Sweethearts #76

Charlton's Sweethearts #76 delivers the heartache and tenderness that made romance comics so compelling in 1964, with a cover penciled by Pat Masulli and Dick Giordano (who also provides the inks) depicting a couple in a close, emotional embrace aboard what appears to be a departing ocean liner — a speech bubble capturing his promise to return, while other passengers and silhouettes ascend a gangway behind them. The story title "Test of Love" sets a mood of longing and uncertainty that the cover image earns completely, with the woman clinging to her man as a woman in yellow nearby seems caught in her own bittersweet farewell. Writer Joe Gill and inker Vince Colletta bring their talents to the interior, making this a satisfying entry in Charlton's warmhearted romance line.