Revealing Romances #1
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeRevealing Romances #1 (September 1949) stands as a concrete artifact of the seismic genre shift that swept American comics at the close of the Golden Age. Launched just two years after Joe Simon and Jack Kirby's Young Romance ignited the romance comics boom, it represents Ace Magazines' bold all-in commitment to the new format — a publisher that, according to historian Michelle Nolan, was unique in 1949 for actively winding down most of its pulp magazine line in order to flood the market with romance comics titles. As the debut issue of one of Ace's shorter-lived romance series, it contributes to the broader record of how thoroughly the romance genre reshaped the publishing landscape for female readers in the postwar era, with its content — working-class women navigating love, class anxiety, and competing loyalties — reflecting the real social tensions of its moment.
An office worker pines for her coworker Frank Cameron, who works at Pulpcraft Inc., and daydreams about marrying him. When Frank unexpectedly arrives at her office seeking her out—having learned she works there—he reveals he has been searching for her and proposes they team up as a professional dance and entertainment act. In a separate story, a woman named Lila becomes involved with Kip Tyler, a man she meets at a party; when Kip later asks difficult personal questions about her background and family, Lila becomes evasive about her past, and Kip grows suspicious of her mysterious reluctance to be fully open with him.
Linda Howard finds herself torn between Joe, the man she loves but can’t stand the strain of poverty with, and Roland J. Worthington III, a wealthy suitor who offers her a life of comfort—though not the kind she expected. When Roland’s true intentions become clear, Linda must decide whether the life she’s been chasing is worth the cost.
When Andrea Wayne leaves her office job to become ice skater Frank Cameron’s new partner, her dreams are put to the test—especially when Carol Ellis, Frank’s former partner and ex-girlfriend, returns after her husband’s death. Tensions rise as Frank struggles to focus, and a painful fall leaves Andrea injured, her trust shaken. But when Frank confesses he’s moved on and wants to marry Andrea, the past and present collide in a moment that could redefine their future.
Vicky Sloan is reeling after her friend Alice reveals that her boyfriend Don has been cheating—worse, he’s torn between Vicky and another woman, Edie. Heartbroken, Vicky takes Alice’s advice and heads to “The Devil’s Den” club with playboy Jay Travers, hoping to stir Don’s jealousy. But when a sudden fire breaks out, chaos ensues—and in the flames, Don makes a choice that could change everything.
In "We Lived a Lie," Fay Faire and her mother Lila Faire perform as sisters in a dazzling dance act, their bond both artistic and deceptive. When Fay begins a romance with reporter Kip Tyler, Lila’s fear of exposure grows—until the truth spills into the headlines, shattering their fragile peace. As secrets unravel, the truth brings not ruin, but a surprising turn of fate that reshapes their futures.
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Ace Magazines was founded by Aaron A. Wyn and his wife Rose Wyn, who had been publishing pulp fiction under the Periodical House and A.A. Wyn's Magazine Publishers names since 1928 before pivoting to comics in 1940. By 1949, with superhero titles fading, the Wyns restructured much of their output around romance comics published through affiliated imprints including Ace Periodicals — the imprint under which Revealing Romances appeared. The series launched in September 1949 and ran only six issues through July 1950, a short run that nonetheless fed content into Ace's longer-lived romance titles through reprints for years afterward.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published September 1949 by A.A. Wyn / Ace Periodicals (one of Ace Magazines' publishing imprints); cover price 10 cents, 36 pages, full color.
- The series ran exactly six issues, from September 1949 through July 1950.
- Interior story 'In Spite of His Warning' features art by Ann Brewster (real name Shirley Sonya Zweifach, 1918–2005), a notable Golden Age female artist who worked across Ace, Fiction House, Atlas/Timely, and multiple studio shops including Binder and Iger.
- Interior story 'Rival from the Past' features art by Chuck A. Winter.
- The issue contains four stories: 'In Spite of His Warning,' 'Rival from the Past,' 'Manicures and Pedicures' (non-fiction), and 'We Lived a Lie' — all in the anthology romance format typical of the genre.
- Stories from this first issue were reprinted multiple times across other Ace titles, including Complete Love Magazine and Glamorous Romances, demonstrating Ace's practice of recycling content across its extensive romance line.
- A beauty/advice text feature ('For Beauty's Sake: How to Express Yourself...') from this issue was reprinted in at least six other Ace romance titles, including Glamorous Romances, Real Love, Love Experiences, Love at First Sight, and Complete Love Magazine.
- Ace Magazines was, according to historian Michelle Nolan, the only dual publisher in 1949 to discontinue most of its pulps in favor of publishing more comics — primarily romance titles — making Revealing Romances part of one of the most concentrated genre pivots in Golden Age publishing history.
Reprints
Reprinted in Romeo #152 (1960), Gwandanaland Comics #3021 (2021)
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