Customer Reviews

Romance Without Tears

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The stories are very good which is what the author used to determine his selection of which stories to include in this collection. He does state in the intro that if art were the main criteria to be used for which stories to include then he would have selected all Matt Baker artwork. I personally would have prefered all Baker art as he is arguably the best artist for this genre. Some of the other art is mediocre. The selection of covers are all Baker's and they are excellent. If all art was Baker's I would have rated this book a 5.

Romance comics taken from the 1950s collections are gathered in a revisionist anthology to challenge the icon of the 'tear stained face' of later years. The comics portrayed in Romance Without Tears feature satisfyingly strong girls and women who never suffer shame, heartache or guilt - and who can be as outrageous and forceful as they wish. Of course, there's romance and heartbreak too - and the full color portraits make for an exciting, intriguing title.

A fantastic collection, it begins with an introduction that gives us a brief (but informative) history of the romance comic. This book contains the following stories:

Was I Too Young For Love? illustrated by Lily Renee
I Set A Trap For A Wolf illustrated by Matt Baker
They Called Me Boy- Crazy illustrated by Warren King
I'll Not Date In August (story)
Loneliness Made Me a Pickup illustrated by Chuck Miller
Allergic to Love illustrated by Matt Baker
A Stranger Stole My Heart (artist unknown)
We Couldn't Be Kept Apart illustrated by Lily Renee
My Double Life Caught Up With Me (artist unknown)
Penny-Ante Girl illustrated by Hy Rosen
Hotel Weekend (artist unknown)
Love on Trial (story)
I Played Kiss and Run | I Tried to Buy Love With Kisses | Love Is Born | Tourist Cabin Escapade | Thrill Seekers Weekend | Elopement Hid Our Sins| Afraid To Be Married | Masquerade Marriage & a selection of covers, all illustrated by Matt Baker

The vast majority of the stories are in full-color, and in all of them the artwork is STUNNING. It's such a shame so little is known about the artists of some of these great comics, sometimes not even the author is known. There are two short stories as well. These stories were selected because instead of the young woman choosing to be miserable or submissive, she usually learned a lesson and came out stronger, or forming a relationship on her own terms. A wonderful collection for anyone that's curious about classic romance comics, and one that young girls could read and not be sent a weird message.