5. Batman and Talia



Be aware that, for the purposes of this write-up, I am talking about Talia as the was in the 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s and 10s; not the psycho harridan who currently bears the name.

In my mind, this is a relationship that makes sense. Talia is a perfect match for Bruce: on an objective level maybe even better than Selina.

Talia is a woman caught between two worlds, and torn between her loyalty to her father and her love for Bruce. As a result, she often plays peacekeeper. As originally created by Denny O'Neil, Talia was a fairly passive character, but was transformed into an action girl under subsequent writers; notably Len Wein and Marv Wolfman.

Talia works a partner for Bruce: to some extent seeming to complete him. She is his intellectual equal, and is an action girl at least equal to Catwoman. She would show the same devotion to Batman's crusade as she did her father's. She would be a moderating influence on Batman as she was for Ra's; drawing him back to himself whenever he becomes too obsessed. And, unlike most of Batman's love interests, she is equally comfortable with both of his identities: understanding that they are the same man.

The now retconned graphic novel Son of the Demon by Mike W. Barr and Jerry Bingham shows Batman and Talia in circumstances where they are able to live together in committed relationship and, quite frankly, this may be the most contented I've ever seen Bruce.

5. Opus and Lola Granola
as written by Berke Breathed

As with so many of my favorite things, I was born too late to be reading and appreciating Bloom County in its heyday. Instead, I found it in bound collections at the local bookstore, guiding me through adolescence. If you were awkward, idealistic yet jaded, afraid of an ever-changing world and yearning for simplicty, all while acknowledging your own inner weirdness that was anything but simple, you needed Bloom County in your life. And so, when the lead character got into his first serious relationship (we're not counting Alf Mushpie, here), that was pretty damn important.

Opus and Lola lasted a little over a year, which is a HUGE deal in a daily comic strip. Right from their introduction, it was obvious this was no perfect pairing, and Breathed seemed to enjoy emphasizing their irreconcilable differences more and more as they progressed.

Still, despite all of his efforts to make us laugh at this odd pairing, Breathed couldn't help but give it heart. These two had no future together, but man was there sincere affection between them. Lola had lived a wild life and was desperately in need of some stability and sensitivity. Opus was hopeless in every respect and just needed to be understood and appreciated. For a little while, they were able to give each other exactly that.



That inspired me as an awkward adolescent. I knew that Opus and Lola weren't right for each other, but that sincere affection Lola has for Opus in the final panel, that "this doesn't solve the problem, but boy do I find you adorable" look, really left a mark on me. THAT was what I wanted from a future girlfriend and (eventually) future spouse. More than the looks, or the interests, or even the chemistry, I wanted that comfortable adoration.

When Opus and Lola finally parted ways, it was mutual, and still with that tremendous affection that fell just short of love. Neither went on to find a better relationship after that, but you couldn't blame either of them for trying..

It's funny. Hollywood so often sells us on perfect romance. I didn't really realize until now just how often comics prepared us for the opposite: couples who settle and then raise the question of whether that is enough. Opus and Lola, Dagwood and Blondie. Howard and Beverly, Cerebus and Jakka, -- when is good enough all you need, and when is it a sham? I doubt Opus and Lola were good enough, but they certainly had one major piece of the puzzle that makes for an ideal relationship.

Today's Song- "Aniron (theme of Aragon & Arwen)"- by Howard Shore & Enya

#5- Cutter and Leetah



Double dipping into the world of the Pinis, my number 5 spot belongs to the main characters of Elfquest. What makes them so compelling, is that these are elves that are worlds apart. Unlike Redlance and Nightfall that I mentioned prior, Cutter and Leetah are from two different tribes of elves. From that first look, it was destined. Is it truly possible that love can be recognized in an instant for two be lifemates? It's something that Richard Pini first shows us in the original run of ElfQuest of destined pairing. You have a brutish and outdoor survivor warrior and leader of his tribe in Cutter and a sun drenched healer of her people in Leetah. The romance that continues throughout the entirety of the the Pinis comic is one for the ages. Children; grandchildren and the bonds of love between the two. It makes for wonderful reading.

John Carter, Warlord of Mars and Dejah Thoris, Princess of Helium

A southern Civil War officer near death sees the Red planet Mars in th sky while he feels it beckoning to him. Reaching his hands to the stars he awakens upon the dying planet, becomes a slave to giant four armed Thark's, adapts, learns the language and then leaps into the fray saving a red skinned woman from the savage Warhoon tribe and finds love at 1st sight. Setting upon his destiny for love and adventure to become the planets greatest warrior, he and his princess Dejah Thoris marry, working as equals in the struggle to unite and save their dying world.

Between sword fights their romance grows and marriage comes even as they face monsters, death, political intrigues, sexcapades and more. Carter is presumed lost or dead when sent back to Earth/Jasoom yet Dejah raises their son in the tradition of her warrior race and the st screams stories of his famous father.

Now there is a love! Across the moon and stars, facing death side by side swords in hand creating a better world.

On the Eighth Day of Christmas, True Love brought to me Wesley Dodds and Dian Belmont



We've seen this couple before. We might see it again. It's my last big 2 couple and my only big 2 super-hero couple. Most good long-term romantic relationships are built on trust. Such relationships without trust a the foundation are like a house of cards. Keeping a secret identity form a partner would reveal any such trust to be an illusion and the revelation of it would destroy any trust the relationship was built on realistically. A few might manage to survive, but it would be essentially starting over and rebuilding the relationship from the ground up. Most would be shattered beyond repair no matter what the intention behind keeping such a secret might be. It's why a lot of big 2 super-hero romances ring false to me, not all, but a lot, despite me liking he characters and liking reading about them. The depiction of Wesley and Dian's relationship deals with this. The keeping of the secret early and how it created issues in their relationship. The revelation of the identity and the damage it did, and the process of rebuilding the relationship into something new and different, and better because now trust was at the heart of this new relationship. It is also a relationship that is mostly a partnership of equals choosing to be together. There are still balance issues that challenge their relationship, but they work through their issues and make their relationship work, though there are rough spots and close calls that almost drive them apart a time or two. They are a couple you can root for, bit also one you can relate to. Their struggles make you cheer for them, but also empathize with them, and that is why they are my favorite super-hero couple. (Full disclosure, I still have the last quarter or so of the SMT run to get through but they've already won that distinction).

-M

#5. Tom and Dhalua Strong



In his tales of science hero Tom Strong, his West Indian wife Dhalua, and their daughter Tesla, Alan Moore in part deconstructs tropes of classic “jungle lord” heroes, such as The Phantom. Most pointedly, Moore subverts the racial and gender politics of Lee Falk’s colonial fantasy about white, male legacy heroes. Patriarchal power is reconfigured by Tom and Dhalua as they unreservedly love and respect each other as intellectual and moral equals. Together they raise Tesla to fully realize the physical and intellectual gifts that she has inherited from them. The lesson of Moore’s work is that true heroes embrace the heroic possibilities in others, free from culturally-imposed blinders. This is a love story rooted in family and together Tom, Dhalua, and Tesla offer that legacies shouldn’t be determined by closed minds but rather by open hearts.