Comics 411: Top Comic Book Couples

Welcome back! I’m Steve Gustafson and if you enjoy discussing anything comic book related, you’ve come to the right place. Each week we cover something in the industry and I always enjoy your input in the comment section below.
Previously on…

 
Last time we asked Which Characters Should Marvel and DC Trade? Here’s what some of you had to say:

Mondo Von Wer:“Power Pack in DC, Young Justice in Marvel”

Big Dirty: “Letting Marvels heroes have to deal with the Joker is delicious idea.. Additionally Green Lantern could work in marvel and maybe Venom, Black Panther and Prof. X in DC?”

Whocares: “Have the OG X-Men swap places with the Doom Patrol. Cliff yelling and swearing and blaming it all on the Chief would be worth it in and of itself.”

John: “Ironically I would say Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel should switch companies. I think Wonder Woman would work very well in the Black Panther/Dr. Doom/Namor/X-men type universe while Carol to me always felt like a Justice Leaguer.

Blue Beetle(Ted Kord) is a character I would love to see running around Manhattan and dealing with Spider-man’s foes. While for Marvel I think they’ve pretty done everything they can do with Silver Surfer.

Villains I would love to see Joker just ruin Marvel for a year while DC could really use The Skrulls”

Al Lobama: “Since Amalgam was mentioned briefly in this column, I remember reading recently about a few pitched Amalgam characters that didn’t appear in the miniseries. The biggest missed opportunity, IMO, was merging Blue Beetle and Booster Gold with Power Man and Iron Fist to make POWER BEETLE AND BOOSTER FIST~! Gail Simone also had a clever idea of merging Spider-Man with the Atom and calling him The Itsy Bitsy Spider.”

Benjamin Kellog: “I couldn’t justify swapping heroes or villains, but civilians could work well, especially if they’re used as buildup for a big crossover. Moira MacTaggert from Marvel’s “X-Men” exchanged with Emil Hamilton or some equivalent STAR Labs character, both investigating why people are being swapped, would make good leads for a “Front Line” type prelude mini. General Sam Lane tries to comprehend this creature called the Hulk, while General Thunderbolt Ross goes hog wild on Superman. JJJ takes over the Daily Planet, and Perry White (or George Taylor; now that’ll rattle some bones for sure!) makes the Daily Bugle do actual good journalism?! Honestly, just exchanging the supporting casts for any of the big books would be enough to get most folks excited, I’d wager.”

Great stuff and thank you to everyone who commented last week! Too many great comments to list so go and check it out! This week we discuss…

Top Comic Book Couples 
I know this is coming AFTER Valentine’s Day but I figured we could share our favorite superhero couples this week. While we love the action, drama, humor, and suspense comic books give us, the quiet moments are just as important and just as fun. This is never more obvious than when two characters come together as a couple and enter into a whole new world. One that is sometimes just as dangerous as the supervillains they battle.
Who stands out as favorites? The easy ones that come to mind are Superman and Lois Lane, Batman and Catwoman, Spider-Man and Mary Jane Watson, and Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Woman.

They stand out not just for the longevity of their relationship but the stories that had them overcome impossible odds, have their connections tested, and become even stronger together.

They’ve also overcome some really lousy storytelling…but that’s another column for another day.

I’m sure some of you expect me to throw Harley Quinn and Joker on here but that’s not quite the type of relationship I want to celebrate. Instead I’ll offer Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy.

A couple like Hawkman and Hawkgirl is a given and even with a slightly confusing continuity, they remain in fans’ minds. The same can be said for The Flash and Iris West.

Some couples are destined to be apart (eventually), like Gambit and Rogue or Daredevil and Elektra. And while Cyclops and Jean Grey are classic, you’ll find some fans prefer Cyclops with Emma Frost. Or Jean and Wolverine. Or a different mix altogether given current continuity. In the same family, Havok and Polaris were at their best when Peter David was writing them in X-Factor.

Aquaman and Mera may not have the strong classic stories but that’s not always a prerequisite, as short term couples like Black Panther and Storm are still remembered fondly. Even if they aren’t together.

Some couples enjoy crossover love, like Luke Cage and Jessica Jones and Black Bolt and Medusa, even after that failed Inhumans series a couple years back. While Apollo and Midnighter might not get the same attention as others, I believe you’ll find their relationship just as strong (if not stronger) than anyone else on this list.

Personally, I’ve always liked the Black Canary and Green Arrow dynamic. They’ve had a number of great adventures and their relationship has grown from it. Similarly, Hawkeye and Mockingbird had the same vibe.
With the success of WandaVision, Scarlet Witch and Vision will be getting some attention from both old and new fans. And I can’t forget Ralph and Sue Dibny, right?

While the series is done, Mark Grayson (Invincible) and Samantha Eve Wilkins (Atom Eve) should get a nod. And I’ll close with Kitty Pryde and…take your pick of Peters. I’ll let you think about that one.

What about you? Who did I miss? Who is your favorite comic book couple?

That’s all the time I have. See you next week!