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[MarkWarner]

So Brain Boy actually did get us thinking a bit ,and was certainly a good choice. So well done to the mystery chooser.

Now ... you knew it had to happen at some point ... and this is the week. Yep, we have a romance! This one looks suitably cheesy. I also noticed that not only does it comes from JVJ's collection, but it has been scanned by his good friend and well know pre-code horror aficionado Tilliban.

I had a quick flick and there appears to be some great art in this one ... so fingers crossed!

The book can be found here https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=38756 and the story we are concentrating on is the first one "Winter and Spring."

[Lorendiac]

I just now read the first story. Interesting. I admit it's fairly plausible that this sequence of events could happen in real life, actor's egos being what they are (and we've all heard about those entertainment personalities who have divorce after divorce without ever learning anything from the experience), but I still have some nitpicks about a few items in the plot.

I wondered if I was supposed to laugh at the bit where Paula seems to be remembering Gabriel having said: "Poor Yorick . . . I knew him when."

I very much doubt Shakespeare ever had a character say "I knew him when" that way, and I know that the monologue in question should go: "I knew him, Horatio; a fellow of infinite jest" (and so forth).

Is this a hint that Gabriel is so egotistical that he frequently ad-libs instead of following the famous script? Or is it just that Paula has a lousy memory and thinks she remembers Gabriel using more contemporary language in that scene? Or was the author careless as he scripted this story? Or what?

But I admit all that is trivial -- it was just the misquotation that got me wondering if there was a subtle message there.

Moving on to somewhat more substantial matters: It occurs to me that if all Gabriel really wanted was a big comeback as a leading man, he could have just tried wining and dining Paula to get them on friendly terms, having her be flattered at such attention from one of the grand old names of the theatrical world . . . and then cheerfully suggested that he thought it would be a great thing all around if she agreed to co-star in a new play with him after her current play had run its course. His big name from decades of past triumphs; her rising star added to it; a capable, experienced playwright giving both of them some great lines; sounds like a (business) match made in heaven! Why drag all the complications of marriage into the picture if that wasn't vital to the main objective?

(Okay, okay, maybe the question practically answers itself: "Why would a much older man want to take some extra trouble in order to have a gorgeous and affectionate young woman sharing his bed every night, instead of just being a friendly co-worker?" Gee, let me think . . .)

I was actually a bit shocked when I realized Dr. King was planning to ambush them on the road in an effort to derail their elopement -- my feeling was that I didn't think psychiatrists were supposed to blatantly interfere in patients' private lives that way. Then I caught myself as I remembered that neither Paula nor Gabriel had ever been his patients in the first place. He was just taking an interest in the situation as a favor to some old friends (Paula's parents). I suppose this means psychiatrists are allowed to interfere with other people's wedding plans all they like, as long as their reasons are strictly personal, so that issues of professional ethics regarding the "proper boundaries" for a doctor/patient relationship don't enter the picture in the first place?

Then I was very surprised by the bit where Paula claimed Gabriel had decided to just devote himself to making her into all the actress that she could be, instead of ever treading the boards again himself. The fact that he had previously fed her that particular line of hogwash was the only reason the doctor was then able to goad Gabriel into "showing his true colors." And as near as I can tell, the doctor had no way of knowing in advance that Gabriel had not yet mentioned his plans for a new play to Paula. What if he had previously said the following words to her, plain and simple? "I love you and I want to marry you and I've even commissioned a new play for us to co-star in!"

Had that been the case, Dr. King's "big accusation" would have fallen flat on its face. Paula simply would have laughed at him and said, "Yes, I know he wants us to co-star in his next play and see how it goes! Am I supposed to be shocked at the 'revelation' that my husband, the great actor, plans to insist on giving his bride equal billing in a new production? Why do you assume he couldn't possibly love a person he wanted to co-star with? Are the two things mutually exclusive?"

[bowers]

I was wondering when we were going to get one of these! Actually, a quick and fun little read. I had seen Fass's art before in some AC westerns (Black Diamond), but this was a touch more sophisticated. Possibly because he inked his own pencils? Fass drew a lot of western and horror stories and ended up becoming one of the country's most prolific second-rate magazine publishers. He even tried publishing an unsuccessful revival of Captain Marvel in the mid-sixties. Interesting guy. I kind of like the character of Dr. King- he's not above meddling or using outrageous ploys when needed. Don't know if I'd want him for my doctor, but he does get results! The story itself was pretty straightforward- geezer seduces star-smitten young thing, doctor/family friend sets her straight, she goes back to the guy she dumped. It ain't Shakespeare, but it's sure good enough for a romance comic! I liked the second story better, featuring a faceless lover dream. Odd, we read one of those in week 9's Strange World of Your Dreams. Similar tale, done better here. In the third story, "Who am I?" King really pulls out all the stops to help his patient recover her memory and free her of her mistaken guilt concerning Frank (The Weasel) Gruber. Almost thought the doc was going to clobber him. Obviously, in the real world, Doctor King would probably have lost his license  or, at the very least, been censured by a board of his peers for his actions in this book. But who cares? It makes for a pretty good read! Cheers, Bowers

[narfstar]

I really liked this one. It starts out reading like a Dashiell Hammett hard boiled detective story. I will not pick it apart like Lorendiac. I accept the little things without all the what ifs. I like the character and may read more of his "adventures." This book did strike me as a better done version of World of Your Dreams like Bowers pointed out.

[Lorendiac]

I really liked this one. It starts out reading like a Dashiell Hammett hard boiled detective story.

Just to mention -- I happen to be a big fan of Hammett's writing. 

I will not pick it apart like Lorendiac. I accept the little things without all the what ifs.

But where's the fun in that? 

Seriously -- let me clarify a few things about my own attitude.

1. What I posted before was my honest-to-goodness "first reactions" to the lead story. At that time, I hadn't even read the rest of the comic book. But after posting my reactions, I went ahead and did so. I did find the experience reasonably entertaining. If the first story had bored me to death, I probably wouldn't have bothered to press onward. (Although I didn't feel Dr. King showed much personality in that first story -- for one thing, we never saw him actually act as a psychiatrist -- he was just a "concerned friend of the family.")

2. I have been known to take pleasure in someone else's "picking holes in the plot" of a book or movie I've previously read and enjoyed -- without the experience ruining the original material for me. For instance, I remember being wildly impressed by the first "Star Wars" movie when I was a young whippersnapper -- and I have also laughed when reading reprints of the Mad Magazine parody of that same movie.

3. I have even been known to be the guy poking lots of holes in the plot of something I consider "a true classic" -- and when I do, I find that I still consider the source material to be entertaining after I'm done indulging myself in an attempt to amuse other fans of that material.

For instance, a long time ago I read reprints of "The Dark Phoenix Saga" from the Claremont/Byrne X-Men run. I thought it was great stuff. Many years later I began writing a lengthy parody of that material -- and in the process of writing the parody, and rereading the source material while looking for things to mock, I started noticing honest-to-goodness plot holes which I had never consciously noticed before! This does not mean that I lost all respect for the storytelling abilities of the Claremont/Byrne collaboration, however.

I like the character and may read more of his "adventures." This book did strike me as a better done version of World of Your Dreams like Bowers pointed out.

I haven't read that one yet -- I only started paying attention to this "Reading Group" a few weeks ago. Maybe I'll give it a chance to entertain me.

[Lorendiac]

In the third story, "Who am I?" King really pulls out all the stops to help his patient recover her memory and free her of her mistaken guilt concerning Frank (The Weasel) Gruber. Almost thought the doc was going to clobber him.

Here's something that occurred to me about that story. Remember that bit, early on, where it's made clear that her boyfriend is perfectly willing to marry her "as is," without knowing her past biography, but she flat-out refuses to take the plunge before they know what sort of history might come back to haunt her at any time? And Dr. King agrees with her that knowing the full story would be prudent?

I felt that one obvious possibility was this: What if she was already married to someone else? In that case, if she married Bob Martain, and then the truth of her past identity somehow came to light much later, they wouldn't be legally married at all. (Not unless she'd been declared dead after she went missing, I suppose, or a divorce had been granted in her absence. Or her first husband had already died, of course.)

Obviously, in the real world, Doctor King would probably have lost his license  or, at the very least, been censured by a board of his peers for his actions in this book. But who cares? It makes for a pretty good read! Cheers, Bowers

Could you please elaborate on that? As I said in a previous post, my reaction to a stunt he pulled in the first story was similar -- until I remembered that "professional ethics" didn't really apply in that case because none of the people involved were his own patients. But what, exactly, did he do in one or both of his later stories in this issue that would put his license in serious jeopardy if his professional peers heard about it?

[bowers]

 In the second story, he trampled on doctor- patient confidentiality by telling her husband about her issues and then enlisting him  to help administer what the doc referred to as "shock treatment". Nowhere in the story did she confide in her husband or give the doc permission to tell him anything. I'm sure this would raise an eyebrow or two. Cheers, Bowers

[Lorendiac]

In the second story, he trampled on doctor- patient confidentiality by telling her husband about her issues and then enlisting him  to help administer what the doc referred to as "shock treatment". Nowhere in the story did she confide in her husband or give the doc permission to tell him anything. I'm sure this would raise an eyebrow or two. Cheers, Bowers

I'm not so sure he did all of that.

He definitely told her husband to claim to be financially wiped out in order to see how Carla reacted to the shock. (He probably added "but don't let it last more than five minutes or so before you assure her it was all just a test, and that the whole thing can be blamed on me for giving you that strange advice as part of her treatment plan.")

But after looking back at those pages just now, I find it is not clear that Dr. King, at the same time, also told her husband exactly what had been preying so heavily on the lady's mind, and thus why the doctor thought this particular experiment was worth a shot. When I first read that story, I did wonder about the propriety of "encouraging the patient's spouse to tell the patient a big lie as part of a shock treatment," but I quickly realized I simply didn't know if the regular code of ethics for psychiatrists had anything to say about that specific subject.

On the other hand, I agree with you that in the final panels of the story Dr. King was explaining his analysis of the case -- including a recap of what she had told him about her fears and recurring dream and so forth -- while the patient's husband was standing right next to her, hearing every word. Dr. King's attitude seems to have been that now that she'd established to her own satisfaction that she really did love her husband for himself -- not just for the size of his bank account -- it wouldn't hurt her marriage for the doctor  to explain his line of reasoning when the husband was present.

I have heard of doctor-patient confidentiality, and I think it's a good idea. I agree with you in principle that if Dr. King was summarizing her private concerns in front of a third party without the patient's explicit consent, that would be a breach of trust. But she didn't appear to feel that way about it, so I suspect a lot may have been left out of our quick glimpse of her last visit to the doctor's office. We learn in dialogue that after she had her epiphany, she and her husband had talked things over at length. I think there's at least a fighting chance that we should presume that by the time Dr. King offered his diagnosis, Carla had already made it crystal-clear (in a line of dialogue we didn't get to "hear") that as far as she was concerned there was nothing left to hide; her husband already knew most of the story from her own lips now; and so it would be fine and dandy for Dr. King to tell both of them all about his expert analysis of the true significance of her disturbing recurring dream, etc.

[narfstar]

Lorendiac I enjoyed your nitpicking so my statement was not a criticism of your criticism. I am eclectic in my evaluations. Some times the "holes" will drive too much to distraction while at other times I can live with them. Depends on the story, character and media I guess. It drives me crazy that poking a zombie anywhere in the head "kills" them but the fact that their brains are rotted away is not a problem. That and the fact that these slow moving mindless creature,, that are easily beheaded by anyone, and this rag tag bunch out survived most of the world, while the zombies took over, is just too much.

[paw broon]

I enjoyed this story, and the rest of the book for that matter.  I like the Dr.  King character and fancy alook at other issues. 
So that is Myron Fass.  I hadn't realised it was th same bloke.  Good to know. 
All 3 Dr.  King stories felt like watching lightweight episodes of 77 Sunset Strip - no bad thing.  I almost wanred Kookie to bring his car round.
Winter and Spring is a good wee read and althought there are flaws - the Shakespeare bit and Dave's acceptance of her telling him in 1 panel - the story flowed quite well.  In real life I'm sure Dr. King would be in soapy bubble for some of his actions but this is fiction and designed to entertain, as opposed to a documentary. 
The 2nd. story with the dream was rather tasty and, another tv comparison here, could have formed the basis of an episode of The Human Jungle (if anyoneremembers that Herbert Lom show)
The Fass art was enjoyable  but a couple of the female figures looked malformed, particularly the ultra tiny waist on the first page of Who am I.
I really have to stop reading other peoples'reviews before I write mine.

[Lorendiac]

Lorendiac I enjoyed your nitpicking so my statement was not a criticism of your criticism.

Just to mention -- when I responded to you before, I didn't feel as if I were on trial and needed to "defend myself against serious charges." I just felt like elaborating upon my own attitude -- in case anyone (not necessarily you) had failed to grasp the fact that I can poke holes in a plot without hating it. As you might guess, that's a point I have sometimes found it necessary to make in other online discussion forums over the years.

(On the other hand, there have been a few times when I looked at a published novel and wrote an online book review of it in which I really tore it to shreds -- because that was what it richly deserved!)

[Lorendiac]

Winter and Spring is a good wee read and althought there are flaws - the Shakespeare bit and Dave's acceptance of her telling him in 1 panel - the story flowed quite well.

I also remember being a bit surprised by how quickly he accepted the break-up -- but what worried me more was the bit at the end where they are in each other's arms again as he catches her on the rebound. I found myself wondering just how much trust and respect he was going to have for her from now on, after the way she had kept impulsively jumping back and forth between him and another man.

The 2nd. story with the dream was rather tasty and, another tv comparison here, could have formed the basis of an episode of The Human Jungle (if anyoneremembers that Herbert Lom show)

Nope. I barely recognize the name "Herbert Lom," and I don't recall ever hearing of the show; not in any way that stuck in my head. (I've never watched "77 Sunset Strip," either.) Maybe I'll look into those shows, now that you've called them to my attention.

(If it makes you feel any better, as soon as I saw the name "Herbert Lom," I thought: "He was a Phantom of the Opera, right?" And a little Googling now tells me he was also Inspector Clouseau's boss in some old Pink Panther movies; I remember the character quite well, but had forgotten who the actor was.)

[paw broon]

Youtube has some snippets of Human Jungle but perhaps it only played here in the U.K.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=the+human+jungle+herbert+lom
I realised another reason that I thought of 77 Sunset Strip - King's pipe.  Reminiscent of Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.
Nothing to do with the comic but I have the complete set of the show on dvd and it's still entertaining.

[bowers]

Hadn't noticed it before, Paw, but your dead-on! Dr. King IS Efrem Zimbalist Jr. Great show- let's all meet at Dino's for drinks! Cheers, Bowers

[crashryan]

Given the title I expected Dr King to be a romance advisor rather than a psychiatrist. Others have pointed out that he plays fast and loose with his ethics. Forcing the eloping couple off the road is bad enough, but the "experimental shock treatment" in which the husband pretends to be broke is preposterous. King didn't know if the woman would dump the guy, find herself, or pop her cork and jump out a window.

Anyway, something about "Winter and Spring" bugs me. I think it's how everyone instantly assumes Worthington is taking advantage of Paula before any evidence is presented that he's not genuinely in love with her. If Worthington was known already as a "self-centered, scheming old fox" it would have made sense to present that information up front. Then we'd know why everyone is so upset. I mean, Worthington could have been the one living the fantasy--an elderly man imagining himself young again be cause of the attention of a beautiful young woman. Not that this situation is any healthier than the other. It's just the way Worthington is presumed guilty simply because he's an old man that irks me. Once in a blue moon May-December romances work out (admittedly it's usually when the old guy has lots of money). Maybe this seems significant to me because I'm an old has-been myself.

As others have noted, "The Lover Who Had No Face" reads like something from Strange World of Your Dreams. It's an okay story until the "shock treatment" stunt. Fass does some interesting Craftint artwork. "Who Am I" plays fair with the reader despite its melodramatic ending. Fred is such an asshole that I can buy his telling Mary-Monica he was crippled in the accident. "The Redhead and Formula X" is a mess. It tries hard to be cute but instead is tedious and stupid. And that big finish--this yahoo has devoted his life to compounding a formula to create chrome yellow goo with pink polka dots??? It doesn't help that Ed Moore's redhead isn't particularly attractive.

When I first skimmed the comic I was struck by how much better Myron Fass's artwork was than other stuff I've seen by him. Of course it's all derived from photo reference and swipes, but it shows effort. Reading the stories, though, I realize that his storytelling is awful. Fass constantly omits crucial information in order to fill a panel with a convenient swipe. Check out page 2, panels 3-5 of "Winter and Spring." Here is the dramatic first meeting of Worthington and Paula--and we never see Worthington! The same thing happens in Fass' other stories. He reminds me of Art Cappello, who pulled similar stunts years later in Charlton romance comics.

[SuperScrounge]

Winter And Spring - Am I the only one who expected the young actress to be a golddigger after the old geezer's money?

The Lover Who Had No Face - An interesting little mystery, but nothing special.

Who Am I? - She's Myron Fass, it says so on the mirror.  Not bad. A number of annoying typos. Man, Fred really deserves to be hit by trucks, doesn't he?

Slightly Perfect - The primary message is "Be yourself", but other messages jumped out at me. 1. "You'll scare off a man if you buy expensive outfits!" 2. "Don't actually bother getting to know the person you plan to marry, save it for when you're locked into a marriage until death do you part." 

The Redhead And Formula X - Ugh! As TV Tropes would say, Stalker With A Crush.

[Lorendiac]

Given the title I expected Dr King to be a romance advisor rather than a psychiatrist. Others have pointed out that he plays fast and loose with his ethics. Forcing the eloping couple off the road is bad enough, but the "experimental shock treatment" in which the husband pretends to be broke is preposterous. King didn't know if the woman would dump the guy, find herself, or pop her cork and jump out a window.

I didn't specifically think of the "commit suicide" option, but I did wonder what a psychiatrist's code of professional ethics may have to say about encouraging someone to tell the patient a big fat lie as part of a mental "shock therapy" treatment. I don't know what the answer is.

I did get the impression that we were supposed to believe that Dr. King already knew, beyond any reasonable doubt, that the lady truly was in love with her own husband at this point (whether or not she had been when they first agreed to get married) -- rather than just tolerating him as "a prettty nice guy who keeps me feeling financially secure."  In other words, he wasn't "setting up a risky experiment" at all when he had her husband pull that "I'm broke" routine -- he was just trying to prod her toward a realization which he felt 100 percent certain she would consciously experience when she had to consider her feelings for her husband as being "separate from" her feelings about the value of having lots of money in the bank for a rainy day.

In his defense, I should also point out that Dr. King didn't decide to try anything so drastic after their first session. The narrative captions say he'd been treating her for weeks before he finally had a quiet chat with her husband and thus  set up that dramatic "revelation" about "our money is gone." That might be enough time for King to have reached solid conclusions about the nature and depth of her true feelings toward her husband. (With what degree of accuracy can an expert psychiatrist gauge such things as "how much love does she have for her husband, even if she's afraid she doesn't?" in real life? I really wouldn't know!)

Anyway, something about "Winter and Spring" bugs me. I think it's how everyone instantly assumes Worthington is taking advantage of Paula before any evidence is presented that he's not genuinely in love with her. If Worthington was known already as a "self-centered, scheming old fox" it would have made sense to present that information up front. Then we'd know why everyone is so upset. I mean, Worthington could have been the one living the fantasy--an elderly man imagining himself young again be cause of the attention of a beautiful young woman. Not that this situation is any healthier than the other. It's just the way Worthington is presumed guilty simply because he's an old man that irks me. Once in a blue moon May-December romances work out (admittedly it's usually when the old guy has lots of money). Maybe this seems significant to me because I'm an old has-been myself.

I pointed out, in my own first reactions to that story, that Dr. King

[Lorendiac]

Winter And Spring - Am I the only one who expected the young actress to be a golddigger after the old geezer's money?

You may have been!

Aside from the fact that it seemed clear from the start that he was taking the initiative in pursuing her, not the other way around, I wasn't even sure how much money he really had in the first place. He could afford to take her out to nice restaurants and so forth, but I didn't see any suggestion that he had made so much money over the years that he now had several million dollars' worth of assets invested in blue-chip stocks and could live off the dividends.

If Gabriel Worthington didn't currently have a good part in a play (which seems to have been the case), then it strikes me as a serious possibility that Paula might already have a higher monthly income than he currently did! What if he was just dipping into what little savings he had (not a million dollars' worth), in the attempt to wine and dine her and latch on to her rising star to give his own career a new jump-start?

Who Am I? - She's Myron Fass, it says so on the mirror.  Not bad. A number of annoying typos. Man, Fred really deserves to be hit by trucks, doesn't he?

If it had turned out that he really was stuck in a wheelchair for the rest of his life, I would have felt mildly sorry for him, but I'd also have been thinking: "At least it happened to a guy who deserved it!"

Slightly Perfect - The primary message is "Be yourself", but other messages jumped out at me. 1. "You'll scare off a man if you buy expensive outfits!" 2. "Don't actually bother getting to know the person you plan to marry, save it for when you're locked into a marriage until death do you part." 

I think the final paragraphs could be taken to mean the opposite of #2: "If you don't bother with really getting to know the person you plan to marry, you will eventually get a shocking reality check when it finally becomes clear that your blithe assumptions about his likes and dislikes, etc., were way off base in some crucial areas. You'd have saved yourself a lot of trouble by just asking him instead of assuming you knew what would favorably impress him and then wondering why it wasn't working!"

[Drusilla lives!]

Well, I guess it's about time we did hit on an "official" romance comic... it was only one of the most popular sub-genres back in the day, second only to horror I suppose.  Although I still can't figure out who was reading them, perhaps there were indeed more female comic book readers back then... who knows.

Nevertheless, I must admit I enjoyed this relatively quick read... particularly the last story "The Redhead And Formula X" penciled by Moore.  A funny, quirky little five-pager of a story that is well matched to Moore's loose cartoonish style here, which was a refreshing esthetic contrast to close the book with in my opinion. 

I found Myron Fass' artwork on the other stories solid and particularly well thought out in places as to pacing and plotting.  For instance, in "Who Am I?" I particularly liked the way in which the last "door knock" panel on page six IS the last panel, and one must physically turn the page (as if one were to get up and open the door) to find what lurked beyond... nice touch, whether intentional or not.  As to Fred Gruber, what a fershtinkiner. 

Liked both our featured story and "The Lover Who Had No Face," but what's with all these dreams of faceless men?  Seems to be almost a recurring theme. 

For a minute there I though I was back reading that Prize "Your Dreams" comic.  And they both rollout the surrealistic imagery on cue... makes one wonder where comicdom would be without the likes of Dali.   

Eh, nevertheless very nicely done on Fass' part.   

[Drusilla lives!]

... Fass ... ended up becoming one of the country's most prolific second-rate magazine publishers. ...

WOW, this is THAT Fass?!?... I thought the name sounded familiar.

...Man, Fred really deserves to be hit by trucks, doesn't he? ...

Yes. 

...Slightly Perfect - The primary message is "Be yourself", but other messages jumped out at me. 1. "You'll scare off a man if you buy expensive outfits!" 2. "Don't actually bother getting to know the person you plan to marry, save it for when you're locked into a marriage until death do you part."  ...

Hee, hee!  Yeah, I forgot to comment on that text piece... good observations. 

...The Redhead And Formula X - Ugh! As TV Tropes would say, Stalker With A Crush.

Funny how some of these old stories come off to modern readers, it's the same with some movies... ever see "An American in Paris" with Gene Kelly?  Cute and romantic in its day I suppose, but today?

[SuperScrounge]

Winter And Spring - Am I the only one who expected the young actress to be a golddigger after the old geezer's money?

You may have been!

Yeah, I probably could have worded it better too.

Sometimes when I read a story I think about possible directions it could go.

The story starts with the guy alone at a table indicating that he's the one with a broken heart. Okay, so the story reveals a different reason later on, but the possibility that he was the victim was planted.

Then we find out that they've been spending time together, but she's still dating Dave, which could be seen as her being a two-timer.

So frankly the idea that maybe she found out he was rich seemed like a possible twist that could come up.

...Slightly Perfect - The primary message is "Be yourself", but other messages jumped out at me. 1. "You'll scare off a man if you buy expensive outfits!" 2. "Don't actually bother getting to know the person you plan to marry, save it for when you're locked into a marriage until death do you part."  ...

Hee, hee!  Yeah, I forgot to comment on that text piece... good observations. 

Thanks. 

...The Redhead And Formula X - Ugh! As TV Tropes would say, Stalker With A Crush.

Funny how some of these old stories come off to modern readers, it's the same with some movies... ever see "An American in Paris" with Gene Kelly?  Cute and romantic in its day I suppose, but today?

I am actually familiar with the idea of "determined person in love shows the object of their affection that their love is real" stories, but when I think it comes off badly then it flips to the other side of the coin.

Chucking test tubes filled with who knows what kind of chemicals does not speak well for her mental stability. What if she'd tossed a beaker of acid at him? Wouldn't be such a light-hearted story then.

[crashryan]

Lorendiac, you bring up a point I missed. Early in the story Worthington is taking Paula to expensive restaurants, implying that though dead in the water professionally he still has money. But later when King visits Worthington's apartment it's a dump with peeling wallpaper, suggesting Worthington is broke. The author doesn't exactly tell us which is the case.

[MarkWarner]

The books starts off well for me, an advertisement for a door-to-door shoe selling franchise. I wonder if anyone, apart from the company actually earned any money from it. And boy it's followed by one of my favorite ones for the Jetex the "world's smallest jet". For $1.98 I want one ... NOW!  I really must find out whether it worked or not.

On to the story "Winter and Spring".  Ok ... read it and firstly I thought the art was really excellent. The story was going along fine, then in just three panels it suddenly reaches a climax and then goes back to the original tempo. But as I said the art was excellent!

I have now just read "The Lover Who Had No Face".  Hmmm this is interesting ... the art was not quite as good as the first story, apart from the interesting line of panels at the bottom of our page 16. But the story did the same thing again ... moved along nice and steady then a sudden change in less than a handful of frames, then back on the tracks until the conclusion.

On to the next story "Who Am I?" ... and I wonder if it going to do the same trick as the other two. Well it is certainly the most ridiculous of the three! I also agree with Dr King. If you have amnesia it is quite a good idea to try and remember who you are and I also wouldn't recommend marrying someone who has forgotten who they are!

Two facts:
1) Fred Gruber is a total cad!
2) Monica Seaver packs a punch. Even one of her slaps draws blood!

Story finished and I think it was the best of the bunch at least it kept an even tempo. 

Now for the two page text story:

"After she met Bill she realized that a girl couldn't dress for comfort if she wanted to impress a man. And she tried so hard to please him. She wanted to be absolutely perfect."

Followed by:

Then, only that morning, Dottie thought that she knew what was wrong. She has always worn small, plain hats that sat on her head almost as an afterthought. She decided to buy a new one an extra special picture hat with a huge brim. And of course, she had needed an entire new outfit to go with the hat!

Blimey ... I wonder how much money you can earn for writing that kind of rubbish. I need some extra cash!

On to the last story, which so far I think is rather tongue in cheek: rich boy Falrey Gaxton, pretty boy Morgan Cavanaugh and muscle man Joe Bayer. This one is fun! But unless Maya has the mass of a small planet I can't quite see how falling over on the path outside Jeff's laboratory would knock over two test tubes.

Ah, now a similar thing has happened again ... suddenly out of the blue it's red head this ... red head the other.

Now, this is funny and has happened to me on a great many occasions. Although I learnt long ago women tend to get a bit violent if you say things like:

"What're you standing there for? Why haven't you washed up yet?"

Sometimes it is just too tempting not to and then you have to take the consequences!

A few advertisements including a full page one for stamps with Hitler on them. Which is rather bizarre considering it is a romance comic. And the book is read!

The Reading Group's first romance comic done! To be honest it was much better than I thought especially in the art department. The next one we do will have to be real corn. Suggestions welcome!