Number 2508: “I suffered for love!”

 

Julie and Jeff are brother and sister; growing up together they are inseparable, going everywhere together. But then Julie gets to an age where she wants to go on dates with boys, not a brother. Jeff does not take well to Julie’s choices for dates. He acts like a jealous boyfriend. Right away we readers begin to think there is something wrong with this relationship.

The story ends in what I think, to say the least, is an unusual turn of the plot.

This story also brings out your old Pappy’s advice for young women: do not date a man with a pencil thin-mustache. They are always carousers and con men. Be warned!

Art by Bob Powell. From Harvey Comics’ First Love #4 (1949):

Number 2372: She was born a coal miner’s daughter

Pat has a wonderful father, a widowed coal miner who is willing to spend his life savings to make sure Pat gets a top notch education. But in order to pull it off Pat must put on a charade; she must pretend to be wealthy, like the girls who are her classmates.

The story skips over the part about Pat having to apply to the school and be accepted. Perhaps her dad has found someone at the college to bribe, so she is admitted. Whatever happened, Pat is soon plopped into a sorority and gains an instant rival for the affections of Professor Chris Ralston. Such hanky-panky! Having some hunky guy as a teacher in a school full of rich girls seems a lot like the proverbial fox in the henhouse.

Bob Powell drew “I Was a Coalmine Cinderella” for Harvey Comics’ First Love Comics #5 (1949).

Number 1817: The desensitized

A illustration from First Love #35 (1953) is shown in Dr. Wertham’s anti-comics book, Seduction of the Innocent, with a panel lifted from the story, “Forbidden to Love Him,” drawn by Bill Draut.

As I have mentioned before, comics with panels in Wertham’s book are identified and prized. Dr. W. took this shocking panel out of the larger context of the story. It was because of that caption naming the comic as First Love I thought it was a man slapping his wife or girlfriend. As I found by actually reading the story, it is a father slapping his daughter for daring to love an Indian. The story is about ugly racism. It doesn’t make the image less startling or unpleasant, but Wertham did not bother to tell his readers the subject was actually racism. That was one of his ways of selling his message. As far as a story on prejudice goes, it has a scant five pages to play out the drama.

Two more from the Pappy archives of SOTI stories. Just click on the thumbnails