If you had told me ten years ago that I would be reading and enjoying romance comics of the 1940s, '50s, and '60s, I would have told you that you were nuts. Romance comics were just something I was never interested in growing up. As an adult, however, I have learned to appreciate them - not just for the pretty art, but also for the historical context of the stories, the moral high ground taken by some of the authors, and the crafty way that the stories more times than now showed the female lead in a bad light, having to learn her lesson when it comes to love, being chaste and honest, and remaining true to one's self. Rarely do you come across romance comics with a male lead character, and perhaps that stems from the fact that these comics (at least, back in the days when they were published) were aimed at the female readers. Yet, reading them today, these stories that were considered too racy and a bad influence on kids back then are definitely tame compared to comics that you will find published in the 2020s!
Teen Angst is a collection of romance stories from various issues of Realistic Romances, Romantic Love, Teen-Age Romances, Wartime Romances, and Teen-Age Temptations, all published between 1951 and 1953, before the Comic Code Authority put a kibosh on tales such as these. They were collected and published by Malibu Graphics back in 1990, at a time when independent comic companies were really hitting their stride in the industry. Collected and edited by the company's Creative Director, Tom Mason (who also provided a short introduction to the collection), the book showcases a number of great artists, including legends Matt Baker and Everett Raymond Kinstler. Baker was one of the first known African-American comic book artists, probably best known for his work on Phantom Lady. He has been called one of the best "Good Girl" artists in the industry. Kinstler was drawing comic books from the age of 16 and eventually graduated to portrait painting, including U.S. Presidents such as Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan. During their careers, both artists spent some time doing work on romance comics, and this collection is a nice representation of their work.
The stories are not collected chronologically, as there is really no need, since each six to nine page story is unrelated to any of the others. While the table of contents identifies the comic each story is pulled from, as well as the year of publication, it sadly does not specifically identify the artist of each story. Kinstler signed the first story, so that one is easily identifiable; as for the rest of the stories, I had to do some digging online to discovery who drew the remaining tales: Kinstler (pp. 1 and 38); John Rosenberger (pp. 8, 14, and 29); Rafael Astarita (pp. 21 and 71); Maurice Gutwirth (p. 98); Luis Zansky (p. 127); and Baker (pp. 54, 61, 80, 89, 119, and 139). The stories on pages 45, 104, and 112 do not have credited artists, and I was unable to locate any information online as to who might have drawn those tales. In addition, the three pages preceding the first story on page 1 offer up some absolutely gorgeous frontspieces drawn by Kinstler for issues of Realistic Romance and Romantic Love - the black and white images are captivating! These frontspieces were collages that gave readers a brief glimpse into the stories that were waiting for them in each issue.
And speaking of stories, let's talk about the tales that are collection in Teen Angst. After all, the art may be beautiful to look at, but without the story, the comics do not really mean much. Tom Mason has to be given credit for picking a wide variety of stories, which offer up great examples of pre-Code comics that dealt with divorce, violence, and a lot of sexual subtext. There is a story about a woman so in love with her man, she enlists in the military so she can follow the love of her life onto the front lines in "Our Love was Battle-Scarred!" Then there is a story about a woman who believes she is a jinx to any man who loves her after the first two men she loves are killed in strange accidents in "Jinx Girl." Another story finds a young woman determined to rise above her poor childhood, even if it means killing the rich, elderly man she married in "Dangerous Woman." If that was not bad enough, next up is "Fatal Romance!" in which young woman gets hooked up with the wrong man from a carnival and speeds off on a crime spree that ends in death! In "Make-Believe Marriage," a young woman pretends to be married in order to get a job, only to have her make-believe husband show up and nearly spoil everything! "Thrill Hungry" is a tale about a woman who ends up believing the wrong man and nearly causes a spy to get away with government secrets, while "Deadly Triangle" features another tale of a woman making the wrong choice in men, leading to her nearly dying when the crook uses her as a human shield against the police! One of my favorites is "Borrowed Love," a dying woman wants more than anything to be truly loved, and when she finally meets the man who could be that love, he tears her away from the housekeeper that has raised her, she learns a startling secret about her illness! That story is probably the closest to a soap opera mystery, which is likely why I enjoyed it so much.
There are plenty of other stories - "Triumphant Kisses" and "I Craved Excitement" and "Fast Company" and "I Was a Love Gypsy" and a number of others that deal with young women who are looking for love in all the wrong places and in too many faces and ultimately must face the consequences of their actions. The collection is truly a treat for comic fans and those who love tales of romance, as it offers up such diverse stories - no two are alike, and not every story has a happy ending! I guess the only thing they really have in common is that the woman in these tales all learn their lesson by the end of each story, some with much more dire consequences than others! I would love to know who the authors are for these stories and what other work they did; it would be interesting to see if any of the writers went on to become big names in the comic industry (or elsewhere!).
In addition to these comic reprints, there are three short prose stories from Teen-Age Romances #20 and #22 (published in 1952). I cannot say these stories were all that interesting, as they did not feature the intensity of the drama that the actual comic tales did. In fact, I think I got more of a kick seeing some of the original ads from these romance comics interspersed throughout the collection than I did the prose tales.
I would definitely recommend this to anyone who loves great storytelling filled with plenty of drama and in some cases violence. And the art is most certainly something that can be appreciated in these stories, if nothing else. Huge thanks to Malibu and Tom Mason for putting this together back in the day, and grateful there are still copies available out there for purchase! (And if you want a bit more info, check out the interview with Tom Mason at the Malibu fan Facebook page - Interview with Tom Mason.)
RATING: 10 peek-a-boo lace negligees out of 10 for preserving some classic romance comics that are worth more than just a second glance!
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