Spider-Girl

Creator: Marvel Comics

Ship: Spider-Man/Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson, Spider-Girl/May “Mayday” Parker and various.

Spider-Girl is a line of comics from Marvel that asks, “What would happen if Spider-Man and Mary Jane had a daughter, and their daughter inherited her daddy's superpowers?” The answer, of course, is “take names and slam heat as your friendly neighborhood Spider-Girl.” The series was actually canceled multiple times but brought back due to high demand from fans, which just goes to show: you can't keep a good web-slinger down.

It's an excellent comic for girls to enjoy, since our protagonist is a well-written high-school girl with more personality than cleavage. It's also an excellent comic for shippers, since we get both the coziness of seeing Mr. and Mrs. Parker in domestic bliss and the excitement of young May's romantic prospects. Of course, the romance isn't the entire point of the comic: rather, it's balanced out with May's crime-fighting, her relationships with her parents and her friends, and the occasional pulse-pounding tangle with a deadly supervillain, meaning that this is just an excellent comic, period.

  If you're looking for a gift for someone who wants to get into comics...don't give them this one. It will set the bar too high, and they'll just be disappointed when they discover what most other comics are like. However, if you're looking for a comic for someone who just wants something good to read, then this is perfect.

Excelsior!

Marvel/DC Zero Hour

Creator: ItsJustSomeRandomGuy
Ship: Norman Osborn / Green Goblin and Harleen Quinzel / Harley Quinn

Goblin and Harley may be super-villains rather than super-heroes, but their romance on the web-show I'm a Marvel and I'm a DC is just too cute to go unmentioned on this blog.

"Zero Hour" is the title of the third major story-line on the humor show which normally just features superheroes (and villains) discussing their comics and movies, and while the jokes keep flying, this arc is comparatively darker than the previous two.  Marvel's Green Goblin and Deadpool get caught up in a scheme by DC's Lex Luthor and find themselves pitted against a threat that may doom all of the various comicbook universes.  All the while, Goblin must grapple with the fact that the woman of his dreams is literally made for someone else.

The seeds of the Goblin/Harley romance were sown as far back as the first story-line, "After Hours", and have been a steadily-progressing subplot since then; but in "Zero Hour", the relationship is really brought to the fore.  Having Harley's heart is Goblin's main motivation throughout the story this time, and we get a heart-breakingly closer look at both his feelings for her and her relationship with the joker.  The final episode is a spectacularly epic event that resolves this little love-triangle with a finality that not only closes the book on it, but nails the cover shut as well.  Whether you're a DC fan, a Marvel fan, or just have a casual interest in either company, this series is not to be missed.

Superman Vs. The Elite

Creator: Joe Kelly (DC Comics/Warner Bros.)
Ship: Clark Kent/Superman and Lois Lane

Has anyone here seen Superman Vs. The Elite?

It's an animated movie based on the comic book story What's So Funny About Truth, Justice, and the American Way?  Both are written by Joe Kelly.  It's basically a look at idealistic heroes versus the darker, more violent anti-heroes that became so popular in comics all of a sudden.

The Elite, led by Manchester Black

In the story, Superman meets The Elite, a group of--well, dark and violent anti-heroes.  They believe in simply killing their opponents.  This philosophy, naturally, puts them at odds with Superman, and things escalate to the point where they end up challenging the man of steel to a duel to the death.  Since they are willing to kill and he is not, it seems as though there can only be one outcome.

Superman and Lois are married in this one.  While the relationship isn't really the centerpiece of the story, I think it does contribute a lot to the tension: by the end of the story, Superman's life is on the line.  If he were single, this would just be standard stakes for your typical Saturday-Morning Cartoon slug-fest.  Since he's married here, however, and since we can see how the situation is affecting Lois, the stakes are even higher: two lives may be wrecked, not just one.  If he dies, he leaves Lois behind as a widow.  Now it's drama.

Since this is more of an action story than any kind of romance, Lois and Clark's relationship can, at a glance, seem fairly frigid on the surface. I thought so, until I realized that Lois' comment about Clark needing cold showers wouldn't make any sense as a threat (even a mock-threat) if he were already taking them, if you know what I mean.  We also get a glimpse, towards the beginning, of just why Clark needs someone like her ("Someone's got to look after your S.") and, towards the end, why she needs someone like him.

Overall, Superman Vs. The Elite is a good movie, and while the relationship between Clark and Lois isn't center-stage, it is present.  Lois is a major supporting character here, and her role serves to better the story significantly.  Of course, one can always want more, but hey: at least we're not being beat over the head with the old "Superheroes shouldn't marry" stick.  I'd call this a step in the right direction.

Marvel/DC Christmas Card Video

Creator: ItsJustSomeRandomGuy
Ship: Various

I know it's late in the season, but has anyone else seen this adorable Christmas card video on YouTube?

It's just so sweet and romantic!

For those not in the know, ItsJustSomeRandomGuy and his girlfriend, dubbed ItsJustSomeRandomGirl, are the creators of the YouTube humor series I'm A Marvel and I'm A DC.  He does all the male voices, and she does all the female ones.  Aside from being a couple's project, it's not really a romantic series; but every now and then, you get sweet little moments like this one.