This appeared in an edited form on another, much, much smaller site. A couple of people suggested that I place it in this venue as well so that others outside of the comic hobby can see the art on some of the covers. Thank you.

Valentine’s Day means something different to everyone. Most would agree that it has something to do with romance. For some of our readers it means a great dinner, a box of candy and a nice bunch of flowers. For others it may mean a couple of movies from Netflix and eventually fingertips stained with Cheetos and Dr. Pepper. Either way, February 14th is the primary day of romance for Americans as designated and approved by the advertisers and retailers of America.

How do comics celebrate the holiday? Just like everyone else, with love, candy, a bunch of flowers, and a smooch and in some cases, mayhem, domestic violence and battles. My sole criterion for this brief showcase of four color romance was that the cover must reference the holiday directly. As you will see below, there is one notable, and very slight, exception to this rule.

While looking for some particularly romantic covers to showcase I stumbled across some real winners.  Take the image of Goofy on the cover of Walt Disney Comics and Stories #5 from February 1945. He may a dumb talking dog (who by the fifties has somehow morphed in a suburban everyman), but he sure knows how to package himself for his sweetheart.  Judging from the obvious sincerity of the valentine he is holding, Goofy is having better luck than I am. At least he got a valentine. So maybe I should be a little less judgmental.. Which only makes sense since at age 54 I don't have a dresser and keep my socks and underwear in (separate) comic boxes.

Rumor has it that the valentine was sent by Clarabell Cowl. Who, having tired of Horace Horsecollar's inability to commit, decided to again go inter-species for the holiday...?

One of my favorites are those adorable little tykes Sugar and Spike. Over the years the title had a good half dozen Valentine images, each one more cute than the last. While the closest comparison in feel to Sugar and Spike would be Peanuts by Charles Schulz, that strip always showcased certain "adult-style ennui and frustration". However, Sugar and Spike were never anything other than really smart and terribly fun without be nauseatingly cute babies. Thank you Mr. Sheldon Mayer.

What was the exception to my rule? Headline Comics #23 March April 1943. While not a romantic cover, the text at the bottom does mention one of the most memorable events of this celebration of Cupid’s arrow, The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. Even today some people feel that nothing says love more than facing a brick wall with a stranger behind you. On a similar note, Static #10 pays tribute to the same event in its own, graphitti-styled way.

Yes, there are some covers and titles we have left off of the list. But I did manage to squeeze in something from each decade from 1940 forward. At first I thought that the romance titles would be too easy to pull covers from but, surprisingly enough, we found very few direct mentions of the holiday on their covers. But there certainly were a lot of heart-shaped silhouette on many of the issues, regardless of the title.

We also looked at some of the "girl" comics of the forties and fifties such as Pasty Walker and even into the sixties with Lois Lane. But since romance was usually the dominate theme of the books (usually with a sailor, a dumb college boyfriend in a stupid hat or a superhero), they too seemed to avoid Valentine’s Day as the main subject.

Archie titles were too obvious. So was issue #5 of the 12 issue mini-series Batman: The Long Halloween. But no one can ignore the greatness of that story and its art. So that one was a given.

The last cover is a title that ninety-nine percent of comic collectors forget existed. The Treasure Chest of Fun and Fact was a comic put out by the Catholic Church which ran from 1946 to 1972. Published weekly during the school year and given to millions subscribers at Parochial Schools around America, many young Catholics found it to be a welcome relief from Catechism and a nice place to hide when Sister Bridget was walking by your desk with ruler.

And I mean one of those rulers that had a steel edge for straightness. That edge was as straight as that penguin's back when, with no warning and powered by the vengeance of God, she came down on your knuckles. Why did she hit me? For reading Green Lantern behind my copy of Treasure Chest! I should be only reading good, approved Catholic Comics, not mindless filth about aliens and power rings.

Treasure Chest is most famous for an early sixties anti-Communist cover as well as the 1964 story, "This Godless Communism." At the other end of the spectrum, and also published in 1964, the book also featured what many believe is the very first fictional story line to feature an African-American running for President. Titled Pettigrew for President the story ran ten issues. Seemingly contradictory content aside, Content aside, the book also featured artwork from notables such as Reed Crandall and Joe Sinnott. The issue below features a cover story on the man himself, St. Valentine.

Initially the good saint looks as if he is bowing in supplication to the Lord our god. It is only when you look closely that you realize the good Saint has his hands bound and may be getting a very close haircut. One that starts at the neck and ends at the neck. 

Two quick questions. Should someone on the cover of the Little Lulu issue be wearing leather?  And why does the cover of the Star Wars Valentine cover make me feel uncomfortable? Is it because I keep thinking she is avoiding her brother's advances?