Posted in: Comics, Heritage Sponsored, Vintage Paper | Tagged: Irv Novick, Romance Comics

Highest Graded Copy of DC Comics 1955 Falling in Love #1, at Auction

DC Comics' Falling in Love launched in 1955 into a surprisingly crowded romance comics market, but outlasted many of its rivals.

Falling in Love was the first romance title that DC Comics launched during the Comics Code era.  The title began seven months after the publisher started using the Code seal with issues that hit the newsstand in January 1955.  Joining regular DC Comics romance series Girls' Love Stories Girls' Romances, and Secret Hearts on the stands at that time, Falling in Love joined a comic book romance market that had surprisingly been little affected by the Comics Code in the early going.  Just over 200 comic books hit the stands that month, and over 30 of these were romance titles.  Even so, with the benefit of hindsight, it was perhaps the most perilous of times to attempt to launch a new romance, but Falling in Love became a significant success.  The beginning of an 18-year, 143-issue long series, you can get the highest graded copy of Falling in Love #1 (DC, 1955) CGC VF 8.0 Off-white pages up for auction in the 2023 October 26 – 27 Romance Comics Featuring L. B. Cole Showcase Auction #40224 at Heritage Auctions.

The title's "Romance Councilor" Carol Andrews, introduced the series in its first advice column: "Dear Readers: I hope you're enjoying the very first issue of FALLING IN LOVE! We've chosen stories that could easily happen to you or the girl next door, because we think they're the most exciting. After all, is there anyone who doesn't dream of falling in love? It's a wonderful feeling that leaves us gay and giddy and starry-eyed—and sometimes strangely sad. For love, with all its magical joys, often brings. its problems. That's why we re including this column in FALLING IN LOVE. Of course, we hope all your romances are happy ones and that you don't have a troublesome thought in the world, but just in case you do. drop us a line and tell us about it. Perhaps we can show you that many dark romantic clouds do have silver linings!"

According to DC Comics editor Barbara Friedlander, Carol Andrews was actually a DC Comics editor, and the letters printed were sometimes written by an editor as well. "Jack [Miller, DC Comics editor] may have done that column because he was Roberts, Julia Roberts, [chuckle] he wanted to be Julia Roberts back then. And we would get the letters from people, young ladies who were really in trouble. It was sad, and you couldn't do anything about that. I mean you just could say go to your preacher, go to your advisor, your school advisor and you really couldn't get into their lives. It was not done.  But Jack, he would sit there make up the letters, sometimes, because you didn't get one that you could actually print. They'd send you, "Can I wear a red dress and blue pink shoes?' You had to do it so that it was not destructive, or it was generic and sweet."

Whatever DC's motivation in launching a romance title in 1955, their instincts were perhaps proven correct.  Major romance publishers such as Ace Magazines and St. John would exit the comic book business a short time later.  Many of the titles and properties of another significant romance publisher, Quality Comics, would soon be acquired by DC Comics as well.  In addition to this the highest graded copy of Falling in Love #1 (DC, 1955) CGC VF 8.0 Off-white pages there are a number of issues of the Falling in Love series, including a number of highest-graded copies, up for auction in the 2023 October 26 – 27 Romance Comics Featuring L. B. Cole Showcase Auction #40224 at Heritage Auctions.

Falling in Love #1 (DC, 1955) CGC VF 8.0 Off-white pages. CGC's highest-graded copy. Irv Novick cover and art. Arthur Peddy art. Overstreet 2023 VF 8.0 value = $343. CGC census 10/23: 1 in 8.0, none higher.

View the certification for CGC Certification ID 153379003, including grader's notes if available and a link to the latest full census report for the issue.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!