My Secret Life (Charlton)

    (Charlton, 1957-1962)
™ and ©1960 Charlton Publications, Inc.
Series continued in Sue & Sally Smith #48

The unworthy scoundrel. The jealous scheming rival. The “unsuitable boy.” The meddling mother (-in-law). These are just a few of the time-worn cast of characters to be found in the pages of any love and romance comic published in America from 1955 to 1975. Since the love comics genre was so contemptuous of the critical sensibilities of its readers, it perversely found some of its most exemplary expression in titles like Love and Romance from Charlton, a publisher whose notorious indifference to quality in general was perfectly appropriate in this context. The stiff Charlton style, mechanical lettering, and boilerplate storytelling elevate the trash aesthetic of the romance comic to a cultural archetype—a point not lost on pop artists like Roy Lichtenstein, who made a living swiping the covers of cheesy comic books for ironic effect.
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