Number 1431: Latin love

In my next lifetime make me a Frenchman, so I may be “born to love.” As Andre LeBlanc says on the cover of ACG’s Lovelorn #2 (1949), “It’s in our hearts — in our blood — part of our life!” Andre is being dramatic; love is not under patent by the French. (Love aside, the other reason I could be a Frenchman is I own a beret.)

Laura Matthews, an acting student on scholarship to the Sorbonne in Paris, meets Andre after he insults her while she is singing in a café. He says she has a “stupid American crow’s voice.”  This is a love comic, so besides the stereotypes, complications abound, including Laura’s hometown boyfriend showing up unexpectedly after Laura becomes engaged to amorous Andre.

Sharp-eyed comics fans will notice Andre LeBlanc, the mustached cad of “Lure of Latin Love,” is also the name of a longtime comic artist. LeBlanc was a journeyman in the American comic book industry for many years, working with Eisner, Dan Barry, among others, and even working solo on projects like The Picture Bible. Could using his name be some sort of inside joke on the part of the writer? Our story is signed by artist John Belfi.

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Number 1266: “I'll give you one zuba to pack!"

Space Western was an interesting hybrid comic from Charlton, combining cowboys and spacemen. It didn't last long, so sales were probably low, but over the years the comic has formed a sort of cachet of coolness. It’s famous for being oddball.

John Belfi, an artist I'm used to seeing mainly as an inker, did both pencils and inks on the lead story, introducing us to Spurs Jackson, the cowboy-spaceman. Spurs packs a pair of plutonium guns that shoot miniature atom bombs!

This incredible story is a runner-up to tomorrow's special post, my annual Thanksgiving Turkey Award.

From Space Western #40 (1952):

At this time the Buck Rogers comic strip still had some sway over the public imagination. Ornate rocketships like these would be cool, but rockets don’t need to look cool. As my old design professor used to tell us, “form follows function.”

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