It’s February, and nothing warms the heart more than a great love story! So, join Siskoid and Paul as they discuss Super DC Giant S-21 – Love 1971! This comic has some great stories and beautiful art to go along with its stunning cover. Plus, don’t miss the next installment of Catch Ya Later, Calculator with Shawn M. Myers!
This month’s instocktrades.com selections:
https://www.instocktrades.com/products/sep150488/weird-love-that-is-the-way-i-like-it-hc-vol-02
https://www.instocktrades.com/products/sep231195/barnstormers-ballad-of-love-murder-tp-(c-0-1-2)
Check out Charlie Armentano’s Website:
https://charlesarmentanoart.com/
And don’t forget Siskoid’s blog:
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“Cloud Dancer ” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
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Before even listening to this episode, I’m going to drop the famous catchphrase from Kojak: “Who loves ya, baby?”
Great conversations. Super-slueth work on the cover artist – plus pretty cool he’s still alive, 55 years later. I read the letter column and I too concluded they were fake – can’t imagine 18 to 20 year old women living / working in NYC were reading DC romance comics – but even worse… no woman that age would write into a comic book to ask for what to wear to land a man – or how to handle a roommate who’s trying to steal her man – lol. Interesting how quickly DC reprinted the content – just 2 years – I guess Young girls who bought a Young Romance comic in 1968 had already moved on to be-ins and Woodstock by 1970? I always liked the Elongated Man… but have to learn up on him better, there’s a lot I don’t know – thanks for doing these esoteric characters. When are you going to tackle Rex the Wonder Dog?
Yes, excellent job not only in tracking down Charlie Armentano but actually talking to him. That cover is truly amazing, I’ve seen it many times, and it’s good to know that the issue itself contains some pretty high-quality material. The new story seems quite good, and the rest of the stories sound solid – and the art in them all ranges from very good to quite nice in my opinion.
By the way, I have to correct Siskoid a bit about Gwen Stacy – yes, Romita probably drew the most iconic version of her, but the character herself and her appearance debuted when Ditko was still on Spider-man. (Romita, though, gets all the credit for visually creating Mary Jane Watson.)
Otherwise, I have to say that I rather miss the Lonely Hearts podcast…
I asked the Beatles what comics I should have in my collection, and they said this comic is all I need!
As a kid I would have run from this clearly cootie infested comic. I still don’t have any real interest in reading a romance comic, but I have to say, it is a visually stunning book. The cover is pretty amazing, and the interior art is gorgeous. These ladies and gentlemen look like they could have been leads in a soap opera. This is another book I want to track down. It’s certainly has a unique look.
I think you missed a couple of tricks you should of pulled the W.K.R.P in Cincinnati gimmick of having it play a little bit of the love American style them before hearing the noise of some one tuning the dial of there radio then playing the right theme song .
This was interesting I’ve read some and heard some romance comics . I will admit I’m looking checking some out but mainly western set as you some of marvels girls comics stars went on to bigger and better things here’s a secret question:
If you plucked any of the characters out of this comic could they fit to the regular dc comics and if so how and who ?
This was super fun even without superheroes! The art on the cover would not have looked out of place on a late 60s/early 70s rock album. It would fit right in with The Moody Blues’ Days of Future Passed, Cream’s Disraeli Gears, and Odessey and Oracle by The Zombies.
The facial expressions are very well-done in all of these stories. In the second story, Gail encounters Peter at the hamburger stand and it takes all of two panels to explain why everything worked out and they married other people. Maybe, Gail was stunned to learn that Peter ended up marrying someone who looks like his twin sister. Then, again, Gail and Richy could pass as siblings too.
On pg. 29, you have to love the guy romancing the Gwen Stacy lookalike. White hair and beard but no mustache. Medallion and white turtleneck. “Baby, you’re real inside!” he tells her. What does that even mean?
And I want in on the “how many comics do you read per week” discussion. I probably read 15-25 comics a week. I read new floppies first and then move on to back issues or TPBs. I have begun to read a few things online via Hoopla. I read a fair number of DC books, but fewer Marvel titles now along w/ a growing number of Image Dark Horse, Dynamite and Mad Cave. I do like to read along w/ podcasts if I have access to the books. Probably 80% of my reading takes place before bed and I do like to have a “reading project” to guide my reading. I just finished a read through of much of the DC events (thanks DCOCD Podcast) and have begun making my way through a Top 100 storylines list that I found online.
Again, great show Paul Shawn and Siskoid.
Even though DC continued some of their romance titles all the way until 1977, I imagine by the time of this special, sales were rapidly dwindling, so DC wasn’t going to allow some of their newer, hotter talents like Neal Adams or Jim Aparo to toil on those books, even if they had wanted to. Still, it’s a shame, because while some of the pages you posted do look quite nice, all the DC romance titles have (IMO) a same-same look to them. That said, the cover is quite eye catching, and nice job tracking down Mr Armentano for an interview, Paul!
Probably no way to ever find out this info, but I’d love to know how these individual issues of the omnibus sold–were they relatively stable, or all over the place? Obviously the superhero ones did the best, but did this one crash and burn? Inquiring minds want to know!
Man, that cover is psychedelic in the best possible way. Paul, amazing work to track down the artist and get all that info! Truly impressed.
Loved the coverage and Siskoid is always a treat to listen to.
The first story is really great and I promise you that ‘your bride is death’ is going to be added to my lexicon for sure! Brilliant!
And any story starring Gwen Stacy … even an multiversal Gwen … is appreciated. Love Gwen!
What a wonderful episode, Siskoid is the best, but it’s so darn bittersweet to be reminded of the much-missed Lonely Hearts Podcast from the lads.
I’d have enjoyed this giant, I do like the soapy stuff. I appreciate more than love the cover, I don’t like the wacky colouring – I can see me buying this, as a superhero fan, and expecting ‘I fell in love with a magenta alien’. Mind, a more war comics kid might be excited by the prospect of ‘The reckless Losers…’
Great job on contacting artist Charlie Armentano, and what a nice chap! I do like that unused back cover.
The Mike Sekowsky/Dick Giordano art on the three-part novel is just lovely. The sequence in which Lynn shows off her new boutique clothes is very similar to one in Adventure Comics #397 in which Supergirl gets her first new super-costume off the rack in Diana Prince’s boutique. Sekowsky was obviously a very groovy fella!
Loved the latest Catch Ya Later, Calculator. I never get why artists always draw Elongated Man stretching his neck – it’s not like other JLA members have to constantly be demonstrating their powers. I always fear a villain will appear with giant scissors…
Impressive podcast most impressive. Ah the love comics . The cover is not bad. Very Mod in its style. The guy must have been an Andy Warhol fan. The art does its job . And a bit pretty. The story has good art. Yeaaah we have all fallen for creeps. But, this guy takes the cake. Home girl did a matrix lvl bullet dodge. Sad to watch Fred from Scooby doo become a jerk wad. Anyway the cloths of its time but tacky! Was he trying to look like a reject from Long John silver with that striped shirt.
I could go on but I almost want to pluck my eyes out from the eye sour that is the fashion in this book. The guy can draw but don’t seee Stacy London praising the cloths in this. Looks like all Liberace threw up on this comic. Cloths wise.
Next ah that story ware the guy didn’t say he came back just married someone else. That happened. Hey I’m a blond woman. Though in truth hair color is the lest important thing in someone’s attractiveness. Was just a thing they did back then. No idea why. I have dated enough attractive women with black hair and men with black hair . And cute blondes that were men and women.,
Hair color never was on my list of what I looked for first. Moving on.
Ah the woman with the love complex. I had an Aunt like that. Cause like me her face was not conventionally fitting the feminine esthetic . So she too had as many male suitors. And mostly did this to prove she could be desirable. Luckily I didn’t go that way.
Anyway eventually she found the right man had a family. Two lovely children that grew into adults. One became an administrator at a college. Now my aunt had done drugs and other things never knew why. Till I transitioned. Though she was a cis woman. Guess our journeys were more alike thanx I knew . Wasn’t told till after the beginning of my transition and the Oy I faced sometimes.
So I can understand why she did what she did. I just didn’t do it as well. Now my aunt was beautiful in her own way. All women are just not in the main line standard. So yeah I get this story. And can relate well enough just it was for different reasons. Moving on.
Ah the most matched lovers. Still sad she lost the cop in the last story. Though cool the kid played match maker for them. Sorry he died. But , yeah we’ve all had something that made us just want to give up and do what ever. Out of pure frustration. But, glad she meet the new guy. Hopefully she got her life together and a new job. I have a blue dress like the one she wares in this and the Wednesday Adam’s dress isn’t to bad. Not sure about the black one with the square in it.
Though luckily she didn’t buy that green monstrosity. Or they outfit the lady behind her is in girl no. Or the the Yellow and orange babydoll dress she put on. Dis she lose a bet? Looks like a traffic cone. The blue and blue green one is just Oy vey you can tell she had lost the will to live. She put on that tacky thing. Next.
The Black Canary (Guess they couldn’t get the Hunters so they went with close enough .) story isn’t to bad. Cool to hear Shawn on it. Hmm , I wonder what calculators main plan is. Anyway can’t wait for the next episode.
Great episode, Paul and Siskoid! Romance comics had come and gone, but over the years, I’ve always passed them over in back issue bins. This despite them usually having great art, especially from DC. But after listening to, and paticipating in a few Lonely Hearts podcasts, my appreciation of them has increased. This is a fantastic set of covers, and it’s so cool that you reached out and heard from Charlie Armentano! And of course I appreciate the Monster magazine cover where he “cameoed”! How many people can say they starred with Boris Karloff on a cover?
“Catch You Later, Calculator” continues to be a fun series, even if the comic book logic in these stories makes the Silver Age look sane. I don’t even think the whackiest Super Friends episode would try to convince a country full of cereal-eating moppets that human beings can survive 500 degree heat! You know my bat-ears perked up when you said “Marshall Rogers”, so I’m looking forward to the next installments!
“What is the Calculator’s real name?”
I did some digging, and in the second story in ACTION COMICS #524, the Calculator is put on trial, and his real name was revealed to be Calvin Quincy Latour. Of course, while in Ivy Town University he went by Cal, and because he was a “big man on campus” people called him “The Cal”, so the Calculator’s real name is “The Cal” Q. Latour.
I am so glad I could clear that up for you, Uncle Shawn…
What’s that? You are looking through the second story in ACTION COMICS #524 and you cannot find this reference to the Calculator’s real name? It’s right there in Professor Hyatt’s dialogue in page 1, panel 3. If you read it out loud, you can clearly hear the Professor say, “The defendant, ‘The Cal” Q. Latour as he calls himself…” It may not look that way, but that was because letterer Todd Klien had obviously used a quill pen with autocorrect…
Again, I am glad I could help…
This episode was not only fun, it was groovy! But seriously, I really enjoyed listening to Paul and Siskoid talk about these romance stories. As a super-hero kid, there was no way on earth I would ever have bought romance comics for fear of losing what I thought was my “coolness” reading comic books. To this day, to be honest, I don’t know if my attention span would allow me to read them. I kept waiting for someone to gain super powers or get attacked by Red Ghost and the Super Apes or something. Great job, Paul, on tracking down the cover artist. Great recap overall. And the icing on this Valentine’s cake was the latest installment of “Catch You Later, Calculator.” Black Canary and Elongated Man? So much fun, even at 500 plus degrees!
Thanks for covering this issue. The cover has always intrigued me but I’ve never found a copy cheap enough that I was willing to pull the trigger.
Question: Do any of you think that DC and/or Marvel were trying to lure guys into buying romance comics by putting the best “good girl” artists on them? Artists like John Romita Sr. and Jay Scott Pike drew such beautiful women that I can see a guy buying the a romance comic to admire the pretty ladies. The fact that Romita or Pike never had a run on Wonder Woman is absolutely sinful.
The first “girl’s” comic I bought was an issue of Patsy & Heddy : Girls on the Go Go. I bought it when I was older off eBay and got it for the Elvis Presley cover. The interior had Patsy and Heddy paper dolls, where they were dressed only in their underwear. My first thought was “If there had been a Spider-Man issue where Gwen or MJ were in their underwear, it probably wouldn’t have passed the comics code.”
Great show, Paul. I enjoyed the breakdown by you and Siskoid on Love 1971. That cover is wild. The design really encapsulated the late 60’s/early 70’s. And thanks for the history on the artist. Another great episode of Catch You Later, Calculator. Terry Austin is a great inker for Mike Grell, he really holds Grell’s art together with a tight, clean line. I guarantee the temperature change plot in this story is based on Rozakis and his wife battling over the home thermostat. While I liked the Black Canary story better, I feel like Elongated Man really missed out on the best way to thwart Calculator: punch the CE on his chest instead of C. He’ll never remember if he has to just re-enter the last number or start all over again! Maddening! Thanks for the shoutout for the Fantastic Pour and the discussion about the stretch differences between Elongated Man and Mister Fantastic, but I have to give credit to Chuck Dill – my guest on that episode – for the neck stretching theory.