Posted in: Comics, Heritage Sponsored, Vintage Paper | Tagged: lev gleason, Romance Comics

The Startling Shift in Lev Gleason's Lovers' Lane, Up for Auction

One of comic history's most notorious publishers, Lev Gleason's romance Lovers' Lane shifted from charming to extreme late in its run.

Published Thu, 29 Feb 2024 11:32:07 -0600

by Mark Seifert

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Article Summary

Lev Gleason's publishing career began with Open Road for Boys and Tip Top Comics.
Gleason pioneered crime comics, launching the hit Crime Does Not Pay.
Lovers' Lane shifted from conservative romance to more risqué storytelling.

Best remembered for what is arguably the most notorious comic book title in American comic book history, Crime Does Not Pay, publisher Lev Gleason also put out material ranging from superhero titles like Daredevil to romance comics like Lovers' Lane. Gleason started his career in 1931 with Open Road for Boys magazine before moving on to Eastern Color Printing as an advertising manager. His early contributions included working at United Feature as an editor, where he launched Tip Top Comics, and serving as a business manager at Your Guide Publications, Inc.

Lovers' Lane #12, 38 (Lev Gleason, 1951, 1954)

Acquiring Silver Streak Comics and Daredevil Comics outright from Your Guide's Dan Gilmor, Gleason shifted the focus to crime comics with the successful launch of Crime Does Not Pay. The series became enormously influential, sparking a wave of imitators. Amid growing criticism of comic books' influence, Gleason helped found the Association of Comics Magazine Publishers in 1948, a precursor to the Comics Code Authority, established to self-regulate the industry.

When Gleason launched his first romance title Lovers' Lane a short time later, it appears he intended to play it somewhat conservatively. The title soon featured a run of beautiful painted covers by Bob Fujitani, which were all charming and occasionally just a little suggestive. But after a run of relatively mild photo covers, Gleason made a significant shift into more salacious material, both covers and stories, and with traditional comic art covers in early 1953. Lovers' Lane #37 with the cover feature Love Starved is perhaps the most obvious example of this.

Gleason's second romance title, Boy Meets Girl, was retitled Boy Loves Girl and underwent a similar editorial shift at this same time. There are several issues of both of these Lev Gleason romance comic book titles up for auction in the 2024 February 29 – March 1 Golden Age Romance Featuring Fox Comics & Comic Art Showcase Auction #40258.