| Secret Hearts | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| Schedule | Bi-monthly, 8x per year |
| Format | Ongoing |
| Genre | Romance |
| Publication date | Sept.–Oct. 1949 – July 1971 |
| No. of issues | 153 |
| Creative team | |
| Written by | Gerry Conway, Natalie Krigstein,[1] Ann Martin,Jack Oleck,Len Wein |
| Artist(s) | Tony Abruzzo,Liz Berube,Nick Cardy,John Celardo,Gene Colan,Vince Colletta,Tony DeZuniga,Bill Draut,Lee Elias,Frank Giacoia,Dick Giordano,Sid Greene,Carmine Infantino,Gil Kane,Bob Oksner,Arthur Peddy,Carl Pfeufer,Jay Scott Pike,John Romita Sr.,John Rosenberger,Joe Rosen,Werner Roth,Mike Sekowsky,Alex Toth,Win Mortimer |
| Letterer(s) | Ira Schnapp |
| Editor(s) | Jack Miller,Zena Brody (c. 1952–c. 1957),[2] Ruth Brant, Phyllis Reed,Dorothy Woolfolk,[3] Barbara Friedlander[4] |
Secret Hearts was aromance comicanthology published byDC Comics in theUnited States, primarily in the 1950s and '60s. A staple of the company's romance line, it was "one of the publisher's most successful and well-known romance titles."[5]
Notable artists featured inSecret Hearts includeMike Sekowsky,John Romita Sr.,Jay Scott Pike,[5]Tony Abruzzo,Liz Berube,John Celardo,Gene Colan,John Rosenberger,Joe Rosen, andWerner Roth.
Pop artistRoy Lichtenstein based a number of his works, includingDrowning Girl (1963), on panels fromSecret Hearts.
DC publishedSecret Hearts under a variety of the company's romance line imprints, includingArleigh Publishing Co./Corp. andBeverly Publishing Co., as well as the typicalNational Periodical Publications, Inc.. Debuting with a Sept.–Oct. 1949 cover-date,Secret Hearts ran for 153 issues, ending with the July 1971 issue.
Secret Hearts was released on a bimonthly schedule from 1949 to mid-1957, when it went to an eight-times-a-year schedule. The first six issues of the title were 52 pages each; it underwent a publishing hiatus of nearly a year and a half between issue #6 (July–August 1950) and #7 (December 1951-January 1952).[5] When the comic returned, it was 36 pages per issue, where it stayed for the remainder of its run.
By the title's 150th issue (cover date March 1971), circulation had dropped to an average of 140,927, with only 53 subscriptions.[6] The final issue ofSecret Hearts came out on May 20, 1971.[7] It was the first of DC's seven romance titles to be canceled.[8]
Each issue ofSecret Hearts featured at least three separate stories of romance, each one usually about 8 pages in length. In 1964, the title began running serializedsoap opera-style story stories; the first one beginning in issue #96 (June 1964), featuring Amy Ames, "Miss Listening Heart" of theDaily Star. The series lasted through #109 (Jan. 1966) (skipping #108).[8]
"Reach for Happiness," written by Jack Miller, was another serialized story that ran for 29 consecutive episodes from issue #110 (Mar. 1966) through issue #138 (Sept. 1969).[9] About the town of Danville Corners, "Reach for Happiness," was a knockoff of the hit TV soap operaPeyton Place. The story grew increasingly complex, so much so that the publisher included a one-page update about the cast. The ending of "Reach for Happiness" "was unorthodox for the time period, to say the least: On the final page, heroine Karen asks hero Greg, 'Oh, Greg, Greg, Greg, my darling — will you marry me?' To which our man of few words replies, 'You bet I will!'"[8]
The title'sletters page, calledAnn Martin, Counselor-at-Love, featured romantic advice to readers.
Pop artistRoy Lichtenstein based a number of his works on panels fromSecret Hearts. One of Lichtenstein's most well-known works,Drowning Girl (1963), was adapted from thesplash page of "Run for Love!", fromSecret Hearts #83 (Nov. 1962),[10][11] illustrated byTony Abruzzo and lettered byIra Schnapp.[12] Other notable examples of Lichtenstein works based on panels fromSecret Hearts include: