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Truer Than True Romance: Classic Love Comics Retold!
A zany parody of the romance comics of the 1950s to the 1970s offers an irreverent approach to dating attitudes and romantic advice, updating ten classic DC Comics romance stories with all-new word balloons and captions to accompany the original artwork. Original.
112 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
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75 people want to read
About the author
Jeanne Martinet
12 books24 followersJeanne Martinet is the author of nine books, including the just-out MINGLING WITH THE ENEMY as well as THE ART OF MINGLING, which has sold more than 150,000 copies and been published in ten countries. She has been featured in such publications as: The New York Times, The New York Daily News, Newsweek, The U.S. News and World Report, Salon.com, The Chicago Tribune, The Boston Globe, TimeOut New York, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, The Washington Post, The San Francisco Chronicle and The Huffington Post. Martinet has shared her humor and mingling know-how on hundreds of TV and radio shows, including NBC's "The Today Show," and NPR's "Morning Edition."
Jeanne Martinet, AKA "Miss Mingle," lives, writes and mingles in New York City.
Jeanne Martinet, AKA "Miss Mingle," lives, writes and mingles in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
February 13, 2009
I've read this book several times, and it still gets me giggling out loud. Martinet takes romance comics from the 50s and 60s and replaces the dialog to create new plots, often playing off the awkward artwork.
September 28, 2020
So in going through my shelves, I came across this book which retells classic Love Comics from the 1950s-1970s and changes the words to reflect more modern love problems. So, the one where she is torn about a pilot and somebody becomes a problem about carry-on-luggage, the one about being attracted to one’s friend’s boyfriend becomes a comic about how she hates her hair and so forth. There’s one about a job from hell, one about being upset that your creative professor doesn’t appreciate your dark prose and one where you’re a narcissist. And so many others. There’s also one where the girl falls in love with a swan which is just too weird.
It is hilariously true. It kind of reflects the problems dating in my twenties in the ‘90s. What’s great about it is that it retains the original drawings, but switches the words to make them different. It is hilariously off the wall. Kind of reminds me of Roy Lichtenstein art, and he was parodying/homaging much of that time. And I love the line on the cover, “Wow, you really are clingy and filled with self-loathing. No wonder I find you so attractive.” I always presumed it was woman talking about the man, but it’s probably the other way around. Which reminds me of the part in Reality Bites where Janeane’s character is describing Troy as selfish, dresses bad and she can’t believe she hasn’t dated him. There is also hysterically bad love advice from various ‘experts.” It’s got a retro feel and some of the outfits are groovy.
I enjoyed and laughed out loud frequently at this. It gets to stay in this apartment.
It is hilariously true. It kind of reflects the problems dating in my twenties in the ‘90s. What’s great about it is that it retains the original drawings, but switches the words to make them different. It is hilariously off the wall. Kind of reminds me of Roy Lichtenstein art, and he was parodying/homaging much of that time. And I love the line on the cover, “Wow, you really are clingy and filled with self-loathing. No wonder I find you so attractive.” I always presumed it was woman talking about the man, but it’s probably the other way around. Which reminds me of the part in Reality Bites where Janeane’s character is describing Troy as selfish, dresses bad and she can’t believe she hasn’t dated him. There is also hysterically bad love advice from various ‘experts.” It’s got a retro feel and some of the outfits are groovy.
I enjoyed and laughed out loud frequently at this. It gets to stay in this apartment.
May 18, 2022
Not bad. Disappointed it wasn't more unhinged (i.e. in the style of Seanbaby). I enjoyed how the author, over time and through the interspersed "Dear Abby" columns, points out the bizarre tropes of the comics. From blue hair and wide eyes to floating heads and all the dudes looking the same, Martinet really pinpoints the absurdity of it all.
"Too Dumb For Love" is my favourite of the chapters. A beachside town's inhabitants go all dumb (spoiler: there's literally something in the water), and the hero and ingenue may or may not end up together, depending on whether not they can stop being stupid enough to remember how to breathe.
In the end, it make for a decent coffee table read.
"Too Dumb For Love" is my favourite of the chapters. A beachside town's inhabitants go all dumb (spoiler: there's literally something in the water), and the hero and ingenue may or may not end up together, depending on whether not they can stop being stupid enough to remember how to breathe.
In the end, it make for a decent coffee table read.
January 26, 2025
Ok that was just hysterical
June 22, 2011
Yes, this is as clever as the publisher's blurb makes it sound. The basic premise is that romance comics in the 1960s and 1970s shaped her strange (if not unrealistic) notions about dating and romance. So, she took out her eraser, replaced the original dialogue with something more realistic, and left the artwork/layout unchanged. Add in some farcical romance advice columns and it is HILARIOUS!
The only reason I withheld its final star is that some of the stories are just too far off center, and would have been funnier if they were a little more realistic. Someone else with more of a sense of humor may disagree. Also, not having grown up with the original romance comics, it is a little hard to believe that the author did not take liberties with her summaries of the original comic. Some of those are just too much, and probably would have made me laugh to read them in their original form.
The ten "new" comics include: "My Heart Said Yes, But My Therapist Said No!," "Too Dumb for Love," "I Hate My Hair," "My Heart of Darkness," "Psychic Matchmaker," "Carry-on Girl" (my personal favorite), "The Job From Hell," "Loving Gay Men," "The Narcissist Heart," and "What Are You Saying?" The last one includes a girl sending a rum cake to her "beau" serving in a combat theater, and the ensuing lack of sobriety causes him to get shot in the face. I'm not sending any more rum balls overseas.
The book is out of print, but I'm willing to loan out my copy. Be warned that it MUST BE returned because I like to read parts of it when I need a good laugh.
The only reason I withheld its final star is that some of the stories are just too far off center, and would have been funnier if they were a little more realistic. Someone else with more of a sense of humor may disagree. Also, not having grown up with the original romance comics, it is a little hard to believe that the author did not take liberties with her summaries of the original comic. Some of those are just too much, and probably would have made me laugh to read them in their original form.
The ten "new" comics include: "My Heart Said Yes, But My Therapist Said No!," "Too Dumb for Love," "I Hate My Hair," "My Heart of Darkness," "Psychic Matchmaker," "Carry-on Girl" (my personal favorite), "The Job From Hell," "Loving Gay Men," "The Narcissist Heart," and "What Are You Saying?" The last one includes a girl sending a rum cake to her "beau" serving in a combat theater, and the ensuing lack of sobriety causes him to get shot in the face. I'm not sending any more rum balls overseas.
The book is out of print, but I'm willing to loan out my copy. Be warned that it MUST BE returned because I like to read parts of it when I need a good laugh.
January 22, 2014
An interesting approach, this little book tries to almost MST3K-ify old romance comics. All the dialogue and story has been replaced with suitably warped comedy. Some are real funny; some are just mildly humorous. But the real joy of the book is seeing the great reproduction of all this old comic artwork. There aren't all that many reprint books out there for this genre, so even this tome, with a complete different purpose is nice to see.
November 26, 2015
For those of us who devoted our senior year of high school to writing mocking parodies of romance novels, this is a must read. The author has taken classic romance comic books and changed all of the word bubbles to reflect a more humorous, if not more realistic, vision of reality. I especially enjoyed the girl who lives by a polluted bay and is "Too Dumb for Love!"
August 16, 2009
The premise: a 'modern romance' columnist takes some classic DC romance comics, replaces all the dialogue and plots with her own, and hilarity ensues.
Not perfect, but damned funny! If Rachel Earle wrote a romance comic, I imagine it would come out like this. Makes me laugh and laugh (especially the second story).
Not perfect, but damned funny! If Rachel Earle wrote a romance comic, I imagine it would come out like this. Makes me laugh and laugh (especially the second story).
March 25, 2008
HiLArious.
May 14, 2009
annie
July 7, 2009
Some stories are funnier than others but it is mostly entertaining.
December 17, 2009
One of my favorites!
November 8, 2013
Brilliant, twisted and hysterical!
August 4, 2025
Interesting idea if updating (well up to 2001 when it was published) True Romance comics from the 1940's to 1970's . Very funny with results with the author clearly having a perverse and quirky view of the world .
Entertaining loo read
Entertaining loo read
February 24, 2017
The illustrations are the originals (beautiful and idiotic simultaneously)
but the writing made me cry laughing.
but the writing made me cry laughing.
May 7, 2017
I was howling, cackling, and guffawing out loud! So hilarious! I didn't give it five stars because there weren't enough happy endings, and I didn't love the "I Loved Gay Men" story.
June 30, 2019
Painfully funny.
December 21, 2025
This is one of the better examples of rewriting the word balloons in old comics. There seemed to be more careful put into it.. some of the stories were okay and a few were surprisingly clever
May 3, 2012
Romance comics are ridiculous. What makes soap operas even barely watchable are the actors doing surprised gasps and reaction stares. So, thankfully, someone took the dreadful romance comics from the 1940s to 1970s and did up new dialogue. It’s super ridiculous now, but in a good way. Instead of boy meets girl and it ends happily, the stories range from a girl being treated for narcissism to a girl trying to ungay her brother’s boyfriend. Everything pokes fun at the most general stereotypes of women are weak, overly sensitive creatures that crave male attention and men being dumb, unfeeling, arrogant sex-panderers. It’s fun with an innocent bite. There’s even a few “Dear Abbey” type sections with women writing in for love advice. The answers are things like “buy a new dress” or “kill yourself.” Rad.
January 30, 2017
Jeanne Martinet has written a hilarious send-up of romance comics in this Roy Lichtenstein-inspired gag-fest. The gimmick is she used the original artwork from DC romance comics and changed the angsty dialogue in the word balloons and captions. So "Summer Heart," a story about a girl who finds love in a seaside town, becomes "Too Dumb For Love," a story about a girl who is so dumb she can't remember her own name; and "A Heart Full Of Dreams!", about an insecure girl who falls for her brother's friend, becomes "Loving Gay Men!", the story of a girl who can *only* meet gay guys. There are ten stories in all and I found myself laughing out loud through most of them.
August 21, 2015
Whatta great scam! Take the old True Romance comics you read as a child that ruined your prospects for happiness by setting up unrealistic expectations in the romance department and, using the same artwork, totally rewrite them! This merited some actual guffaws! And that was just from the original material that was provided for the contrast! I mean, it took me several minutes to get it through my thick head that "NY Restaurant Menu Typist" was a career in the original, not the parody!
Ahhh, this really took the bad taste out of my mouth from the previous graphic graphic novels!
Ahhh, this really took the bad taste out of my mouth from the previous graphic graphic novels!
Read
July 28, 2011A brilliant hilarous must read for fans of hipster feminist irony. The author takes 70's romance (complete with the sexism and bad art) and redoes all the text. She changes what everyone says and does to be unintentionally hilarious. The cover promises a woman in the arms of a man who says "Wow. You really are clingy and filled with self-loathing. No wonder I find you so attractive!" and the insides deliver.
May 5, 2017
The concept is simple. Take old "True Romance" comics and erase the dialogue. Then, write new dialogue. And laugh your ass off. It's scary how well this gag works - without the brief synopsis of the original plot before each comic, I never would have been able to believe that the story had ever been anything different from what's presented here. Hilarious.
December 2, 2008
Fun and quick read/
December 13, 2012
Kind of funny, mostly unfortunate
January 14, 2011
This was amusing, but I get the feeling the original comics might be funnier.
April 8, 2012
Great idea; very weak execution.
April 8, 2012
Great idea; very weak execution.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews