Modern Love #1
"Stolen Romance" in Modern Love #1 (1949) kicks off with Nina putting her college dreams on hold after her mother falls ill, landing a job at Steve’s dance hall. Written, drawn, and inked by Al Feldstein—his full creative hand on every page—this early EC tale unfolds with a tense, intimate grip as Steve’s possessive protection of Nina spirals into violence, drawing in a suspicious regular named Frank and a detective named Dan. The cover, also by Feldstein, captures the story’s charged atmosphere, all while keeping its final twist firmly under wraps.
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When her mother falls ill, Nina has to forget her college plans and find a job. Having no experience, she is out of luck until Steve hires her for his dance hall. Steve is very protective of her, and when customer Frank becomes one of Nina’s “regulars,” Steve orders him beaten up. Steve also lures other men with bogus promises of dates with Nina, then has these men robbed. Detective Dan breaks the case and shoots Steve when he resists. Dan and Nina will marry.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).