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Post by Cei-U! on Dec 21, 2021 5:37:01 GMT -5
Frankly, gang, I'm shocked that nobody else beat me to the punch on this one: 4. Shang-Chi and Leiko Wu, Master of Kung Fu
One of the greatest pleasures of MoKF is watching the attraction between Shang and Leiko gradually turning into passion, followed by a true, deep commitment. This is no generic comic book romance. Writer Doug Moench uses detail brilliantly—Fleetwood Mac, pzza, a cat named Cat—to bring this relationship to life. Yes, there are rough patches (both are haunted by past loves) but they always work it out, not through the superficial rituals of courtship but through honest, occasionally brutal communication. It is as mature and realistic a portrait of a romance as you're likely to find in a mainstream comic book. Cei-U! I summon the ethereal voice of Stevie Nicks! |
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Post by Icctrombone on Dec 21, 2021 5:52:32 GMT -5
4. The Human Torch ( Johnny Storm ) and Lyja
The 90’s were derided as crappy and a down point for Marvel comics but I really enjoyed the Tom Defalco/ Paul Ryan Fantastic Four run a lot. Amidst all the big guns, Pouches and Sue Storm wearing a peek a boo costume , was a relational tug of war between Johnny and Lyja that peaked my interest. It seems that the “ Alicia Masters” that married Johnny in issue # 300 was in actuality a Skrull planted to destroy the FF.  The original plan was for her to work the plan through the Thing but he was away on Battleworld following Secret Wars. Anyway, she is revealed in as a Skrull in issue # 357 and seemingly dies helping the FF rescue the real Alicia from the Skrull homeworld. In best comic book fashion, she soon returns as first an opponent to the FF and later stays with them when Reed dies. ( He gets better). It’s sweet how she tries to win Johnny back in the ensuing years, but never quite does. Too bad, I was kind of routing for her. 
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Post by coke & comics on Dec 21, 2021 5:55:54 GMT -5
4. Wandavision
Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch) & Vision from Avengers #75 by Roy Thomas & John Buscema Marvel, 1970  Can an android cry? Can an android fall in love? Can an android marry? Can an android be a father? Can an android have all that stripped away from him? In this modern, fast-paced world, is there room for love between a mutant and an android?  If I may pimp my own blog, I give a pretty thorough rundown of their romance in my entry on Wandavision.
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Post by foxley on Dec 21, 2021 6:06:30 GMT -5
4. Susan "Omaha" Jensen and Charles "Chuck" Tabey, Jr. (Omaha the Cat Dancer) Omaha and Chuck are the couple at the centre of the sexually explicit soap opera that is Omaha the Cat Dancer. They are battered from pillar to post but, through everything, their love endures. Although there are multiple occasions where they are ripped apart, the reader always hopes they will find their way back to each other, as even though they are anthropomorphic animals, you come to regard them and their supporting cast as real people and want things to work out for them. A number of other relationships spin out from Omaha and Chuck, with Shelley and Kurt being deserving of its own entry. It is a soap opera, so many of the situations faced are exaggerated, but while most couples will (hopefully) never have to deal with corrupt politicians and organised crime, many of the other crises Omaha and Chuck face are things that real couples might have to deal with: infidelity, involuntary separation, family secrets, mental health issues, etc. Does it end happily for them? Read it and find out for yourself. 
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Post by Deleted on Dec 21, 2021 6:36:29 GMT -5
#4 - Batman and Catwoman of Earth-2I know this image has been used before, but Google Images was as crap as ever, so I’ve had to duplicate:  Who deserves happiness more than this couple? I only wish Earth-1’s Batman and Catwoman had achieved the same happiness (I have no idea if that happened due to DC’s numerous reboots, so I may be unaware of it happening). Other people during CCF Christmas have written better write-ups than me concerning this couple, so I won’t say too much. Each one I have chosen during this event has been based on many criteria, but the main criteria has been believability. If the writers can make a couple convincing, then that’s good. And they did it with these two.
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Post by majestic on Dec 21, 2021 6:54:29 GMT -5
#4. Reed and Sue Richards.
I knew at this point I would have ones that have already been mentioned. Reed & Sue are THE Marvel superhero couple. The Fantastic Four has always been about family and their marriage is part of that. I agree Reed doesn't deserve Sue since is so engaged in his projects that he neglects his family at times but I think it reflects real life when men throw themselves into their work. It can be a struggle to maintain a healthy work/life balance. And like many wives/moms Sue is the anchor that holds the family/FF together.
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Post by MWGallaher on Dec 21, 2021 7:32:27 GMT -5
4. Jim Corrigan and Gwen Sterling Is M. W. still trying to turn this year’s celebration into “Favorite Characters”? Maybe, but I couldn’t resist adding the doomed romance between The Spectre’s host, Jim Corrigan, and heiress Gwendolyn Sterling, whose romance was documented by Michael Fleisher and Jim Aparo in their legendary run in ADVENTURE COMICS in the 1970’s. Over in chadwilliam ‘s outstanding thread exploring all the Spectre’s Golden and Silver Age appearances, we hashed over this relationship at length. No, it’s not the most convincing love story ever told, but I love this aspect of the series for its critical role in moving the feature beyond the limitations of the vengeful ghost stories that kicked it off. What better way to demonstrate the downside of being a supernatural entity of immense power than to force Jim to deal with a problem The Spectre can’t handle: love? And if the feature had to end prematurely, it couldn’t have had a more powerful climax than granting Jim a return to life and the opportunity to claim love with Gwen, only to lose it all again—thankfully, with Jim’s death (he’s accustomed to it, after all), not Gwen’s. Plenty of superheroes have found their love lives complicated or ruled out entirely due to their heroic responsibilities, but none had the insurmountable barriers that Jim and Gwen faced. Too bad it turned out the way it did, but in the grim supernatural noir world of Fleisher and Aparo’s Spectre, it was inevitable. 
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Post by Deleted on Dec 21, 2021 8:01:35 GMT -5
On the Ninth Day of Christmas, True Love gave to me...Cutter and Leetah of Elfquest by Wendy (and Richard) Pini  Elfquest is an epic fantasy which is at its heart about family and relationships and affairs of the heart. And at the heart of all that is the love between Cutter of the Wolfriders and Leetah of the Sun Village. It is not a relationship that exists in a vacuum, but the epicenter around which everything else orbits, from the bond of Skywise to the two to the very survival of their people. It is a love that is deep and true, but not one without trials and tribulations. It is the strength of their love that allows them to face all those trials and withstand those tribulations. There were a lot of relationships in the Elfquest Saga to choose form, but this one is the driving force of that saga and my favorite among them. -M |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 21, 2021 8:07:37 GMT -5
#4 - Mr. Freeze and Nora
 This originated in Batman: The Animated Series and was central to the related amazing SubZero movie, then also received treatment in comic book form that further continued the narrative. This added a whole new layer to Mr. Freeze and was a brilliant bit of storytelling. In this version, Victor Fries, not yet a villain, is a cryogenics scientist and marred to his beloved Nora. She is diagnosed with a terminal illness, and Victor uses the company's equipment to cryogenically freeze her until a cure can be found. The CEO wants it shut down, and events lead to Victor going rogue to preserve Nora, becoming Mr. Freeze along the way, and descending into a life of crime all in desperation to save Nora. They are never given a full happy ending despite Nora's revival. I chose this one because I always felt particularly moved by this story...was the greater tragedy Nora's illness, or Victor no longer able to understand that his "chilling" criminal acts (bad pun intended) would never be something Nora would want him to do? And how different were they from any other "normal" married couple until fate intervened? How far would any of us go in desperation for the love of our life?
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Post by thwhtguardian on Dec 21, 2021 8:19:03 GMT -5
And on the Ninth day there was...
Strangers In The Night With Maggie and Kate Kate Kane and Maggie Sawyer is one of my favorite pairings in comics. Not only are they both amazing strong, intelligent women with their own clearly defined aspirations(which always makes for great reading) but the dynamic of daring vigilante and top cop just puts the cherry on the cake. It's has all the dramatic energy of what you'd imagine would happen if DC let Bruce Wayne and Jim Gordon be a couple, don't lie you've thought of it, and the storytelling potential for that is huge. They love each other, but duty will always be a wedge between them as Kate can no more stop being Batwoman than Maggie will let her duty to the police down...will that secret tear them apart? It's the kind of tension that a thousand paperback novels have been built on but seldom has it been the driving force of a comic.
So why not number one?
Because DC wouldn't let them go all the way. No marriage, no exploration of how they keep the trust long term because...reasons? It definitely left a sour taste in my mouth. |
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Post by DubipR on Dec 21, 2021 8:21:39 GMT -5
Today's Song: "Glory Box"- Portishead #4- Jennifer Walters (She-Hulk) & Wyatt Wingfoot John Byrne in the 80s and 90s was the golden boy in comics. Coming of a legendary run of X-Men to reboot Superman, he comes back to Marvel to bring the Fantastic Four back to being one of the flagship titles. By taking a page from Kirby, Bryne used former Kirby ideas and brought some his own. Bringing in She-Hulk as member of the Four for a while was a spark that the book needed. Then spun off into her own series, keeping the Kirby connection alive with Johnny Storm's former roommate, Wyatt Wingfoot. Wyatt was a great match with She-Hulk. He was smart, athletic, and cared for She-Hulk after her time in the Fantastic Four and in her own monthly. When oil deposits were found on his tribe's land the relationship between the two ended, as she knew his family and people were always needed. What made the relationship so much fun and engaging, at least to me, this is one of the few relationships where the woman was the dominate role. She-Hulk loved Wyatt as he kept her grounded after an adventure versus Dr. Doom or Dr. Bong. The two went through some crazy times but their love for each other held for Byrne's run. They made for some fun and saucy reading; even when She-Hulk acknowledged him to the audience to look at him and soak in hotness that he was. It was a fun dynamic.  |
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Post by brutalis on Dec 21, 2021 9:48:01 GMT -5
Nexus, Horatio Hellpop and Sundra Peale
Sundra the light, guiding Horatio away from the darkness and despair which might otherwise consume him. Sundra the strong, intelligent, independent, creative, determined, willing to speak up when she thinks her man is wrong, forgiving, caring, loving and yes, very beautiful.
She is so many things Horatio needs in keeping him sane and grounded while driving him be better and question everything he does. The two make for interesting stories from their 1st meeting, to falling in love to their separation and eventual reconnection. One of the very most "real" couples in comic book history.
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Dec 21, 2021 9:50:11 GMT -5
#4 : Laureline and ValérianI wasn't even sure those two were more than colleagues and friends for the longest time, until later books retconned them into being romantically involved from an early point. I could have done without such a revelation, to be honest; I was quite content to see those two start as a team and develop deeper feelings only gradually. Love at first sight is cool and all, but sometimes it just takes a while. Still, be that as it may, here's to another pair of people who absolutely belong together even when they argue. They strike me as a very healthy couple, where caring for the other goes with trusting them implicitly. And as with my earlier choices Jugurtha and Vania or Valiant and Aleta, we know who calls the shots! Valerian might have been the headliner when the series began, but he knows as well as we do that the series is no longer about him! 
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Post by wildfire2099 on Dec 21, 2021 10:16:18 GMT -5
Wiccan and Hulkling  This relationship just has always been so.. cute. Everything they do makes you go 'awwwww'. Also, my daughter loves them, so that's a big plus. I love that they aren't just wallpaper characters, but are an integral part of the cosmic side of the Marvel universe... one of Marvel's rare cases where they let characters grow and evolve. 
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,865
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Post by shaxper on Dec 21, 2021 10:16:48 GMT -5
4. Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordonas written by Elliot S. Maggin Before I'd ever read a comic book, I adored Bargirl and I adored Robin. They were larger than comic book characters for me; they were pop culture mythology. So the idea of them pairing off is innately appealing to me in its own right. But then, in my thirties, I finally got around to reading Batman Family, and the interplay the two have there is utterly priceless, each constantly one-upping the other as Batgirl seeks to prove she is just as capable as an empowered woman, and Robin seeks to prove he is just as capable as a younger teen sidekick. The chemistry was so real, the surprises jaw-dropping, and it was all cut short far too quickly when Maggin left and Bob Rozakis took over. Still, for a short while, it was will-they/won't-they gold, and I cherished every moment of it. 
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