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Once upon a time, many comic books on the shelves were not super heroes, but were repetitive stories about war and romance. Romance comics like “Teen Confessions,” “Teen Love,” and “Girls’ Romances” flooded racks, captivating readers with tales of love and heartache. These romance comic books were incredibly popular from the 50s to the 70s, marking a significant era in the Golden Age of Comics. Whenever I find these floating around at a flea market or something, I pick them up to see what all the hype was about.
I have discussed romance novels a little in the past when I poked fun at how silly they were. The Comic Book History of Comics (affiliate link) reveals an intriguing fact about these love comics: in the advice columns at the back of these issues, men would pose as women to provide love advice. This revelation only piqued my interest further in the genre of romance comics.
The stories in these romance comics always follow a similar pattern, reflecting the gender roles and societal expectations of their time. The plot typically focuses on a young woman who yearns for love but fears she may never find it. Invariably, sometimes delayed until the last panel for dramatic effect, she miraculously ends up with the man she wanted all along, locked in a loving embrace. The climactic kiss is always there, as if it’s the defining moment that validates the entire story.
While many of these comics about love can be monotonous and boring, some feature clever romantic scenarios that I thoroughly enjoy reading. For instance, in “Teen Confessions” #34 (the issue number barely visible on the cover, indicating how non-collectible it was back then), the opening story titled “Clever Girl” tells a tale of a teenage girl who strings along men with feigned love. It’s hilarious, really. This particular romance comic has a boy-who-cried-wolf moral where people end up hating her, but she still gets what she wants.
Something else that deserves particular attention in romance comics are the advertisements. For some reason, ads are rarely discussed in comic articles, but I see them as hidden time capsules in history. The ads in romance comic books are targeted toward young girls, which makes them particularly interesting. For example, one of them is for a camera lucida drawing device. What’s intriguing, though, is that instead of showing a man drawing a hot babe, it features a picture of a woman drawing a handsome man.
As the comic book industry evolved, romance comics gradually gave way to superhero stories, but the elements of love and relationships remained. DC Comics, for instance, incorporated romantic subplots into their superhero narratives. There’s Lois and Clark of Superman fame, of course, but my eyes are focused on Spider-Man and Gwen Stacy from the Marvel universe. Their romance was a dream, destined to be a couple that would get married. But then, as Stan Lee explained in an interview, a misunderstanding led to Gwen Stacy being killed and written out of the story. Oops.
The impact of romance comics extends far beyond their heyday. Legendary creators like Jack Kirby and Joe Simon, known for their work in various genres, also made significant contributions to romance comics. Their series “Young Romance,” published by Prize Comics, is often credited with launching the romance comics trend.
It’s worth noting that romance comics weren’t just an American phenomenon. British romance comics also gained popularity, offering their own unique take on love stories. These comics, along with their American counterparts, played a role in shaping perceptions of love and relationships for generations of readers.
As society evolved, so did the content of romance comics. The sexual revolution of the 1960s and changing attitudes towards gender roles began to influence storylines. However, the Comics Code, established in 1954, still imposed strict guidelines on content, particularly in comics aimed at younger readers.
Despite these restrictions, some publishers began targeting adult audiences with more mature romance graphic novels. These works often explored themes of domestic strife and complex relationships, moving beyond the simplistic narratives of earlier romance comics.
Today, while traditional romance comics may not dominate the shelves as they once did, their legacy lives on in various forms. From romance-focused webcomics to graphic novels that explore love and relationships in depth, the spirit of those classic romance comic books continues to captivate readers, proving that love stories will always have a place in the world of sequential art.