Halloween HeartBreak THIS MAGAZINE IS HAUNTED! "Bridegroom, Come Back!"

" 'Til Death Do Us Part..." Takes on a Whole New Meaning...

...during the Halloween season, when the barriers between this life and the next one blur!

Steve (SpiderMan/Doctor Strange) Ditko did very few romance-themed stories during his half-century in comics.

So whenever one pops up, we take note of it, such as this tale from Charlton's This Magazine is Haunted #18 (1954).
As for who wrote it, the author is likely Charlton's go-to scripter Joe Gill, but we can't confirm it.

Next Week:

Our Final Countdown to Halloween 2024 Contribution

You'll Cry Your Eyes out If You Miss It!

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Steve Ditko Archives Vol 1

Strange Suspense

(Which reprints this story)

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Amorous Education TEEN-AGE CONFIDENTIAL CONFESSIONS "Come Back to Me"

This is the story of cute girl Laurie and and star athlete Frank!

Sound like the perfect couple, eh?

What could possibly go wrong?
(If you have to ask that, you're reading the wrong blog!)

The redemptive power of True Love, courtesy of writer Joe Gill, penciler Sal Gentile, and inker Dick Giordano in a never-reprinted tale from Charlton's Teen-Age Confidential Confessions #22 (1964).

Next Week:

We Do Know What We're Going to Present!

And, If You Miss It, You'll Cry your Eyes Out!

Don't Miss a Month-Long Halloween Presentation Crossing-Over with Our "Brother" RetroBlog,

Seduction of the Innocent!

Anne Rice's

Interview with the Vampire

...the Manga!

FOXHOLE "Dear Joan--!"

Getting dumped by your Significant Other is a traumatizing experience....

...but discovering it in the middle of a pitched battle is...well...read for yourself...

Art for this tale from Charlton's FoxHole #6 (1955) by Rocco "Rocke" Mastroserio, a mainstay of the Charlton line with numerous credits in both war and romance comics, so he's an excellent choice to render this story.

The writer is unknown.

Happy Memorial Day to all!

Next Week:

We're Not Sure Yet Exactly What We'll Present!
But...

You'll Cry Your Eyes Out if You Miss It!

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Love on the Racks

A History of American Romance Comics

TEEN-AGE LOVE "A Very Merry Christmas"

We promised you a Christmas romance story...

...and, hoo boy, did we deliver!

It's a Hallmark Channel Yuletide TV-movie in comic-book form!

It's also one of the rare Charlton covers that isn't just re-used art from the story inside, but new art by Dick Giordano!

Enjoy...

Talk about your two-for-one deals!

A Christmas story and a New Years Eve tale in one!

Though this never-reprinted story from Charlton's Teen-Age Love #44 (1965) is attributed to penciler Bill Montes and inker Jon D'Agostino, it looks like several other pencilers and inkers redrew individual panels, including Steve Ditko and Sal Trapani!

We're taking next week off, but we'll be back in January with much more graphic love!
MERRY CHRISTMAS
and a
HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Amorous Education HIGH SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL DIARY "Forbidden Subject"

Think college romances are tricky to deal with?

High school presents equally-difficult problems for hormonally-driven teens...

This fairly-saccharine, never-reprinted tale from Charlton's High School Confidential Diary #2 (1960) was scripted by Joe Gill, penciled by Joe Sinnott and inked by Vince Colletta.

The Comics Code Authority took a lot of the excitement out of what was a pretty exciting genre which previously was aimed at a late teen/early adult female audience!
Take a look at 1940s and 1950s stories we've run to see what I mean!

By the time the Code was revised and "loosened" in the early 1970s, it was too late for the all-but deceased romance genre!

Next Week:
We Continue with Stories Combining School and Sex!
And Yes, You'll Cry Your Eyes Out If You Miss It!

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Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane
Volume 1: Super Crush

TEEN CONFESSIONS "Perfect Date"

Remember Dating Game?

They're revived it on tv as Celebrity Dating Game...

...apparently on the premise that everyday people seeking love is no longer interesting to the audience!

Let's look a a story about what would later be called a "reality show", scripted and illustrated during the original show's heyday in the 1970s...

This never-reprinted tale from Charlton's Teen Confessions #85 (1974) was illustrated by Demetrio Sanchez Gomez with a slightly-different style (and unlike the previous story we presented, he doesn't sign every page!)

Next week:

We haven't decided yet what it'll be, but we can guarantee that...

You'll Cry Your Eyes Out if You Miss It!

(Oh, you've heard that, eh?)

And now a word from out sponsor...

Visit our

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Love in the Time of Covid-19 CYNTHIA DOYLE: NURSE IN LOVE "Smash-Up!"

"Could Her Love Win Over Death?"

Without further adieu,  let's get to today's story about a loved one suffering from a debilitating disease...or is he?

This never-reprinted tale from Charlton's Cynthia Doyle: Nurse in Love #69 (1963) plays up the "...In Love" aspect of the title while providing some rather iffy medical concepts!

Remember, this is a soap opera in comic book form!

It's not meant to be even a semi-serious feature about a female medical professional, like Dr Pat!

This is, as most 1950s-1970s strips starring nurses were, a three-Kleenex romance comic!

Heck, before the book became Cynthia Doyle: Nurse in Love as of #66, it was Sweetheart Diaries, a romance anthology!

Cynthia appeared in a single story in the final issue, then the entire book was turned over to her!
Why?

In the early 1960s, one of the most-popular genres in pop culture was "medical drama"!

Spearheaded on TV by hunky prime-time physicians Dr Kildare and Ben Casey along with the related series The Nurses as well as daytime soap operas with hospital settings and paperback romance novels with covers featuring "studs in scrubs" with swooning nurses, comics hopped on the medical bandwagon!

Charlton, which couldn't afford the rights to comics based on any of the TV shows, launched numerous series featuring doctors and nurses including Dr Tom Brent: Young Intern, Nurse Betsy Crane, Young Interns, Sue & Sally Smith: Flying Nurses and, of course, this book!

(Oddly, there were never any cross-over stories between the various books!)

Written by Joe Gill, penciled by Dick Giordano and inked by Vince Colletta, this story came about halfway through the book's run.

BTW: the series ended with Nurse Doyle and Doctor Benson's love unconsummated!
Surprised?

Next Week...

Another Tale of Disease, Debilitating Conditions and Desire!

You'll Cry Your Eyes Out If You Miss It!

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Night Nurse