First Love Illustrated #20

A charged love triangle plays out right on the cover of this 1952 Harvey romance issue, where a desperate man cradles an injured blonde woman in his arms — her wounds visible, his anguish plain — while a uniformed nurse looks on in shock, exclaiming that he's supposed to be engaged to her. Al Avison's cover art captures that breathless mix of heartache and melodrama that made postwar romance comics so compelling, teasing the featured story "Born for Heartbreak!" with just the right amount of emotional turmoil. First Love Illustrated #20 is a fine example of the genre firing on all cylinders, asking the cover's headline question — "Can First Love Be True Love?" — and making you genuinely want to find out.