Independent Propaganda

Reviewed by Matt Butcher / Writer for Independent Propaganda

PROJECT: ROMANTIC
Published by AdHouse Books
Written & Illustrated by Various
Publishing Date: October 2006

The third of a set, AdHouse Books’ new anthology highlights the pulp area of romance comic books. As much a history lesson as an anthology of stories, this gorgeous compilation takes into account the record of romance comics from the Kirby and Simon days of Young Romance through the Love and Rockets comics of the 80s to the eye-opening and character-driven modern day comics.

There is an amazing and intriguing introduction essay on the history of the romance comic written by Bill Boichel. It traces the evolution of this one-time extremely popular genre to the origins of the comics we know in love, hypothesizing that Marvel Comics’ use of the elements of romance actually accentuated its characters, as we easily see in the early Fantastic Four and in the relationships that Spider-Man is still haunted by today. The essay is a phenomenal read for any comics fan, who will deftly pull out the names of some of our most beloved creators. Seeing some of the more humble works of stars like Jack Kirby, John Buscema, and John Romita makes us understand that maybe they got more out of these romance comics and included them in their highly character-driven superhero titles.

The stories in this anthology are wonderful little snippets of real life. These aren’t all super-mushy romance works. Yes, there is an aspect of love but more importantly, there is an understanding of life. In fact, the reader begins to understand that romance is more about what drives the human heart. They truly take the literary definition of romance to heart, seeking formal freedom and increased emotional effect.

In actuality, these stories are not all the Boy-Meets-Girl. Several could easily be found in the pages of an EC horror comic, like the woman who shoots the ball player, or the couple that while eating dinner regurgitate and eat each other. When the two ninjas fall in love, one uses a heart-shaped ninja star to show her true feelings. These are not your average romance tales.

One of the strongest elements of this book would shine through to many comics fans. The different styles of art are astounding, especially looking at their stark contrasts from story to story. Some of the amazing ways of telling a comic story bring us out of the panel by panel mindset that we may be used to. This broadens the art form and one can only hope that simply being subjected to this book will one day influence another writer of comics, thus increasing the entire art form for all of us, readers and writers. The anthology is simply that amazing to read through-it inspires, which is exactly what a romance comic is supposed to do.

About The Reviewer: MATT BUTCHER would love to hear from you. Visit his inane website The Butcher Shop and leave a comment somewhere.

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