Heart Throbs
Encyclopedia
Heart Throbs was a romance comic published by Quality Comics
and DC Comics
from 1949
to 1972
. Quality published the book from 1949–1957, when it was acquired by DC. Most issues featured a number of short comics stories, as well advice column
s, text pieces, and filler
. The long-running feature "3 Girls—Their Lives—Their Loves," drawn by Jay Scott Pike
and inked by Russ Jones
, ran in Heart Throbs from 1966–1970.
In addition to Pike and Jones, regular contributors to Heart Throbs during its run included Bob Kanigher, Barbara Friedlander, Jay Criton, Gene Colan
, John Romita, Sr.
, John Forte
, Vince Colletta
, Bernard Sachs, Win Mortimer
, John Rosenberger
, and Tony DeZuniga
.
With its acquisition of Heart Throbs, DC continued its numbering, the first issue being #47 (Apr./May 1957). The company published 100 issues of Hearth Throbs, until #146 (Oct. 1972).
With issue #147 (Nov. 1972), DC changed the title of the book to Love Stories, publishing six more issues before cancelling the comic for good with issue #152 (Oct./Nov. 1973).
Starting with issue #102 (June/July 1966), Heart Throbs began the long-running serial "3 Girls—Their Lives—Their Loves." It ran 22 episodes before concluding in issue #123 (Dec. 1969/Jan. 1970).
The advice column "Telling It the Way It Is... to Lynn Farrell" began running in 1969. The column was retitled "Like It Is!" (with advice dispensed by "Donna Fayne") in 1972, near the end of the book's run.
, who did spot stories in the 1950s. Ogden Whitney
also contributed artwork to the book during this period. Penciler John Forte
worked on the title for periods under both publishers.
For a while Mort Drucker supplied illustrations for regular one-page fillers after the title's acquisition by DC. Colan returned as an inker in the DC period, working on the title from 1963–1967. Vince Colletta
inked Heart Throbs stories at different times throughout the period 1958–1972. Bernard Sachs inked many covers and stories through the DC period, being particularly active up through 1969.
John Romita, Sr.
(who was cover artist for many of DC's romance titles) drew most of the covers from 1960–1963.
Bob Kanigher wrote many stories during the later half of the 1960s.
In addition to his work on "3 Girls," Pike drew the majority of the book's covers from 1967–1972. Win Mortimer
and John Rosenberger
were regular contributors during the same period. Tony DeZuniga
inked the book in 1971–1972.
Under the auspices of DC, Heart Throbs' initial editor was Whitney Ellsworth
. Phyllis Reed took over as editor in 1959, staying on the book until 1963. Larry "L.M." Nadle edited Heart Throbs from 1963–1964, when it was taken over by Jack Miller. Barbara Friedlander was the book's editor, as well as one of its lead writers, during the period 1966-1968. Jack Miller returned as editor in 1968, staying until 1969 when he was replaced by Joe Orlando
. Dorothy Woolfolk
edited the title from 1971 to the end of its run.
created Gay Heart Throbs, a homosexual homage to Heart Throbs. It lasted only a few issues.
The 1987–1991 comic book series Good Girls
, created by Carol Lay
, satirizes romance comics conventions, particularly those of Heart Throbs.
In 1999, the DC Comics imprint Vertigo published a four-issue limited series
titled Heartthrobs, which spoofed Heart Throbs in an R-rated manner. Heartthrobs featured satirical adult-oriented stories by such creators as Brian Azzarello
, Frank Quitely
, Ilya, Bob Fingerman, and Richard Corben
.
Quality Comics
Quality Comics was an American comic book publishing company that operated from 1939 to 1956 and was an influential creative force in what historians and fans call the Golden Age of comic books....
and DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
from 1949
1949 in comics
-Events and publications:Publishers Star Publications, Toby Press, and Youthful make their debuts; conversely, Columbia Comics, Novelty Press, and Street & Smith Comics all fold.-January:* Captain America Comics #70 - Timely Comics...
to 1972
1972 in comics
-Events:* Marvel Comics forms their British publishing arm, Marvel UK .* Phil Seuling founds East Coast Seagate Distribution, developing the concept of the direct market distribution system for getting comics directly into comic book specialty shops, bypassing the established newspaper/magazine...
. Quality published the book from 1949–1957, when it was acquired by DC. Most issues featured a number of short comics stories, as well advice column
Advice column
An advice column is a column in a magazine or newspaper written by an advice columnist . The image presented was originally of an older woman providing comforting advice and maternal wisdom, hence the name "aunt"...
s, text pieces, and filler
Filler (media)
In media, filler is material that is combined with material of greater relevance or quality to "fill out" a certain volume.-Early television:...
. The long-running feature "3 Girls—Their Lives—Their Loves," drawn by Jay Scott Pike
Jay Scott Pike
Jay Scott Pike , is an American comic book artist and commercial illustrator known for his 1950s and 1960s work for Marvel Comics and DC Comics, advertising art, and as a Playboy-affiliated good girl artist...
and inked by Russ Jones
Russ Jones
Russ Jones is a Canadian novelist, illustrator, and magazine editor, active in the publishing and entertainment industries over a half-century, best known as the creator of the magazine Creepy for Warren Publishing...
, ran in Heart Throbs from 1966–1970.
In addition to Pike and Jones, regular contributors to Heart Throbs during its run included Bob Kanigher, Barbara Friedlander, Jay Criton, Gene Colan
Gene Colan
Eugene Jules "Gene" Colan was an American comic book artist best known for his work for Marvel Comics, where his signature titles include the superhero series, Daredevil, the cult-hit satiric series Howard the Duck, and The Tomb of Dracula, considered one of comics' classic horror series...
, John Romita, Sr.
John Romita, Sr.
John V. Romita, Sr. is an Italian-American comic-book artist best known for his work on Marvel Comics' The Amazing Spider-Man...
, John Forte
John Forte
John Forte was an American comic-book artist, active from the early 1940s on, best known as one of the primary pencilers of DC Comics' early Legion of Super-Heroes stories....
, Vince Colletta
Vince Colletta
Vincent Joseph Colletta was an American comic book artist and art director best known as one of industry legend Jack Kirby's frequent inkers during the 1950s-1960s period called the Silver Age of comic books...
, Bernard Sachs, Win Mortimer
Win Mortimer
James Winslow "Win" Mortimer was a comic book and comic strip artist best known as one of the major illustrators of the DC Comics superhero Superman...
, John Rosenberger
John Rosenberger
John Francis Rosenberger , also occasionally credited as John Diehl, was an American comic book artist and painter from after the Second World War until the mid-1970s...
, and Tony DeZuniga
Tony DeZuniga
Tony DeZuniga is a Filipino comic-book artist best known for his work for DC Comics, where he co-created the characters Jonah Hex and Black Orchid.-Early life and career:...
.
Publication history
Quality Comics published 46 issues of Heart Throbs from Aug. 1949–Dec. 1956. Many early issues featured photographic covers. The company closed in 1956, selling most of its assets to National Periodical Publications (now known as DC Comics).With its acquisition of Heart Throbs, DC continued its numbering, the first issue being #47 (Apr./May 1957). The company published 100 issues of Hearth Throbs, until #146 (Oct. 1972).
With issue #147 (Nov. 1972), DC changed the title of the book to Love Stories, publishing six more issues before cancelling the comic for good with issue #152 (Oct./Nov. 1973).
Collected editions
In 1979, Fireside Books published Heart Throbs: The Best of DC Romance Comics, which featured many stories from the pages of Heart Throbs.Recurring features
Starting with its first issue as publisher, DC ran the regular text feature "It Happened in Hollywood" in Heart Throbs until the early 1960s.Starting with issue #102 (June/July 1966), Heart Throbs began the long-running serial "3 Girls—Their Lives—Their Loves." It ran 22 episodes before concluding in issue #123 (Dec. 1969/Jan. 1970).
Advice columns
During the Quality Comics period, Hearth Throbs featured Marilyn Minton's "Advice on Love Problems."The advice column "Telling It the Way It Is... to Lynn Farrell" began running in 1969. The column was retitled "Like It Is!" (with advice dispensed by "Donna Fayne") in 1972, near the end of the book's run.
Contributors
Notable creators who worked on the title for Quality Comics included Jay Criton, who worked on the title from 1954-56, and Gene ColanGene Colan
Eugene Jules "Gene" Colan was an American comic book artist best known for his work for Marvel Comics, where his signature titles include the superhero series, Daredevil, the cult-hit satiric series Howard the Duck, and The Tomb of Dracula, considered one of comics' classic horror series...
, who did spot stories in the 1950s. Ogden Whitney
Ogden Whitney
Ogden Whitney was an American comic-book artist and sometime writer active from the 1930s-1940s Golden Age of comics through the 1960s Silver Age. He is best known as co-creator of the aviator hero the Skyman and of the superpowered novelty character Herbie Popnecker and his alter ego, the satiric...
also contributed artwork to the book during this period. Penciler John Forte
John Forte
John Forte was an American comic-book artist, active from the early 1940s on, best known as one of the primary pencilers of DC Comics' early Legion of Super-Heroes stories....
worked on the title for periods under both publishers.
For a while Mort Drucker supplied illustrations for regular one-page fillers after the title's acquisition by DC. Colan returned as an inker in the DC period, working on the title from 1963–1967. Vince Colletta
Vince Colletta
Vincent Joseph Colletta was an American comic book artist and art director best known as one of industry legend Jack Kirby's frequent inkers during the 1950s-1960s period called the Silver Age of comic books...
inked Heart Throbs stories at different times throughout the period 1958–1972. Bernard Sachs inked many covers and stories through the DC period, being particularly active up through 1969.
John Romita, Sr.
John Romita, Sr.
John V. Romita, Sr. is an Italian-American comic-book artist best known for his work on Marvel Comics' The Amazing Spider-Man...
(who was cover artist for many of DC's romance titles) drew most of the covers from 1960–1963.
Bob Kanigher wrote many stories during the later half of the 1960s.
In addition to his work on "3 Girls," Pike drew the majority of the book's covers from 1967–1972. Win Mortimer
Win Mortimer
James Winslow "Win" Mortimer was a comic book and comic strip artist best known as one of the major illustrators of the DC Comics superhero Superman...
and John Rosenberger
John Rosenberger
John Francis Rosenberger , also occasionally credited as John Diehl, was an American comic book artist and painter from after the Second World War until the mid-1970s...
were regular contributors during the same period. Tony DeZuniga
Tony DeZuniga
Tony DeZuniga is a Filipino comic-book artist best known for his work for DC Comics, where he co-created the characters Jonah Hex and Black Orchid.-Early life and career:...
inked the book in 1971–1972.
Under the auspices of DC, Heart Throbs
Whitney Ellsworth
Fredric Whitney Ellsworth was an American comic book editor, and sometime writer and artist for DC Comics during the period known to historians and fans as the Golden Age of Comic Books...
. Phyllis Reed took over as editor in 1959, staying on the book until 1963. Larry "L.M." Nadle edited Heart Throbs from 1963–1964, when it was taken over by Jack Miller. Barbara Friedlander was the book's editor, as well as one of its lead writers, during the period 1966-1968. Jack Miller returned as editor in 1968, staying until 1969 when he was replaced by Joe Orlando
Joe Orlando
Joseph Orlando was a prolific illustrator, writer, editor and cartoonist during a lengthy career spanning six decades...
. Dorothy Woolfolk
Dorothy Woolfolk
Dorothy A. Woolfolk née Dorothy Roubicek was a pioneering woman in the American comic book industry. The first female editor at DC Comics, one of the two largest companies in the field, she is credited with helping to create the fictional metal kryptonite in the Superman mythos.-Early life and...
edited the title from 1971 to the end of its run.
Legacy
In the late 1970s, underground cartoonist Larry FullerLarry Fuller (comics)
Larry Fuller is an African American underground comix writer, publisher, and promoter. Along with other such notables as Richard "Grass" Green, Guy Colwell, and Fuller's long-time partner and friend, Raye Horne, Fuller made sure that the voices of black comic book creators were heard in a time when...
created Gay Heart Throbs, a homosexual homage to Heart Throbs. It lasted only a few issues.
The 1987–1991 comic book series Good Girls
Good Girls (comics)
Good Girls is a 1987–1991 six-issue comic book limited series. It was created by Carol Lay and published by Fantagraphics and then Rip Off Press. The series parodies romance comics.-History:...
, created by Carol Lay
Carol Lay
Carol Lay is the author of a weekly comic strip, Way Lay, which first appeared in 1992 and which runs in the LA Weekly and Salon. It is also printed in daily and weekly newspapers as far afield as Hong Kong and Norway. Lay has been drawing professionally for over 25 years.-Biography:Lay was born...
, satirizes romance comics conventions, particularly those of Heart Throbs.
In 1999, the DC Comics imprint Vertigo published a four-issue limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
titled Heartthrobs, which spoofed Heart Throbs in an R-rated manner. Heartthrobs featured satirical adult-oriented stories by such creators as Brian Azzarello
Brian Azzarello
Brian Azzarello is an American comic book writer. He came to prominence with the hardboiled crime series 100 Bullets, published by DC Comics' mature-audience imprint Vertigo.-Career:...
, Frank Quitely
Frank Quitely
Vincent Deighan, better known by the pen name Frank Quitely, is a Scottish comic book artist. He is best known for his frequent collaborations with Grant Morrison on titles such as New X-Men, We3, All-Star Superman, and Batman and Robin, as well as his work with Mark Millar on The...
, Ilya, Bob Fingerman, and Richard Corben
Richard Corben
Richard Corben is an American illustrator and comic book artist best known for his comics featured in Heavy Metal magazine...
.