Valentine’s Day arrives every February 14th; a brief chance to ignore the depressing news and celebrate love. The question remains: how should we celebrate it? Is it every couple’s favourite day to declare their undying affection for one another, or is it the most annoying holiday of the year for everyone else? Some might choose to practice self-care and pamper themselves or sit in front of the television with a box of chocolates and watch rom-coms. Parks and Rec fans may take notes from Leslie Knope and gather their friends for a Galentine’s Day party.
However you choose (or don’t choose) to spend the holiday, everyone deserves love. Love looks different for each person. For many, comic books ignited a love of reading. Perhaps movies aren’t your thing and you don’t feel like working your way through a 300-page novel at the moment, but Valentine’s Day has put you in the mood for a sweet read. Luckily, there are 15 romance comics listed here waiting for you to hold them close. And for the spooky-inclined, a few romantic horror titles included will spice up your February.
1. Archie: Love and Heartbreak #1 — Various Creators
You could make the case for nearly any Archie Comics story to fall under the romance genre. Whether you’re team Barchie or Varchie, a fan of Midge and Moose, or hoping Dilton will return Ethel’s unrequited love, love is always blossoming in the Riverdale comics universe. Archie devotees are in for a sweet treat this month with the publication of the Archie: Love and Heartbreak comic.
The one-shot Valentine’s Day special celebrates love, romance, heartbreak, and comedy. Archie: Love and Heartbreak features an art style attuned to the recent modern Archie comics series sensibilities. Mature, more serious themes follow suit whilst remaining true to the endearing core of carefree Archie titles.
This is the perfect anthology special with stories starring Archie, Betty, Jughead, Veronica, and Kevin Keller searching for true love during date night at Riverdale’s local carnival.
2. Barbalien — Jeff Lemire, Tate Brombal, Gabriel Hernandez Walta, Jordie Bellaire & Aditya Bidikar
Sometimes, love ends in disaster. Fatal attraction, forbidden romances, or secrecy can destroy a relationship. However, these stories should not be ignored. Love is love in all its splendid forms. The red alien superhero from the Dark Horse Comics Black Hammer Universe headlines his own intense love story in Barbalien.
This may not be a comic many would associate with Valentine’s Day due to its serious, sorrowful content. But Barbalien, among acting as a historical, superhero tale, also contains a love story. The limited comic series collection centres on beloved alien hero Mark Markz’s burgeoning romance amidst the United States AIDS crisis. Mark struggles to reconcile his identity as a cop and as a closeted gay man. When he discovers the underground nightlife, his attraction to a revolutionary gay rights leader soars beyond his control.
Although not an easy read for a romantic holiday, Barbalien excels as an impressive work of art and necessary narrative pertinent to history.
3. Bingo Love OGN — Tee Franklin, Joy San, & Jenn St-Onge
A budding friendship turns into a heart-warming love story across decades in the LGBT+ graphic novel Bingo Love from Image Comics. Once a successful Kickstarter, Bingo Love received a wide release print edition because audiences deserve these types of positive romance stories.
The comic begins in 1963 at a church bingo hall. Hazel and Mari, two high school women of colour, share an instant romantic attraction. But the lovers are torn apart by intolerant parents and time. Now in their mid-60s, the two reunite on a Mother’s Day bingo hall game in 2015. Their feelings for one another grow into a passionate, emotional relationship guaranteed to move you to happy tears during this season of love.
4. “Dark Chocolate” from Edgar Allan Poe’s Snifter of Terror #1 — Mark Russell, Peter Snejbjerg, & Rob Steen
AHOY Comics, known more for its raunchy, pushing-the-envelope satire than any mushy love tales, still intertwines a little romance here and there. One of the most blatant narratives adjacent to the romance comics genre appears in Edgar Allan Poe’s Snifter of Terror #1.
The two-part anthology issue kicked off the first “Monster Serials” entry that has spanned several other stories between the ongoing Snifter iterations. Popular cereal mascots are personified in comic book form in Snifter of Terror #1’s “Dark Chocolate.” The Marquis de Cocoa hosts a meal for a few familiar faces while trying to avoid revealing his true monstrous identity. Ultimately, the stories’ conclusion exposes the admirable fidelity between Marquis de Cocoa and his beloved wife that will make you swoon with slight horror this Valentine’s Day. And luckily for the continuity inclined, their story continues beyond the cliff-hanger in subsequent Snifter issues.
5. Eden — Cullen Bunn, Dalibor Talajić, Valentina Briški, & Marshall Dillon
Love and horror intersect frequently in literature and film. The grotesque often manifests as a chilling profession of adulation between infatuated characters. Both a horror story and a love story, Eden highlights a relationship where immense passion drives a man to unprecedented places.
Written by horror master Cullen Bunn and illustrated by Dalibor Talajić, the AfterShock Comics one-shot comic twists love and terror into a beautiful, disturbing amalgam of a romance story. Protagonist Niles is a tattoo artist pinned down by guilt and alcoholism when a woman named Eden begins frequenting his tattoo shop. Each tattoo he gives Eden mysteriously fades away. Intrigued, Niles is besotted by the beautiful woman and the secrets she withholds from him.
If you’re looking for an eclectic romance comic read, Eden’s eerily sumptuous pages will tattoo themselves onto your heart.
6. EROS / PSYCHE — Maria Llovet
Speaking of divine horror, writer and artist Maria Llovet weaves soft terror into deceivingly attractive minimalism within her comic stories. One of her latest BOOM! Studios comic entries, Llovet’s supernatural horror/mystery comic EROS/PSYCHE ruptures the divide between both the ghastly and the amorous.
Akin to the classical Greek myth, EROS/PSYCHE concerns two individuals attempting to overcome obstacles impeding their love for one another. Sara and Silje, two students attending the Rose, an all-female boarding school, develop a mutual, forbidden attraction at the strict institution. At the Rose, rules are not meant to be broken, and the consequences could mean expulsion or even death.
EROS/PSYCHE includes limited dialogue, but Llovet’s immaculate artistry compacts the churning emotion fuelling this surreal story.
7. The Flintstones #4 — Mark Russell, Steve Pugh, & Chris Chuckry
Firstly, The Flintstones comic maxiseries remarkably encapsulates how to properly revitalise an old piece of media for modern audiences. Part of the DC Comics Hanna-Barbara Beyond initiative, this series brought the kooky Stone Age characters to the comic page in a fresh exploration of social issues and relationships. Specific to this list, readers can turn to the fourth issue without any additional context if they’re searching for some sweetly hilarious Valentine’s Day reading.
The Flintstones #4 tackles the concept of marriage in a witty, satirical fashion. Fred and his wife Wilma attend a marriage retreat where a counselling session forces them to assess their relationship. However, their group leader raises some questionable points about marriage as an exclusive institution. How does this new “marriage” concept impact their Palaeolithic partnership traditions?
Mark Russell’s writing throughout the entire Flintstones series reaches phenomenal heights. Issue #4 proves why The Flintstones’ entertaining social commentary – paired with Pugh and Chuckry’s gorgeous artwork – was so well-received.
8. Hollow Heart: The Complete Series — Paul Allor & Paul Tucker
A hallmark of horror in the comics industry, Vault Comics consistently puts out terrifying titles underscored by trenchant emotional narratives. This list has already proven how blending horror and romance can elevate their respective genres. Why not bring home a heart-palpitating monster romance series for your loved one this upcoming holiday?
In the six-issue miniseries, a monster falls in love with his mechanic. EL, once a man, now lives in a state of constant pain, observed by cruel captors, as disorganised organs inside a blue bio suit. When mechanic Mateo arrives to adjust EL’s suit, love blooms between the monster and the man. This is a devastating queer romance story where lessons about empathy propel the beating heart of Hollow Heart.
9. Lore Olympus — Rachel Smythe
No surprises here: Lore Olympus swiftly rose through the ranks of popularity and has already cemented itself a spot on lists denoting the best comics of all times. Although serious topics such as abuse, rape, and other potentially triggering themes occur, Lore Olympus is a propulsive story where forbidden love and a twisty narrative capture reader’s attention every step of the way.
Lore Olympus tells Persephone’s story in a contemporary Greek mythology retelling. While the original story centred on Hades abducting Persephone and forcing her to become his wife, this graphic novel shifts the narrative focus onto Persephone and her own ambitions – including finding true love. Persephone and Hades fall in love through a series of events blighted by jealous gods and corrupt behaviour.
Lore Olympus employs modernity and feminist reclamation to shape the romance in this profound retelling of the Taking of Persephone.
10. Marvel Valentine’s Day Special #1 (1997) — Various Creators
Cupid went to work shooting his arrow in the original Valentine’s Day one-shot from Marvel Comics in 1997. Romance abounds for some of your favourite comic book heroes through a holiday celebration in Marvel Valentine’s Day Special #1.
The anthology one-shot fashions its stories to a basic theme: Love. Prolific creators like Tom Peyer, John Ostrander, and Kyle Hotz pour their talents into this Valentine’s Day-themed comic collection. Spider-Man tries to help a fellow student find his love connection. Hell’s Kitchen hero Daredevil attempts to fend off a young woman’s abusive boyfriend. X-Men couple Jean Grey and Scott Summers reminisce on their past.
Surprisingly rich and sincere, this classic Valentine’s Day comic provides a bevy of insightful tales starring a line-up of familiar characters.
11. New Life — Xavier Bétaucourt & Yannick Marchat
New Life, a graphic novel from Humanoids, shines a light on the journey an unexpected pregnancy brings to a couple in love. The graphic novel tenderly probes the emotional effects caused by ebbs and flows in relationships.
In a love story igniting all the feels, 48-year-old writer Xavier stumbles into a spontaneous romance with young artist Leah. Xavier’s disintegrating relationship with his adult son and fracturing marriage leave him searching for independence in his identity. His impassioned fling with Leah suddenly feels startlingly concrete when Leah announces her pregnancy.
New Life features a couple on the cusp of parenthood determined to foster their relationship amidst self-doubt and the unknown.
12. Star Trek: Year Five Valentine’s Day Special — Paul Cornell, Christopher Jones, Charlie Kirchoff, & Neil Uyetake
Stardate: February 14, 2022. Captain’s Log: What Valentine’s Day reading list is complete without mentioning the ultimate ladies’ man, Captain James Tiberius Kirk? The long-running Star Trek: Year Five series from IDW Comics received a special one-shot issue in 2020. Star Trek: Year Five Valentine’s Day Special should compel readers to take a trip on the USS Enterprise with an ideal read befitting the romance comics genre.
On a shore leave, Kirk initiates a whirlwind romance with stunning Starfleet Captain, Laura Rhone. Six months later, he constructs an elaborate ploy to visit (and sleep with) Laura again. Naturally, the independent and strong-willed Laura eventually questions the tenuous nature of their relationship. Spanning three time periods and hinting at the Star Trek: Year Five comic canon, Trekkies will love every lust-filled moment in this strikingly-illustrated comic special.
13. Star Wars: A Valentine’s Story #1 (2003) — Judd Winick, Paul Chadwick, Ken Steacy, & Jason Hvam
Published through Dark Horse Comics in 2003, Star Wars: A Valentine’s Day Story is an adorable romance comic. The standalone comic takes place in the Star Wars universe and stars my favourite couple in the galaxy far, far, away; Han and Leia!
Star Wars: A Valentine’s Day Story is set before The Empire Strikes Back. Princess Leia, Han Solo, and Chewie find themselves in danger after a snowstorm strikes their journey to Hoth. Lost, and trapped inside a starship as the blizzard rages on, Han and Leia let their guards down. A bantering romance begins as the two self-reliant protagonists shed their biases and assumptions to learn about one another. Sparks fly in this splendid holiday comic.
14. Un/Sacred — Mirka Andolfo & Fabio Amelia
Unafraid to use her signature style to draw well-endowed characters revelling in their sexuality, Mirka Andolfo blesses the comic industry with provocative tales. Un/Sacred from Ablaze Comics utilises sex-positivity and the supernatural in a bizarre romance story.
An angel and a devil fall wings-over-heels for each other. Angelina and Damiano’s dating life teems with sugar and generous amounts of spice. As the pair grows more serious in their relationship, they must learn how to balance desire, passion, and temptation for one another. Andolfo’s comics always dial up the humour with gags and exaggerated illustrations. Un/Sacred is a slice-of-life romance series bursting with imagination – and love.
15. Young Monsters In Love #1 (2018) – Various Creators
DC Comics has released an annual Valentine’s Day anthology for several years now. Most editions are worth reading, including the recently released Strange Love Adventures (2022). However, I’ve included the 2018 Young Monsters In Love comic special here, in keeping with the other horror/romance comics combo recommendation theme in this article.
Young Monsters In Love #1 turns to the monstrous side of the DC Universe for its musings on all things romance. Monsters deserve love too! Dark Justice League character Deadman searches for meaning during the holiday. Raven, Swamp Thing, and even Frankenstein star in their own ghoulish tales of heart-stopping devotion. This collection stands out as an inclusive, lushly illustrated Valentine’s Day-themed comic where love pierces through the hearts of often misunderstood characters.
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