Sweetheart Diary #53

This July 1960 Charlton romance anthology wears its heart on its sleeve, with cover art penciled by Joe Sinnott and inked by Vince Colletta depicting three vignettes of dramatic love and heartache — an intimate close encounter between a dark-haired woman and a man in a suit, a scene of a woman reeling as voices cry "Jilted!", "Thrown Over!", and "Left at the Altar!", and a tender, melancholy moment between a blonde woman and a man near what appears to be an aircraft. The cover promises three emotionally charged tales, including "Love Exposed," "My Love Wears Blue," and the Joe Gill–written "Heartbreak," each teased with handwritten-style captions that pull you straight into the drama. At just ten cents, this is a charming snapshot of early '60s romance comics doing what they did best — putting affairs of the heart front and center.