day, in the park? I've got the incredibly large Itoya to carry these double ups now. BTW Steve Saaf and Jim Vadeboncouer think this is Sekowsky inked by Vince. Uhh, wrong!

somebody had a bad day and hit this Promise beauty with the under-graded stick and I was right there to welcome the misfit to mi casa and that aint no dust shadow either - it's completely not there, it's a scanner artifact - as compared to the real Promise shadows. From time to time HA's scanner misrepresentations created an arbitrage like situation, before some of us wised up. I spoke to two people at HA, one of whom was our friend Rick, to make sure it really wasn't real. My best comic purchase of the year, hands down.

I know, I didn't mention the pool, but it is classic. As well as tickets to Disneyland. and you've got a good eye

Couldn't agree more. And rare enough in grade. What made Colletta different was his ability to portray the full range of emotions in relationship - the heartache, and the joy. Loved women, loved fashion, an interesting mix for a guy perceived as mobbed up and connected. Also, mad respect to the Win 8000 Prizes covers. John Santangelo, Charlton's publisher, was nimble, innovative and willing to try promotional cover pushes the others wouldn't. The 8000 Prizes campaign lasted all of three months - Feb, March and April of 1959. 53 issues, 12 of which were romance, had the trademark ribbon taking up valuable cover real estate. Some don't care for them, think they're a distraction. Me, I love em and would like to own all the romance ones.

Take Patsy and Hedy 14 pending pics

Boot! Great to hear from you btw if you don't know BOOT, he is the most interesting...

I thought it was a fantastic watch. The little girl Marlow Barkley did a good job, and Chris O' Dowd once again showed his acting chops and made the movie sing. Momoa did his thing, not really skilled as an actor, and you've seen better from Keaton in Beetlejuice. But the kiddos who've never seen that should enjoy him in this role. Teared up a bit at the end. Not ashamed to say it. Much!

Saw it this weekend in an empty theater. Love the Rock but

one of the Barry brothers?

For the Diary Secrets run there is very very little original Baker art. #10-20 are all reprint. #21-23 have no definitive Baker, #24 has one story, #25 has 3 stories, #26-29 have no Baker, and #30 has 3 stories. Same kinda thing with Going Steady.

GO DAN

Wild guess, Fred Meagher

Now that I've been made aware of a resource for interior art that I had no idea existed, I'm thinking to do a deep dive into the books themselves and examine the quality of art contained within. Which for romance books, is pretty slim. The genre is basically cover driven. It has been said, and by none other than Steranko among others (though I can't find the quote), that romance is one of if not the hardest genre to draw - in a captivating manner. Everyday situations, normal human beings - these don't make for compelling art. And can the art advance the story without having to rely on the dialogue to convey the scene? These are the hallmarks of the advanced artist. Otherwise it's just talking heads. Most artists don't fit the bill. Some can produce great covers - but can they do the heavy lifting? So this is what I'm considering putting together, as usual to amuse myself as well as lay it out for you. It might take some time, because when I start I'm going to want to roll it out in a consistent manner and not little fits and starts. So we'll see. I'll leave you with this as a taste. This series of panels alone place this artist in the top 5.