The artwork in this 6-page Demetrio romance story, "Bus Ride Blues" from
Secret Romance 37 (March 1976), is again of superior quality. We have a female protagonist taking a bus tour to forget about the guy she was going to marry until she found out he was cheating on her. At each of the stops on the tour she spies the same handsome stranger, each time with a different woman. She ends up falling for him, but his explanation for those other women doesn't match the visuals - he's a salesman, and they were all clients!? He has his arm round beautiful female clients!? I have a hunch the heroine is going to find herself being cheated on again eventually, but at the end of the story she's still blinded by love, which should have been the title of the story I think. Anyway, there are some nice panels, and I don't want to take away from the beautiful Demetrio art. The idea was good, but the way it was resolved was rather implausible, in my opinion. Perhaps there was some miscommunication between the writer and artist of this story - from when I spoke to Joe Gill, the prolific Charlton writer a year before his death, he talked about the Spanish artists that Charlton was getting work from by mail - he rarely if ever got to meet some of the artists working for the company in the late 60s/early 70s period. Anyway, here's the story - another of the better Demetrio pieces:
Salesman? Clients?
Some nice panels, I think you'll agree - layouts too. But customers!?
I love your blog! So many great 70's comics to ogle here! I used to secretly rescue my sisters discarded romance comics, and stuff them in the bottom of my collected gold key and charlton comics. Aside from the occasional FF or the random Superman I was never much of a "heros comic" guy. Instead I liked the ghost story and Boris Karloff mystery stuff, and the ( not long running enough ) U.F.O's title. All those early passions spill out in my work today, and get all jumbled up in the pages I create. Thanks for posting all these wonderful 70's gems
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