Written by Various
Art by Various
Published by DC Comics
Romance comics, in the DC Universe!
Just this once, right?
I mean, this is the company that, in recent memory, had been about splitting its famous couples apart and saying that superhero work leaves no room for love.
But that’s a load of bull, right?
These are still people, and people are going to hook up sooner or later.
And so Love Is A Battlefield is an 80-page giant full of some of DC’s most famous couples: Batman and Catwoman, Hawkman and Hawkgirl, Big Barda and Mister Miracle, Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy, Nightwing and Starfire.
Open the pages to find a delightful read, deeply informed by modern continuity but still pretty standalone.
The Batman-related stories remind me the most of the Harley Quinn animated series, which is not a bad thing to do as that may be the best DC adaptation going right now. (You know how tough it is to be better than Doom Patrol? Really tough!)
The first of those stories, “Perfect Matches” by Christos Gage and Xermanico, finds Bat and Cat on a yacht for Maxie Zeus’ wedding. It’s a real villain party, so Batman shows up in his Matches Malone guise. He’s planning a big bust of all the villains gathered, and Catwoman is ready to lift booty from all the supervillains’ cabins if she can get away with it.
The second story, “The Beginning” by Tim Seeley and Rebekah Isaacs, shows Harley and Ivy reminiscing about their lives together – how they met, and all the capers and tussles with Joker and Batman along the way. And, similar to the animated show, we see how those Gotham City Sirens bring out the heart in each other.
I was hoping for more from the Hawkman/Hawkgirl story, but this one falls flat a bit. If you know anything about these two, it’s that they are reincarnated soulmates who remember all their myriad past lives across centuries and worlds. So them stumbling upon a pair of aliens on a spaceship built for two sounds nice, but the story has to wrap so quickly that we don’t get to dig into anything meaningful.
That aspect is what sets some of the better stories apart. “Bittersweet” by Crystal Frasier and Juan Gedeon dig into the uncomfortable spaces for Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor. In this tale, the couple are out to dinner on Valentine’s Day when they’re interrupted by the Blue Snowman – a villain in a mech suit that shoots an unbreakable “blue ice.”
Sure, Diana and Steve’s conversation about the resentments and insecurities baked into their relationship is a lot when you consider it’s during this rooftop fight scene. But, hey, comics are weird.
The twist to the story winds up being more peaceful and surprisingly queer, but no spoilers for you!
If you’re looking for teen love, you’ve got Kid Flash Wally West anxiously preparing for a date with Emiko Queen with the help of his best friend Avery Ho aka The Flash of China. Of course, she’s carrying a torch for Wally, and he’s freaking clueless. Brought back a bunch of teen memories for yours truly.
And you’ve also got DC’s best married couple, in my opinion: those New Gods, Big Barda and Mister Miracle, in “Anniversary” by Regine Sawyer and Rob Guillory. The pair of Apokoliptian runaways are strolling down the street when the Female Furies arrive via boom tube to wish them a happy anniversary by trying to kick their asses. Of course.
Guillory’s loose, cartoony style suits the breezy story while still delivering on big action.
But, hey, you may ask: Where’s the battlefield?!
I think this 80-page giant saves the most affecting stories for last, featuring Sgt. Rock and Green Lantern John Stewart. Love denied in the wrong time. Love born from tragedy and ever close to revenge.
Those are the kinds of stories you expect from Pornsak Pichetshote, award-winning author of Daytripper and critical darlings such as Sweet Tooth and Unknown Soldier; and from Oscar winner John Ridley, who recently is adding such deeply humanizing colors to Black heroes in The Other History of the DC Universe.
Come early for the laughs and sweetness, and then these stories will hit like a hammer.
