Sniff…sniff…I miss romance comics…sniff!
The panel above is one of a number of sob-sisters appearing in the sadly disintegrating pages of Heart Throbs No. 46 published in 1956. The publisher is listed as Comic Magazines and they seemed to have specialized in romance stories filled with tear-stained heroines waiting for Prince Charming to make up his damned mind and make with the corsage and the invite to the dance!
Note the huge Comics Code Authority symbol in the upper right corner. I measured it, and it’s an inch wide! The Authority was set up by publishers under pressure from congress to regulate or censor content in comics. The seal was to assure parents that the comics bearing it wouldn’t warp their kids’ minds or turn them into juvenile delinquents. The publisher went along because without it, they wouldn’t get their comics distributed.
I love this panel and how the artist slaved over every eyelash and curl of the girls hair. The legion of girls who spent their hard-earned babysitting money on these comics were counting on details such as these. Yeah, shes miserable, but her hair is perfect!
