ROMANCE COMICS 525
Another noteworthy attempt at lengthy hybrid stories was Fawcett’s three-issue run
of Love Mystery , which was a victim of the 1950 Love Glut. Th e title included six nicely
done stories that melded intrigue with romance. Th ere were also remarkable period
pieces such as “Th ere’s No Romance in Rock and Roll” from True Life Romance #3
( August 1956), one of several unsuccessful 1950s romance titles from the tiny pub-
lisher Ajax. In this story, a girl is forced to choose between a boy who loves the new
rock-style tunes and one who prefers classical music. Having made the right choice, at
least according to the author, the girl says, “Gee, I can’t believe that I ever enjoyed that
horrible rock and roll stuff —it’s just plain noise!” Her clean-cut fellow responds, “Right!
It’ll never take the place of a sweet love song... by the way, let’s get some records to
share.” Th is amazing tale was unearthed and reprinted as a curiosity piece in the satirical
reprint title My Terrible Romance in 1994 by independent New England Comics.
When Th e Comics Code Authority was formed, formal rules of engagement, so to
speak, were laid down for the publishers. Th e only major publishers not to participate
were squeaky-clean Dell, which did not produce crime, horror or romance comics, and
Gilberton, which published Classics Illustrated. Sexual imagery of all types was forbid-
den, right down to visible cleavage; meanwhile, respect for sanctity of the home, for
marriage, for parents and for good behavior was always to be encouraged. No longer
would there be titles like “Th e Savage In Her!” ( Young Romance #22, June 1950). Con-
troversy and confl ict were out; dewy-eyed romance and domesticity were in.
Th e tiny American Comics Group, which for the most part published whimsical
and character-driven romance stories from 1949 to 1964, inexplicably veered toward
the sensational for a few months in 1954, only to be driven back to the mainstream by
the Comics Code. “Jailbird’s Romance”— billed as “Th e Most Sensational Confession of
Outlaw Love Ever Published”— appeared in My Romantic Adventures #49 (September
1954), followed by an insane asylum epic, “Love of a Lunatic,” in #50. In sister title Con-
fessions of the Lovelorn , “I Sold My Baby” was the feature of #52 (August 1954), followed
by “Heart of a Drunkard” in #53, “Th e Wrong Side of the Tracks” in #54 and “I Take
What I Want” in #55. Th e code, if nothing else, produced a shift to titles like “Th e Man
in My Past” and “My Own Heart,” along with far tamer covers.
Likewise, stories like “I Joined a Teen-Age Sex Club!” in Harvey’s First Love #13
( July 1951) were strictly forbidden. Harvey used a lot of pre-code reprints during the
fi nal years of its romance line in 1955–58, so the likes of “Sinful Surrender” in First
Love #27 (April 1953) became “Foolish Dream” in the post-Comics Code First Love
#61 (February 1956). Confl ict-ridden dialog was expunged or rewritten; cleavage was
covered over. Even advertising of questionable products was revised or dropped. Th e
pre-code romance stories from DC, Marvel, and Charlton, however, generally required
few changes, since those publishers had long since begun producing relatively tame
romance stories.
By 1959, when Charlton produced 15 romance titles — more than any publisher
had tried since the Love Glut year 1950 — the low-rent fi rm dominated the genre in
bulk, if not quality, since DC still had a headlock on production values in its fi ve titles
