Welcome to The Beat’s 2024 Valentines Day Comics Extravaganza! It’s the time of year when romance is in the air.
To celebrate, here are 12 romantic comics to celebrate Valentines Day on February 14th. Did we include your favorite?
Always Never, by Jordi Lafebre; translated by Montana Kane
Published by Dark Horse
A tale told in reverse. We begin with the final chapter – with a couple going on their first date in old age, having known and loved each other their whole lives but the stars never quite managing to align. Each subsequent chapter gradually turns the clock back as we get to see who these two individuals are, and all the times things never quite worked out…and the ongoing mystery of how they met each other in the first place. Charming, mesmerizing, fantastic. — Dean Simons
Blind Data by Paula Rogers
Published by Paula Rogers
Dating apps are the norm when it comes to connecting with someone nowadays, even more in our post Covid world. In Blind Data, Rogers skillfully illustrates the pros and cons of digital dating, including common woes such as ghosting, questionable algorithms, and how the whole experience feels like people shopping (keep swiping for the better deal!). As dehumanizing as technology can be, however, Rogers’ outlook isn’t completely bleak. The potential to find that connection is out there if you have the patience (and stomach) to wade through the nonsense first. — Deanna Destito
The Chromatic Fantasy by H.A.
Published by Silver Sprocket
In this gorgeously rendered graphic novel, a trans man sells his soul to a devil to escape from a nunnery and begin a career as an invincible criminal. But that’s just the beginning of this unapologetic, horny romance, which follows the aforementioned Jules and his lover Casper as they lie, steal and fuck through a series of occasionally anachronistic adventures. — Avery Kaplan
Don’t Go Without Me by Rosemary Valero-O’Connell
Published by ShortBox
Stories of longing, distance, recollection mixed with dreams. Realized, robust SFF settings serve as barriers keeping the lovers apart. These stories are tragic and beautiful, exploring maximalist landscapes as a means to construct a portrait, done from memory, painted in longing. — Arpad Okay
Love and Rockets by Los Bros Hernandez
Published by Fantagraphics
Every page of this comic, and there are quite a few, positively hums with the exquisite agony of why don’t they get together already. Xaime’s The Girl from HOPPERS is a punk rock snapshot of being young and blundering through love. Beto’s Heartbreak Soup is every relationship in town, seen through from seed to bloom to the ghost of remembrance. — Arpad Okay
On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden
Published by First Second
I will cross the stars to find you again. Rebuilding an abandoned cathedral, my mind is with you. Lunch in the mess, trading jokes with the crew, my heart is yours. The galaxy was set against them coming together, in ways both mundane and fantastic. — Arpad Okay
Once Upon a Time at the End of the World by Jason Aaron & Alexandre Tefenkgi
Published by BOOM! Studios
I just discovered this series about finding romance while living in an apocalyptic wasteland. It’s a familiar premise that gets a fresh take through the imagination of Aaron’s writing and Tefenkgi’s art. I wasn’t expecting to fall in love with the series as much as I did. The series, as Aaron has openly admitted, was influenced by the events of the global pandemic. Despite the obvious inspiration, the series and themes have a timeless feel that doesn’t limit itself to the current epoch. There is deep emotional truth to the main characters, Maceo and Mezzy, that will resonate for many, myself included. — Taimur Dar
Sad Girl Space Lizard by Iggy Craig
Published by Silver Sprocket
So much more than a mecha-pilot-rivals bang it out story, but yes also that. It’s a little more about the breakdown of expectations that allows for love than being focused on yearning itself. Yet there’s no denying this comic is driven by desire. Smashing the frame is what set love free. — Arpad Okay
Saga of the Swamp Thing #34: “Rite of Spring” by Alan Moore, Stephen Bissette, John Totleben, et al.
Published by DC
Somehow it’s been three years since I declared Saga of the Swamp Thing #34: “Rite of Spring” the most romantic comic I ever read, and while I’m not sure I should’ve been quite so hyperbolic, “that issue where Swamp Thing has sex” remains a genuinely stirring choice for Valentine’s Day reading. Don’t worry, it’s not as pornographic as it may sound. Swampy’s girlfriend, Abigail Arcane, shares a psychedelic, even spiritual moment with Swamp Thing when she bites fruit that grows off of him (stay with me here), and it’s brilliantly brought to life by every creator involved. — Gregory Paul Silber
The Scott Pilgrim series, by Bryan Lee O’Malley
Published by Oni Press
Now that the Scott Pilgrim saga has been brilliantly reimagined by the Netflix anime Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, it’s the perfect time to revisit the original six 2004-2010 graphic novels. The story of a young, geeky slacker who plays bass in a garage band and fights for the love of Ramona Flowers against her “League of Evil Exes” remains as hilarious and heartfelt as ever. Part of what makes these books uniquely romantic is that O’Malley doesn’t let Scott off the hook for being a huge dirtbag—and Ramona is no saint herself. As they grow closer together, they both learn to be better people, and it’s a ton of fun along the way. — Gregory Paul Silber
Sex Criminals by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky
Published by Image Comics
A series which began about a decade ago that wrapped during the pandemic’s first year, Sex Criminals is a sex comedy adventure where a librarian and an actor who are dating one another discover that their orgasms can freeze time. So naturally, they use their special ability to try and rob banks together. It’s absurd. It’s funny. It’s painfully aware of its own shallowness, which leads to growth. What I love about Sex Criminals is its take on the growing nature of relationships. Fraction’s work on Hawkeye is some of my favorite and Zdarsky is easily one of the funniest guys I’ve ever met in person. Totally a Valentine’s day read. — Christian Angeles
Thieves by Lucie Bryon
Published by Nobrow Press
She met the girl of her dreams stealing personal effects from a house party. Theft was what they had in common. The tricky part- how do I tell you it’s missing because I have it, when the same is true but with you and my heart- is only the first pickle they get in. — Arpad Okay
Did we include your favorite romantic comic? Be sure and let The Beat know, either here in the comment section or over at The Beat’s page on Bluesky. And don’t forget to come back tomorrow for The Beat’s 2024 Valentines Manga Extravaganza!
