Tales From The Quarter Bin--Cosmic Boy As Romance Comic Advice Columnist?!?

There's nothing surprising about romance comics having advice columns. Many of them did, back in the day.

Hell, I like to imagine Jack Kirby chomping on a cigar as he answered desperate letters from love-sick teens, advising them on their love lives, or giving hair-care tips.

But there was something special about Charlton romance comics in the mid-70s:

Buck Mason--no relation to the clothing store, as far as I know--had an advice column in many of Charlton's romance comics, starting in 1975, and continuing through 1980.

Of course, it is the 70s--and this particular comic, I Love You #119, is from 1976, one of the most 70s years of the 1970s. so of course, you can't have an advice column without a trippy logo.

So, Buck Mason presents:

Buck's Bag!!

Now in all likelihood, "Buck Mason" was just a pseudonym for one of the editors, or whichever intern was being punished that month.

But what if...Buck Mason were a real person?

OMG.

Look, I'm 99.999999% certain that the editor was loathe to runs two full pages of text, so they just re-purposed some Enrique Nieto art from another story to use.

But what if...what if that's the real Buck Mason?!?

I would totally take advice from that guy! Just look at the woman on his arm! See the way everybody is gazing at him with adoration! Dig those clothes!! Every woman loves him. Every man wants to be him!!

So, despite what is surely a most mundane reality, I choose to believe that there really was a Buck Mason, and he and his girl were probably members of the Mike Grell-era Legion Of Super-Heroes who came back to our time to set history right, by giving love advice to certain teenagers, making sure certain relationships did (or didn't) happen, in order to protect the future from Darkseid. (That might be the best story idea I've ever had, which is why I'm not allowed to write comics)

Buck Mason, ladies and gentlemen.

Buck Freakin' Mason.