Happy Valentine’s Day from the Sequential crew! A few of us just wanted to share some of our favorite fictional couple during this loving holiday. Enjoy!
Wally West and Linda Park
Wally West’s tenure as the Flash had plenty of highlights and one of the more memorable ones was his relationship with Linda Park. Introduced in William Messner-Loebs run of The Flash, the Scarlet Speedster’s initially strained interactions with the TV reporter would eventually lead to the two being happily married after years of squabbling and aiding each other. Their stories saw the two have complicated interactions without resorting to absurd melodrama. When handled right, Linda wasn’t just a prop in Wally’s stories and she almost always played an active role, particularly in Mark Waid’s outstanding years writing The Flash. “Snarky reporter” isn’t exactly the most original archetype, especially in superhero comics but Linda had enough depth and personality to distinguish herself from her superpowered spouse. Unlike so many other superheroes, Wally underwent meaningful, lasting character development. He wasn’t some static icon and his social life reflected that. Wally and Linda’s genuine, dynamic relationship encapsulated what made their era of the Flash mythos so great.
Green Arrow and Black Canary
Green Arrow and Black Canary are unique in that they came together not because they were created to be together but through inspired creative choices. They’re superheroes created independently of each other, but whose identities are now inseparable. They truly equal, and neither character is defined by being the other’s partner. And yet it’s never a fairy tale with Ollie and Dinah. They fight, they drive each other crazy, and they break up. They’ve gone to hell and back, and never without scars. They’re able to work through those things because they have genuine respect for each other, even when they’ve been wronged. They’re the perfect couple because they’re not perfect.
Spider-Woman and Porcupine
I’ve read nearly every main issue that Jessica Drew is headlining in, and in her
Rather than some weird infatuation with a woman he doesn’t know, Porcupine is initially beaten and (technically) kidnapped by Spider-Woman when they first meet. And over the course of
Suzie and Jon
Despite the couple’s ability to stop time to rob banks and stuff, Suzie and Jon feel about as real as possible. Readers of Sex Criminals have had the luxury of watching this couple meet, fall in love, and grow as both people and couple. Through some hilarious highs and heartbreaking lows, the two
Vegeta and Bulma
Vegeta and Bulma’s relationship in the Dragon Ball franchise is always the one I’ve found to be the most interesting and most impactful of the series. Vegeta is probably the most fleshed-out character in the series (even including Goku); we’ve seen him grow and evolve from an evil prince to a core member of the Z-Fighters. And a big part of his development has been his relationship with Bulma. Not only did her compassion toward him slowly soften his heart, but over the course of the series we see time and time again Vegeta’s love for his wife and his family becoming the driving force behind his actions (sometimes even more so than his rivalry with Goku). When I watch episodes of Super and see Vegeta giving his son word of encouragement or freaking out over his wife being put in danger, I can’t help but smile at seeing our Saiyan prince become the man he is today.
