Negro Romance Comics: The Short Run
Overview
Negro Romance Comics, You’ve probably never heard of them. Created in the 1950’s Negro Romance Comics was a bi weekly publication by Fawcett Publications. There isn’t much information about them anywhere but here is what I could find.
The Story behind The Comics
Negro Romance was first published on June 1950 by Fawcett Publications a rare title spotlighting Black characters during an era of widespread racial exclusion in mainstream comics. Issue #4 was created by Charlton Comics. Released at a time where comics were more popular than radio and television, where an estimated 70 million comics were sold every month.
Fawcett also published stories like Captain Marvel, a story that is still being adapted into movies today.
The comics depicted your average romance stories with complex language. While romance comics were a common occurrence, ones starring mostly African American characters were rare.
Sadly, there are only 4 issues of Negro Romance Comics. The reason for cancellation remains unknown and it is estimated that thousands of copies could’ve been sold at the time. After Issue #4 The Title was changed to Romantic Secrets and did not feature an all black character lineup.
There is no writer listed as was common for the 1950’s but it was found by HIstorian Shaun Clancy that the editor listed Roy Ald was also the writer/creator. Roy Ald was a white man who worked for Fawcet for many years. It seems he was simply capitalizing on the open market of Black Comics.
The Artist, a young Black man named Alvin Hollingsworth, has a particularly interesting story. He began working at Fawcett publications in high school. Roy really liked Alvin Hollingsworth. And when he created the “Negro Romance” line, he thought this was the perfect fit for him
Alvin Hollingsworth stayed in comics until 1955. In the 1960s, his early paintings focused on civil rights issues. He then went on to have a major career as an abstract artist whose work was shown in museums and galleries around the world. Hollingsworth died in 2000
These stories are an artifact of African American culture in the 50’s. A real artifact not one that depicts them in derogatory fashions .
The biggest thing I noticed about the comics is that the characters’ race isn’t crucial to the story. The main characters could’ve been any race and it wouldn’t have made a difference. At a time when stereotypes and false narratives were rampant this was actually a positive. White communities and black communities could have a story that fits into their lives. Showing a positive image of what romance can look like for anyone.
The stories often have lessons to be learned by the characters. One story titled My Heart’s Dilemma, focuses on a woman’s selfishness and jealousy that almost destroys the bond with her family and loved ones, to later realize the error and her ways and make amends.
Over 75 years later there are less than a few dozen of each issue that have been found. The ones that are found sell for thousands of dollars. Nonetheless these comics were important both for the African American communities and everyone else. To be able to see real life situations although it only ran for four issues a total of 4 months It is clear this was a positive change for the comic industry.
