Hi-School Romance #16

A snapshot of early-1950s teen romance at its most dramatic, this August 1952 Harvey offering features Al Avison's cover depicting a couple locked in a passionate kiss on a park bench — a young woman in a red dress swept up in an embrace while a sharp-dressed young man in a plaid jacket looks on from near the Chem Lab doorway, textbooks scattered at the couple's feet. The cover tagline promises "The Shocking Confession of a Girl Who Loved a Campus Hero," and the featured story "Those Wild Kisses!" sets a deliciously tense scene. Bob Powell brings his assured storytelling to the interior with "Second String Sweetheart," making this a fine example of Hi-School Romance's knack for capturing the tangled emotions of young love.