Young Love (comics)
Young Love | |
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Publication information | |
Publisher | Crestwood/Prize DC Comics |
Schedule | Monthly/Bi-Monthly |
Publication date | (vol. 1): 1949–56 All for Love: 1957–59 (vol. 2) (Cr./Pr.): 1960–63 (vol. 2) (DC): 1963–77 |
Number of issues | (vol. 1): 73 (#1–73) All for Love: 17 (#1–17) (vol. 2) (Cr./Pr.): 21 (#18–38) (vol. 2) (DC): 88 (#39–126) |
Creative team | |
Writer(s) | various, inc. (Joe Simon) |
Artist(s) | various, inc. (Joe Simon, Jack Kirby, Mort Meskin, Leonard Starr, John Romita Sr.) |
Creator(s) | Joe Simon & Jack Kirby |
Young Love was one of the earliest romance comics titles, published by Crestwood/Prize, and later sold to DC Comics.
Contents
History
After the Sept/Oct 1947 release of Crestwood/Prize's genre-launching Young Romance comic, (arguably the first romance comic[1][2]), by the prolific team of Simon & Kirby sold "millions of copies",[1] the company (and duo) swiftly prepared a separate, spin-off title to capitalise on the success of this new genre. Launched amid imitators from (among others) Quality Comics, Fawcett Publications, Fox Features Syndicate and Timely Comics, Crestwood/Prize's companion title Young Love was released "less than a year and a half" after the debut of Young Romance, and also sold well.[1][2]
Publication history
Launched in February 1949, Young Love ran initially for 73 issues, until December 1956.[3] Four months later (Apr/May 1957), Prize launched All for Love, which ran for 17 issues until Feb/Mar 1959,[4] when it went on a year's hiatus, returning the following year and retitled Young Love. This retitled series then ran for 21 issues between February 1960 and June 1963,[5] whereupon Crestwood/Prize sold this – and other – titles to DC Comics, who produced a further 88 issues between 1963 and 1977.[6]
Declining sales
Criticised somewhat (as was the whole comics industry) during the mid-1950s Seduction of the Innocent-inspired Comic Book Hearings (part of the Senate Subcommittee hearings on the causes of juvenile delinquency), "love" or "romance" comics began to sell less well, and by 1963, Crestwood/Prize "got out of the comic book business," selling many of their titles (including Young Romance and Young Love) to DC Comics.[2]
DC Comics
DC gained Crestwood/Prize's titles (when Crestwood Publications stopped producing comics) in 1963, and continued publishing their romance comics as "part of a reasonably popular romance line aimed at young girls" for nearly 15 years.[2]
Taking over publication of Young Love after 17 issues of All for Love and 21 of Young Love (Vol. 2), DC continued the original numbering, launching the newly-branded title with Sep/Oct 1963's issue #39. The revised (primarily-)girls' series ran for almost 15 years, finally ceasing publication with July 1977's issue #126.[7]
Reprint
In 2012, #39–56 was reprinted in Showcase Presents Young Love Volume 1.
Awards
Young Love won the 1969 Alley Award for "Best Romance Title".
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Ro, Ronin. Tales to Astonish: Jack Kirby, Stan Lee and the American Comic Book Revolution (Bloomsbury, 2004)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Don Markstein's Toonopedia: "Romance Comics". Accessed May 27, 2008
- ↑ Young Love at the Grand Comics Database. Accessed May 27, 2008
- ↑ All for Love at the Grand Comics Database. Accessed May 27, 2008
- ↑ Young Love Vol. 2 at the Grand Comics Database. Accessed May 27, 2008
- ↑ Young Love (DC) at the Grand Comics Database. Accessed May 27, 2008
- ↑ "Mike's Amazing World of DC Comics": Young Love Vol. 2 Index. Accessed May 27, 2008