The Ramblin' Phoenix lives up to his name. The Voice has no Choice but to listen. And the Janitor has a LOT of trash to clean up. 

But what more have you come to expect from Comic History Mysteries?

This week, The Voice, Ramblin and Janitor take on the Romance genre in a way that can only be described as… odd. Romance and indie comics are still trying to find space for each other but if you look in the right places you can find some fantastic storytelling. The guys touch on classic cross-genre examples like Dracula all the way up to award winning modern gems like Saga. The in-between is everything you can imagine from the cheesiness of the Hallmark Channel Christmas Collection to the despicably successful 50 Shades series. Above all, we ask and answer the question is Romance real literature. The short answer is yes. It’s a genre that’s gotten a bad rap thanks to fanfiction and regurgitated corporate cliches like “The Lonely Billionaire.” Beyond the BS, there’s an underlying truth about love and romance that make it necessary for any solid story. Love will give characters both a goal and emotional anchor. It’s something that makes fantastical characters feel real. Whether we’re taken or single, there’s nothing more controversial, heartbreaking, or relatable than love. We need it in our stories as much as we needed it in our lives. As far as comics go, look no further than the LGBTQ community and how they’ve used comics and love to share their identity in the best way. Indie comics and love seems a bit unexplored, but it certainly leaves an open invitation for the next great Shakespeare to open up a whole new world for indie comics and future nerdlife relationships.

 

Indie References

Saga- https://imagecomics.com/comics/series/saga

Alex Priest- https://arledgecomics.com/portfolio/alex-priest-issue-one/

Black Hole- https://www.amazon.com/Black-Hole-Pantheon-Graphic-Novels/dp/0375714723

Millennium Fever- https://atomicavenue.com/title/9748/Millennium-Fever