Wednesday, June 21, 2017

You Got Romance In My Cowboy Comics!!

I've said it before, and I'll say it again:

There's no love like Cowboy Love!!

Actually, there were two separate runs of Cowboy Love, at two separate companies...

Issues #1-11 were by Fawcett, and ran from 1949-1951.

Later, Charlton, having purchased the rights to many Fawcett titles, took up the concept, including the same title font, for issues #28-31 in 1955 (it took over the numbering from Romantic Story, another series Charlton had continued from Fawcett. And after Charlton's Cowboy Love was cancelled, it resumed as Romantic Love again, at issue #28, and ran until 1973!! Because comic numbering has never made sense...)

Nope, there's nothing better than cowboy love...

Unless it's...Cowgirl Romances!!

 Marvel had 1 issue of Cowgirl Romances in 1950 (#28!! WTF, 1950s numbering!)...

 ...while Fiction House had their own Cowgirl Romances series, also starting in 1950!

 It's tempting to read too much into these covers...

 ...as while Cowboy Love usually relies on images of Western couples in romantic bliss (and often with guitars!)...

 ...Cowgirl Romances was much more likely to have a cover with the woman in danger, or locked in a passionate kiss, or gazing on as her man does her wrong with another lady...

A statement on the perceived preferences of the books' intended audiences?

Still, there's only one genre-mashing Western romance that I need:

Oh, Mary...

1 comment:

Captain Entropy said...

Outstanding Western wear variation on the Marvel family style.