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Post by Cei-U! on Dec 19, 2021 6:10:54 GMT -5
Some love affairs are seemingly blessed. Some are completely disfunctional. Today's selection falls in the latter category: 6. Howard the Duck and Beverly Switzler, Howard the Duck
I don't know that Howard and Bev's thing is actually toxic but it's certainly never dull. No matter how much they sabotage themselves through their own flaws and insecurities, no matter how bizarre the circumstances that drive them apart, they always end up back together. In short, despite one of the lovers being an anthropomorpgic waterfowl from another dimension, this is one of the most realistic relationships in comic book history. I oughtta know: I've got one like it in my own past. (At least I hope it's in the past. I don't know if I could survive another round of Heather.) Cei-U! Waaaughh! |
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Post by EdoBosnar on Dec 19, 2021 6:35:59 GMT -5
6. Jean Grey (Marvel Girl/Phoenix) and Scott Summers (Cyclops)* heavy sigh* Jean and Scott. These two were ruined by so many later interventions that it’s easy to forget what an effective, moving and above-all memorable tragic romance was crafted by Mssrs. Claremont and Byrne in the pages of Uncanny X-men. Back when the story was first published, when I was reading the individual issues of X-men as a pre-teen, I was completely captivated by their troubled relationship, as each initially thought the other was dead, and were then finally reunited and had some brief moments of happiness before everything went to hell. And I still remember what a gut-punch this scene was when I first read it (sorry if this is a spoiler for anyone):  It was a tale that had to end as it did and, as far as I’m concerned, never should have been tampered with later. I’ll add that more recently I read the early stories in X-men First Class by Jeff Parker, and I loved the way he portrayed the early romance between Jean and Scott. Even in the original X-men series (i.e., before its relegation to reprint limbo), it seemed that Jean and Scott always had this pall hanging over them, always worrying about the next big threat to mutantkind or whatnot. Parker showed them having some carefree, intimate moments.  To the extent that the series can be considered a retcon, it’s one of those rare ones that respected what came before and it fits easily into my head-canon by demonstrating that Jean and Scott were more than just a good tragic pairing – they were just good together, period.
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Post by foxley on Dec 19, 2021 6:52:24 GMT -5
6. Dawnstar and Wildfire (Legion of Superheroes) My avatar should make it obvious that Dawnstar is a favourite character of mine. However, despite my love for the character, I would be the first to admit that she has not always been well served by writers, who have struggled to make effective use of her power. Even creator Mike Grell admits he created her with her unique visual in mind and that her tracking powers were an afterthought. However, as if to make up for this, the LSH writers involved her in the most fascinating Legion romance (IMO). There is the obvious aspect of a romantic couple where one of the pair does not have a physical body, but there are a number of other interesting contrasts between the pair. Wildfire, as his name implies, is an impetuous, hotheaded ball of energy, always ready to explode. Dawnstar is a stoic with a patience bred of travelling alone through the interstellar void. Dawnstar is one the most spiritual of the Legionnaires (second only to the White Witch), while Wildfire was a scientist before his transformation. Wildfire angsts other not being able provide physical affection to Dawny, while she is usually happy for it to be a romance of minds (although this varies according to the writer and the exact state of their relationship). There is a lot more depth to this seemingly mismatched couple than first meets the eye. 
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Post by coke & comics on Dec 19, 2021 7:00:05 GMT -5
6. Ben & Alicia
Ben Grimm (Thing) & Alicia Masters from Fantastic Four #8 by Stan Lee & Jack Kirby Marvel, 1962  I imagine most people are well familiar with this couple and I don't expect to be the only one to choose them. He sometimes gets sad. He sometimes gets angry. He sees himself as a monster. But she loves him through it all and perhaps helps him see himself in a different light. 
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Post by Deleted on Dec 19, 2021 7:42:40 GMT -5
#6 - Kang and RavonnaWhat a courtship...the time-travelling conqueror Kang and the alien princess Ravonna. Kang: Hey, I'm going to invade your world, and um...yeah, let's get married. Ravonna: Watch your tone, commoner! It's a tragic romance that ensues, literally ending at the moment it starts with Ravonna revealing she does in fact love Kang as she shields Kang with her body from an enemy's energy blast. She ends up in a state of stasis, not quite dead, but not conscious and thus sets up Kang's obsession with finding a means to revive her. Lots of interpretations since then on their ultimate fate: she gets revived and they love each other, she could have gotten revived but Kang messes up, she gets revived and hates him. And divergent timestreams galore. At times some of these are interesting storytelling, other times they feel like a mess to me. But the scene below perhaps captures why "classically" at least I chose this romance. That crazy kooky thing called love...the one thing that can humble even the most hardened warlord soul: 
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Post by MWGallaher on Dec 19, 2021 7:45:50 GMT -5
6. Deadman (Boston Brand) and Lilly Lang from BRAVE & BOLD #104  Alas, love doesn't always last. And so one of my favorite couples from the comics is not an enduring pair whose relationship was chronicled over many issues or years, it's a tragic tale that began and ended in this single issue of BRAVE & BOLD. Yes, M.W. is once again turning to a favorite character, Deadman, who, as I've argued several times here, has one of the greatest hit-to-miss ratios of any comic book adventure character. This tale was one of the first I encountered starring the body-hopping Boston Brand, and let me tell you, it broke my 12 year old heart. Bob Haney doesn't have a reputation for writing tear-jerkers, but this story proves he could do it good. In this team-up with Batman, Deadman does something fans would often presume would be the most reasonable thing to do: just squat in some lowlife's body and live his life better than the rightful owner would have (it would be years before the brilliant Alan Brennart would convincingly and memorably show why Boston couldn't bring himself to do this sort of thing routinely, but I can buy that he'd give it a try early on, before he worked out the ethical implications). Deadman possesses Richie Wandrus in order to help Batman bust an operation run by Lilly Lang, who is using her private island to help criminals forge a second identity: plastic surgery, retrained handwriting, forged papers, everything they'd need to return to civilization as a different person than the wanted criminal they really are. Not only does Deadman fall in love with Lilly, she genuinely falls in love with him, even after he confesses his secret. It can't last, though:  As things come to a climax, Boston remembers a message from Rama Kushna, the spirit dictating his mission in the world of the living: "A man, a spirit in love, may only gain his heart's desire by... losing it! For is not love stronger than death itself?" Obviously, Boston concludes, Rama is saying that if Lilly dies, she will become a spirit like himself, and they can be together as ghosts. Young M.W. learned from this issue not to assume that cryptic messages from supernatural forces mean what you think they do. Deadman's assumption leads him to take a terrible step to defend Batman from Lilly, whose love of her profitable enterprise proves stronger than her love of Richie/Boston, making the tragic denouement of this tale even more agonizingly painful. Yep, this one hurt. But so can love.
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Post by foxley on Dec 19, 2021 7:51:52 GMT -5
Bob Haney doesn't have a reputation for writing tear-jerkers Well, certainly not intentionally.  |
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Post by Icctrombone on Dec 19, 2021 8:15:25 GMT -5
6. The Badger and Mavis DavisMike Barons excellent Badger series which was being published at First comics from 1985 to 1991 included a Graphic novel which introduced a character named Mavis Davis. The plot of the story is that all the top martial artists are invited to a tournament in which the winner will be granted anything they want by mystical means. Mavis is competing to have her two young children, who both died in a car accident, restored to life. It’s here where the Badger( Norman Sykes) meets her. They bond and travel together because most of the other combatants are scum, but ultimately, they will have to face each other to achieve their goals. They have a sweet love affair in the meanwhile , which is more beautiful because Mavis understands the Badger Mental illness but is able to get past it. I won’t spoil the ending. This oversized Graphic Novel is really a great read and I recommend it highly. They meet on the plane flight out to the Tournament  The fighters assembled 
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Post by Deleted on Dec 19, 2021 8:27:19 GMT -5
6. The Badger and Mavis DavisMike Barons excellent Badger series which was being published at First comics from 1985 to 1991 included a Graphic novel which introduced a character named Mavis Davis. The plot of the story is that all the top martial artists are invited to a tournament in which the winner will be granted anything they want by mystical means. Mavis is competing to have her two young children, who both died in a car accident, restored to life. It’s here where the Badger( Norman Sykes) meets her. They bond and travel together because most of the other combatants are scum, but ultimately, they will have to face each other to achieve their goals. They have a sweet love affair in the meanwhile , which is more beautiful because Mavis understands the Badger Mental illness but is able to get past it. I won’t spoil the ending. This oversized Graphic Novel is really a great read and I recommend it highly. This BARELY didn't make it into my top 12, and really glad to see it mentioned. Badger was such a great series and loved the Hexbreaker GN. Really nice choice here! |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 19, 2021 8:30:27 GMT -5
#6 - Thing & Alicia They say love is blind, and it is. If a monster (in the physical sense, not emotional sense) can find true love, there’s hope for us all. Alicia loves Ben for who he is. He loves her. He proves that us males are really soft where romance is concerned, whatever ‘society’ has to say about being a man. As with my other choices, the writers made this a very believable romance.
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Post by thwhtguardian on Dec 19, 2021 8:37:37 GMT -5
On the Seventh day I give you... The Magic of Zatanna and Batman Yeah, so this is my second, "Will they or won't they..." kind of a pick and as such it probably should have been earlier in my line up...but I just can't help loving this pairing even if it was never more than a lot of flirtation and teasing during Paul Dini's run on Detective(which is probably one of my all time favorite runs). Some people may like Catwoman( and don't get me wrong I like that pairing too!) or Silver but for my money nobody comes close to Zatanna. I just love how upfront and sure of herself Zatanna comes across in her pursuit of Bruce, heck the fact that she instigates the attempt is pretty note worthy too as its pretty rare to see that dynamic in any form of entertainment never mind comics.
And yeah, I'm not going to lie I dig chicks in tuxedos, so I'm sure that plays apart in thinking that if Batman was going to find a real partner Zatanna would be my choice; she's no wall flower and can more than take care of herself and her magical abilities stand in contrast to Bruce's street level skills.
As an aside, yeah, it is it a little weird on the surface that Dini put so much of his wife Misty's personality into his take on Zatanna although maybe he sees himself as Batman so perhaps not so odd after all as who hasn't done that from time to time? |
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Post by DubipR on Dec 19, 2021 8:52:10 GMT -5
Today's Song' "Girlfriend"- Matthew Sweet #6- Dr. Harleen Quinzel & Pamela Ivy As we begin to move towards the top of our lists, my first of three couple from the Big 2 arrives. What makes the appeal of Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy so engaging? It starts with an episode of Batman: The Animated Series of the getting together and moved forward into the monthly comic written by Karl Kesel. In twenty-one years, it took a long and complicated time for these persons to finally say that they love each other. Two hopeless villains on the run that just bonded; a Thelma and Louise from Gotham. But as their relationship in the comics progressed, their affections toward each other just made sense. Two persons in a relationship to bloom and grow.  |
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Post by foxley on Dec 19, 2021 9:36:14 GMT -5
On the Seventh day I give you... The Magic of Zatanna and BatmanYeah, so this is my second, "Will they or won't they..." kind of a pick and as such it probably should have been earlier in my line up...but I just can't help loving this pairing even if it was never more than a lot of flirtation and teasing during Paul Dini's run on Detective(which is probably one of my all time favorite runs). Some people may like Catwoman( and don't get me wrong I like that pairing too!) or Silver but for my money nobody comes close to Zatanna. I just love how upfront and sure of herself Zatanna comes across in her pursuit of Bruce, heck the fact that she instigates the attempt is pretty note worthy too as its pretty rare to see that dynamic in any form of entertainment never mind comics.
And yeah, I'm not going to lie I dig chicks in tuxedos, so I'm sure that plays apart in thinking that if Batman was going to find a real partner Zatanna would be my choice; she's no wall flower and can more than take care of herself and her magical abilities stand in contrast to Bruce's street level skills.
As an aside, yeah, it is it a little weird on the surface that Dini put so much of his wife Misty's personality into his take on Zatanna although maybe he sees himself as Batman so perhaps not so odd after all as who hasn't done that from time to time? I sung my praises of this relationship when we did the 12 Favourite Team-Ups. The only reason I didn't include it myself was it didn't fit my personal definition: being still too much in the 'will-they-or-won't-they' category. But I love seeing it on someone else's list. |
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Dec 19, 2021 9:49:04 GMT -5
#6 : Hopey and Maggie At one point, the adult Hopey says to Maggie "why did we ever break up?" and I don't have an answer. Here's another example of two souls who belong together, who are truly each other's best friend. They had a wild and whacky youth as alien to me as the lifestyle of an extraterrestrial, then saw the noble rot set in as they grew older and more (gasp!) respectable, and through it all they retained a bond that cannot be broken. I'm not sure I'd want them back together, though, since they both moved on... but the pair will always be among my favourites.
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Post by majestic on Dec 19, 2021 9:54:02 GMT -5
#6. Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon. In the dark and grim world of Batman Dick Grayson is a ray of sunshine and hope. He deserves to be happy. And for many of us Barbara is the one that he should be with. There is something special about these two together being Batman's first allies... they have a mutual respect for each other that has grown over time. And it seems no matter the different paths life takes them in they always find their way back to each other.
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