Young Romance #171

Young Romance #171 (On Sale: February 18, 1971), has a cover by Don Heck and Dick Giordano.

We begin with "Let Me Share My Heart with You" by Robert Kanigher, Artie Saaf, and Tony DeZuñiga.

Next is the reprint "Strangers in Love" penciled by John Romita and originally published in Heart Throbs #93 (1965) where it was entitled "A Date with Heartbreak!".

Next is a one-page "Do's and Dont's of Dating" drawn by Tony DeZuñiga.

That is followed by "How Much Can My Love Buy?" by George Kashdan, Artie Saaf, Vince Colletta, and Tony DeZuñiga.

Next, we have "Which Man Is Mine" with pencils by John Romita and which is reprinted from Secret Hearts #68 (1961).

Following that is a one-page "How to Lose 5 lbs. in 5 Days!" by Liz Berube.

Our next reprint is "Afraid to Love" also with pencils by John Romita and which is reprinted from Falling in Love #36 (1960).

We end with "Nice Girls Are Out of Style" by Barbara Friedlander, Kurt Schaffenberger, and Vince Colletta.

Edited for the first time by Dorothy Woolfolk.

Girls' Love Stories #158

Girls' Love Stories #158 (On Sale: February 2, 1971), has a cover by Don Heck and Dick Giordano.

We begin with "Perfect Match: Philip, Louise & Kirk" drawn by Tony DeZuniga. Louise doesn't understand the passionate feelings she has about Kirk, especially when she's already engaged to Philip.

Next, we have  "Just Friends" penciled by John Rosenberger. Marni denies her feelings for Tommy because her mother believes that a rich boy could never truly be interested in a poor girl.

The next item is a quiz, "What's Your Dating I.Q.?" drawn by Liz Berube.

That is followed by "Gruesome Twosome" by Jack Oleck, George Tuska, and Vince Colletta. Nancy is a plain girl who agrees to go out with Harold, who's too short, because no one else will date either of them. She's quickly bored by his constant talk about his hobbies, but eventually, he changes her mind when he fights one of the bullies that's been harassing them (one of Harold's hobbies is martial arts).

We end with an untitled one=pager drawn by Lee Elias. Laura invites a persistent suitor to come to her house, but it's only so he can babysit her brother while she goes on a date with her boyfriend.

Edited by Dorothy Woolfolk. Born in 1913, Dorothy takes over the editorship of all seven DC romance books starting this month. Dorothy Woolfolk was one of the first women in the American comic book industry. She served from 1942 to 1944 as an editor at All-American Publications, one of the three companies that would merge to form the present-day DC, then spent the next two years at Timely Comics, the 1940s predecessor to Marvel Comics, and in 1948 was an editor at EC Comics.

Woolfolk said she had found Superman's invulnerability dull and that DC's flagship hero might be more interesting with an Achilles' heel such as adverse reactions to a fragment of his home planet. This gave rise to the famous fictional metal kryptonite, which made its first appearance in the comics in the story "Superman Returns To Krypton!", credited to writer Bill Finger, in Superman #61 (1949).

She wrote an unknown number of Wonder Woman stories in the 1940s, making her the first woman to write the character. She also wrote for the science fiction magazine Orbit during the 1950s, and in the 1970s and early 1980s was the author of the 10-book Scholastic Press young-adult novel series about teen detective Donna Rockford.

Her second husband was 1930s comic-strip cartoonist and 1940s comic-book writer Walter Galli. She met her third husband, novelist William Woolfolk, during her stint at DC when she rejected a script he had submitted for a Superman comic book. Woolfolk was nominated every year from 2001 to 2004 for induction into the Women Cartoonists Hall of Fame and in 2018 Woolfolk won the Bill Finger Award. Dorothy Woolfolk died in November 2000.

Young Love #85

Young Love #85 (On Sale: January 12, 1971), has a nice cover by Tony DeZuniga in pencil. I really love this one.

We begin with "I Couldn't Trust Myself" by Jack Miller and John Rosenberger.

Next is "I Love You Again" penciled by Mike Sekowsky and reprinted from Falling in Love #69 (1964).

Following that is another "Beauty on a Budget" by Barbara Friedlander and Liz Berube.

After that, we have "Love a La Carte" by  Jack Oleck and Artie Saaf.

This issue ends with "Yesterday's Romance" by Jack Oleck, Ric Estrada, and Tony DeZuñiga.

Edited by Joe Orlando.

Secret Hearts #150

Secret Hearts #150 (On Sale: January 7, 1971), has a nice cover by Dick Giordano.

We begin with "Memories of Love" a Table of Contents written by Len Wein and drawn by Gray Morrow.

Our first story is "A Scent of Love... A Breath of Hate" drawn by Frank Langford. This is the third of four DC romance stories drawn by the British artist. Cliff meets suicidal Judy, who is clearly running away from a bad relationship, but he is determined to make her fall in love again. Unfortunately for Cliff, he succeeds. I say unfortunately because Judy is a loon, plain and simple. That they end up together in the end, is frightening. Nice artwork though; Langford was pretty good.

Next, we have another one-page Beauty on a Budget by Liz Berube. 

We follow that with "Love Would Wait" drawn by Mike Sekowsky and Bernard Sachs and reprinted from Falling in Love #71 (1964). When sister Lisa and her boyfriend Steve take Judy out on her 16th birthday, she falls for Steve. Every year, Steve, who is on the road most of the year, returns to take Judy out on her birthday, but he is always with her sister Lisa. Finally, one year, as Steve left, he asked Lisa to let him know if she finds another and he will not return the next year. Lisa starts dating Philip and decides to dump Steve. She writes him a letter and gives it to Judy to mail, but she does not, as she wants Steve to return. 

Things get serious between Lisa and Philip and they become engaged. As preparation for the wedding begins, Steve returns. Judy lets him know about Lisa and the letter she never mailed and Steve says he would have returned anyway, as the reason he asked Lisa to be sure about him was he was falling in love with Judy.  

Next is a one-page article illustrated by John Celardo entitled "The Aquarius Woman."

This issue ends with "No Home for My Heart" drawn by Winslow Mortimer and Jack Abel. Julie is on the train home from Hollywood where she went to make it in movies. A man is staring at her on the train, but she ignores him, trapped in her thoughts of the Hollywood casting couch she has been trying to avoid. Each of her auditions ended with the director hitting on her and her leaving before anything happened, but in her letters home she bragged about how she was getting breaks and making it big. 

When she returns to her hometown, her parents tell her how they have been bragging about her to their friends and she is bombarded by a long line of suiters, all of whom make a move on her, having heard of her success in Hollywood and knowing how things work there, they assume she is "easy."  Unable to stand it at home, she decides to return to Hollywood. 

While waiting for the train, she once again sees the strange man who was staring at her on the ride in, and he confesses that he was witness to her leaving a few of her "auditions" and had fallen for her. The two of them decide to go off together to try and make it in New York.

Edited by Dick Giordano.

Heart Throbs #130

Heart Throbs #130 (On Sale: December 17, 1970), has a cover by Tony DeZuniga.

We begin this issue with "Like Father, Like Daughter!" drawn by John Rosenberger. Cindy's mother is constantly worried that people will learn that her father is in a mental institution. Cindy's secretiveness makes her unpopular at school, but she eventually meets Ted and confides in him. He assures her that his parents will not care, but they are secretly plotting to break up the young romance. Reprinted in Heart Throbs: The Best of DC Romance Comics HC (1979) and Heart Throbs: The Best of DC Romance Comics SC (1979).

Next, we have "Guilty Heart" drawn by John Forte and Bernard Sachs. When Pam's cousin Roy dies in a diving accident she blames herself. She meets Charles and falls in love with him, but steps aside when Roy's girlfriend Enid says she's interested in Charles. Reprinted from Heart Throbs #60 (1957 series).

That is followed by "My Heart -- My Enemy!" drawn by Nick Cardy. Nina's bad experiences with boys cause her to give bad advice to her younger sister Phyllis.

Next is a Beauty on a Budget text page by Liz Berube.

A half-page story, "Uptight" drawn by Winslow Mortimer is next. A lesson in being nice.

We end with "Made for Each Other!" drawn by Don Heck. Jean works for a computer dating service, and when a new client, Paul, comes in, she contrives to be matched up with him.

Edited by Joe Orlando.

Young Romance #170

Young Romance #170 (On Sale: December 8, 1970), has a cover by Dick Giordano.

We begin with our cover story, "Love Is a Swinger" by Robert Kanigher, Werner Roth, and Vince Colletta. Michelle is engaged to a wonderful guy but feels his ring is an anchor dragging her down as she envisions their future. She takes off his ring and plans to give it back to him when he takes her to a discotheque one evening. Before she can tell him how she feels, she is stunned to see him get up and dance with the attractive singer playing there. She later catches him kissing Lily Martin and realizes that she does love him, now that she has lost him. But Dick had just been using Lily to try to forget Michelle when he had noticed she had taken his ring off. Apparently, Lily is to be a reoccurring character, known as The Swinger.

Next is "The Test of Time" drawn by Tony Abruzzo and Bill Draut and reprinted from Falling in Love #67 (1964). Sue gets engaged and invites her brother to come for the weekend to reveal her big surprise. When Jim arrives, he has his own surprise as he is also engaged and arrives with his fiancee. They plan to have a two-week celebration before their wedding, but before the two weeks are up Sue and Jim catch their partners kissing each other.

Next is a Beauty on a Budget one-pager by Liz Berube.

That is followed by "Will I See Him?" by Joe Gill, John Celardo, and Vince Colletta. After breaking up with Lew, Anne goes to Joan's party wondering if she will see him there.

Next, we have "Appointment with Heartbreak" drawn by Arthur Peddy and Bernard Sachs and reprinted from Secret Hearts #39 (1957). Clay has asked Anne to meet him in the park. She assumes he is going to tell her he doesn't love her anymore because she has learned that he has been seeing another girl almost every evening while she has been out of town on an extended business trip. As she approaches Clay's bench, she decides she is not ready to face him. She finds an outdoor restaurant where she tells her story to a sympathetic stranger.

Next is another one-pager, "If You're Capricorn" by Raymond Marais and Liz Berube.

This is followed by "My Life for Yours" drawn by Gene Colan and reprinted from Falling in Love #68 (1964). Tad meets Ellen in her greenhouse after being in South America for two years. They had been in love once, but his jealousy had driven them apart and ultimately resulted in her being seriously injured when she ran away from him one evening and into an approaching car. Now she walks with a slight limp and the scar on her face is practically invisible. Tad learns that she is happy with her plant business and, most of all, loves her little girl and husband.

Next is "Love Me a Little –" drawn by Mike Sekowsky and Bernard Sachs and reprinted from Falling in Love #64 (1964). Marge easily makes conquests of men, but then loses interest in them. Instead of going to Miami again on vacation, she thinks about staying home this year but her friend convinces her to go, thinking that one of the men who swarm Marge will settle for her instead. At the Beachcomber Hotel, Marge is attracted to a man who seems impervious to her charms.

We end with The Swinger in her second story, "Rise, Love, Rise" by Robert Kanigher, Werner Roth, and Vince Colletta. Hitchhiking after the events in "Love Is a Swinger!", Lily panics when she sees a broken bridge and forces the driver to stop. The bridge brings back memories of how Tommy died. They had dated for a long time, but Lily had changed while Tommy had not. After telling Tommy her feelings, he had raced off in his car and smashed through a detour barrier where was drowned in the river. Feeling guilty for Tommy's death, Lily had set off to find herself. She helps a singer overcome his fears to perform at a rock festival, then moves on.

Edited by Dick Giordano.

Girls' Romances #154

Girls' Romances #154 (On Sale: November 24, 1970), has a cover by Nick Cardy.

We begin with "The Girl Who Gave Her Love Away" drawn by Werner Roth and Bill Draut. Freshman Sandy is ecstatic when senior Allan takes an interest in her, but her friends all warn her about his reputation as a lady-killer. Sure enough, he soon breaks up with her, claiming to be engaged to a girl at another college, but then he returns and admits he lied, and that he's really in love with Sandy this time.

Next is an untitled Betty's  Boutique story drawn by George Tuska and Vince Colletta. Betty models several new outfits for two customers, but she mistakes which one is really doing the shopping.

That is followed by "A Kiss from a Stranger" drawn by Arthur Peddy and Bernard Sachs and reprinted from Girls' Romances #81 (1962). A guy meets a girl on the beach and they share a romantic moment, but she runs away. Unable to forget her, he tracks her down again and she admits that she was engaged, but broke it off after she met him and hoped to find him again.

Next is an activity page, "Sew Here's How!"  by Liz Berube.

We end with our cover story, "Part-Time Lover" drawn by Artie Saaf and Frank Giacoia. Randy is bored with her boyfriend Chuck so she dumps him when she meets Myles, who takes an immediate interest in her. But when Myles turns out to be married, Chuck is still waiting to take her back.

Edited by Murray Boltinoff.

Girls' Love Stories #156

Girls' Love Stories #156 (On Sale: November 12, 1970), has a cover by Bill Draut. Some say this is by Nick Cardy, but some are really wrong.

We begin with our cover-story, "Diagnosis: Heartbreak!" drawn by John Rosenberger. Nurse Chris tries to attract the attention of Dr. Lance Cramer, but when he finally falls for her after months of indifference, she fears that she is distracting him from his work.

Next, we have "Beautiful Stranger" inked by Bernard Sachs and reprinted from Secret Hearts #40 (1957). Susan befriends Nadine, who has a bad reputation for trying to steal the boyfriends of other girls. Susan grows to trust her but is shocked when she finds her boyfriend Tracy in Nadine's arms.

That is followed by "I'll Find You, My Love!" drawn by Bill Draut. Peggy falls in love with a stranger who dances with her one night, and she spends the next year trying to find him again, unable to connect with any other guy.

Next, we have "Dates 'n' Mates," a two-pager by Liz Berube.

We end with "Lover -- or Liar?" by Jack Oleck, Art Saaf, and Vince Colletta. Julie leads a campus protest, taking over a building to force the administration to listen to the protesters' demands. Ken joins the protest and slowly falls in love with Julie, though he keeps trying to convince the others that there are better ways to achieve their goals.

Edited by Joe Orlando.

Young Love #84

Young Love #84 (On Sale: November 10, 1970), has a cover by Bill Draut and Vinny Colletta.

We begin with "A Little Kiss for Big Sister" drawn by Artie Saaf and Wally Wood. Flo falls in love with her sister Jan's boyfriend Ralph, and since she's the nicer of the two, she eventually gets him.

Next is "A Proud Goodbye" drawn by Mike Sekowsky and Bernard Sachs and reprinted from Heart Throbs #63 (1959). Belinda is shocked to find that her new boyfriend Eliot is the brother of her old boyfriend Van.

Next, we have "Get Out of My Heart" penciled by Jay Scott Pike. Jen has always blamed Skip for her sister's death, but when she finally learns that he was not responsible, she finds herself falling in love with him.

We end with "Love Is... What It's All About!" by Liz Berube.

Young Romance #169

Young Romance #169 (On Sale: October 20, 1970), has a cover by Bill Draut and Dick Giordano. 

We begin with "No Wedding Ring for Me" by Robert Kanigher, Werner Roth and Dick Giordano,

That is followed by a Dates 'n' Mates page by Liz Berube.

Next is "Tell Me That You Love Her" Jack Miller, Jay Scott Pike and the horrible Vince Colletta.

We end with "We Can't Be Strangers" drawn by Mike Sekowsky and Bernard Sachs and reprinted from Heart Throbs #62 (1959).

Edited by Joe Orlando.

Falling in Love #119

Falling in Love #119 (On Sale: September 17, 1970) has another sexy cover by Nick Cardy.

We begin with "Love Me Forever Marry Me Never" inked by Bernard Sachs. When her boyfriend ask Myrna to marry him, she sends him out of her life, just as she has all the boys who proposed. She can't marry anybody because she must take care of her mother, who she has promised to provide for.  

One day while walking down the street wearing a new hat her mother had knitted for her, photographer Keith Stockbridge takes her picture. He is the heir to a department store fortune, but after they start dating he soon lets her know that he is going to make it on his own as a photographer and will not have money to support both her and her mother. A few weeks later her mother is ecstatic when she gets a new job at Stockbridge Department store making hats. It seems Keith was able to find a solution to Myrna's problem and is able to marry her.

Next is "What Every Girl Should Know" drawn by Lee Elias. Julie is bored with the guys she has been dating, which she could meet a man more like her father. When an old friend of her father's, Vincent Pryor come over for dinner, Julie learns he is widowed and as the days roll by she can't get him out of her mind. 

They meet again a few weeks later and eventually begin to date, but things go south when Vincent begins to feel jealous of Julie's school friends and realizes he is taking her away from what should be her life with people her own age. He decides to move away, but Julie stops him and lets him know that it is in his arms she wants to be.

That is followed by "Loser at Love" drawn by Carmine Infantino and Bernard Sachs and reprinted from Secret Hearts #37. When Amy's boyfriend, Kenneth, moves to the city to save up enough money so they can marry, she is happy, until his letters to her start mentioning a coworker named Joan. When her father suggests she too move to the city for a change of scene, Amy jumps at the opportunity. Ken has arraigned for her to stay with Joan, but she soon finds out her suspicions about Joan were not without cause. One day on the ski slopes the two women have it out and Joan admits she has eyes on Kenneth and plans to steal him away from Amy. But Ken overheard the conversation and makes it clear that he still intends to marry Amy. 

We conclude this issue with a one-page "Beauty on a Budget" by Liz Berube. 

Edited by Murray Boltinoff.

Young Romance #168

Young Romance #168 (On Sale: August 18, 1970) has a cover by, well, good question. Some say Nick Cardy, but that is ridiculous, others say Bill Draut, but I don't think so. Look at those high-water, semi-bell bottoms on the guy; this looks like Artie Saaf to me, but that it a total guess on my part. But Cardy it certainly is not and Draut it looks nothing like as well. Regardless of who drew it, it is not a very good cover and showcases a new, uglier than before, logo and the new DC Romance heart in the corner. Ugh.

We begin with "Love Me, Love Me Not," an eight-page story by Jack Miller and Don Heck. Heck was still transitioning from Marvel to DC for a two-year stint. While Heck was transitioning in, Miller was being squeezed out and would be gone from comics within a year. I remember Miller fondly as the editor who brought us Deadman and as the writer who took over Deadman after creator Arnold Drake was pushed off the strip.

Next is "Dates 'n' Mates" a one-page filler by Barbara Friedlander and Liz Berube. Liz did a lot of one-pagers for DC during this period. She had a unique style, very Art Nouveau. 

That is followed by "A Smile for Someone," and eight-page reprint from Heart Throbs #68. that might be drawn by Bill Draut and inked by Bernard Sachs, or not. As the attribution of most romance comics is pretty much a guess, I can't be sure of this one.

Our next one-page filler is an untitled Hang-Ups text article by Henry Boltinoff and Lee Elias.

We end with "The Stolen Face of Love, Part Two," a ten-page story continuing from the previous issue, written by Robert Kanigher, penciled by either Win Mortimer or Ric Estrada and inked by Vinnie Colletta.

Edited by Joe Orlando.

Girls' Romances #151

Girls' Romances #151 (On Sale: July 14, 1970) has a cover some say is penciled by Don Heck and everyone can see is butchered by the inks of Vinny Colletta.

We begin with "Busybody -- Empty Arms!" inked to death by Vinny Colletta. Audrey's boyfriend Paul gets impatient with her when she constantly drops everything to help her family and friends, who are starting to take advantage of her.

Next is "Tame a Wild Heart" with pencils by John Rosenberger. Michele is uncertain about her future with her wealthy boyfriend Greg.

That is followed by "Hip Hints to Help Yourself" a one-pager by Liz Berube.

We end with "Unloved and Unwanted!" drawn by Murphy Anderson. Helene has always stepped aside and let her adopted sister Brenda have her way, and nearly does it again when she meets a guy that Brenda also likes.

Edited by Murray Boltinoff.

Girls' Love Stories #152

Girls' Love Stories #152 (On Sale: May 14, 1970) has another cover butchered by Vinny Colletta's inks. The inks might be hiding the pencils of Artie Saaf.

We begin with a Table of Contents drawn by Liz Berube.

That leads to "Laura" by Barbara Friedlander, Werner Roth (or Artie Saaf ) and Jack Abel. Laura comes close to marrying several wealthy men, as her mother advises, but in the end she realizes that she truly loves a humble fisherman.

Next is "Confessions: Episode Six" by Barbara Friedlander and John Rosenberger  Jewel's plot to steal Dr. Anderson away from his ailing wife falls apart when he and April discover that Jewel has been concealing Paul's letters to April. Anderson returns to his wife and the sisters try to reconcile.

We end with our cover-story, "The Prettiest Girl in Town, Poor Thing" by Jack Miller, George Tuska and Vince Colletta. Gail dreams of being famous but she thinks she can detect when men are trying to take advantage of her. But when she falls for Darren, she doesn't see that he's willing to cheat to help her get ahead.

Edited by Joe Orlando.

Young Love #81

Young Love #81 (On Sale: May 7, 1970) has a fairly bland cover by Bill Draut and Dick Giordano.

This issue begins with "3 Loves... 1 Broken Heart, Part II" continuing from last issue. The general consensus is that this is drawn by John Rosenberger and Vince Colletta. Diane accepts Paul's proposal, but doesn't tell him she is a widow and has a young son. What cold possibly go wrong?

Next is "Hungry Heart" by Robert Kanigher and Frank Langford. Gossiping couples at a resort watch Eve make her mind up about whether she will be with Bill or Adam. This is British artist Langford's first of four DC romance stories. Born Cyril Eidlestein, Langford, Frank is probably best know for his work on "The Angry Planet" from Boy's World and "Lady Penelope" a strip that appeared in Lady Penelope, a late sixties British weekly comic aimed at girls. He also did extensive work in advertising. According to Jacque Nodell of the Sequential Crush website, "Langford's romance work is highly stylized and exudes an incredible sense of moment -- exemplified in his characters' wildly feminine hair. His ruggedly handsome men are timeless, and are still quite attractive by today's standards. Not only a master of movement, Langford also excels during the quiet moments. Quite breathtaking, really!"

This is followed by a one-pager, "Gemini" by Liz Berube.

Next is "Love Dream, Lady" which is inked by Vince Colletta. Gloria overhears her roommate and her boyfriend on the telephone but she has nothing to worry about.

This is followed by another one-pager, "Beauty on a Budget" by Liz Berube.

We end with "Don't Make Me Do It!", the cover-story which is inked by Nick Cardy. Peggy tells both of her suitors that she doesn't plan to fall in love with either of them.

Edited by Dick Giordano.

Heart Throbs #126

Heart Throbs #126 (On Sale: April 23, 1970) features a cover inked by Dick Giordano.

We begin with "Don't Ever Love Me," a 10-pager penciled by Jay Scott Pike.

That is followed by a one-page "Dates 'n Mates" by Liz Berube.

Next is "I'll Just Die If I Don't Meet Him," a three-page story drawn by Ric Estrada and Vince Colletta.

That is followed by the six-page "Second Chance at Love" drawn by Jay Scott Pike.

We end with "Am I Too Young for Love? [Part 2]" concluding from the previous issue.

Edited by Joe Orlando.

Young Romance #166

Young Romance #166 (On Sale: April 7, 1970) has a cover by Bill Draut.

We begin with "Please, Please, Someone, Love Me!" by Jack Miller and Jay Scott Pike. 

Next is "Beauty on a Budget" a one-pager by Liz Berube.

That is followed by "Uptight" by Henry Boltinoff and Lee Elias.

We next have "A Price on My Love!" by Jack Miller, Werner Roth and Mike Esposito. 

Next is "Just No Good" by Jack Oleck, John Celardo and Jack Abel. 

We follow that with "Think Thin!!" by Elizabeth Berube. 

We end the issue with "Love Pass Me By!" by Robert Kanigher, Win Mortimer and Vince Colletta. 

 Edited by Joe Orlando.

Young Romance #165

Young Romance #165 (On Sale: February 10, 1970) has a cover by Ric Estrada and Vince Colletta.

This issue begins with the cover story,"Second Choice - First Love" drawn by Ric Estrada and Vince Colletta. Based supposedly on 16-year-old fan Toni Anderson's letter to DC, young Toni finds herself in love with her best friend Val's boyfriend, Bill. When Val becomes ill during a party, Val asks Toni to watch out over Bill and they become a couple, but her guilt about doing her best friend wrong drives her to split with Bill so that Val can have him. Still she is unable to forget Bill and wonders if she did the right thing. The story ends with Romance Reporter Laura Penn asking readers if they think Toni did the right thing.

That is followed by "Any Man's Equal" drawn by Lee Elias, which asks the question, can a woman compete with a man in business? This is a really bad, sexist story. Just awful. Not gonna repeat it here.

Next is the letters page and the annual notice of circulation. There were 47 paid subscribers and 187,000 copies sold, nearest to filing date.

That is followed by "Love is a 3 Ring Circus" with art that looks like Bill Draut to me. Andy was always the "ugly duckling" of his family, never able to find a girl. Finally he decided to join the circus as a clown, but even then the other carny's made fun of him and he still could not get a date. One day a new singer tries out for the circus and when she goes on stage as a clown she freezes up and cannot sing. Andy goes out and talks to her, gets her to sing only to him, and in that moment he knows that finally he has found someone who wants to be with him for him.

We end with "Dates and Mates" a one-pager by Liz Berube.

Edited by Joe Orlando.

Falling In Love #113

Falling In Love #113 (On Sale: December 16, 1969) has a another wonderful cover by Nick Cardy.

We begin with "I.O.U.: My Heart" inked by Vinny Colletta. This story may be penciled by Ric Estrada. He penciled either this story or the last one in this issue.

This is followed by a two-page piece, "What's Your Dating I.Q.?" drawn by Liz Berube.

Next is "The Most Bitter Lesson of Her Life" drawn by Lee Elias.

We end with our cover-story, "Please, Please, Don't Tell Him About Me" inked by Vinny Colletta.

Edited by Murray Boltinoff.

Young Romance #164

Young Romance #164 (On Sale: December 9, 1969) has a cover inked by Vinny Colletta. Some say this is penciled by Bill Draut and some say it is Werner Roth. This is the problem with Colletta; he just destroyed people's pencils.

We begin with "The Searing Conclusion to Next Door to Love" drawn by Alex Toth and Ric Dano (Dick Giordano). Amy hears nothing but bad things about men from her mother, which makes her afraid to trust that Larry, who lives next door and is really interested in her. This was reprinted in Young Love #114.

Next is "Please... Don't Step on My Heart" by Robert Kanigher, John Celardo and Vinnie Colletta.

Next is a lovelorn letters section, Laura Penn...Your Romance Reporter with an illustration by John Romita.

That is followed by a fashion page, Dates 'n Mates drawn by Liz Berube.

We end with "I Laughed at Love" by Tony Abruzzo and Vinny Colletta. This was reprinted under a different title in Young Romance #203.

Edited by Joe Orlando.