"On Stage" was a romance/drama strip centered in the world of New York acting and theater, starring a young (initially) unknown Mary Perkins, a naive young lady from the midwest with corn-fed beauty, unquenchable optimism and girl-next-door beauty. Oh, and she can act. Leonard Starr's artwork is the larger draw here, although his plots and writing are pretty good too. The strip reminds me quite a bit of "The Heart of Juliet Jones", with slightly lesser marks in art and writing, and Mary Perkins is -- only slightly -- outclassed by Juliet Jones. This is the first year of the strip, which sets her up in New York City, using her life savings to try to survive while she finds work. Comparisons with Juliet Jones aside, I quite like the strip, and plan to continue with the complete series reprinting up to its end in 1979. ( )