Monday, April 07, 2008

His ring on my finger!

I could swear I recognize several of these panels from classic movie stills and ad copy of the 1950s.

This cautionary tale from Secret Story Romances #17 (November 1955) doesn't take the usual approach of educating children about the threat of the Red Menace like most Atlas (nee Marvel) comic books of the time did. This title was aimed strictly at young women and the lead story undoubtedly sent pre-teens worried about their future running to Mother and Betty Crocker. After all, it is useless to prepare young men to resist and fight the threat of Stalin and fluoridated water if the women won't be at their beck and call once they come home from the front lines every day. In the 1950s only unattractive women or those that wore sensible shoes were in the workforce. Any woman getting a paycheck instead of a fresh mop head in those days may as well had the words "UNSUITABLE TO BREED" tattooed on her face.

In reality, I don't know how many marriages were actually ruined in real life because the hot, sexy, young blond wife couldn't cook or iron a shirt but what do I know? I'm from a later generation where women served as client-bait and stayed behind the reception desk only long enough to trick a wealthy customer into marriage.

Click the pictures to make a mountain out of a molehill.

Now get in the kitchen and make me a sammich!

3 comments:

  1. I love the story! Could you reproduce them a little larger, though? It's hard to read at that size!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Re-sized! Thought 500 was big enough, so i went with 800.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow, page 5 - Maxwell Lord drinks Maxwell House. I Can't Believe It's Not Kevin Maguire.

    ReplyDelete

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