Sweethearts #99

Charlton's long-running romance title delivers a quietly heartbreaking cover for issue #99, with pencils by Sal Gentile and inks by Dick Giordano: Ellen, tearful in her floral dress, stands turned away from Sam, who looks back at her with cool detachment, their speech bubbles telling the whole story — "I guess it's over, isn't it, Sam?" met with the sting of "It never really existed for us." The bold yellow background and the tagline "Fate had decreed that Ellen and Sam were… Made for Each Other… or had it??" set up a perfectly poignant romantic dilemma. Written by Joe Gill with interior art by Charles Nicholas and Vince Colletta, this 1968 entry is a fine example of Charlton's sincere, emotionally direct approach to the romance genre.