Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #364620 in Books
• Published on: 2001-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 112 pages

From Library Journal
In this creative partnering between the old and the new, Martinet (The Art of Mingling) writes contemporary love stories using the settings and illustrations from DC's romance comics from the 1940s through the 1970s. In Martinet's world, a 1950s story called "Loving the Wrong Man," originally involving an affair with a married man, might be rewritten as "Loving a Gay Man," for example. Others include "My Heart Said Yes, but My Therapist Said No!" and "Too Dumb for Love!" The collection is uneven, as some of the retellings work contemporary social mores into their fabric better than others. Still, this is a book with plenty of appeal for older teens and adults. A good purchase for libraries with strong humor collections. Stephen Weiner, Maynard P.L., MA
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
*Starred Review* Martinet gave a grown-up gander to the romance comic books she devoured when she was a kid. Their artwork still seemed serviceable enough, but their scripts--in which slim, stacked, dewy-eyed ingenues always lassoed the loves of their lives, despite the wiles of bad-girl rivals--struck her as, well, dorky. So she rewrote them. What was "Stolen Dreams" became "I Hate My Hair" (our heroine has a supershort cut). "Love a la Carte" became "The Job from Hell" (the teary working-girl lead, one of a row of typists, moans about her boss: "Typewriters instead of computers! Why doesn't she just shoot us?!"). "Heartbreak," in which the love interest is first seen with his whole head bandaged, became "What Are You Saying?!" ("Mmph, mmph, mmph . . . ," in case you were wondering). In those and seven other stories, Martinet reacts to facial expressions, clothing, objects (like the typewriters), and even unusual colors in the drawings, which date from 1955-71, and creates hilarious, hip scenarios that view romance with the jaundiced eyes of experience and plenty of with-it wit. Mock advice columns, such as "Dee Pressen, Love Counselor," continue the stories' zaniness. It's just highly unlikely that any other book this year will be funnier. Ray Olson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
"It's just highly unlikely that any other book this year will be funnier." -- Booklist, July 2001 **Starred Review**

Customer Reviews

Took me back to the old days
This was a delightful book, especially, if like me, you grew up on Love Comics. I read those probably from around 1958 - 1962. And, like the author said, that's why I'm screwed up about relationships today! Anyway, this book just made me laugh out loud through the whole thing. I especially enjoyed the one where the girl was in secretarial school, but it's been switched to a writing school, and she falls for the teacher. I loved the line of the main female character, "Doesn't she know we're all going to die"? That's what these characters needed to hear 40 years ago! Give up the scholop and get real! LOL I also liked that the author summarized the original plot, to put it into perspective for us. Very, very much fun, and the comics are beautifully copied, especially the men's blue hair, with their floating heads above the women's beds!

Romance and Laughter
This is one of the funniest books I've ever read. It actually made me laugh out loud. The author has taken those dopey old romance comics (beautiful color artwork, though) and completely transformed them with her hilarious new dialogue. So you have all this great old artwork from the era of "Leave It To Beaver" and "Gidget" beautifully mixed with dialogue that would be right at home on "Sex And The City." The effect is sort of like that Woody Allen movie "What's Up Tiger Lilly" or maybe "Mystery Science Fiction Theater" where she comments on the old stories and updates them at the same time. Pure genius! The romance columns are a riot too; my favorite columnist is Dee Pressen, who gives VERY pesimistic advice. Please turn this author loose on more romance comic book stories!!

Hilarious! A Must Buy!
What a great idea! This type of book reminds me of Mystery Science Theater 3000, as the author has rewitten the stories from old romance comics. I rarely laugh out loud at anything, but I couldn't help it, as the author was perfect in making funny lines match the characters expressions. "I Hate My Hair" was worth it alone!