What are the rarest romance comics? 35 35

[Courageous Cat]

Not sure where this falls on the rarity scale, but she's quite the looker

 

Edited September 16, 2023 by Courageous Cat

[Darwination]

On 9/14/2023 at 1:54 PM, Courageous Cat said:

Not sure where this falls on the rarity scale, but she's quite the looker

 

What a cutie.  I recognize that one from Doc Love's avatar.  It's a pretty similar layout to what many romance pulps look like (a glamour cover is what magazine people tend to call it, where you get a close up of the face or just a bit of the figure).

I don't think I own any Ace romance comics.  Their crime comics seem pretty plentiful, but it is always a matter of who kept what back when.  Many of these poor girls got no love :'(

 

[Courageous Cat]

"Many of these poor girls got no love :'("

that is pretty sad 

[Darwination]

An interesting bit of coincidence/serendipity, a member over in the pulpscans group noticed that Bernard Baily is listed an editor on Brown, a pocket magazine I just scanned, posted, and blogged this week.  You'd have to suppose the same Bernard as our romance and comics artist.

https://archive.org/details/brown-v-01n-01-1954-01.-sepia-darwin-ia/page/4/mode/2up

http://darwinscans.blogspot.com/2023/09/brown-v01n01-january-1954-new-york-new.html

Edited September 14, 2023 by Darwination

[Iksar]

On 7/3/2023 at 3:30 PM, Heronext said:

Interesting ebay result!

That is Whitney's masterpiece in my opinion. As good as it gets

[Darwination]

On 9/15/2023 at 9:11 AM, Iksar said:

That is Whitney's masterpiece in my opinion. As good as it gets

Gorgeous, but 546 in that shape, really?!

I feel like 15 years ago I could have found that one for five bucks in no time.

Timely Atlas collectors seem an odd sort to me but mostly on the patient and cheaper side, so this surprises.  Of course when you really want a grail, maybe you go for it

Edited September 15, 2023 by Darwination

[Courageous Cat]

On 9/15/2023 at 11:22 AM, Darwination said:

Gorgeous, but 546 in that shape, really?!

I feel like 15 years ago I could have found that one for five bucks in no time.

Timely Atlas collectors seem an odd sort to me but mostly on the patient and cheaper side, so this surprises.  Of course when you really want a grail, maybe you go for it

pretty high for a 2.5, but like ya said, u take what u can get when there are zero alternatives

 

......oh, it sez 1.5,  yikes!

Edited September 15, 2023 by Courageous Cat

[Yorick]

On 9/15/2023 at 7:11 AM, Iksar said:

That is Whitney's masterpiece in my opinion. As good as it gets

My preference is for a few of those Manhunt covers...  NOT at all romantic though.

[Dr. Love]

On 9/15/2023 at 7:11 AM, Iksar said:

That is Whitney's masterpiece in my opinion. As good as it gets

Blissard gets numbers that others can't. 

And btw it's Hartley  

Whitney's romance masterpieces are undeniable and within the ACG "Fab 4":  Romantic Adventures 49, 50 and Lovelorn 52.  Lovelorn 53 is part of the group but not a Whitney.

Edited September 15, 2023 by Dr. Love

[Darwination]

The last couple pieces of Whitney's I've come across - (one's totally unromantic, sorry to bring bloodshed into the romance thread lol)

The bottom is the centerfold for Keen Teens 06.

Edited September 15, 2023 by Darwination

[Darwination]

A couple Hartleys from the box at hand

Love this one, nice copy, too (in my world)

and a grubby, lovely one

I can't find my copy of this one quick enough, so I'll post the restore

 

[Darwination]

 

A grubby copy, looking around it seems like I see as many Canadian editions as the Quality.  I've been reading a lot of the Humorama digests lately, so it's hard to remember Bill Ward in comics mode, not too shabby.  His splash and another page from the lead entry.

[Courageous Cat]

On 9/15/2023 at 1:54 PM, Dr. Love said:

Blissard gets numbers that others can't. 

 

100%

sometimes I just watch his closing auctions to see the high numbers he gets, but generally speaking, I haven't bought anything from his eBay listings 

[Dr. Love]

Adam Anderson, Conan Saunders, John Verzyl Jr., Austin Reece

I love seeing the next generation come up in this business

RIP Mikey Halperin

[PeterPark]

On 9/16/2023 at 8:04 PM, Dr. Love said:

Adam Anderson, Conan Saunders, John Verzyl Jr., Austin Reece

I love seeing the next generation come up in this business

RIP Mikey Halperin

Why who is blissard? 

[comicnoir]

Son of the Dentist.

[Darwination]

My Secret Marriage 08, Superior sleaze. This cover  

 

Featuring "Love in the Hills," artist unknown.

 

A rundown of the issue's contents here:
http://darwinscans.blogspot.com/2023/04/my-secret-marriage-july-1954-canadian.html

Up at eBay this week - I have no idea who even chases these rare birds in a lower grade, but we shall see.

Easily the best cover of the series, though there are a few others I like as well (none of these are in my collection, I think this is the sole issue I've owned).

 

 

Edited September 18, 2023 by Darwination

[Darwination]

Not scarce, surely, but I was looking at this Harvey today and this thread seems like a nice place to share my grody comics with the romance lovers

Harvey romance rocks.  If you don't know, now you know.   Escape by ladder.  And, what, is dude wearing a man purse?

Doc Oldschool with the edits on the issue in the images below.  Like myself, he's recently returned to the scan scene and will be working with me a bit - I'm very happy to have one of my best former editors back in the fold.

 

I've poured out my love to you like wine.  I think both of them have been drinking.

 

The centerfold.  Mixing fashion, passion, and violence, just what every teen-age girl likes in her comics.

 

The shame and thrill of Backstairs Love...

 

Her dad dies, she has to leave school, and then she meets this mook. Raw Deal!

 

[Darwination]

I sent this one off today, and, for the first time since letting a bunch of books go, had that thought - why the hell did I sell this one?

But, really.  It's funny how the books I throw in the keeper boxes aren't always the highest grade or "Key" books or whatnot.  It's like 5 dollar sports and romance pulps that I really like the covers on that I have the attachment to.  I shoulda held on to this bad mama right there, rough as she may be, just a unique and classic cover, and the hillbilly story at the end???  

Anyways, this is romance, and there's always other fish in the sea.  Right guys? Right??

I admit I haven't watched for romance comics like I used to, so I don't really know if the ones I'm picking out for the purposes of the thread for scarcity are all that scarce.  The census isn't really an indicator either, as all these slab happy yahoos around here will stick some mass market pub in a box that I can literally hop on eBay for and this minute sift through 60 cheap copies to find one in a vf grade, but these GA romances only go in if they are suspected to be one of the best copies.  But that's a good thing, cuz I like to read them

This beat up little number has two in the census

 

Devie's kawk blocking and has got to go "because I love her too much!"

First splash - SAME AS THE COVER - economy or just a crime against comic lovers everywhere?

I didn't really see much art of note in here.  CGD can only ID two stories attributed (and signed) by Harry Lucey.

I admit it didn't click at first that he also did Hangman in Special Comics 01 I just read a week or two ago which has some great panels in it

The best story in the ish is about a girl society reporter that uses a ridiculous tactic to catch her subject unawares:

It delves into melodrama pretty quickly after that-

The last splash - There's always a love triangle, decisions decisions

Really - I think this is just a down issue, as I've read a couple other issues that were really good.

The series is scanned out, as JVJ (RIP) had most the issues, otherwise I imagine we'd still be hunting them:
https://comicbookplus.com/?cid=1124

Best covers of the series are photo covers, cuz of the sleaze appeal, though a couple of the line drawn are pretty good too

 

Edited September 28, 2023 by Darwination

[Robot Man]

On 9/16/2023 at 5:01 PM, Courageous Cat said:

100%

sometimes I just watch his closing auctions to see the high numbers he gets, but generally speaking, I haven't bought anything from his eBay listings 

I buy from Adam fairly regularly. Yes, he gets good prices. But you get what you pay for. An accurately graded book, packaged well and sent fast. No monkey business or worry. My favorite regular EBay seller.