''Young Love'' was one of the earliest

romance comics Romance comics is a comics genre depicting strong and close romantic love and its attendant complications such as jealousy, marriage, divorce, betrayal, and heartache. The term is generally associated with an American comic books genre published t ...

titles, published by Crestwood/Prize and later sold to

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

History

After the Sept/Oct

1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country in ...

release of Crestwood/Prize's genre-launching ''

Young Romance ''Young Romance'' is a romantic comic book series created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby for the Crestwood Publications imprint Prize Comics in 1947. Generally considered the first romance comic,Ro, Ronin. ''Tales to Astonish: Jack Kirby, Stan L ...

'' comic (arguably the first romance comicRo, Ronin. ''Tales to Astonish: Jack Kirby, Stan Lee and the American Comic Book Revolution'' (Bloomsbury, 2004)Don Markstein's ''Toonopedia'': "Romance Comics"
Accessed May 27, 2008) by the prolific team of

Simon Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...

Kirby Kirby may refer to: Buildings * Kirby Building, a skyscraper in Dallas, Texas, United States * Kirby Hall, an Elizabethan country house near Corby, Northamptonshire, England * Kirby House (disambiguation), various houses in England and the Unit ...

sold "millions of copies", 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 Quality Comics was an American comic book publishing company which operated from 1937 to 1956 and was a creative, influential force in what historians and fans call the Golden Age of Comic Books. Notable, long-running titles published by Qualit ...

Fawcett Publications Fawcett Publications was an American publishing company founded in 1919 in Robbinsdale, Minnesota by Wilford Hamilton "Captain Billy" Fawcett (1885–1940). It kicked off with the publication of the bawdy humor magazine ''Captain Billy's Whiz B ...

, Fox Features Syndicate and

Timely Comics Timely Comics is the common name for the group of corporations that was the earliest comic book arm of American publisher Martin Goodman, and the entity that would evolve by the 1960s to become Marvel Comics. "Timely Publications became the name ...

, Crestwood/Prize's companion title ''Young Love'' was released "less than a year and a half" after the debut of ''Young Romance'', and it also sold well.

Publication history

Launched in February

1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2022. * January 2 – Luis ...

, ''Young Love'' ran initially for 73 issues, until December

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim ...

. Four months later (Apr/May 1957), Prize launched ''All for Love'', which ran for 17 issues until Feb/Mar 1959, 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, whereupon Crestwood/Prize sold this and other titles to DC Comics, who produced a further 88 issues between 1963 and 1977.

Declining sales

Criticised somewhat (as was the whole comics industry) during the mid-1950s ''

Seduction of the Innocent ''Seduction of the Innocent'' is a book by German-born American psychiatrist Fredric Wertham, published in 1954, that warned that comic books were a negative form of popular literature and a serious cause of juvenile delinquency. The book was tak ...

''-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 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cov ...

, Crestwood/Prize "got out of the comic book business", selling many of their titles (including ''Young Romance'' and ''Young Love'') to

DC Comics

DC gained Crestwood/Prize's titles when Crestwood Publications stopped producing comics in 1963, and they continued publishing their romance comics as "part of a reasonably popular romance line aimed at young girls" for nearly 15 years. 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 Sept.-Oct. 1963's issue #39. Issues #107 (Dec. 1973-Jan. 1974) to #114 (Feb.-March 1975) of the series were in the 100 Page Super Spectacular format. The revised series ran for almost 15 years, finally ceasing publication with July 1977's issue #126.

Reprint

In 2012, #39–56 was reprinted in ''

Showcase Presents ''Showcase Presents'' was a line of black-and-white paperback books published by DC Comics (from 2005 - 2016) at an average rate of two per month. Much like Marvel Comics' '' Essential Marvel'' volumes, each book usually included over 500 pages of ...

Young Love'' Volume 1.

Awards

''Young Love'' won the

1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...

Alley Award The Alley Award was an American annual series of comic book fan awards, first presented in 1962 for comics published in 1961. Officially organized under the aegis of the Academy of Comic Book Arts and Sciences, the award shared close ties with the ...

for "Best Romance Title".

References

External links

''Young Love'' Vol. 1 at the Grand Comics Database''All for Love'' at the Grand Comics Database''Young Love'' Vol. 2 at the Grand Comics Database''Young Love'' (DC) at the Grand Comics Database
{{Jack Kirby, state=collapsed Comics by George Kashdan Comics by Gerry Conway Comics by Jack Kirby Comics by Robert Kanigher Crestwood Publications titles Defunct American comics Romance comics