Tuesday, May 8, 2012

The Recurring Characters of the DC Romance Comics!

Have you ever wondered which characters in the DC romance comics appeared more than once? If so, then today is your lucky day! Below is a visual list I have compiled of the most prominent recurring (female) characters in the DC romance universe. This list is by no means conclusive, but I would say that these are the primary characters which appear at least a couple times each -- either in self-contained stories or multi-issue serials.


1.) Wendy Winthrop from "Wendy Winthrop, Television Model," Girls' Romances #99 and #100

2.) Penelope Potter from "The Mis-Adventures of Penelope Potter" in issues of Secret Hearts and Young Love

3.) Bonnie Taylor from Young Romance #126 through #139

4.) Page Peterson from "Do's and Dont's of Dating" in issues of Girls' Love Stories, Secret Hearts, and Young Romance

5.) Betty from "Betty's Boutique" in issues of Girls' Romances

6.) Mary Robin, R.N. from "The Private Diary of Mary Robin, R.N.," Young Love #39 through #52

7.) Lisa St. Claire from "The Life and Loves of Lisa St. Claire," Young Love #68 and #70 through #78

8.)Jewel and April Heywood from "Confessions," Girls' Love Stories #147 through #152

9.) Cindy the Salesgirl from issues of Falling in Love, Girls' Love Stories, Girls' Romances, and Secret Hearts

10.) Karen Wilder Summers from "Reach for Happiness!" Secret Hearts #110 through #138

11.) Melanie and Monica Winters from "20 Miles to Heartbreak," Young Love #78, Secret Hearts #141 and #142, Young Love #79

12.) April O'Day from "April O'Day, Hollywood Starlet," Girls' Love Stories #104 through #113

13.) Marian Tyler, Sandy Simms, and Chris Mason from "3 Girls -- Their Lives... Their Loves," Heart Throbs #102 through #123
Posted by Jacque Nodell at 3:57 PM
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11 comments:

  1. I bet DC could make a few bucks reprinting these serials in trade paperback under some sort of "Vintage Romance" label.

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    1. Marvel did a small collection of stories, and then another small collection of the same stories but with sarcastic, bizarre text.

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    2. Yes, Marvel did do the one TPB and then the Redux issues - http://www.sequentialcrush.blogspot.com/2011/01/marvel-romance-redux-giveaway.html

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  2. I am sure you are correct, Tony! I am also sure I could think of a certain someone who would be willing to curate the series and write an introduction or two! ;)

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  3. Out of curiosity, were there any significant style differences between the different DC romance books? Or were they all playing in the same ballpark?-Fraser

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    1. Fraser -- The differences between the DC titles is pretty minute unlike say, some of the Charlton romances. The Charltons tended to be grouped by theme such as Career Girl Romances (which focused on romance in the workplace as well as gave career advice) and Just Married (which featured stories of newlyweds).

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  4. This is very cool! I'm now intrigued by this- what about these characters made DC writers choose to use them again? Jacque, would you be able to tell us a little about each of them? I really do find myself wanting to know why Jewel destroys everything she touches ;)

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  5. Hi Genevieve! Thanks for your question! Some of the storylines were clearly planned as multi-part stories. From my observations, the planned ones usually had house ads for the arc in other titles and the end of the stories told readers to keep an eye out for the next appearance of the character, or even directly said that the next installment of the story would be in the next issue. Other stories which seemed to be more unplanned as a serial sometimes would ask readers how they felt about the storyline and characters at either the end of the story or in the advice columns. I don't know if I will get around to posting all of the stories of these recurring characters, but I do at least hope to finish the "Reach for Happiness" serial:

    http://sequentialcrush.blogspot.com/search/label/Reach%20for%20Happiness

    and the Lisa St. Claire issues. Lots of people were interested in April and her evil twin, Jewel -- so I hope to post that one as well! :) Luckily, the Mary Robin, R.N. issues have been reprinted in the recently published Showcase Presents: Young Love, Vol. 1: http://astore.amazon.com/sequecrush-20/detail/1401234380

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  6. Jacque: Great write-up on the DC romance comics characters. If you have all four issues I'd love to see a recap of "20 Miles to Heartbreak." I read the synopses at comics.org and was totally confused.

    BTW, does anyone out there know what romance comics stories were written by Paul De Feu, ex-husband of Germaine Greer. I suspect it was for DC Comics between 1970 and 1972, prior to his marriage to Maya Angelou?

    Thanx, Jake Oster

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    1. Hi Jake -- between the reprints and the original issues the "20 Miles to Heartbreak" appeared in, I do have the whole series and I would be happy to post it in the near future. The Toth art is of course very enjoyable.

      I am not sure about Paul De Feu... Interesting question. Do you have any other clues?

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  7. Thanks, Jacque! I'll be looking forward to reading your recap.

    As regards Paul De Feu, no other info. “Wrote romance comic books” is the only info Jerry Bails’ Who’s Who provides. No dates. Too bad Dotty Woolfolk is no longer among the living, tho I believe Mr. De Feu is still alive.

    Pax, Jake Oster

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