Spend your Valentine’s Day curled up with your favorite loved ones in this collection of the best comic book love stories ever told.
It’s Valentine’s Day, which means everyone is in the mood for some lovestruck media. We’ve already discussed some of our favorite Valentine’s Day media here, including romance movies and food, but comic books have a unique connection to the day.
Over the decades, comic books have shifted focus. Superheroes have been the big thing since World War II, but before that, there were all sorts of other topics, like horror stories, true crime tales, and westerns.
Teen romance made for some of the biggest comics before the superhero boom. Naturally, that history of romance comics can still be felt today, both in characters (like Patsy Walker, a former teen romance comic star turned superhero) and in tone, like the books on this list, which consist of some of the best romance-focused Valentine’s Day stories you can find.
The best Valentine’s Day comic book reads
From superheroes in love to horror monsters finding romance, these superhero love stories make for the best Valentine’s Day comic books.
Vision & The Scarlet Witch
The long-simmering romance between the synthezoid Vision and the mysterious Scarlet Witch was one of Marvel’s premier love stories for a long while. That relationship reached its seemingly natural conclusion in the ‘80s, culminating in their first mini-series.
1985’s Vision & the Scarlet Witch was only 12 issues long, but you’ll recognize it if you read it. The book’s base premise – Vision and Wanda quit the Avengers to begin their life together in the quiet town of Leonia, New Jersey – made up many of WandaVision’s hallucinations.
Vision & the Scarlet Witch focuses a lot on the drama of the unusual couple and their respective families, which include at minimum three mass murderers. The story is mostly remembered today for the birth of Wanda’s twins, whose later retcon as aspects of Mephisto would contribute to Wanda’s mental health crises during the ‘00s.
Young Heroes in Love
DC Comics seemed a lot more willing to get weird in the ‘90s, but the wildest thing it did during that decade might be Young Heroes in Love. The series follows a fledgling superhero team, the Young Heroes, whose leader, Hard Drive, can actually read and alter minds.
What follows is a sordid tale of young love, emotional manipulation, and deep reflection as Hard Drive brainwashes his team to control everything from secret identities to romantic pairings in an effort to build his perfect, effective superhero team.
Young Heroes in Love is honestly pretty messed up by today’s standards, but it’s never done in a disgusting way. A lot of that is thanks to a cast of relatable characters with real problems and goals; you can’t help but feel awful for Thunderhead, a musician with a heart of gold whose super strength means he no longer has the dexterity to play his guitar.
A unique situation with rights means Young Heroes in Love will probably never get a follow-up, which is honestly pretty disappointing, but it does at least end with some closure for readers. The 18-issue run is easier than ever to read today, too, thanks to DC Universe Infinite.
Saga of the Swamp Thing
Before Alan Moore tore comics to its foundation in Watchmen, he revitalized one of DC’s most popular characters. Moore’s run on Saga of the Swamp Thing is unnerving, albeit legendary. The story of a scientist transformed into a plant monster pivots hard into body horror as Swamp Thing learns he’s sentient swamp matter and his memories of being a man were never real.
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But hear me out: Saga of the Swamp Thing also features one of Moore’s best love stories. That’s thanks to the relationship with Abigail Arcane, who was introduced in the original run of Swamp Thing as the daughter of his nemesis, Anton Arcane. For much of Moore’s run, Swamp Thing and Abby pine for each other as she is torn between a disintegrating marriage and the challenges of loving Swamp Thing.
In Rite of Spring, Abby finally leaves her marriage, leading to her and Swamp Thing confessing their feelings in a truly emotional series of pages. And, in a moment that has made every “weirdest comics moments” list for three decades, the two consummate their relationship by sharing a trip via a hallucinogenic tuber – no, seriously. It sounds weird because it is, but Rite of Spring is still regarded as one of the most beautifully written single issues of a comic book for good reason.
Midnighter & Apollo
Introduced in the pages of Stormwatch, Midnighter and Apollo are most often regarded as a twist on Batman and Superman’s relationship, but that’s never been entirely accurate. Still, the pairing of the sunny god-like Apollo and the brutal fighting machine Midnighter has had more than its share of eyebrow-raising moments over the years.
Part of the 2016 DC Rebirth initiative, Midnighter & Apollo brought the two back together after a few years of turmoil. In the story, their relationship is put to the test when Midnighter’s quest for vengeance leads to Apollo being killed and sent to hell.
What follows is a grisly couple of issues as Midnighter punches his way through hell to save Apollo. The love and admiration they have for each other is on display throughout the whole series, and it’s refreshing as hell to see someone as blatantly machismo-coded as Midnighter openly discuss his romantic feelings for Apollo. Midnighter and Apollo have been on the backburner since helping Superman in The Warworld Saga, but it’s only a matter of time before they’re back on center stage.
Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows
In one of the most controversial comic book moments ever, Spider-Man and Mary Jane Watson sell their marriage to the devil Mephisto to save Aunt May. Their marriage is erased, their relationship fractured, and the daughter they would have had is never born.
Fans hated this decision in 2007, and they still hate it in 2023. Fans got something of a reprieve, though, during Secret Wars, where one of the mini-series revealed an alternate world where Peter and Mary Jane bested the devil, saving their marriage and having a daughter, Annie Parker.
The Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows mini was so popular that it got an ongoing, set on an alternate Earth, and eventually tied into the Spider-verse. The story, which expands on the idea of a Spider-family to make Mary Jane and Annie superheroes in their own right, was a beloved fan favorite that arguably ended way too soon. For fans missing out on Peter and MJ’s relationship (or who just aren’t that in love with Ultimate Spider-Man’s new twist on the concept), Renew Your Vows is a must-read.
Saga
Romance-themed comics in the modern age are mostly relegated to indie books and small press publishers for some reason. Most of your romantic comic book stories take place in the pages of other stories as the B plot or the character arc as a superhero in spandex takes a break from punching that week’s big bad.
Saga, which I previously spoke about in our list of the greatest graphic novels of all time, is a different beast. The story follows Marko and Alana, lovers who found each other across the lines of war and bigotry. Kicking off as Alana gives birth to their daughter, the two must escape bounty hunters and power-hungry royals to find a peaceful life for their new family.
Saga puts Marko and Alana through hell, but it’s very clearly the story of their forbidden romance and the love that keeps them going. The book is often praised as a modern-day Romeo & Juliet, which couldn’t be more accurate. It may not be the most traditional love story, but it’s the one that is sure to pull at your heartstrings the hardest.
