The Best Spicy (and Mild) Romance Comics for Valentine’s Day

Posted on February 10, 2025

by Eric S

For some, comic books and superheroes are practically synonymous, but plenty of genres have enjoyed success in the medium of comics throughout the years. This, of course, includes romance. In the United States, interest in superheroes massively declined following World War II, and publishers looked for new ways to pull in readers. Many comics, including the influential Young Romance (featuring the work of the iconic duo Jack Kirby and Joe Simon), drew their inspiration from the popular romance pulps of the time. By the early 1950s, over 100 different romance titles were available on the newsstands. Unfortunately, due to the implementation of the controversial Comics Code in 1954, romance comics faced severe censorship and became less, well…spicy. As such, readership dropped significantly. Romance comics in traditional comic book form would never see such huge circulation numbers again, but in recent years, writers and artists have found new outlets to explore the genre. Today, there is no shortage of romance webcomics, graphic novels, and manga (although, there is no romance manga on this list—there’s so much that it really needs its own list). So, this Valentine’s Day, read your romance novels and watch your Hallmark movies, but remember, there’s plenty of love and romantic tension to be found in the pages of comics.