JB's Warehouse & Curio Emporium

The material presented in this post is now available on Tales of Toronto .

Figuring out how to mark Valentine's Day can be stressful and strike terror in your heart. Have no fear -- the following items I recently stumbled upon from 40-year-old editions of the Toronto Sun during a recent research session may provide inspiration (or a laugh). If you feel a traditional card isn't enough for your sweet patootie, how about something along these lines? Toronto Sun , February 10, 1977. Click on image for larger version. Then there's dinner. You could decide to go out, either to a cozy neighbourhood spot for a romantic rendezvous (if they have tables left) or a popular downtown restaurant. Why not hit The Esplanade? Toronto Sun , February 13, 1977. Toronto Sun , February 13, 1977. You could also stay at home and prepare a lovely, heartfelt meal. If your budget is tight, as were those of inflation-conscious couples during the 1970s, we have the following suggestions not just for Valentine's Day, but the entire week. Toronto Su

Just Married #107, September 1975 By the end of the 1950s, the majority of comic-book publishers were gone, victims of the great comic-industry slump, and by the 1960s only Charlton, Marvel, and DC Comics were still publishing romances. Of the three, Charlton's were probably the absolute worst love comics ever produced. Each issue gave the impression that, after having blown their entire monthly budget on a beautiful cover, the editors parceled out the interior pages to various talented high school relatives of the staff. - Trina Robbins, From Girls to Grrrlz (1999) While doing some file housekeeping on my computer, I found several scans of one-page fillers from those rock-bottom Charlton romance comics. In this particular issue, the uncredited writers (who online databases don't identify, possibly to spare them embarrassment) were fixated on how many punchlines they could write based on the low intelligence of females. Truly bottom-of-the-barrel stuff, relying on tire