Posted in: Comics, Heritage Sponsored, Vintage Paper | Tagged: Ace Magazines, Romance Comics

Ace Magazines Painted Romance Comic Covers, up for Auction

Remembered by history as a superhero and Pre-Code Horror publisher in comics, Ace Magazines also had a succesful romance comics line.

We recently discussed the covers of little-known artist Alice Kirkpatrick for the Ace Magazines comic book romance line, but unfortunately, most artists on this line have remained unidentified.  This is unfortunate, because although the publisher is best remembered today for its superhero titles like Super-Mystery Comics and Lightning Comics, plus its Pre-Code Horror titles such as The Beyond and Web of Mystery.  But Ace Magazines leaned hard into the romance trend beginning in 1949, and titles Real Love and Glamorous Romances are the publisher's two longest-lived comic book titles, with the rest of its comic book romance line not far behind.  There are several issues from the Ace Magazines comic book romance lineup up for auction in the 2023 October 26 – 27 Romance Comics Featuring L. B. Cole Showcase Auction #40224 at Heritage Auctions.

Beyond its comics and pulps, Ace became best known ad most succesful as a paperback publisher, with the legendary genre imprint Ace Books.  In her book Love on the Racks : A History of American Romance Comics, historian Michelle Nolan, explains Ace's unique all-in approach towards romance when the trend presented in the late 1940s: "Ace Magazines, owned by A. A. Wyn, was the only dual publisher in 1949 to discontinue most of its pulps in favor of publishing more comics, primarily romance titles. It was no coincidence that Ace also continued several pulp romance titles until the mid-1950s, when it kissed off those in favor of focusing on its increasingly profitable line of paperbacks. In contrast, when Street & Smith discontinued comic books in 1949, the venerable firm's pulps also got the boot."

Nolan further explains Ace's switch to painted romance covers after a time: "After beginning its love line with lackluster line-drawn covers, Ace distinguished itself by appealing to the fashion sense of young girls with pulp-style painted covers of gorgeous female faces, complete with wonderful makeup and imaginative hats or ribbons. Many, if not most, of these covers were either pulp magazine holdovers, unused inventory or reprints, because Ace pulp covers of the 1940s looked just like the comics were to look by 1950. At any rate, these were among the most striking covers on the stands—truly fine works of commercial art."

Often overlooked by romance collectors, there are several issues of featuring Ace's painted romance covers up for auction in the 2023 October 26 – 27 Romance Comics Featuring L. B. Cole Showcase Auction #40224 at Heritage Auctions.

All Love #32 (Ace, 1950) Condition: FN+. Painted airbrush cover. Overstreet 2023 FN 6.0 value = $36; VF 8.0 value = $69.

Love Experiences #1 Davis Crippen ("D" Copy) Pedigree (Ace, 1949) CGC FN 6.0 Cream to off-white pages. Painted cover. Overstreet 2023 FN 6.0 value = $108. CGC census 10/23: 1 in 6.0, 5 higher.

Love Experiences #9 (Ace, 1951) Condition: FN+. Photo cover. Overstreet 2023 FN 6.0 value = $45; VF 8.0 value = $86.

Glamorous Romances #54 (Ace, 1951) Condition: FN. Photo cover. Lin Streeter art. Overstreet 2023 FN 6.0 value = $42.

Love at First Sight #3 (Ace, 1950) Condition: FN+. Painted cover. Overstreet 2023 FN 6.0 value = $51; VF 8.0 value = $98.

Glamorous Romances #56 (Ace, 1951) Condition: FN+. Painted cover. There is some chipping on the back cover. Overstreet 2023 FN 6.0 value = $42; VF 8.0 value = $82.

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