Edo, your suggestion made me do a forehead slap. I could not for the life of me come up with a reasonably high profile couple from DC other than the Hawks, so I settled on Joker and Harley. Good suggestion by you!
Colin, given your nomination centers around marriage, we could suggest Hank and Jan Pym, although their tenure as crime-fighting partners ended back in the Silver Age.
I'm watchin' the old 'Thin Man' series now. I'm loving their shared screentime and chemistry. Highly recommended.
Perhaps Bronze Age Robin and Batgirl..? Some of the later Batman Family issues were starting to improve both art and stories.
(Donnie Heck was driving me bananas.....)
I'd go for Silver/Bronze DD and Widow. Not only did Natasha prove herself as DD's equal (slightly more so than female fatale), but their ultimate breakup was done in a very stark yet dramatic/mature way, and like most mature relationships in real life, it went on for months. Last year, I collected all the issues during that period and it was frankly riveting. Luckily, writers brought Natasha in several time since then. Some breakups never quite last, yet I saw some broad character development out of both in the process.
Colin, I'd like to vote for Reed/Sue, but other than the marriage, I never saw them doing much by way of equal teamwork outside of the foursome.
I was reminiscing on all the 'Must-Save-Jan' moments Hank had, but repondering it, they did make a pretty solid team in the Silver Age, more hit-miss perhaps in the '70s and '80s.
I liked the nostalgic aspect of Jan teaming with Scott Lang during the Under Siege storyline.
Thinking back to the Bronze Age (don't we just do that all the time?), a good buddy comic might have included the Hulk and Valkyrie. But only with art by Our Pal Sal.
How about Green Arrow and Black Canary; they didn't always get along perfectly (mainly because of Ollie being a dick), but when they worked, they worked well.
My brain is completely fried after work, but I was trying to come up with an example of a good non-romantic couple. Failing, obviously. On TV, I enjoy the pair on the show Sleepy Hollow. It is goofy as heck but the two leads work well together.
Well, I liked Iron Fist and Misty Knight, although they were a romantic couple.
Ohhhh, DaveB-- you got the drop on the first. . . THE FIRST!. . . partnership that came to my mind: Nick & Nora Charles! There are bits in those movies (mostly from Myrna Loy's delightful delivery) that make my wife & I roar every single time we watch them. We've probably watched that first film ten times. . . and I still lose track of who exactly did what.
I feel like the comics world could use some more regular male/female partnerships that are non-romance based. Oh, I've always been on board w/ most of the relationships mentioned above (that I've been familiar with)-- and would add Hawkeye/Mockingbird to the list, although they never got handled very well once they were established. It pretty much became a contest to see how irreversibly the relationship could be screwed up once they got married.
So, the one that I like the best in comics would have to be Smax & ToyBox from Alan Moore's TOP 10. A couple of Metahuman "beat cops", that develop a grudging and very deep non-romantic affection for one another. A clear and intentional television-inspired cliche' that works very well (as good cliche's often do, eh?). Given the television connection, I'd agree w/ Karen on our Sleepy Hollow heroes. And would add the really, really, REALLY nice, slow, sincere bond that's been built between Joan Watson & Sherlock Holmes in ELEMENTARY. I'm loving that one a lot, yes.
Oh! Can I toss in Harry Dresden & Karen Murphy from the Dresden Files? ANYBODY read that series besides HBSon & myself? O'course, that one is hopelessly based on romance repressed/denied. . .
I always enjoyed Hank and Jan in the earlier days. Would have liked to see a Yellowjacket / Wasp series. May not be popular but I liked Cap and Diamondback. However Polaris/Havok, Dr Strange/Clea and Medusa/Blackbolt never did much for me. I do like Adam Warlock and Gamora and wish they did more with them. But the all time best male-female partnership: Starhawk/Aleta. Oh boy.
Well I got nothing original to add so I'l just echo the popular choices here - Cloak & Dagger, Reed & Sue, DD & Black Widow, Hank & Janet Pym, Scarlet Witch & QUicksilver.
- Mike 'still looking for Mrs. Right' from Trinidad & Tobago.
Let me add E-Man (Alec Tronn) and Nova (Kane) to the list. The addled alien and the stripper with a heart of gold are a classic team and have a delightful banter.
D'oh! How could I forget E-man and Nova?! Good one, Rip. I also agree with HB's suggestion about Smax and Toybox. Another good non-romantic, male/female partnership in Top 10 was Irmageddon and Officer Joe Pi (although I'm not sure if it counts since he's a robot).
Karen's right, though: in comics at least, it's pretty hard to find non-romantic male/female partnerships.
Oh, I think he counts, edo. A robot, sure-- and unless I'm wildly mistaken, a Transformer-cloned one at that-- but clearly one programmed to adhere to a gender identity. That partnership just developed so late in the series that I was reluctant to submit it. Geeze, what a great, GREAT bunch of characters. . . now I want to go read it all over again. . .
I'd have to go with Ralph & Sue. Reed & Sue is probably runner up. Reed can act like a jerk as a husband sometimes, but heck, they've been married 50 years.
Katar and Shayera were way ahead of their time in terms of an equal marital partnership. Too bad they never made a comeback in a more marriage-friendly era. Ka-Zar and Shanna were awesome when she first replaced Bobbi Morse as the series female lead.
Mr. Miracle (Scott Free) and Big Barda.
ReplyDeleteClose runner-up: Ka-zar and Shanna.
Doug & Karen!
ReplyDeleteReed and Sue Richards - they're the longest lasting couple in Marveldom and they've split up a couple of times but always get back together.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous --
ReplyDeleteStop it...
Edo, your suggestion made me do a forehead slap. I could not for the life of me come up with a reasonably high profile couple from DC other than the Hawks, so I settled on Joker and Harley. Good suggestion by you!
Colin, given your nomination centers around marriage, we could suggest Hank and Jan Pym, although their tenure as crime-fighting partners ended back in the Silver Age.
Doug
NICE ONE, Anonymous..
ReplyDeleteI'm watchin' the old 'Thin Man' series now. I'm loving their shared screentime and chemistry. Highly recommended.
Perhaps Bronze Age Robin and Batgirl..? Some of the later Batman Family issues were starting to improve both art and stories.
(Donnie Heck was driving me bananas.....)
I'd go for Silver/Bronze DD and Widow. Not only did Natasha prove herself as DD's equal (slightly more so than female fatale), but their ultimate breakup was done in a very stark yet dramatic/mature way, and like most mature relationships in real life, it went on for months. Last year, I collected all the issues during that period and it was frankly riveting. Luckily, writers brought Natasha in several time since then. Some breakups never quite last, yet I saw some broad character development out of both in the process.
Colin, I'd like to vote for Reed/Sue, but other than the marriage, I never saw them doing much by way of equal teamwork outside of the foursome.
Perhaps Hank/Jan when Byrne drew them in MTU.
I would suggest Scott & Jean (Cyclops and Marvel Girl), except that wouldn't be true.
ReplyDeleteI am going to have to give this more thought.
I can think of one's I don't like (like Spider-Man & Black Cat) more than ones I do.
Well my first thought was Cloak and Dagger. Not sure why but I always like them as a pair.
ReplyDeleteI'll go with Scarlet Witch & Vision. I don't care if John Byrne compared their coupling to a woman being married to a toaster.
ReplyDelete#1) Sue and reed, #2) Jan and Hank. 2 very different relationships.
ReplyDeleteWhat about brother/sister combos? ... Aurora & Northstar, Sue & Johnny Storm, and of course Scarlet Witch & Quicksilver
ReplyDeleteHow about Daredevil and Black Widow. They even shared a title for a few years.
ReplyDeleteOk, I revise my opinion on Hank/Jan.
ReplyDeleteI was reminiscing on all the 'Must-Save-Jan' moments Hank had, but repondering it, they did make a pretty solid team in the Silver Age, more hit-miss perhaps in the '70s and '80s.
William..,
ReplyDeleteCheck my post a few hours ago.
I liked the nostalgic aspect of Jan teaming with Scott Lang during the Under Siege storyline.
ReplyDeleteThinking back to the Bronze Age (don't we just do that all the time?), a good buddy comic might have included the Hulk and Valkyrie. But only with art by Our Pal Sal.
Doug
Joker and Harley Quinn are the most popular couple at Comic Cons in the last couple years.
ReplyDeleteRalph and Sue.
ReplyDeleteHow about Green Arrow and Black Canary; they didn't always get along perfectly (mainly because of Ollie being a dick), but when they worked, they worked well.
ReplyDeleteMike W.
Gawwwwd if I SEE ANOTHER HARLEY cosplay, I... will.. barf..
ReplyDeleteMost, sincerely, 'MOST over-done cosplay character ever'.
My brain is completely fried after work, but I was trying to come up with an example of a good non-romantic couple. Failing, obviously. On TV, I enjoy the pair on the show Sleepy Hollow. It is goofy as heck but the two leads work well together.
ReplyDeleteWell, I liked Iron Fist and Misty Knight, although they were a romantic couple.
Ohhhh, DaveB-- you got the drop on the first. . . THE FIRST!. . . partnership that came to my mind: Nick & Nora Charles! There are bits in those movies (mostly from Myrna Loy's delightful delivery) that make my wife & I roar every single time we watch them. We've probably watched that first film ten times. . . and I still lose track of who exactly did what.
ReplyDeleteI feel like the comics world could use some more regular male/female partnerships that are non-romance based. Oh, I've always been on board w/ most of the relationships mentioned above (that I've been familiar with)-- and would add Hawkeye/Mockingbird to the list, although they never got handled very well once they were established. It pretty much became a contest to see how irreversibly the relationship could be screwed up once they got married.
So, the one that I like the best in comics would have to be Smax & ToyBox from Alan Moore's TOP 10. A couple of Metahuman "beat cops", that develop a grudging and very deep non-romantic affection for one another. A clear and intentional television-inspired cliche' that works very well (as good cliche's often do, eh?).
Given the television connection, I'd agree w/ Karen on our Sleepy Hollow heroes. And would add the really, really, REALLY nice, slow, sincere bond that's been built between Joan Watson & Sherlock Holmes in ELEMENTARY. I'm loving that one a lot, yes.
Oh! Can I toss in Harry Dresden & Karen Murphy from the Dresden Files? ANYBODY read that series besides HBSon & myself? O'course, that one is hopelessly based on romance repressed/denied. . .
HB
I always enjoyed Hank and Jan in the earlier days. Would have liked to see a Yellowjacket / Wasp series. May not be popular but I liked Cap and Diamondback. However Polaris/Havok, Dr Strange/Clea and Medusa/Blackbolt never did much for me. I do like Adam Warlock and Gamora and wish they did more with them. But the all time best male-female partnership: Starhawk/Aleta. Oh boy.
ReplyDeleteOoo--
ReplyDeleteSugar and Spike--????
HB
Well I got nothing original to add so I'l just echo the popular choices here - Cloak & Dagger, Reed & Sue, DD & Black Widow, Hank & Janet Pym, Scarlet Witch & QUicksilver.
ReplyDelete- Mike 'still looking for Mrs. Right' from Trinidad & Tobago.
Ohh how could I forget - Thor & Sif!
ReplyDelete- Mike 'Odin's 23,856th cousin' from Trinidad & Tobago.
Let me add E-Man (Alec Tronn) and Nova (Kane) to the list. The addled alien and the stripper with a heart of gold are a classic team and have a delightful banter.
ReplyDeleteRip Off
D'oh! How could I forget E-man and Nova?! Good one, Rip.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with HB's suggestion about Smax and Toybox. Another good non-romantic, male/female partnership in Top 10 was Irmageddon and Officer Joe Pi (although I'm not sure if it counts since he's a robot).
Karen's right, though: in comics at least, it's pretty hard to find non-romantic male/female partnerships.
Oh, I think he counts, edo. A robot, sure-- and unless I'm wildly mistaken, a Transformer-cloned one at that-- but clearly one programmed to adhere to a gender identity. That partnership just developed so late in the series that I was reluctant to submit it. Geeze, what a great, GREAT bunch of characters. . . now I want to go read it all over again. . .
ReplyDeleteHB
I'd have to go with Ralph & Sue. Reed & Sue is probably runner up. Reed can act like a jerk as a husband sometimes, but heck, they've been married 50 years.
ReplyDeleteSaturn Girl and Lightning Lad. They have been together since the early 1960s Adventure Comics.
ReplyDeleteKatar and Shayera were way ahead of their time in terms of an equal marital partnership. Too bad they never made a comeback in a more marriage-friendly era. Ka-Zar and Shanna were awesome when she first replaced Bobbi Morse as the series female lead.
ReplyDelete