10 Comic-Book Romances You Might Have Missed (And Really Shouldn't)

You've read Peter and Mary-Jane kiss a thousand times. Lois and Clark have gotten together in a variety of issues. Comics are no strangers to romance -- Jack Kirby and Joe Simonson cut their teeth on Young Romance back in 1947. But what about OTHER couples? Ones not as widespread as the mainstream superhero?

Gabe IS pretty dreamy...

The following is a look at some of the healthiest and unhealthiest comic books romances worth reading. This is not a ranking of top 10's, but a reminder of what you might be missing (and really shouldn't) Be warned, SPOILERS AHEAD. 

 #10 

Madame Xanadu and the Phantom Stranger (Madame Xanadu)
Credit to Matt Wagner and Amy Reeder

With Phantom's slipping in and out of reality, the pair can't catch a break.

Forever can be a really long time so things can get pretty lonely for the Phantom Stranger and Madame Xanadu. It's no surprise then that when the pair cross paths a romance begins to flourish. Both understand the slow-crawl of immortality, and the loneliness that comes with it. Unfortunately, the Stranger (who may or may not be in control of his powers) pulls somewhat of a Time Traveller's Wife, zipping out of Xanadu's life when she needs him most. What results is a love-hate relationship stretching from the fall of Camelot to the modern day.

 #9 

Wesley Dodds and Dian Belmont (Sandman Mystery Theatre)
Credit to Matt Wagner and Guy Davis

Cut to the chase, Wesley. You'll have a great time.

Life-long companions but never married, the two socialites teamed up to fight social corrupting during the interwar period. One of the few comic pairs where the "secret identity problem" ("If anyone knew, they could hurt you to get to me") is thrown out the window in favor of becoming partners, Wesley and Dian became equals in every sense. They solved crimes, together, in what was kind of like the Hardy Boys crossover with Nancy Drew. While the series ran for 70 issues the run of trade paperbacks was never completed (ending at 52). For those who NEED an ending there's no better honourable finale than James Robinson's cameo of the pair in the pages of Starman where they appear in their old age, but still together. Aww.

 #8 

Detective Renee Montoya and Daria "Dee" Hernandez (Gotham Central)
Credit to Greg Rucka and Michael Lark.

Hernandez was a pastry chef and Renee, well, we know cops love donuts.

While fans of the character will be sure to point out the sexier relationship between Renee and Batwoman Kat Kane, it was the reveal of Montoya's homosexuality in Gotham Central #6 and the very-real consequences surrounding it that stole the spotlight. Renee's pairing with Daria was the source of much conflict in the series, the fallout including the sleezy Lepari who outed Montoya being murdered and having the blame pinned on her by a mad-romantic Two-Face. Other challenges included the rising stigma within the rest of the G.C.P.D. and Montoya's being ostracized by her parents, but while Gotham City continued to be  a rocky place the relationship always retained a quiet solace.

 #7 

Cliff Secord and Betty (The Rocketeer)

Credit to Dave Stevens.

The helmet was a metaphor for safe-sex.

The relationship between Betty and Cliff is a rocky one. On one hand you have an impossibly beautiful pin-up model/actress and on the other a reckless, super-jealous flyboy. In Dave Steven's collection the pair are kept at a distance to be left pining for each other (a WWII wartime trope) while in the more recent Rocketeer Adventures #1 by IDW they're commonly thrown together and, surprise surprise, can't quite get their shit together. Whether it's Betty's career or Cliff's call to adventure, neither side has the ego to trust the other -- but they can't stop loving them either. It's just that much more rewarding when one comes through for the other (tear-jerking example being the Busiek/Kaluta story in Adventures). It's not just young love, it's love learning about give-and-take.

 #6 

Frankie Maxon and Jeriven.. and Kay.. and Dean  (My Faith in Frankie)

Credit to Mike Carey, Sonny Liew, and Marc Hempel.

 Bunnies and a love-triangle that bursts wide-open into a LOVE-QUADRANGLE.

What begins as a romantic comedy quickly blindsides the reader with a battle for the underworld and the a struggle for devotion and love. As heavy as this sounds and without giving too much away, the 4-issue series mixes the charm of Peanuts with fairly adult reflections of feminist values, sex, and trust. Frankie's love is am empowering force, granting her personal deity Jeriven his powers. When childhood-crush Dean comes on the scene and draws Frankie's affections from her god, things go sideways in the best possible way. Throw in the affections of Frankie's best friend and the book is one of the most fun, deceivingly mature, comics to date.

 #5 

John Constantine and Kit Ryan (Hellblazer)

Credit to Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon.

A kiss with the aftertaste of brimstone and unfiltered cigarettes.

Hellblazer has been running since 1988, so in its long history there's been quite a few romances. Anyone who is a fan of the character though knows that Constantine has the unfortunate tendency to pull loved ones into horrible situations which they rarely (see: never) survive. When Constantine and Kit get together the reader is left waiting for the shoe to drop and for all sorts of monsters and nasties to flow out of the woodwork to kill her. But it doesn't happen. Constantine makes her the promise to keep all that crazy shit outside. Of course, he breaks that promise and they subsequently break-up, but for a man who chases the thrill of danger, making him promise to lay low is a hell of an achievement.

 #4 

Tony Chu and Amelia Mintz (Chew)

Credit to John Layman and Rob Guillory

I will not make a "bun in the oven" joke. I will not make a--

Tony Chu and Amelia Mintz are one of those romances that are just plain fun to read. Puppy-dog eyes, candlelit dates, armed firefights, what's not to love? There are few better pairings where one character completes the other: Tony is unable to eat food without psychically reading its history while Amelia is able to write about food in such detail that it makes the reader feel like they're eating it. This bond frees Tony from his psychic-intuition and encourages Amelia to keep writing. The relationship is playful and while recent world-shattering events have pulled them apart the series approach to hooking-up is laugh-out-loud hilarious -- one of the best ends of an issue being Chew #11 where  Guillory NAILS post-coital. Yeah.

 #3 

Craig  and Raina (Blankets)

Credit to Craig Thompson

One of the few romances where sex isn't the primary objective of romance.

THE indie romance and one of the great graphic novels for luring people to the possibility of the form. Craig and Raina make the list for several reasons. First, the writing is notably autobiographical, so whereas most of the characters on this list live in our imaginations writer/artist Craig Thompson has the boldness to come forward with his personal account of love. That takes guts. Second, the series strays from the sexual in favor of the emotional with a deftness that's hard to match. Craig and Raina's romance is one that shows how great it is to be in love, and how safe that feels. Attempts to reconcile their love with the church's idea of love, know that breaking up is hard to do -- it's even harder to write about it.

 #2 

Agent 355 and Yorick Brown (Y: The Last Man)

Credit to Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra

And fans cried out "Why won't you let them be happy!!! Auggggh!"

By now everybody in comics has heard about Y: The Last Man. The romance between 355 and Yorick is included on this list for the coming-of-age realization about what love truly can truly be. Yorick spends the entirety of the series longing for his fiance Beth (few indiscretions aside) but when finally reunited he realizes that maybe she's not "the one" after all. Returning to his protector 355 the couple confirm their budding love for each other that's grown slowly over the series. It's the journey up to this that makes the romance so rewarding. With Y and 355 as any indication towards Vaughan's enjoyment of writing romance, the upcoming series SAGA will be sure to not disappoint.

 #1 

Thor Odinson and Jane Foster (Thor the Mighty Avenger)

Credit to Roger Langridge and Chris Samnee.

Look into those deep blue eyes of his and try to tell him you don't love him.

Thor is a mainstream character in comics, I understand that, but he and Jane earn their spot on this list for their crushingly short lived romance in Thor the Mighty Avenger. Honourable and ever-the-gentleman, Thor and Jane bounce sly-looks and playful smiles off each other until the attraction is too much to resist. When they're together there's none of the grim-and-gritty drama that modern comics have come to identify with, opting in favor of cuddles and hand-holding. In each other's absence they can't help but think of each other. Whether it's Jane's teaching Thor how to use a cell-phone (or cutely stumbling home drunk and singing to him) or Thor's acts of valour (making a statue of Jane with his hammer) this was a pair I couldn't help but want to see grow old together -- which makes the book's short lifespan so harsh.