Charlton Romance 6 6

[Crimebuster]

3 hours ago, iggy said:

I had this VG+ copy on my watch list while it was seemingly cheap... would be good enough for the collection if won at a bargain price. It had a bidding surge at the end, making the VF/NM copy with a BIN on my watch list all of a sudden a no-brainer. 

 

That's... odd. When I started getting into Charlton romance 3 years ago, this issue is one of the first ones I got and I don't think I paid more than $10 for a VG+ copy. I certainly didn't have any competition at the time. Your copy is much nicer anyway!

[iggy]

New arrival- relieved that this wasn’t a stock photo. Actual comic received, described as VG+ With no back cover scan... and it’s problem-free. 

[Get Marwood & I]

A few I've posted in other threads recently - always worth a second look 

Spoiler

 

 

[iggy]

Mail Call! Had to have it because it makes me giggle like I’m still in Jr. High.

[Get Marwood & I]

9 hours ago, iggy said:

Mail Call! Had to have it because it makes me giggle like I’m still in Jr. High.

If only there were a UK copy of that one Iggy 

Which reminds me, I must get back to Brent one day....

[iggy]

Very happy with this glossy copy that arrived today in a group lot...

[iggy]

...and this is the 2nd upgrade for this issue... finally a keeper. One of my funny favorites.

[sagii]

The Matt Baker book 'The Art of Glamour" says this is a Baker cover 

[iggy]

I had it circled on my checklist, my code for WANT IT! Marwood posted that great Sweetheart Diary cover above, Giordano’s homage to a Baker cover (see below)... a few sources I just checked give credit to Giordano with a question mark at the end. I’d lean towards inspired by Baker... but who knows for sure?

 

IMO #6, 7 & 8 hit a high water mark... guest penciller with Giordano inks?

Edited June 20, 2021 by iggy

[sagii]

@iggy your suggestion there is quite possible. A few of the Giordano romance covers have some suttle Baker hallmarks. 

The man was a workhorse, with a impression resume. Not a stretch that even in his (health) decline he'd still  be given assignments, that may have required assist at that stage 

[iggy]

I didn’t read the book, but would like to sometime... I did read a wiki to see when he died, August 1959 of a heart attack. Also found out he worked at Colletta’s studio, so there’s that possible connection. But Charlton wasn’t mentioned... mostly Atlas.

Poor guy died too young like a lot of the greats.

[sagii]

24 minutes ago, iggy said:

I didn’t read the book, but would like to sometime... I did read a wiki to see when he died, August 1959 of a heart attack. Also found out he worked at Colletta’s studio, so there’s that possible connection. But Charlton wasn’t mentioned... mostly Atlas.

Poor guy died too young like a lot of the greats.

Indeed 

[Dr. Love]

13 hours ago, iggy said:

IMO #6, 7 & 8 hit a high water mark... guest penciller with Giordano inks?

Respectfully, I don't think so.  I think a case may be made for Giordano as the pencils on 6, with Colletta inks.  But 7 & 8 are pure Colletta - pencils and inks.  imho of course!  There are stylistic elements present that Colletta and only Colletta regularly used (cumulus clouds, rose bushes) and the fashion sense is pure Vinnie and even better than that drawn for St. John by the urbane clothes horse Matt Baker.

and for what it's worth, Corey, Becattini and Vadeboncoeur in 2005 for Alter Ego did not attribute any First Kiss to Baker and then added it to their checklist in 2012 for The Art of Glamour.  Did you have anything to do with that?      

 

 

[sagii]

11 hours ago, Dr. Love said:

Respectfully, I don't think so.  I think a case may be made for Giordano as the pencils on 6, with Colletta inks.  But 7 & 8 are pure Colletta - pencils and inks.  imho of course!  There are stylistic elements present that Colletta and only Colletta regularly used (cumulus clouds, rose bushes) and the fashion sense is pure Vinnie and even better than that drawn for St. John by the urbane clothes horse Matt Baker.

and for what it's worth, Corey, Becattini and Vadeboncoeur in 2005 for Alter Ego did not attribute any First Kiss to Baker and then added it to their checklist in 2012 for The Art of Glamour.  Did you have anything to do with that?      

 

 

No on that score..

but total transparency there are a couple I managed to get a question mark on on the Atlas cover score 

 

Forgot to clarify on the GCD site 

Edited June 21, 2021 by sagii

[iggy]

2 hours ago, Dr. Love said:

Respectfully, I don't think so.  I think a case may be made for Giordano as the pencils on 6, with Colletta inks.  But 7 & 8 are pure Colletta - pencils and inks.  imho of course!  There are stylistic elements present that Colletta and only Colletta regularly used (cumulus clouds, rose bushes) and the fashion sense is pure Vinnie and even better than that drawn for St. John by the urbane clothes horse Matt Baker.

and for what it's worth, Corey, Becattini and Vadeboncoeur in 2005 for Alter Ego did not attribute any First Kiss to Baker and then added it to their checklist in 2012 for The Art of Glamour.  Did you have anything to do with that?      

 

 

Beautiful copy of #7! I’ll hope to get one about half as nice some day. 
I’m not offended to be corrected, I’m still a novice collecting romance, but have been collecting them with gusto recently. I’m sure you and other boardies know infinitely more than I would with likely decades of experience and research. 

 

[Dr. Love]

Welcome to the club, iggy!  Collecting some romance these days is at least semi-respectable, which is a step up from downright ridiculous!

Charltons are great. They weren't the first ones into the genre, but they were the ones to publish the last issue and turn out the lights on the wonderful romance "experiment".  Along the way Charlton printed more issues than any other publisher and by a large margin - 1300 or so to DC's 900.  

The spread in style and content from beginning to end was remarkable.  From Pictorial Love Stories to Soap Opera Romances - I mean, cmon!

 

Edited June 21, 2021 by Dr. Love

[iggy]

On 6/17/2021 at 7:23 AM, Get Marwood & I said:

A few I've posted in other threads recently - always worth a second look 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

 

Spoiler

 

Thanks again, Marwood for bringing awareness to this issue. My copy arrived yesterday. Kudos to “ Marian” the OO who kept it in nice shape. I’m amused thinking about the unsuspecting gals who bought this back in the day expecting lighthearted romance, only to open the book and be blasted with “Shoot the girl!” 

[iggy]

Won this copy last night for almost 1/3 of my max bid. Very happy to get one in this condition as it’s been on the want list for about a year and took patience to wait for the right copy to come along.

[southern cross]

Some of my favorite Charlton covers, unfortunately they are bronze.

[Get Marwood & I]

On 7/5/2021 at 8:08 PM, southern cross said:

Some of my favorite Charlton covers, unfortunately they are bronze.

I think the overall quality of Charlton's output went downhill around 1966/7 myself - certainly in terms of what I like personally - but some of the romance titles happily buck that trend. I love this cover for example:

She's just adorable, isn't she 

Interesting to see the progression from Silver to Bronze in that title - separated by a mere 15 years and yet seemingly worlds apart:

 
                    Volume 1, #22, November 1961                                         Volume 8, #112, August 1976

 

@Crimebuster - as OP, do we have your blessing to extend into bronze here?