These are hilariously lurid - just a book of cover art alone would be gold. But the plots? Some serious WTF. A member of the Nazi youth gives up her American love because she can't denounce Hitler; a woman throws herself out of a window because she thinks her man is dying in the electric chair; there's the hilariously titled My Cousin From Milwaukee; and Norma, Queen of the Hotdogs.

You just can't make this stuff up. ( )

Jack Kirby and Joe Simon pioneered romance comics, and this book assembles a generous collection of them with good historical essays and restoration work. The art and writing was done by their stable of talent, but Kirby and Simon oversaw every stage. I was expecting plenty of cheese, and while there is some of that, the stories can be surprisingly effective at times. If you want the bizarre excesses of some romance comics, you'll have to look elsewhere. Most of these are pretty straightforward. The art is a mixed bag, but every once in a while, usually on the first pages, you see King Kirby's hand at work. ( )