Young Love #124
Published and © by DC, March 1977
Title: “Love Behind Bars II”
Synopsis: Fleeing her conflicted emotions for her convict lover, Stephie nearly winds up being sex trafficked in New York.
Writer: Robert Kanigher
Penciler: Ric Estrada
Inker: Vince Colletta
Review: Young Love? Try Young Dysfunctional Tales of Terror. The social norms on display in this comic are pretty horrific – and never more so than in this lead tale. Our first love-lorn damsel is pick-pocketed, exploited, nearly raped and jailed before a supposedly happy ending with her ex-con lover. Lordy.
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Title: “I’m Going With a Stuntman … and It’s Driving Me Crazy!”
Synopsis: A young script girl becomes neurotic when she falls for a stuntman with a passion for danger.
Writer: Uncredited
Penciler: Alan Weiss
Inker: Vince Colletta
Review: This reprint from Young Love #94 is still dysfunctional, but less offensive than most of this issue’s stories.
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Title: “Shadows in the Past!”
Synopsis: Marni tries to rekindle a relationship with Don, but can’t compete with his dead lover Liza.
Writer: Uncredited
Artist: Uncredited
Review: Another “happy ending” that will have today’s readers asking “what the hell is wrong with this comic?”
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Title: “Classified Love”
Synopsis: A shy classified-ad writer courts a dreamy journalist on the school newspaper via personal ad.
Writers: Merrill Skrocki and Bob Rozakis
Artists: Kurt Schaffenberger
Review: Unsurprisingly, this two-page tale looks like a Lois Lane or Superboy outtake. Shame on the journalist for being so dense.
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Title: “20 Miles to Heart Break, Part III”
Synopsis: Melanie and Monica return home to their controlling mother and a passel of problematic potential paramours.
Writer: Barbara Friedlander
Penciler: Alex Toth
Inker: Vince Colletta
Review: This serial installment – reprinted from Secret Hearts #142 – rivals the lead feature for dysfunction, but features art from Alex Toth.
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Title: “How We Met”
Synopsis: A literal run-in with a basketball star from a rival school leads a cheerleader to both ostracization and romance.
Writer: Uncredited
Penciler: Uncredited
Review: The not-quite-ready-for-prime-time art shows promise on this one-page story featuring a heroine with a bit of backbone.
Grade (for the entire issue): B-
Cool factor: Definitely a relic of its time.
Not-so-cool factor: Definitely a relic of its time.
Notable: Also includes an uncredited frontispiece; a one-page fashion feature with art by Elizabeth Safian-Berube (as “Elizabeth”); and an uncredited, one-page, illustrated text feature on “Young Woman of the Month” Michele McEvoy.
Character quotable: “Filth breads more filth!” – Mother, clearly in need of some self-reflection
Editor’s note: This review was written Feb. 14, 2025.
