Review: THUNDERCATS: THE RETURN

THUNDERCATS: THE RETURN

Issues 1-5

Story(Arc) Name : The Return

Written by Ford Gilmore; Penciled by Ed Benes

Wildstorm

We shall how Transformers did at the start of their new ongoing. Now, we found another classic property to face them. With their reemergence to be seen this fall in a brand new anime, the Thundercats seemed perfect. So, even through Wildstorm is now defunct but this seemed like a good starting point in Thundercats comics. So until there is a brand new Thundercats ongoing, we will look at the Return and see how it stacks up.

So we have Transformers: For Mankind/Things Fall Apart vs. Thundercats: The Return!!!

         Vs.    The book starts that furry little shit, I mean, Snarf, is going through a tomb and looks scared. Really, really scared. And seemingly, schizophrenic. Actually, Snarf was talking to a book. Yes. A hardcover book. A book that Snarf opens and flips through because . . . it’s one of the Twilight book. End of review.

            Syyyyyykkkkkkkkeeeee!!! Furry bitch, I mean, Snarf opens the book and out comes a non-homosexual looking Lion-O. Seriously, Lion-O just pops up out of the book like its nothing . . . well not quite. Lion-O had two Thunderian fan boys came out there with him. Lion-O said only 3 words, roared and then killed his two playmates before speaking to Snarf. All I can say is DAMN!

            Lion –O is happy to see Snarf when we find out that it has been 5 years since the previous miniseries. And honestly, nothing from the last mini mattered as Snarf gives the readers a synopsis of what had happened before. Before that, Lion-O is surprised 5 years has pasted because time in the book, known as the Book of Omens, was supposed to run faster, as the Lord of the Thundercats admits that its been 5 years inside the book but should have only been about a few days in regular reality. Hmm . . . hyperbolic chamber much?  Yet Snarf narrates the happenings of Thundera since Lion-O went into the Book of Omens. Why did he go? For special training. Well, at least we got Lion-O willing to kill his own kind without hesitation cause of it. 

            So Snarf tells how the rest of the Thundercats did there best against Mumm-Ra and the Mutants but the combination of an entire army of Mutants from Plundarr along with Mumm-Ra’s new powers overwhelmed them and Thundera was systematically took down the Thunderians and the Thundercats to the point they get enslaved with Pantro putting up the most fight agains Mumm-Ra. To hit home the total, devastating defeat of  New Thundera, Lion-O feasts his eyes on a 2 page spread of Thundera looking like a desert in Egypt with statues of Mumm-Ra. Lion-O is visibly upset and then the love child of a bear, a cat and a bitch . . . oh I mean Snarf tells Lion-O that Mumm-Ra has become soooooo powerful that the Ancient Spirits of Evil are now his bitch. Wait . . .WHAT?! Lion –O says he doesn’t care as he will find the other Thundercats, which Snarf said most are enslaved. Starting with using the Eye of Thundera in order to use site beyond sight in order to find Panthro . . . who is in the slave mines. Lion-O swears to find and reform the Thundercats and take his rightful place as their Lord. Hmm . . . yes. After all that, which lasts the majority of the first issue, we get a scene of Mumm-Ru looking happy cause of a challenge in Lion-O and that he is finally glad that Snarf found the key to the Book of Omens. Oh hell. After grinning with his dog, Mumm-Ra calls for his slaves who turn out to be adult versions of Wily Kit and Wily Kat.

            Next we get only a small sentence saying that something happened to Bengali and we move to Lion-O in the mines, off to rescue Panthro. And Lion-O again is shown to be a compete and utter badass as he single-handedly takes down some guards, even snapping the neck of a Monkian. DAMN! As Lion-O enters the mine, Mumm-Ra and his slaves (Wily Kit & Wily Kat) watch as they attend to him and watch Mumm-Ra boast about how he is going to crush Lion-O, even against the advice from the Ancient Spirits of Evil. Wow, this reminds me of the show. Lion-O goes into the mines and frees Panthro after Panthro tearfully welcomes back the Lord of the Thundercats and gets rescued. Um . . . wow. Never thought, Panthro . . . crying? The other Thunderians agree to cover Lion-O’s & Panthro’s retreat, against Panthro’s better wishes. As they exit the mine, Lion-O promises to honor the sacrifice of the others and free Thundera while Panthro disagrees. The Thundercat declares that this time they will KILL Mumm-Ra once and for all. Which, if I can take a moment, will say that Lion-O earlier vowed to not give Mumm-Ra the mercy he did in the past. Wow. So the Thundercats have become murders?! Yay!!!

            We then get something kinda . . . disturbing. Wily Kit is there, looking like a furries wet dream as an adult, scrubbing the back of Mumm-Ra. And as luck will have it, we find that as the person slaves who gave themselves over to Mumm-Ra, they are indeed treated better than the others. Yet, we find that Wily Kit has been Mumm-Ra’s personal concubine. 

 Let that sink in for a minute.

Mumm-Ra fucking an adult Wily Kat.

Necrophiliacs and Furries must be having a field day with that image. Now excuse me a second while I am about to lose my lunch . . .on to my computer.

            And once that image dies, we get more mocking from Mumm-Ra on how disappointed Lion-O would be if he found that Wily Kit and Kat have given themselves over to Mumm-Ra, unlike Cheetara, which we find out is in the mines. He continues to mock the now adult Thunderkittens rebandage him; also saying how Cheetara now wants to kill Lion-O as much as Panthro must want to kill him and laughs. We find that Cheetara is supposedly in the care of the mutants. Then we see the mutants who have Tygra enslaved doing plans for . . . wait a minute. TYGRA! What happened with Cheetara?! Moving on. The Mutants are wondering how to leave Thundera to go back to Plundarr cause they are tired of Mumm-Ra while they try to figure out how to make Tygra’s whip work for them. Tygra answers that the whip will ONLY work for a Thunderian. For his trouble, Jakalman whips Tygra with a regular whip. Vultureman calls Slithe Mumm-Ra’s lapdog, which enrages the leader of the Mutants. Slithe goes on about how POWERFUL Mumm-Ra is now and how that their new Castle Plundarr is nothing but a prison. There is no escape from Mumm-Ra according to Slithe but they will enjoy tormenting the Thunderians. Slithe turns to Monkian who is salivating. At what . . . at Cheetara; who is barely got any clothes on hear cause they have been torn apart and she is chained to the wall. Um . . .yeah. Chained furry chick. We are just hit all the demographics, aren’t we? Seriously, Cheetara’s old uniform has been torn so much that it is now a 2-piece bikini. 

     The mutants fight amongst themselves about punishing Cheetara as she is defiant against them, including spitting in Vutureman’s face. Snarf comes in as a distraction as Panthro and Lion-O free Tygra and then the 3 proceed on to fight against the 4 mutants to free Cheetara. The Thundercats beat them down and free Cheetara. When Lion-O says he is glad to see her, she decks him in his jaw and starts to walk off. And the Thundercats did NOT kill The Mutants. I repeat, the Thundercats did NOT kill the mutants.

            Mumm-Ra says it is time to finish things up so he decides to send out Wily Kat and use him to lure the Thundercats to him. WilyKat agrees without hesitation. Well DAMN.  To make his ruse convincing to the others, Wily Kat cuts himself several times in order to appear hurt. When Mumm-Ra tells Wily Kit of her brother’s acceptance to the plan, she tries to attack him. And fails. When we get back to the Thundercats, Cheetara demands of Lion-O why it took so long for him to get back. Lion-O explains that while 5 years passed in the book, it should have been only a week or so on Thundera. He asks why no one went to get the Key and get him from the Book of Omens. Cheetara slugs him again and screams cause that they were ordered by him not to get him. And Snarf, yes Snarf, acts like the voice of reason to stop the two from arguing. Lion-O takes responsibility for what happened and says he will make up for it now. When Tygra asks his plan, Wily Kat stumbles into the room. Oh . . . how convenient. Wily Kat tells them of a way into Mumm-Ra’s pyramid and that Wily Kit is there and insists that the time for battle is now, not latter. Cheetara backs him up stating that holding back was what cost them Thundera in the first place. Mumm-Ra watches this in his pool with a smile, preparing for the return of the Thundercats. One of his preparations is giving the Mutants new power from the Ancient Spirits of Evil in order to battle the group.

            The Thundercats go into Mumm-Ra’s pyramid and defeat some guards. They make it to Mumm-Ra’s throne room and Wily Kat seemingly charges at Mumm-Ra, much to Lion-O’s dismay. Yet when Mumm-Ra tells the Thundercats that Wily Kat is just returning to his master, the Thundercats are awestruck. Cheetara yells that Wily Kat is no better than Grune, and for those who don’t watch the show, Grune is the greatest traitor in the history of Thundera. Congrats Wily Kat!  And what does the traitor get for his trouble; why Cheetara trying to beat the hell of him . . . till Mumm-Ra saves him. Wait . . . what? Mumm-Ra, in his infinite wisdom, then turns to Wily Kat and seemingly kills him in front of everyone. Wily Kit cries at the “death” of her brother while the “magically powered” Mutants emerge with Mumm-Ra.

            The Thundercats take on the newly powered Mutants, yet the anger of the Thundercats surpasses any strength that Mumm-Ra gave the Mutants. Wily Kit frees herself of Mumm-Ra at last and helps the others finish taking down the Mutants with Lion-O handling Slithe solo and very quickly. Finally, we see Mumm-Ra transform, doing the famous speech as he does. Once he finishes, Mumm-Ra just sits and waits for Lion-O casually as if they are about to have tea. Seriously, he does. Lion-O and Mumm-Ra spat verbage for a bit till it comes down to a battle. Mumm-Ra mocks Lion-O stating that he’s done a great job with the planet since the Lord of the Thundercats have been away and that once he has the Sword of Omens, the entire universe will be at his feet . . .blah, blah, blah. Lion-O answers his mock by stating that Mumm-Ra did not need the sword in order to rape and torture his planet. So Lion-O decides that the best course of action against Mumm-Ra is stab the Sword of Omens into the ground to beat Mumm-Ra with his bare fists. WTF?!

            Lion-O and Mumm-Ra proceed to have a battle and honestly, Lion-O is kicking the ancient wizard’s booty. In hand to hand, Lion-O beats the wizard off his feet, demanding him to stand up so they can finish this. Mumm-Ra though grabs a foot and slips him onto his back. Mumm-Ra stands up . . . now with the Sword of Plundarr . . . ready to kill Lion-O when Panthro slugs the hell out of Mumm-Ra. Panthro then pins Mumm-Ra’s arms back and Lion-O then punches the symbol on Mumm-Ra’s chest really hard. Mumm-Ra turns to dust and the day is won.

            Lion-O confirms that Mumm-Ra is not dead and that they have a lot of work to do and that it is his fault. Snarf being the voice of logic, tells that this point they have to move on. Lion-O and the others agree, saying they will defeat Mumm-Ra for good and liberate the planet. After the Thundercats leave, Mumm-Ra reemerges from the pile of dust. Mumm-Ra mocks Lion-O for his speeches then reveals that Wily Kat is not dead, merely teleported elsewhere, thus ending the miniseries.

CLASH TACTICS

            You know. Honestly, I did not think I would get through this whole thing. I know I was making references and comments during the story. I hope you laughed. To me though, this means there are some problems in terms of story and characterization for me. Now, not to say that this miniseries was not entertaining. In the spirit of the show, it captured it very well. Issues 3-5 felt like episodes of the show, like a new season after the end of the end of the original Thundercats cartoon. And that is both a good & bad thing.

            In terms of writing, the story and characterizations had some donut holes in them. Snarf was captured perfectly. Wily Kat, Wily Kat and the Mutants were all excellent characterizations were spot on and believable from the stand point of their characters in the cartoon and the incidents that they have gone through to get to where they are in this story.  Mumm-Ra was kind of in between, besides a couple of moments of derp, Mumm-Ra was constistently a bastard that you wanted to see dead more and more throughout the miniseries. Yet his 2 major derps make him laughable; the first is actually allowing Lion-O return and reform the Thundercats out of boredom. The second I will get to when we discuss the Lord of the Thundercats cause it is during their battle.

            No. My problems are the main 4 Thundercats. Tygra actually does have character in the cartoon and in other comics. Here . . . you could have replaced him with one of the other 3 Thundercats (Bengali, Pumyra & Lynx-O) and it would have changed NOTHING.  Seriously, the majority of the miniseries, Tygra is not featured or covered in a hood. Tygra has little to no baring on the story at all. Why was he added? Pretty much because he was one of the original Thundercats and it felt very stuck in there. For the love, Snarf is more important than Tygra was in the miniseries.

            Cheetara was almost spot on, especially for what had happened to her and what she had endured, which was never fully detailed. We can just assume. This is the only instance that I am ok with that. Cheetara was now a no nonsense kind of Thundercat. Her demanding an explanation from Lion-O was great. Yet, she seemed very quick to drop it.

            Panthro and Lion-O seem to have the same problem . . . consistency. Lion-O opened up in the first 2 issue as a bad ass, even killing 2 Thunderians and a few mutants in those issues. Panthro seemed just as ferocious, despite his tearfulness at Lion-O’s return. Now, making them both pretty violent and badass, taking little crap is fine. Yet, when it came to their bane of existence, Mumm-ra . . . neither of them go in for the kill? WHAT?! I call bullshit! You don’t build up characters who have very clear, defined reasons for killing someone, show them killing others with no problem and seemingly no remorse, then let the person you want to kill get off; even when you know they are still alive. For Jaga, Lion-O put down the Sword of Omens and proceeded to beat the hell out of Mumm-Ra with bare hands. WHY?! If you are gonna kill him, then frelling kill him. You don’t stab to the ground the very think that the villain wants and then begin to beat him up. Plus, why does said villain NOT go grab the damn sword once he swept Lion-O to the ground. You know, the thing that he wants so badly?

            Gilmore did good build up with the characters but there were just so many let downs. One after the other and it was beginning to take away from the story. Lion-O’s first appearance in the book is so epic and badass and by the time we get to the final battle, seeing what we see is such a let down. Which is another issue I have with the story; it is NOT that accessible to new readers.

            This miniseries is definitely more for old fans. And while I definitely see attempts to bring in new fans: the 5 year gap, Lion-O’s new costume, new attitudes from the Thundercats and visiting Thundera as it is now, it was laced with way too much more of nostalgia that it bogged down the story. There was so much of what happened told to us by Mumm-Ra, it was kinda of sad. And while a little bit of it was not bad, like in the first issue, after a while it was messing with the stories flow. Gilmore failed to make us truly understand or care about the characters, especially for new readers. There are ways to sell nostalgia and still make it new enough for new fans to enjoy. This failed at that.

            And remember I said inconsistencies? Well, there are not art inconsistencies too. But not because of the artists. For the writer or editor. Throughout the book, many of the readers are left with these whole think for yourself moments; while most characters in the book we were either shown or told what happens. We get mentioned that something horrible happened to Bengali. We never see or told what. We are NEVER told of Pumyra or Lynx-O. They were Thundercats which means they were fighting alongside the rest of them. WHERE THE HELL ARE THEY?!  Also, a prime example, Mumm-Ra suddenly has his sword when he knocks down Lion-O during the final battle in the miniseries. Then Panthro decks him and we never see what happens to the sword cause Mumm-Ra does not have it again. No clue that it disappeared just as weird as it appeared. Are you kidding me?! This is not the only instance of this lack of explanation occurring but it is certainly the biggest offender during the miniseries.

            Artistically, Ed Benes does a great job with making everyone look much like their cartoon counterpart and more. The new Lion-O uniform is awesome and adds to his more mature, manly persona. Any bits from the cartoon that he added were well done. The inking was good too but there is a slight shift between inkers that is noticeable. Rob Lea’s inking seemed hurried the closer it got to the end of the miniseries, as he inked 3-5 of The Return. Meanwhile, Joe Pimentel’s inks really gave a bit more life to Benes work. Lea did the same in issue 3 but it seemed to degrade some by 4 & 5. I almost get a feeling that there were last minute changes or issues running late with the way the art and story seemed to kind of hurry a little at the end. Yet, artistically, it is a good work. Not Benes best but not his worse either. Still, a real treat to see them done in this fashion.

            Overall, while the art is good and will keep your eyes engaged, the story just has a lot of holes. While it is an interesting story, the impact is lessened by story inconsistencies. The art and story just show us that as it goes along. And while I can see the attempt to draw new and old fans, the lack of consistency in characterization and some small dumb lapses in common sense hurt this more than it should have.

            Because of this, Thundercats: The Return will only rate at a Cruiserweight Contender (a 2 out of 5 ). It has potential but just falls short a bit more than it should.

Thus, the Winner of the Clash between Transformers & Thundercats is Transformers. What do the rest of you think? Write in and let me know. Whoever gets the most votes moves on to our summer Tournament. 

Next Week: TEAM BOOK MONTH BEGINS!

TimeTravelTuesdays: A brief history of The Wildstorm Imprint(And associated comic book imprints)

So, back in the late 80s, we have Todd Mcfarlane. That name sounds familiar to you either because you're thinking "Hey that's the guy that did that Soul Calibur stuff," or you're confusing him with the guy who does Family Guy.

I'm fairly certain this is him.

So, him and his buddies were drawing Marvel comics and were like, "Dude! More Pouches!" Or something like that. And Marvel was all like "These pouch guys sell so well!" and Todd said "Hey, I want some of that pouch money" and his friend Rob just kind of sat there with this big dumb grin on his face, and Marvel just stared at them for a second and then started laughing. Like, obscenely in how much they laughed. So, Todd was all like "Not cool dude. I'll just go make pouches on my own, and it'll have Black Jack and Hookers." And so he gathered up the mightiest team of early 90s Marvel Artists and somehow got Chris Mother Fucking Claremont. And so, they formed Image, the new comic shop on the block. And they had two Provisions to their company to keep them separate from those mewling savages over at Marvel. 1) Image would not own any creator's work, the Creator would, and 2) No outside food.

We know you have outside food on you.
We have all day to search your pouches.

Now Image was a weird little thing, since Image at the start wasn't all "Invincible" and "Saga" and "The Walking Dead". It was all like "Hey, Image, is just a logo, and everyone gets to do their own thing, with their own studio, and so long as they buy their food from the concessions in the front, everything will be just groovy" Only, that was a stupid idea, and you should never give Rob Leifeld his own studio. He'll just name it Extreme Studios, and forget to feed it. But one of these studios was Wildstorm, which some accredit to the saving and only worthwhile asset to Image comics. The others really like Witchblade.

I know what you're thinking, and you're
right. This would make a good anime. 

Wildstorm was Jim Lee's brainchild, and unlike Larsen who would occasionally remember to feed Highbrow Entertainment, Lee made certain that Wildstorm would only get the best of whoever thought Marvel were kind of pricks, with titles like WildC.A.T.S. and Stormwatch. And those books were criminally... okay. For the 90s. Then Jim had a great idea "I'll get that guy who just did Marvels and let him do stuff for me, under his own imprint under my imprint, under Image comics, an Imprint of Malibu comics." And so they made Homage comics, and Kurt Busiek was all like "I'mma go make-a-da-good-comics now" And Jim just kind shrugged and said "It's cool dawg" and then fist bumped him. And Terry Moore made stuff with lesbians, and James Robinson was there, but this was 90s Robinson who was hot offa doin' Star Man, not aughts Robinson, who did Gay For Justice and that recent thing with the gay Alan Scott. Basically, the only gay allowed in Wildstorm at the time was lesbians. But like, Leifeld and MacFarlane were making money, and Jim was like "How am I not makin' money? I've got trading Cards, and Pogs, and Cartoons, and I'm doing fuckin' Imprint-ception over here with Astro City and Lesbians. Fuckin' Lesbians! How dat shit not workin' dawg?" And so Todd and Rob told Jim that the secret to making great comics is throwing money at embittered comics legends who say they hate the idea of selling out but love the idea of taking money to the face like it's bukkake porn.

"I'm a legitimate artist"

And that ended up about as well as you think it did, and to ensure that Jim would never listen to their horrible advice ever again, he jumped over to DC who at this time was so rollin' in that Sandman dough that they were spending it like a NBA player 3 weeks into retirement. And then Todd was like "Oh Shit, what is Image gunna do now?" and Robert Kirkman was like "Hai Gais!" and everything was hunky dorey from then on. Then 1999 happened, and Super heroes were dark and violent and psychopathic, and just fabulous.

Pictured: The best gay characters in
comics pre Young Avengers.

And that's like, Batman and Superman, but less leather. And they're gay for each other. And I swear that Robinson had nothin' to do with it. And then Wildstorm just kind of sat there, and Jim was off drawing some Batman stuff, and some Superman stuff, but mostly Batman stuff. And there was some licensed stuff from Wildstorm, And Issue #2 of that Grant Morrison WildCats series'll come out any day now, and then in 2010 DC was all "That'll do pig" and shut down Wildstorm, and Jim Lee was like "I've got millions now bitches!" Cause he was named Co-Publisher of DC comics. And Stormwatch was made into one of those New 52 comics, and now I think Vertigo holds all the Homage comics stuff, and Alan Moore is done with Bukkake money since he's now indignant about doing stuff like that, and thinks less of creators that do, which totally doesn't make him a hypocrite, and Image comics has been successful and everyone lived happily ever after.

Especially Tony Moore

And that is all you need to know.

THE TOP 20 COUPLES IN COMICS

TOP 20 COUPLES in COMICS: 


by Frankie Rodriguez

 Valentine's Day. A time for love. A time for romance. A time where lovers come together and celebrate their love. Yet, amore is quite different in the world of comics. Love in comics can lead to so many different things . . . like you & your loved one being cloned for sick fantasies, you having to fight your signficant other cause they are too corrupted by the power they control or completely ignoring you detective skills to sleep with someone who looks just like your fiancee but is in fact a shape shifter from the future who claims that s/he will be your future lover.

A yes. Love in Comics. And as we continue to walk down the path of martial (or dating) bliss; we are gonna look out for the stand out couples in comics; the couples that do so much for the comic book industry . . . whether they know it or not.; These are the couples that stand out, make marks and keep you coming back for more, or wanting more or want them to break up so badly that you relish every issue hoping for the relationship's ultimate demise.

Welcome to my Top 20 Couples in Comics:

#20 - DONNER & BLITZEN

       

     Right now, I probably have the following 3 reactions from you, the reader. 1 - you are saying awesome or wow cause you didn't think this couple, a lebian couple, would make this list. 2 - you are pissed off cause this couple is so low on my list. or, and most likely, 3 - Wonder who in the name of Primus am I talking about.

       Donner & Blitzen were one of the first openly lesbian couples in super hero comics. Honestly, they might possibly be the very first. This couple was a great match; not just in powers : Donner was super strong blonde with muscles but still had boobs while Blitzen was a  petite super speedster; but in personality as well. Donner had the masculine role inthe relationship for the most part but it was Blitzen's level head that really help leveled out Donner's more spastic nature.

    Whenever in action, the two trusted each other enough to know the other could hand most of what they fought but still often checked on each other just to see that they were okay.

   So why are they so low on my list? Unfortunately, while pioneers in their own right, they still only appeared in the Shadow Cabinet & Heroes comics from the now defuncted, but often remembered Milestone imprint from the 90s. They were last seen back with the Shadow Cabinet a few years ago when they took on the Justice League of America but that was pre New 52. We have yet to see them but be sure that their contribution won't soon be forgotten.

# 19 - NIGHTWING (Dick Grayson)& STARFIRE

   Hey. Hey! Why am I getting booed? *sigh* Look, I love the Titans. A WHOLE LOT but please, let me explain and you will soon understand. Dick Grayson and Starfire were one of the biggest couples in comic book history. That is not boasting or mere speculation. This is fact. Dick Grayson and Starfire spent nearly 2 decades together, first coming together in the 80s during the now legendary Marv Wolfman/George Perez run on New Teen Titans.

   And if you want to say a couple that went through a lot .. . this is one of those couples. Dick and Kory have fought against Kory's evil sister, Blackfire. They had beaten Dick's stand-off ness after Jason Todd "died". They withstood Kory's FIRST arranged marriage where it looked like the couple was gonna be apart and never together again after Dick went after Kory to stop the wedding. There was even some unintentional infidelty that didn't stop the couple from walking down the Altar. Yet, Raven's evil side, which, at the time, came back from the dead to perform a lebsian liplock with Kory during their wedding and some on again off again points really dragged this couple around during the early 21st century.

   The couple called it splits for good when Dick revealed that he no longer loved Kory like he used to and that his heart now belonged to Barbara Gordon. So, upset by this Kory left Earth and joined Vril Dox's R.E.B.E.L.S. where she ended up in the arms of the new Captain Comet.

So, yeah. Dick fell for someone else after all that. That is part of the reason why they are so low. The other reason. Remember that infidelty I mentioned last paragraph. How about that whole sleeping with a shape shifter? Yep. If you didn't know, Dick indeed cheated on Kory. Unintentionally of course but still. Dick's detective skills get turned to mush when the fact that after so many years with Kory ... he sleeps with Mirage, who was pretending to be Kory. So Dick Grayson . . . as long as you look like the woman he loves,he'll sleep with you. Way to go Grayson!

#18 - JOKER & HARLEY QUINN

   And some people's heads just exploded. I am sure I am getting a few WTFs with this one. But in all seriousness, you people all underestimate this couple. Joker, the being of total and utter chaos, is still a man. Sure, a very warped, deranged, brilliantly twisted man but still a man. Now, with that, you have Harley Quinn, which started out primarily as a character for Batman: The Animated Series. And since then, the pair have become beloved by fans as a Bonnie and Clyde type couple.

And let me be the first to say that you are all absolutely and completely insane for thinking so.

This relationship is one of dependency, murder and downright warped senses of love. Harley is ever devoted to Joker; who used to be her patient in Arkham. Yes. Let me point out that Harley was a psychologist in Arkham Asylum before she lost her mind to be the Joker's love slave. Joker admitting that he love her would be considered weakness in his eyes. A weak point people can use against him and that goes against Joker's organized chaos theory.

For why they are so low on the list, it is cause this relationship is beyond sick. That and we have yet to see a role reversal where Harley was the dominate one.

#17 - COLOSSUS & KITTY PRYDE

     This is something of a rough spot for me for various reasons. I LOVE this couple. For as long as I been reading X-Men and read the classic stories by Chris Claremont, I knew that Piotr & Kitty Pryde were a match made in Heaven. There was great chemistry and we knew that they loved each other. And after so long of back and forth, feelings being re-examined over and over again; the 2 were finally together. Only to get torn apart . . . over & over again. Seriously, this couple has almost more start ups, stops and restarts than any other couple in comics except one.

    Yet, for all the passion that these two have for each other; and boy there has been much of it over the decades, it is the fact that this couple went through so much to be together over and over again and yet some how they, more Piotr than Kitty, mess up that relationship. Fact: Piotr had joined the Acolytes which broke Kitty's heart . .. knowingly. Fact: Piotr tried to come back into Kitty's life when she was dating Pete Wisdom . . . only to have Kitty shut him down and remind him that he left her. Fact: Piotr commited suicide without so much as a goodbye to Kitty; (Sure, it was for a heroic reason and he did end up alive but still). Fact: Even though he knew that his little sister had come back as a manpulative witch who used everyone and nearly got the world destroyed for a vendetta, he chose her over Kitty; who had recently came back after being stuck for months on a giant bullet while saving the world & merely days ago regained her tangibilty.

  "I know that you would die for me," Kitty said. " I need someone who will live for me." And that makes it the biggest problem in this romance. Piotr's sense of duty seems to over throw things that would ultimately be the right decision for him. This putting this couple down some. Yet, when you think about all this couple has accomplished over the years, you can't say that haven't left an impression on your mind or heart.

#16 - GREEN ARROW & BLACK CANARY

    Yes. These two. These two lovebirds have been through a whole lot. They have fought against some of the greatest villains known to man. They have fought to save the universe several times. And they have even fought each other . . . several times. Remember when we say that Colossus & Kitty were almost the most back and forth couple in comics? Well, these two top them but damn if it has not been entertaining to watch.

  Green Arrow, for all his stern political beliefs, was still a man who loved Dinah Lance, the Black Canary. And their love had spawned so many interesting encounters and even sharing the title card of their books on more than one occassion. The archer and the martial artist song bird. Oliver Queen and Dinah Lance (-Queen for the short time they were married) had always learned to survive through each others faults and whatever life threw at them.

Yet, this is where the up and down begins. Oliver's strong beliefs and wanting to adventure with best bud Hal Jordon led him to turn his back on his first sidekick, Roy Harper (then Speedy, currently Arsenal) after finding Roy had become addicted to heroin. This split the couple as Dinah was the only person that stayed with Roy, helping the former sidekick kick the habit. The couple eventually reconciled but then there were other issues as we found that Queen was very much a man . . . as he cheated on Dinah . .. several times. Dinah ended up in the arms of Ra's Al Ghul for a time. Queen eventually died but later came back to life.

  Now, Ollie and Dinah got back together, seemingly for good as the two got married and Dinah took on a surrogate mother role for not only Ollie's latest sidekick, Mia who became Speedy, but also for Ollie's biological son, Conner Hawke. Roy even took on the name of Red Arrow and joined the Justice League, thanks to coaxing from Dinah & Ollie stepping back to let his oldest "son" grow up. Yet, when Ollie & Dinah's granddaughter, Lian, was killed; this drew the final nail for the couple. Ollie kept secrets, even forming a separate team with Hal behind Dinah's back, who was chairman of the Justice League of America at the time. Then Ollie, in complete rage, killed Promethus. The two broke up; Dinah swearing that she was done.

 That is why they are so low on the list. The reason why they beat out Colossus & Kitty was because before Lian died, Ollie and Dinah had seemingly got it right. They got to the altar. They fought impossible odds. Ollie & Dinah seemed to work so right, uniting a larger family with Roy, Conner, Mia & Lian. It is a shame too considering that Ollie couldn't let go of his need for vengence to help stablize his family situation.

#15 -  REED RICHARDS & SUE RICHARDS

    I know. I know.  I can hear the "Are you kidding me's" from here. Yes, I did indeed have Reed & Sue this low on the list. Now, hear me out before you start cursing my name. Reed and Sue Richards have become an institution. As of right now, they are the longest married couple in super hero comics: well, living couple.

   The 2 have been married for decades and their marriage have survived challenge after challenge after challenge. This marriage survived Dr. Doom, the "death" of Reed Richards, Namor, Ms. Fantastic and more. Surviving odds as a couple with Reed being the brain but with Sue becoming the true leader of the FF. Over the last 2 decades, they solidified the fact that while Reed may call the shots from time to time, Sue has become the leader; help balancing out the group.

  With 2 children, the Future Foundation and the Fantastic Four, Sue & Reed have endured it all. Yet, with all this, this marriage has some serious flaws. And there are for both parties invovled. Sue has become a stronger woman over the last 2 decades but she has always had a strong connection with Namor. When Reed was presumed dead, Susan slowly but surely found her way into Namor's arms for comfort; and he was more than glad to give them. Even after Reed's return, Namor contiuned to flirt with Sue until the last couple of years. And Sue continued to allow the flirtations because of her attraction to him.

  Then there is Reed. Reed, for all his intelligence, has a dunce cap when it comes to romance. While over the years, he has gotten better with that over time; Reed still loves his wife . .. and love science. Reed's feelings clash with Sue's over the years but when the super hero civil war came; Reed stood firm that registration and imprisoning fellow heroes was the right way to go; So much so that it drove Sue away to the point that she was almost ready to divorce her long time husband. Reed set himself up as Johnny sided with Sue and the Thing moved to France for a while.

 That is why they get the low ranking. Otherwise, this couple is still strongly in love withe each other and continues to be together today.

#14 - APOLLO & MIDNIGHTER

   They are pretty much considered the premiere gay super hero couple in comics. These two first bursted onto comic books back in the 2nd volume of Stormwatch when Wildstorm was still part of Image and gained noteriety during their stint on The Authority. The two super powered beings have often been considered to be similar to Superman and Batman in terms of powers, intelligence but a couple. And while that might be what it looks like on the outside, you will find a couple very much devoted to each other.

  Apollo and Midnighter have recently found each other (again) in the New DC 52. The two compliment each other well; Apollo seemingly the more reserved of the two; a bit more open about his feelings while Midnighter was more quiet, letting his action speak for him. The reason why this couple is so low on the list is cause there hasn't been much seen of them just being a couple. Sure we see them battle and flirt but otherwise, there hasn't been much in terms of their romantic development . . . until now. Apollo and Midnighter, apart of Stormwatch again in the New 52, are just starting out and we are getting to see their development first hand. Maybe as things go along this time around, we will really see the couple stand out. Till then, they are #15.

#13 -  SCARLET WITCH & VISION

   Now here is an interesting couple. The witch and the robot. A robot that has a soul. Or had a soul. Had a soul, lost a soul, got it back? Eh . .. comics. Anywho, Scarlet Witch met her now ex-husband as they served time on the Avengers together. With the brain patterns of Simon Williams aka Wonder Man, as part of him, Vision charmed his way into Wanda's heart. And the two were so in love. They got married and even had children together. (I am not here to explain how Wanda got impregnated by a synthizoid)

   Vision and Wanda faced it all; till Vision went mad that one time and took over all the computers on the planet. He snapped out of that only later to be kidnapped by the government and dismantled in order to make sure he was no longer a threat. Wanda was also dealing with the fact that her children were not real at first . .. well, they actually were real and that is a whole other story for another day . . . and ultimately, they divorced.

   Even when Vision got his emotions back, he did not go back to Wanda. Which was sad. Vision had come so far yet decided not to go back to a person who loved him. I am not getting into what happened next. Overall, This couple was just very odd but surprisingly good together.

#12 - SPIDERMAN (PETER PARKER) & MARY JANE WATSON

    I am just FULL of surprises aren't I? Why oh why did I put one of the greatest couples in comics down soooooooo low. Quite simple actually. But I will get to that in a minute. Allow me first to give you some background on this much beloved couple.

  Peter had gone through a lot. The death of Gwen Stacy and supposed death of Norman Osborn on top of all that he endured at Spiderman was much for him. Yet, Mary Jane was about to love him, help Peter get better and become a better man. And the two seemed made for each other. She was the spunky Redhead who loved Peter and cheered him on; yet also understood Peter's need for being Spiderman. Peter,in turn, was the loving man who helped balance out Mary Jane's adventureous nature while finding his own. This couple loved each other and you knew it.

  Which now I get into why they are #12. To put it quite simply . . . these two had issues. And not the typical couple issues or back and forth like other couples. No. This couple had some deep seeded issues. Like Mary Jane's need for attention at times leading her to either be a flirt to other men or demand more out of Peter when she knew it was a bad time. Or Peter not being as supportive of his wife's career at times when he should have been. And need I remind you their BIGGEST crimes . . . One More Day & One Moment In Time. Those two shining turds are two of the greatest reasons why this couple is in #12. The fact that Mary Jane essentially helps Peter make a deal with the Devil (Mephisto but I am of the mind of Linkara on this . .. he's the Devil) and later on shows how jealous she is that Peter gave up their marriage is complete and utter bull! The fact that she would tell Peter that being with him is like being a battered wife . . . okay, there was that one time a clone of Peter hit Mary Jane but seriously . .. it was a clone and Peter was not responsible for that.

And Peter .. . dear god. Peter's mommy issues trump the love of your life? Aunt May died before. Sure that was a clone but still! BULL! Aunt May had lived a very full life. And how do you decide to save her life? By making a deal with the devil and give up your long time marriage in order to do so. What kind of hokey crap is that? I am not heartless but for the love of God, you do not make a deal with the devil. And you don't compare a relationship you willing stayed with that long and compare it to being a battered wife when half the time you are cheering him on to be a hero. THIS is why they are #12.

#11 - BATWOMAN & THE QUESTION (RENEE MONTOYA)

   Was not expecting these 2 did you? Hehe. I definitely know some of you were not thinking about these two but now that I mentioned them, you are grinning. This couple was definitely a great couple when you look at them. and while Donner & Blitzen may have pioneered the whole Lesbian couple Super Heroes scene . .. these 2 heroines perfected it.

    Renee Montoya and Kate Kane came together, again it seems, during the events of 52; where Kate first became Batwoman and Renee ended up becoming the new Question. These femme fatales had a lot more of a certain something than most other couples . . . passion. Lots of passion. Kate and Renee had been lovers before off panel and found each other again during the events of 52. And that fire became an inferno during the subsquent years. Kate was a tough as nails ex-military turned vigilante. Renee was the more open yet somewhat resistant ex-cop turned vigilante. The two had an odd chemistry that just worked. Passionate about justice and what they do, the two found each other again and got together.

   Unfortunately, the New 52 erased that and Kate is now dating long time Metropolis Detective but now Gotham Detective Maggie Sawyer. And why that relationship is hot in its own way,it was definitely not the complimentary and strong coupling of Kate & Renee. Ah, we shall remember you both well.

#10 - AQUAMAN & MERA

   Arthur Curry & Mera have had an interesting marriage. This former King & Queen of Atlantis have been through the ringer and that is putting it lightly. To a rebellion against Arthur, to Mera &

Arthur's son being murdered by Black Manta. To Mera dying to Arthur's own issues with his kingdom to Arthur's resurrection; Mera and Arthur seemed to have gone through a lot to be together.

   And this relationship is not without its own set of problems (Mera admitted she never wanted to have a child to Arthur denoucing his throne) the two have been able to come back through it all.

The reason why they are #10 is that while the 2 have had their problems, they recently have been able to overcome many of them. They are in a part in their relationship where they know and accept each other but it is figuring out that next step; thus their low ranking.

 Still, better their alternate reality selves still being together even though Arthur was engaged to Wonder Woman and Mera ends up dying which causes Aquaman to be one of the biggest mass murderers in history to their current New 52 status of them find their new way in life, you can believe that Aquaman and Mera are far from being a punchline.

#9 - HAWKMAN & HAWKGIRL (HAWKWOMAN)

   Now,let's get with the part of the countdown where I make your brain hurt . . . badly. Carter Hall & Shiera Hall (or is it Katar Hol & Shayera Hol) or is it Carter Hall & Kendra Sanders? All these fall under the this particular number because of the fact that you are dealing with 2 heroes who have lived and died . .. over & over & over again. For the Love of Highfather's junk, these 2 have had more incarnations than Tommy Oliver changed suits in Power Rangers. Think about it?

  Carter Hall & Shiera Hall fell in love back during World War 2. Or was it Ancient Egypt. Or was it Thanagar. The answer is .. . all of the above. The MUCH convoluted history of this romance spans not just time .. . but planets. The duo have been reborn and loved again over and over to the point where it could be a running gag. 

  Now, the strongest point about this particular relationship is that for the most part; the 2 are very dedicated to the other . . . when they are not together yet in there current incarnation. Sure Hawkgirl dated then Red Arrow Roy Harper while Hawkman was seeing Power Girl (pre New 52) but EVENTUALLY, Carter was able to be with Shiera again . .. twice. There was Shayera Hol, the Thangarian Hawkwoman and then their was Kendra Sanders, Hawkgirl. And while Hawkgirl tired to fight against fate, it ended up with broken hearts for Roy & Kara. Of course, her proclaimation of love came during Blackest Knight when she & Carter were getting slaughtered by one of the couples in my top 5.  Yet, they found each other resurrected at the end of that particular storyline . .. well, Carter was resurrected . .. and so was Shiera. And for a minute, we thought they were gonna have a happily ever after . . . till Shiera died, AGAIN.

  Since the new 52, we have seen Carter star in his own book again while no side of any incarnation of Shiera/Kendra. The fact that this couple is so on again off again due to death knocks them down a bit. Yet, this is a couple who spawned rebellions, survived dozens of lifetimes, great a super hero family on part with WWE's McMahon clan and really showed themselves as the loving yet kick butt couple in all of comics. This is a couple that is destined. Unfortuately, this couple is both destined to love each other . .. and destined to DIE.

#8 - CYCLOPS & . . . EMMA FROST

   Now, now Jean Grey fans. Before the Phoenix comes to eat me with my house, there are some things I want to point out about Scott Summers and his current love, Emma Frost. Emma Frost is somewhat similar to Jean and almost completely different at the same time. Jean was more girl next door or slight adventureous but level headed . .. till she was replaced by the Phoenix. And then she died. or it died. And she came back. And then she died and came back a few more times. But Jean was one of those people you always wanted to be around.

  Emma Frost is . .. definitely not Jean Grey. The Phoenix became corrupted thanks to the mental seductions of both Mastermind and Emma Frost. And Emma has killed people before. And while she has long since redeemed herself, Emma falling for Scott was something completely unexpected. And vice versa. After Scott spent a short stint as being part of Apocalypse, he was a bit more withdrawl. Emma was supposedly helping Scott to move past that . . . which lead to a psychic affair. The psychic affair lead to an actual affair. And after Jean Grey died most recently . .. Scott Summers fell for Emma Frost. Emma is somewhat strong willed, a great teacher but a woman of class and who likes the finer thing in life. She's not below being underhanded to get them.

  Scott went from being unsure of himself as a leader of a small group of mutants to being a full fledge monarchy to the mutant race, uniting them all together for a time after Scarlet Witch's spell left under 200 mutants left. As a recent issue of X-Men Legacy described Scott: there was a point where Scott wasn't sure if he was going to do the right thing to thinking that anything he does is right.

 And let's face it folks: Cyclops has been a lot more successful and interesting with Emma than he was without her. And vice versa. Scott allowed Emma to be a bit more vunerable and actual let herself earn her right as an X-Man. Scott, in turn, did what neither Xavier or Magneto were ever capable of doing. And honestly, I doubt Scott would have gotten this far without Emma; which brings me as to why they are #8 and not higher.

Simply put . .. Scott is a major douche bag and his duty to oversee mutant kind has gotten soooo deep that he has neglected Emma. And she, in term, has allowed herself to flirt with Namor. Not as strong of a couple as they may seem huh?

#7 - RICTOR & SHATTERSTAR

  Surprise! Really. I know. Were not expecting these 2 huh? Okay. Why are they here? Oh ... allow me to elaborate.

  Rictor and Shatterstar had become good friends back during their time together on X-Force. They grew so close that when Rictor wanted to leave in order ot take down his family's gun smuggling ring in Mexico, Shatterstar left with him. The 2 fell out of sight for some time till . .. after M-Day, a depowered Rictor had joined Jamie Madrox's X-Factor Investigations. He became the groups computer hacker.

  Shatterstar . .. got a hair cut and showed up againt under the control of another being ... who was using a dupe of Jamie Madrox for a host. Yay.  During that battle, Rictor and Strong Guy were able to free Shatterstar of the villain's control. And when that happened . .. Rictor was gifted with one heck of a lip lock from Shatterstar ... with Strong Guy somewhat shocked.

 From that point, the 2 started a relationship that has gone through much over its short time: the dealing with the rest of their teammates reactions to them; including a returning and pregnant Wolfsbane going all bible lady on them about homosexuality is a sin and lying about the baby she was carrying; Rictor's frustration of his lack of powers til recently and Shatterstar's want to experiment . . . with everyone, no matter the sex.

What I  enjoy about this couple is their autheticity of their emotions while dealing with their relationship and Shatterstar's coping to all the new feelings and sensations he admitted to never have before. This was all. new to him and that very conversation screamed out to many starting out in relationships . .. whethher gay, straight or bisexual. The couple feels very real because of roles in the relationship being discussed and Rictor's need for dominace.

  The reason why this couple doesn't top the countdown goes to a few factors: One, the fact that Rictor seemed to redefine himself as the Alpha Male in the relationship once he's powers are returned to him is REALLY annoying; Shatterstar's need for experimentation is both a double edge sword as he and Rictor are just starting and he's ready to jump in the sack with anyone as long as Rictor is with him (while somewhat true is off putting) and finally, the fact that this couple has yet to really deal with their issues at hand. But I am sure Peter David, writer of X-Factor, will be dealing with all these soon enough.




#6 - BATMAN & CATWOMAN 


    I know. I know. This snuck on me too. I originally was not going to put them on this countdown at all. And Certainly not as high as they are. Yet, there is just something about that. 

Before we get into things . . . all you Bruce/Talia fans . ..  let's get some facts out on the table. First, Talia maybe the mother of Bruce's biological son, Damien Wayne and have shared a beautiful and wonderful time together. But let's make something perfectly clear . . . Talia does NOT love Bruce.

 Why do I say that? Quite simply, I don't think Talia knows how to love. She had chance to reform but she decides to put on some major criminal activities even after multiple pleas from Bruce. While Selina . ..  honestly, has limited to criminal activites, even stopping them completely at times to be a defender to people in her section of Gotham City. Selina and Bruce have a chemistry that is just so unmatched that it is scary. Selina says she doesn't completely get him .. . yet, there are parts of Batman & Bruce Wayne that she got better than Talia or any other of the dozens of women Bruce has wed. 


  Selina earns the distinction of being one of the few women that Bruce felt he could actually trust with not only his identity but the identity of his network, his home and even parts of him he never shared with anyone else. (Read Jeph Loeb's Hush to see what I mean). When Bruce was considered dead, Selina mourned Bruce like a woman who lost her life mate. When Bruce came back, Selina was with him at the start of his Batman Inc. venture. Oh, and in said Hush story, Bruce flat out chooses Selina over Talia . . . something the Dark Knight has, as far as recent history is concerned, has never done.

   Selina has her fair share of issues. So does Bruce. Yet, the combination of sexual tension, unspoken feelings and thrill of their careers as masked heroes just magnifies their attraction more than nearly any other couple on this list. And while the New 52 has seemingly erased some of Bruce's & Selina's history together (mostly that she knows he's Bruce) but the chemistry and the feelings are still very much there.

Unfortunately . . . these are 2 people certain that they can't live normal lives. Bruce is far too controlling while Selina wants to hold on to her independence more than her own life at times. This is not a couple that sees themselves settling down. Yet, in an odd way, that is what makes them work so well. 




#5 - LUKE CAGE & JESSICA JONES-CAGE 


    Okay. This couple are pure fun to watch. Brian Michael Bendis is one of the most prolific writers. And I have to say, the fact that he built their relationship with nearly a decade worth of stories . . . from Alias to currently New Avengers, this couple has taken over the stop as THE AVENGERS COUPLE. More than Hank Pym & Janet Van Dyke. More than Scarlet Witch & Vision. More than Quicksilver & Crystal. 


   Luke Cage is a stubborn yet very just and caring man who wants to do right and make sure justice is served. Jessica Jones-Cage is a woman who wants to help yet used to keep up walls. Yet, as time passed, those walls began to fall down. Cage became less uptight about what he wanted and what he stood for. Luke became an Avenger while Jessica reconnected with old friends Carol Danvers and Jessica Drew, forming the current divas of the Avengers. This couple found each other before the Civil War, as they were making their way. Since coming together, they not only found their way to each other but accomplished so much: Luke Cage is now LEADING the New Avengers; they got married; they became parents to little Danielle Jones-Cage (points if you can guess who their daughter is named after) they BOUGHT & OWN the AVENGERS MANSION . . . for a $1. This couple have accomplished so much for themselves individually and together since getting together that it is just hard not to think of them together anymore. 


  For all this, why are they only # 5. Marriage seems to be just as much of an adventure as they're coming together was. And while they were apart for a short time during Osborn's time as THE # 1 COP, this couple has gotten things right. Yet, as parents, they are still learning and Jessica is very much worried about their daughter. Luke & Jessica need to get an idea of what they are gonna do together as they raise their daughter but I hope we see the Cages amongst the Avengers for a long time to come. Plus, points for hiring Squirrel Girl as a Nanny for Danielle and for convincing Daredevil to join the New Avengers. 




#4 - CLARK KENT & LOIS LANE (KENT) 


    Yep. THE SUPER HERO COUPLE! As # 4. 


  Lois & Clark have had one great adventure over the years to the point where they finally got married. Then they finally got married . . . after Clark died then came back to life; Lois having doubts after seeing Clark giving a goodbye kiss to former lover Lori Lemaris; Clark having to abandon his civilian identity for a time then losing his powers; They FINALLY got married.

  Lois is an adventures, strong woman who was never gonna be easy to wed. But Superman was about to allow Lois be vulnerable for him while he was vulnerable for her. The two found that they were the one, true love for the other and there was NO denying it. No matter how many women and men tried to break up this couple . . . which I believe they hold the most potential love breakers than any other in the history of comics . . . the two not only endured, but thrived.

 After they got married, they worked at their relationship to the point that most heroes who knew Superman was Clark Kent knew Lois personally. Lois Lane became a fixture in many heroes life as Mrs. Superman while Clark learned to be Mr. Lois Lane. And it worked more than they ever thought. Even following in the Kent's foot steps in adopting their own Kryptonian, Lois became Super-Mom to Chris Kent. This couple was Magic.

 Yet, with all that, this couple did 3 things wrong: First, they took FAR too long actually getting together as a romantic couple. The Romantic couple was nearly 60 years in the making. Nearly 60  years till they actually got married. Sure there was the whole time they were together in the silver age but that got retconned . .   Second, the fact that it took them so long to actually get married. I understand that having their marriage be a big thing was smart but for the love . . . nearly a decade after they got engaged, they married. NEARLY A DECADE!!  Finally . . . the New 52 erased this relationship and Lois is back to being her spunky single self while Clark is . . . more awkward than ever. YAY. Thank you for getting rid of one of my favorite couples. 




#3 - BLACK PANTHER & STORM 

  This was not just a union of 2 characters: it was the living representation of a dream, character status elevation & one of the most natural unions in comics. Black Panther, the genius king of the  tech savy and naturally beautiful country of Wakanda being united with Storm, the formerly worshipped weather goddess and long time X-Man. Ororo & T'Challa had a fabled love story that dated back to the times they were children. They're young love never wavered over the years. It was seen little by little over the years. At the turn of the century, Ororo & T'Challa began their ultimate destiny as one of the most visible and most beloved couples in comic book history.

 And as they finally got together and got married, fans rejoiced. Fans were happy to find the two finding each other. For a mutant had married a human and had become not just a representation of African-Americans but also the living symbol of mutant/human coexistence. For God's sake, Storm's wedding dress was designed by a soap star fashion coordinator. 


  And when they became a couple, they showed the world that not only were they strong as a couple but they were strong as a nation. Wakanda had a King & Queen that was unmatched in their countries history. Unfortunately, enemies had hurt their country and the King & Queen's honeymoon was over. Storm decided to work with the X-Men while T'Challa decided he needed to help the people of Hell's Kitchen in order to redeem himself. That is the main reason why this couple is # 3 . . . they are married but not together. Yet, with Storm joining the Avengers, I am sure we will see more of T'Challa & Ororo together soon. Oh . . . and just as a warning: Ben Grimm wanted me to tell everyone that do NOT ever say the following things; 1 - Storm is NOT wearing contacts  and 2 - SHE IS NOT WEARING A WEAVE! That's her real hair. 




#2 - BLACK BOLT & MEDUSA 


    From one set of royalty to another; this King & Queen are truly connected. Black Bolt and Medusa have long reigned on the throne of the Inhumans . . . and recently, the Kree Empire with an iron fist. The couple has faced invaders like Apocalypse to the dangers of Maximus to War with the Shi'ar Empire.

   Through the years, Medusa was always the voice of Black Bolt. The Queen was never one to fool around with things and Black Bolt merely gesture to his wife and she would tell everyone what he felt without question. Their love culminated with the birth of their son and they stayed strong. They did it all together . . . 


 Almost everything.




 Black Bolt spent years with Medusa so she knows him well. Which makes the fact that the Skull that disguised himself as Black Bolt for a time fooling Medusa seem sad. It's Dick & Kory all over again. What was even uglier is the fact that Black Bolt kept the fact that he was hiding one of the Infinity Gems (gems so powerful that they can control time, space & creation itself) from everyone but the Marvel Illuminati was such a blow to the Queen. This while he was supposedly dead. Yet, even with these faults, the fact that Medusa was about to carry on and forgive her husband and the two are strong than ever are why they are # 2. 








AND THE #1 COMIC BOOK COUPLE ARE . . .








#1 - RALPH & SUE DIGBY 

     That is right.  Any person who's collected comics know how hard it was when Brad Meltzer's Identity Crisis ending the long running union with the brutal death of Sue Digby which opened up some many other stories. The fact that her death was still referred over and over again throughout the years in DC Comics till the recent DC Relaunch makes it that much more important to the overall community within DC Comics. The heart breaking death of Sue had comic book fans weeping and comic book heroes wallowing in despair.
   Fans of the couple know that they were identified as Ralph & Sue or Elongated Man & his wife. The stretchy hero and his wife had fought odd after odd after odd to be together. They faced Sonar several times, who was obsessed with Sue to finally take down the sound manipulating villain. They survived Ralph's time with the Justice League in several incarnations. They overcame Sue's brutal rape from Dr. Light. This couple has truly endured. 


  Fans and super heroes were so taken by the likable couple that they were always a favorite. When Ralph helped formed Justice League Europe, Sue came with him and eventually the Liasion to the team. Sue is the first woman to ever Earn Honorary League Member status. No other super wife had achieved that.  Not Lois. Not Ellen Baker. Just Sue Digby.

  The couple has seen it all. When Sue died, Ralph fell apart till he became determined to find the mastermind behind the death of his wife and ultimately dies; joining his wife in death. Unfortunately, the last image of them is their brutal murder of our #9. Yet, it shows in death . . . they had love. Always being together. Always trusting each other. Always knowing each other.

We miss you both and thank you Ralph & Sue. 


___




And that is my Top 20 Couple in Comics. Feel free to disagree or agree and leave comments below. Thank you all for reading this and will see you next time. Keep Clashing everyone . ..  and Happy Valentine's Day.