The more calendars you buy, the more you save! Get volume discounts when you buy multiple Asgard Press calendars.

BUY THIS MANYGET THIS DISCOUNT
1--
210% off
315% off
420% off
5+25% off

romance

Shopping Cart

Interior image from the 2025 Vintage Romance Comics Calendar by Asgard Press

Teen-Age Romances #25; Cover Art: Matt Baker; St. John Publications, September 1952.

Teen-Age Romances explored a variety of themes that resonated with young women in the early 1950s. Focusing on first love, social anxieties, balancing love with other aspects of life, and ultimately, finding happiness, these comics provided relatable narratives and a sense of escapism for their audience. Teen-Age Romances offered readers a slightly more realistic and nuanced portrayal of young love than other comics of the time, acknowledging the complexities teenagers grappled with. The creative team behind Teen-Age Romances was editor Marion McDermott, writer Dana Dutch, and artist Matt Baker. McDermott (1923-1999), another rare female comics editor, was hired by publisher Archer St. John to run his new romance line in 1949. She encouraged the artists and writers of her comics to tailor their work to suit a female audience. Dutch (1912-1957) created storylines designed to showcase stronger, more independent women than were portrayed in other romance comics, likely due to the influence of his female editor. The stand-out contributor at St. John, however, was Matt Baker (1921-1959). Renowned for the “good girl” aesthetic he brought to his renderings of comic heroine Phantom Lady, Baker had a natural talent for drawing beautiful women. A pioneering African American artist in the comics industry, Baker was renowned for artwork featuring elegant and expressive characters, with a particular focus on glamorous women. His use of clean lines, detailed backgrounds, and emotive facial expressions brought a unique sophistication to his panels, and his ability to convey deep emotion and romantic tension through his illustrations set him apart, making his work highly influential in the genre and beloved by readers. Baker’s commitment to the romance genre saw him push himself to add more realism and depth to his work, producing some of the most sublime illustrations in any comic genre. Sadly, Baker passed away suddenly at the age of 37, but his legacy lives on in the many comic artists he inspired.

This will close in 0 seconds

Scroll to Top