Monday, August 16, 2010

Cool Comic Cover: Matt Baker "Teen-Age Temptations" #2

This Matt Baker cover for the pre-code ('52) St. John romance comic, Teen-Age Temptations, is one of the sexiest and most outrageous comic book covers I've ever seen! So this guy, who she doesn't even know, is just carrying the drum majorette away from the school bus? Are these college kids -- or high school? There's no story inside the comic relating to this cover at all -- so we'll never get the rest of this story -- but it certainly hints at something, doesn't it? I wonder how many copies of this got tossed in the flames during the infamous comic book burnings of the day? But my, oh my -- what a beautiful drawing of that drum majorette -- Mr. Baker hit one out of the ballpark here! Romance comics were generally marketed towards a female readership -- but I'd bet this issue saw many a young boy dropping his dime on the store counter in order to take this beauty home. This was pretty racy stuff for '52! Given the choice between this and the latest Donald Duck or Superman, I know which one I'd have bought!

The Grand Comics Database lists no credits for any of the interior stories -- the art for which ranges from serviceable to pretty darn good. The stories have enticing titles such as "I Was a Carnival Come-on Girl" and "My Dance with Danger." But there's nothing quite as jaw-dropping inside the book as this "spicy" Matt Baker cover!

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