Even Superheroes need love! DC showcase the romantic side to some of their characters in this special one shot issue of short stories featuring: - Catwoman reminiscing about her first encounter with Batman one fateful Valentines Day long ago. - Aquaman and Mera discovering the tragic love story of two star crossed lovers from the 1860s doomed to have their love unfulfilled forever - unless Mera can help! - Batgirl hooking up with some random car thief! - Apollo and Midnighter still denying their feelings for one another. - Nightwing getting dumped! - Superman and Wonder Womans romantic dinner for two being interrupted by WWs murderous extended family Valentines Day may mean jack to yours truly but I do enjoy reading about superheroes even when it comes to their tangled love lives. All of the stories are all 8 pages each, giving you a fleeting moment with the characters before moving onto the next one. I found that because of their brevity theyre not the most satisfying of stories - but theyre also a bit uninspired. Catwoman going all moon-faced as she recalls her first kick to the chops on ol Bats? He ends up giving her a lecture about stealing which, while in character for Batman, didnt seem like a memory Catwoman would treasure, not being particularly romantic or (yawn) interesting. You know what wouldve made a great Valentines story? Batman and Catwoman hooking up - but that was already covered in Catwoman, Volume 1: The Game (they keep their masks on the whole time!). The Aquaman/Mera story is pretty lame. Mera discovers some old correspondence from the 1860s between two people (who happen to look a lot like Arthur and Mera) but whose romance was shattered when the chap became lost at sea. See what happens when youre not King of Atlantis? Throw in some ghosts and it all feels a bit Pirates of the Caribbean-y (ie. crap). Batgirl gives a crippled car thief called Ricky a break by granting him his Valentines Day wish and smooching him. If youve read Batgirl Annual #1 youll recognise Ricky as the poor schmo who Batgirl kissed as a tactical move rather than a romantic one - but hey, I guess if I was kissed by Babs Id be thinking about it for a while too! I was delighted to see two of my favourite writers/artists, Peter Milligan and Simon Bisley, teaming up to write/draw the Apollo/Midnighter short (though this story isn't the best example of Bisley's usually outstanding art). This is the New 52 so all that stuff that happened years ago in The Authority where they became a married gay superhero couple, havent happened (yet!) and theyve been rebranded as Stormwatch. In this story Apollo is wistful over the moment he shared with Midnighter in Stormwatch, Volume 1: The Dark Side, but Midnighter makes it clear hes not interested - at least his words say so but his body...? The little picture at the end of the two locking lips says it all. What this space as DC use this pair to court media headlines in 2013! Kyle Higgins supplies a fairly ordinary story of Nightwing standing up a girl because hes fighting crime but then, after briefly teaming up with Ursa Minor to defeat some arbitrary bad guys, bounces quickly back as they agree to a pizza date. I did laugh at Nightwings expression when he gets stood up himself - Kate Beaton herself couldnt have drawn a funnier expression on poor Dicks face. The brilliant Andy Diggle writes a not-so brilliant Superman/Wonder Woman story as the two continue to explore their relationship by going on a romantic dinner date in Tuscany. But WWs extended family in the form of a gun-toting Eros (who, disappointingly, looks nothing like a cherub) and a pair of Brody Dalle-lookalike sirens break up the (admittedly dull) dinnertime conversation and superhero action ensues. To justify the exorbitant $7.99 (£5.99) price tag for a 60 page comic, DC have included free collectible Super Valentines Day Cards! which are 2 pages within the centre of the comic made up of 18 cards which feature DCs finest all making terrible puns. Catwoman: Youre purr-fect, Flash: You stole my heart in a flash, WW: Youre wonder-ful - uh...ok. And on the back of each card is written To and From so the person of your affections can know you are utterly insane. (Though I did laugh at Batmans Tonight is for just-us and The New 52! Youve been rebooted as my valentine. Eh, maybe theyre not so bad. Good job, Bruce Vilanch!) Weirdly, the best comic in the book was the Channel 52 2-pager at the end. A news anchor called Bethany Snow is joined by A. Bug and Calendar Man in recapping the current events going on in the DCU. The lightness of touch in the comedy was charming and made me wish whoever wrote this had written the whole book or at least instructed the writers/artists in the kind of tone this one shot should be aiming for. In the end this is a pretty weak collection of stories though they cover a wide spectrum of the different kinds of love most people experience at any one time: memories (Catwoman/Batman), affirmation (Aquaman/Mera), excitement (Batgirl), unrequited (Apollo/Midnighter), heartache (Nightwing), and stopping Eros bullets with your hands (Superman/Wonder Woman). Happy Valentines Day DC, and to all comics readers! Im off to boost a car and see if a red-headed vigilante doesnt show up...