Valentine’s Day is on the horizon and that means love is in the air. That’s what all the greeting cards and the pink & red aisles at the store are telling me. If you can’t beat the holiday, you may as well roll with it, right? To that end, I stuffed my face with chocolate and thought about my favorite comic book couples. Some of them aren’t together anymore because of tragedy or reboots, but these are the duos who have warmed my heart time after time. In no particular order:

Bea and Alan
The best word I can use to describe Lora Innes’ The Dreamer is rich. It applies to the story, the history, the characters, the art, the colors – you get the idea. The story focuses on Bea Whaley and the odd trips she starts taking into 18th century America when she sleeps. It’s like she leads a double life, and her beau in the 18th century is Major Alan Warren. We’re not going to discuss how many times their romance has made me cry. PS: You can read The Dreamer for free right now. Clear a few hours because you won’t be able to stop.

The Flash and Iris
When I read early Flash comics, I couldn’t stand Iris. She was always ragging on Barry Allen for moving too slow and being late. She learned about his superhero identity on their wedding night and started being less obnoxious. Events just before the New 52 reboot broke Barry and Iris up (the above image is from the New 52 though, The Flash #17 by Brian Buccellato and Francis Manapul) as did other events over the decades, including her death, but they had their moments. Scenes in Mark Waid and Greg LaRocque’s The Flash: Born to Run among other stories really made me appreciate their relationship.

Cutter and Leetah
Wendy and Richard Pini’s fantasy comic ElfQuest was first published in 1978, and Cutter and Leetah fell for each other near the beginning of the series. The fact that Cutter was from the Wolfriders tribe and Leetah was from the Sun Folk didn’t stop them from becoming lifemates. We see tenderness, passion, devotion, and tribulation between the couple throughout the many arcs of the comic. ElfQuest is also available digitally at no cost.

Batwoman and Maggie Sawyer
JH Williams III and W. Haden Blackman created a beautiful thing with their run on Batwoman. They gave us Kate Kane proposing to her girlfriend Maggie Sawyer in Batwoman #17. Maggie finds out about Kate’s alter ego when Kate proposes wearing the cowl. Yeah, such a proposal would throw you for a loop. Their relationship had several memorable points, but Batwoman #23 sticks with me the most. Maggie stuck by Kate’s side after Kate injected herself with Scarecrow’s fear toxin (long story – just trust me when I say it’s romantic). It’s a true pity we didn’t get to see them marry each other.

Superman and Lois
It would take more than a paragraph to detail the history of Superman/Clark Kent and Lois Lane. They’ve been together, apart, and married, and yeah, they were also broken up by the New 52. Lois and Superman and Lois and Clark have exchanged countless conversations over the decades and have a history that jumps all over the map. My favorite Lois and Superman story, of the ones I’ve read, is Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely’s All Star Superman. Not because Lois gets powers but because of the emotion that ripples off the page.

Kitty Pryde and Colossus
Kitty Pryde wasn’t with the X-Men long before she became interested in Colossus. She flirted with him – sometimes rather aggressively – even though Colossus was several years older. Colossus shut her down, but they remained friends. Eventually, when she was of age, they developed a relationship in Joss Whedon and John Cassaday’s Astonishing X-Men. It didn’t last long because the comic book gods are cruel, but they had so many sweet scenes together. I’ll take whatever I can get.

Alana and Marko
As far as I’m concerned, Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples is one of the most well-crafted comic books in existence. Probably in the history of ever. Marko and Alana’s relationship falls into classic forbidden love territory but nothing about their adventures through the galaxy with their daughter Hazel are ordinary. I mean, they struggle with parenthood and have arguments you could hear in any number of households, but their circumstances and place in the world makes all of it fascinating.

Which couples from comics would you add to this list? I know there are many more. Fly to the comments and tell us about your favorites.