Dear Lonely Hearts (1953 Harwell) comic books

Cover by Pete Morisi. Stories and art by Max Elkin, Bill Discount, Kenneth Landau, Vic Evans and Don Heck. Tales of love and heartbreak from the golden era of romance comics. A woman just can't bring herself to act like the good girls do, and her reputation suffers for it. Anguished by failed romances, a woman wonders if she's doing it to herself. Lovers are separated by a border for six months that might as well be a lifetime. Born To Be Bad; My Own Enemy; Today's Problem; Six Months to Live; Gold Digger; Dangerous Deception; Foolish Pride. 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

"Date Hungry"; Sue is a popular student but is never asked out on dates; Her friend Bess advises her to "loosen up" and she does, getting a reputation as "one girl a fellow could have a good time with!"; While on vacation, she meets Tom and they fall in love; However, when he moves to her town and begins attending her school, Tom hears about Sue's escapades and calls her "a common tramp!" "What's a Father for?" text story by Edwin Green, art by Don Heck. "Exposed"; Tina and her mother are immigrants from Galatia, "one of the oppressed countries of Europe"; Her mother opens an exclusive dress shop; Tina is wearing one of her mothers creations when she meets the wealthy Mark, who thinks she is also rich. "Cut of the Cards"; Lucys father, a professional gambler, is killed in a card game when shes 18; She visits a dude ranch to recover and falls in love with Scott, the owner; When Scott catches the gambling bug, Lucy beats him in a game of cards and wins the deed to his ranch. Advice column by Mildred Norton, art by Don Heck. "Price of Passion," inks by Vince Alascia; Teenager Tess is adopted by the Bordon family from a detention home for "wayward girls"; Luke likes her but Ma and Cole force her to work hard on their farm and condemn her supposed sinful city ways;Tess and Luke become engaged but she and Cole begin an affair. 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.10.

Cover by Marty Elkin. Tales of love and heartbreak from the golden era of romance comics. A woman is heartbroken when she sees her beau necking with a beautiful redhead. Desperate for love, a girl makes a hasty and ill-advised choice in a suitor. A woman wants to be respected for her intellect, but many men find her intimidating. Terror Stalks the Lonely Heart; Love Hungry; Deep Water; Smart Girl. 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Cover by Marty Elkin. Stories and art by Max Elkin and others. Tales of love and heartbreak from the golden era of romance comics. Secretary Laura dates her boss Carl, who tells her he'll marry her as soon as his terminally ill wife dies. Louise gets a bad reputation because of her habit of hanging out with various influential men, but she's just trying to help her boyfriend get a better job. Farmer Susan falls for handsome hired hand Rusty, but she becomes convinced that he's the escaped killer the police are looking for, in a curious mix of suspense and romance. Married Man's Lies; Jealous Heart; They Called Me a Tramp; First Night on the Farm; Heartache into Horror. 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Cover art by Marty Elkin. "Tea with Terror," art by Marty Elkin; Harry talks his way into Terrys house by offering to do chores in exchange for a meal; Terry is impressed with the personable young man, but Harry gets nervous and hides when theres a knock on the door; The visitor is police detective Jim, who warns Terry about a maniac killer who leaves an "X" at the scene of his crimes. "This is the Story of a Dream House" text story. "Mountain Love"; Sally leaves the city to teach school in a rural hamlet, and is courted by farmer Johnsie; Dr. Jim warns Sally that that the rural people have certain attitudes that she must be aware of; At a community picnic, Johnsie and Sally wander off: when she starts to sun-bathe, Johnsie thinks shes offering herself to him. "I Laughed at my Love," art by Marty Elkin; Elsa has a romantic relationship via correspondence with Clint, and on the spur of the moment decides to visit his town; She discovers Clint is a wrestler called "The Monster," with a very misshapen face, and rejects him hysterically; Back home Elsa realizes she was unfair, and writes to apologise; Her letters are always returned "address unknown." "A Man Worth Loving"; Bobbie and her boyfriend, artist Jack, go on a skiing vacation; She refuses to give up her social life to marry him; Ski instructor Pierre makes a pass at Bobbie, but Jack intervenes; After Jack beats up Pierre and castigates Bobbie for her behavior, Bobbie agrees to marry him the next day. 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.10.

Cover art by Marty Elkin. "Pin-Up Girl"; Model Terry wants to become a success before she marries Jim; Model agent Harvey makes an appointment to see Terry at her apartment, but when he arrives he makes a pass at her; Terry resists and Harvey attempts to rape, then murder her; However, Jim and the police arrive just in time. "The Lovebirds" text story. "Nightmare Lover," art by Marty Elkin; Recovering from a long illness, Bob leaves his fiancé; Vicki to spend time alone at a remote cabin; He finally writes and asks Vicki to join him, but when she arrives she meets Dexter, an insane actor who says hes just pushed Bob off a cliff. "Trapped!", art by Marty Elkin; After serving 2 years in prison, Jean comes home and is accosted by her former boyfriend Frankie, who was responsible for her troubles; Frankie tries to convince Jean to team up with him again, threatening to involve her younger sister Dolly unless she agrees. "Love Pirate," art by Steve Kirkel (as Kirk); Ken, the editor of a small-town newspaper, loves his secretary Elaine, but she craves excitement.; Elaine attends the annual masked ball alone when Ken has to work late, and meets a masked pirate named Jacques; She falls in love with Jacques but is heart-broken when she sees him kissing another woman. 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.10.

Cover art by Marty Elkin. "Unwed Mother," art by Marty Elkin; High school student Lynn marries Danny and becomes pregnant, then learns he has a wife elsewhere; Lynn has the baby and moves with her parents to another town, where she will finish high school; However, her story comes out and she is a social pariah with the other students. "Problem Corner" advice column by Mildred Norton. "Doubting Heart"; Marge gets lonely and bored while her husband Bud is away in the Army; she decides to date Neal because she thinks Bud is enjoying himself in his free time; Bud comes home and finds Marge kissing Neal: he says he was injured and in the hospital for 3 months, and has now received a medical discharge. "Love in High Style"; Bobbie dates Chick, but is flattered by the attentions of her fathers business associate Douglas, an older man; Bobbie argues with Chick and goes on a date with Douglas, but he forces himself on her in the car; Chick arrives and rescues her, and he and Bobbie reconcile. "Girl into Woman"; Ruth separates from her boyfriend Bob to attend nursing school; Bob agrees to wait for her, but after a time he writes and says hes engaged to marry another girl, Sylvia; Ruth decides to sneak out of school and confront Bob, but witnesses a horrible traffic accident. "Friends, this is Mary Benson"; Mary and Bob are married and have a child, but his alcoholism taints their life; Mary runs into John, an old friend who has always loved her; Mary is torn: she loves Bob but wants their child to have the decent, stable life that John can give them. "I Lied for Love" text story. 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.10.

Cover by Marty Elkin. Stories and art by Max Elkin and Alberta Tewks. Tales of love and heartbreak from the golden era of romance comics. A woman with a damaged reputation wonders if she'll ever be considered romance material again. Impetuous youth and the rush of new love lead to snap decisions. A woman with a fiery temper pushes away men, until she meets the right one. Unfit To Love; Romantic Fool; Young in Heart; Meant To Be; Love Puzzle; Fireball. 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.