Modern romance has been the most popular genre in novels for years, primarily driven by femme-identifying readers and writers. Published in 1740, Samuel Richardson’s Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded is generally considered to be the first romance novel, about a teenage servant girl protecting her virtue against the unwanted advances of her older, wealthy employer.
Thankfully, the genre has significantly evolved since then. According to Romance Writers of America in 2017, 82% of romance readers were female, and 80% of its writers, and there’s a sub-genre for every taste, including paranormal, historical fiction, gothic romance, and erotica, to name a few.
As someone who spends a lot of time amongst book people across various social networks and online communities, I’ve witnessed how enthusiastic romancelandia can be. While it’s fun to see the excitement of so many ladies brought together by their love of love, I don’t actively read romance novels myself. I do read comics of all genres, though, and am not immune to fuzzy feelings from well-constructed relationship dynamics, or explorations of different types of love. And I will always champion any market driven by an overwhelmingly female influence!
To that end, I’ve selected six comics that celebrate love, from the chaste to the spicy, by female creators who drive this thriving segment of the book world. You can find these titles and many others on our curated Love is in the Air list on Comics Plus, but my picks include additional information about their fabulous femme creators.
Middle Grade
Crush by Svetlana Chmakova (Yen Press)
A new year of middle school has brought an obsession with who is dating — or wishes they were dating — whom. Jorge Ruiz has no time for that nonsense. With his large, intimidating build, sports activities, and two close friends, he’s dedicated to focusing on what’s important, blissfully uninterested in romance. Very quickly, though, he is confused by his own anxious reactions to Jazmine, a friend of his long-time bestie, Liv. He’s unable to form sentences yet can’t stop blushing, sweating, and staring whenever Jaz is around.
Despite his dedication to his sports and academics, plus patrolling the halls to deter bullies and cool down conflicts, he’s unable to resist the allure of Jaz. This fact causes his once crush-free world to become much more complicated. But this is middle school, where nothing can be simple! Jaz and Jorge’s relationship will have to overcome meddling friends, interpersonal conflicts, other love interests, and a digital setup of Jorge perpetrated by jealous bullies. With everything he worked so hard for now in jeopardy, readers will root for Jorge and his friends to overcome the drama of school life.
The entire Berrybrook Middle School series is wildly popular, both on Comics Plus and in physical libraries and bookstores everywhere. That’s admittedly been a reason I hadn’t read them yet; I’m oddly contrarian with popular comics sometimes, as if liking something that everyone else does makes me an automatic conformist. Nevertheless, Crush had me hooked like I was back in middle school, breathlessly tapping pages to see what happened next. Jorge is deeply likable, a truly upstanding young man, and his friends are also a delight, helping drive the slightly predictable plot along a satisfying path.
Author-illustrator Svetlana Chmakova originally hails from Russia and earned her Classical Animation diploma at the age of sixteen. She stumbled unintentionally into a full-time career through her early work on how-to drawing books, animation, and toy design. Since then, she’s become renowned worldwide for several comics, including her fan-favorite romantic comedy, Dramacon (Tokyopop); the award-winning fantasy Nightschool: The Weirn Books (Yen Press); and the manga adaptation of James Patterson’s Witch & Wizard (Yen Press). Having had the opportunity to meet her last summer, I’ve witnessed both the enthusiasm of her fans and the kindness she embodies — a femme comics creator worthy of the acclaim she’s received.
- Comics Plus Collection(s): Elementary, Middle School, Children’s Public Library, Teen Public Library, All-Access for Schools, Full Collection
Teens
A Tail’s Tale by Mizu Sahara (Tokyopop)
Despite participating on sports teams and being well-liked by peers and popular admirers, Nachi feels like she doesn’t fit in. Her skin never tans like her teammates, making her feel like a pale outcast. She also finds that her values don’t align with the popular boys she is supposed to like, despite their interest in her. One day, Nachi meets a quiet boy, Utsumi, whom she immediately feels drawn to. When Utsumi is bullied by the popular boys, who spray him with a hose, she goes to check on him in the locker room only to discover that he has a tail!
Her initial reaction is to run away in fear and misunderstanding, but she eventually realizes that is the same attitude that drives her own feeling of otherness. Instead, she becomes persistent in pursuing a friendship with Utsumi, showing up at his house and learning of his unconventional family life. The friendship develops into a crush, at least for Nachi, as other aspects of their lives progress through everyday ups and downs. Utsami remains steadfast in his resistance to deeper feelings, especially after everyone at school learns about his tail. The story ends in a will-they-or-won’t-they time jump and cliffhanger that will leave readers ready for the next volume.
Nachi’s insecurities about not fitting in allow for an interesting exploration of one aspect of Japanese culture. In consoling her, Nachi’s mother explains that Japanese people appreciate staying in one place and building a community in which they can “go along with the crowd” to keep life simple. This adds depth and nuance to characters’ motivations while helping readers relate to their experiences. No matter our cultural backgrounds, deep down most people prefer to fit in and go along with the crowd. While our differences may not be as unique as sporting a tail, nobody is immune from having felt different or othered at least once in their lives.
Mizu Sahara is actually a pen name for A Tail’s Tale creator, manga-ka Sumomo Yumeka. While details about her personal life are limited, Sahara/Yumeka is a prolific femme force in manga, although not much of her work has been translated to English. Nevertheless, she’s a can’t-miss talent in the manga community.
- Comics Plus Collection(s): Middle School, High School, Teen Public Library, All-Access for Schools, Full Collection
Catana Comics: Little Moments of Love by Catana Chetwynd (Andrews McMeel)
Little Moments of Love is, in a word, adorable. Heart warming, relatable, and funny also come easily to mind. A collection of daily encounters between an adoring couple, readers are brought into the intimate moments of Catana and her real-life boyfriend, John — strange, relatable, sweet, and slightly spicy.
Strange: The lengths needy girlfriends will go to to get attention from their intended, including laying across laptops and clinging to pant legs. Relatable: Attending social events despite wanting nothing more than to be home in bed; coming home from an awful day only to have it all turn around in the proximity of the one you adore. Spicy: Crawling under John’s work desk in her birthday suit! The authenticity and purity of their relationship is the thread that beautifully binds their romantic tale together.
These comics were first created on scraps of paper, stemming from conversations between John and Catana, and not intended for public consumption. John eventually talked Catana into posting them online in 2016, and both were floored by the immediate, positive response. While the cartoonist believes it’s due to how relatably odd their encounters are, I would also add that their openness is a big factor in maintaining the interest of their millions of fans.
Originally hailing from upstate New York, writer-illustrator Catana Chetwynd’s inclusion of readers into her life, and long-term romance, leaves them feeling invested. Now counting myself among her fans, I felt compelled to find out if she and John were still together. If it puts your mind at ease, as it does mine, he’s still being included in her Instagram cartoons as of January 2025. Phew, proof that true love does exist!
- Comics Plus Collection(s): Middle School, High School, Teen Public Library, All-Access for Schools, Full Collection
Young Adults
I Love This Part by Tillie Walden (Avery Hill)
A quiet, private love. A connection you find with someone else, but proves untenable over time. That doesn’t mean what you had didn’t matter. This explains in a nutshell the brief, intimate tale of two teen girls who find one another in a small town. They exchange texts and emails, do homework together, and discuss everything from their families to gaming cheat codes. They’re clearly very new to the feelings they develop for each other, and ultimately unable to maintain the romance. But that doesn’t stop the music, their greatest point of connection that proves to be the most lasting one. Even when their relationship is over, they share a playlist that carries them into the next phase of their lives, away from one another — connected only by the songs and their memories.
This cozy little slice of life romance lacks the grandeur of the many sweeping epics in the genre, as well as no traditional happily ever after. No smut, no high stakes drama. Just two young ladies with a bond neither could deny. I Love This Part is light, beautiful, and refreshing like a splash of cool water on a warm afternoon.
Tillie Walden is not only an acclaimed cartoonist, she is a comics juggernaut. She had completed and published two graphic novels by the age of nineteen, discovered through the comics she was posting to her website while still in high school. Walden has also been a voice for the queer community, writing some of the most well-characterized lesbians in comics, as evidenced in her various works for comics publishers across the industry, including Clementine (Image Comics). I’ve had the pleasure of moderating library panels for Walden and found her to be very kind and witty, which is icing on the cake as I continue to follow and recommend her work to readers.
- Comics Plus Collection(s): High School, Teen Public Library, All-Access for Schools, Full Collection
Cheer Up: Love & Pompoms by Crystal Frasier, Val Wise, Oscar O. Jupiter (Oni Press)
Despite impeccable grades and amazing test scores, Annie’s college application is sorely lacking social clubs and extracurriculars. Against her will, her mother volunteers her for the cheerleading squad. Meanwhile, Beatrice (“Bebe”) is a popular student and accomplished head cheerleader who desperately needs to pull her grades up. Being the first transgender cheerleader in state history puts extra pressure on Bebe to make her squad proud, but everyone in her life treats her differently based on their perception of how a trans person should be treated. At her core, Bebe wants to be seen for the flawed and unique human being she is, not as someone to be simultaneously protected, feared, and placed on a pedestal due to gender identity.
Friends since childhood, and before Bebe’s transition, Annie and Bebe rekindle their connection, which becomes romantic as their mutual respect and understanding grow. While a love story is certainly a nice add-on, Cheer Up has a much bigger love-themed angle: self-love. Annie is extremely confident but needs to learn the importance of likeability, and Bebe, plagued with self-doubt, needs to learn when and how to advocate for her own needs.
I ended up adoring this title, and the characters, primarily for their realism. The artwork adds a deeper layer because everyone looks like real people: scars and tattoos; different skin colors and body types. The writing and art combine to create an irresistible, realistic, age-appropriate story of romantic and friendly love older teens will enjoy.
Author Crystal Frasier has had a long career in game development, artistry, and webcomics. Venus Envy has been praised for the believable characterization of Zoë Carter, a teen struggling with depression and ostracizing over her gender nonconformity. Frasier, a trans woman, infuses love and believability into characters like Bebe and Zoë, while simultaneously creating a safe and accepting community for the readers of her work.
- Comics Plus Collection(s): High School, Teen Public Library, All-Access for Schools, Full Collection
Adults
When I Arrived at the Castle by E.M. Carroll (Silver Sprocket)
All roads lead to the Countess, no matter the cost. A feline-esque girl arrives at the gothic castle, where the Countess appears to be expecting her. The girl is there to end the untold horrors perpetuated by the Countess, but first is drawn a bath so her rain-soaked skin can be warmed. Post-bathing, which somehow doesn’t warm her up, she follows a knocking on the chamber door out into the hallway. Despite finding the Countess there, who reveals that she knows what the girl has come to do, the girl continues to follow her. This plight leads to the discovery of mysterious doors within the castle, and through each one she is inexplicably covered in an ever growing amount of blood.
Every door unlocks a different, brief gothic tale, each about a girl in dire straits until she happens upon a mysterious cat. While the short tales vary, the cat is a constant figure, and its proposed solution to each problem involves the use of a knife. After experiencing the many doors, the overarching tale of feline and Countess culminates in a deathly exchange that is all at once gory and erotic.
This strange little gothic mystery is delivered with delicious, almost tactile detail. The nuances put the reader in a position to feel the words, along with their corresponding, gorgeous illustrations, in a way that is almost palpable. This level of well-crafted description is rare in prose, never mind comics, where text is typically limited in favor of illustrations. Make no mistake, though; the constrained black, red, and white color palette complements the artwork in a way that makes the visuals their own fine wine.
Already known for her artistic prowess, the tight crafting of this simultaneously nasty yet delicious little tale puts E.M. Carroll’s work in the realm of celebrated short horror anthologies such as Joyce Carol Oates’ Haunted: Tales of the Grotesque and Gemma Files’ Spectral Evidence. Originally educated as an animator, they began drawing comics in 2010 and have blossomed into a multi-award winning creator. In a culture currently obsessed with Nosferatu, Carroll’s femme take on a bloodsucking story is a welcome entry, set well apart from the sparkly vampires that led to pop culture fatigue.
- Comics Plus Collection: Full Collection
Read All The Comics!
“An absolute game changer.” School Library Journal
With Comics Plus, schools and libraries can offer readers unlimited access to thousands of digital comics, manga, and picture books from popular publishers like ABDO, Andrews McMeel, BOOM! Studios, Capstone, Cherry Lake, Dark Horse, Europe Comics, Fantagraphics, Humanoids, Image Comics, Kodansha, Lerner, Mad Cave, Manga Classics, Oni Press, Papercutz, Tokyopop, TOON Books, UDON Entertainment, Yen Press, and dozens more.
No holds, wait lists, or monthly borrowing limits—all at a price that won’t break your materials budget.
Learn more at comicsplusapp.com and sign up for a free demo account.
_____
Moni Barrette, MLIS is the Director, Collection Development for LibraryPass, as well as former President of American Library Association’s Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table, and co-founder of the nonprofit Creators, Assemble! Inc. As a former public library manager, Moni won the California Library Association PRExcellence Award (2018 & 2019) for library events aimed at underserved adult library users, and has proven success using comics to increase library circulation. She is a frequent panelist at San Diego and New York Comic Con, San Diego Comic Fest and Wonder-Con, hosting industry networking events and providing instruction to educators and librarians.
We curate high-interest, immersive digital content that helps schools and libraries expand and diversify their collections—without breaking their materials budgets.
