Modern Love! True Love!

And my True Confession!

I have on my art table a boxed set of two large books that I won a long time ago. I can’t remember the contest, but they offered me one of two prizes, and I chose True Love; A Moon, a Girl…Romance; Saddle Romances. This is my true confession.

Note the seams in Paula’s stockings

I’m not sure how valuable the set is since it’s not available on Abebooks or Amazon. But the books don’t show (any!) sign of wear so they must be worth something. In some way. You understand where I’m coming from. I’m a little embarrassed and, when I turn the pages, a lot outraged. But mostly I’m amused.

The box measures 9½” x 13” x 2¼”

In the illustration on the right, 6 of the characters’ 8 sentences end in exclamation points. Jean’s father is alarmed and asks her what’s wrong. Her mother looks on, thinking,

My poor little girl! I know what you’re going through! My first romance ended the same way…

Shortly after these comics first came out in 1949-50, I was 8 years old. One day I visited two different friends and happily traded my stacks of Little Lulu’s and Little Audrey’s … for love comics! Guess what? My father threw them away!

And now I (think I) can see why.

The man says, “You wrote the story with me as the hero, Del — how does it end?” Del says, “I — I don’t know!”

The June-July, 1950, issue of Modern Love features “Advice from Adrienne”. Believe me, I only care about this column as social archaeology that I happened to live through.

Dear Adrienne, I am 18 and my boyfriend is 19. I thought he would never propose so on our last date I did the proposing . . . and he refused! Now I am heart-broken! What shall I do? C. D. Brodhead, Wis.

Dear C. D., A young lady should never put herself in the position that you now find yourself! It’s neither good form nor good psychology for a girl to propose to a boy! In your case, about all you can do is apologize to the boy for your forwardness, and never mention the subject again!

What can I say? There are 5 exclamation points in 7 sentences.

My father never frantically asked me what was wrong, as Jean’s did. But somewhere in my life I got the idea of Romance Comics. In the early 2000’s when I was with the #7 Arts co-op in Brevard, I designed miniature paintings for Christmas tree decorations. Here’s one of them!

“Oh, Brad”; acrylic on canvas board, 1.75” x 2”

Dear Adrienne, What would my friends think if I told them I own all these love comics in a boxed set? Even something called Saddle Romances! D. E., Brevard, NC

Dear D. E. If I were you I would quietly get rid of them! Deliver them to the library book sale in a brown bag! And please forget everything I ever told you! Yours, Adrienne

Modern Love, A Moon, a Girl…Romance; Saddle Romances, An Entertaining Comic (EC), Notes and comments written and edited by Bill Mason, Gemstone Publishing, Inc., West Plains, Missouri, 1995

Miniature painting by Deda Edney, then Deda Parker

CORRECTION: In my previous post, “America’s at War…”, I misspelled the Atlantic reporter’s name. It is Caroline Mimbs Nyce.