Comics

Whether it’s Japanese manga, four-color superhero stories, Sunday morning funny page strips, or something slapped together in Paint and tossed online, comics are a versatile medium used to tell all kinds of stories. Whether it’s low-key slice of life or everything’s filtered through metahuman metaphors, emotional connections are what make the characters real.

Each character below is the waifu of her listed comic. But there can only be one true Comics Waifu. The other waifus are only Harem Tier on the overall Comics level.

Waifu Tier

ⓘ

The best of the best. Only one character may be in this tier for a given work or medium. This character... is Mai Waifu.

• 

  Power Girl

  from DC Universe

  Power Girl has always been a lot of fun - as Superman’s cousin, she has the same powers but lacks the baggage of being the world’s most iconic superhero. She’s just as capable a champion for truth and justice, serving as a mentor to young hero Terra while also maintaining a secret identity as software entrepreneur Karen Starr. But what I’ve found the most interesting about Power Girl is her struggles with her own identity and her relationship with Supergirl - her counterpart from another world.

  Power Girl grew up on the alternate world known as Earth-Two. She was the cousin of that world’s Superman, and while she was known as Supergirl there at first she ultimately forged her own heroic identity as Power Girl. But then she found herself stranded in another world - and while she recognizes that world’s Superman as a younger version of her cousin, she didn’t grow up with him and it’s her own younger duplicate Supergirl who gets to be part of that family.

  Power Girl has to deal with being an outsider to her own family and seeing her beloved cousin instead be close to a less-mature version of herself. Meanwhile, that teen-aged Supergirl is confronted with an intimidating vision of her own potential that she’s nowhere near reaching yet. It’s a complex dynamic that adds an emotional grounding and depth to each of their adventures.

Harem Tier

ⓘ

The characters who, while not quite waifu material, rise above the rest.

• 

  She-Hulk

  from Marvel Universe

  Jennifer Walters is a skilled attorney. After receiving an emergency blood transfusion from cousin Bruce Banner, she gains a more mild version of his Hulk condition - she still gets big and green and strong, but less so, and retains her intelligence. She often serves as legal counsel to other superheroes, making for some highly entertaining courtroom drama.

  Being She-Hulk gives Walters far more confidence and assertiveness than she’d ever had as a meek and fragile human, and she prefers to stay in Hulk form and be a hero and celebrity. My favorite run of her book has her working full-time as a Superhuman Law attorney after some setbacks with the Avengers - with her employment conditional on her remaining human in the courtroom. This forces her to confront her insecurities and realize that she still has value without being hulked out.

• 

  Sakaki

  from Azumanga Daioh

  Sakaki is a high school student in Azumanga Daioh. Her height and natural athletic skills cause her frequent silence to make her seem mysterious and cool - but really she’s just shy. The school’s sports teams continually try to recruit her, but she’s uninterested - she’d rather spend her time appreciating cute things and befriending animals.

  Because she’s often misunderstood, Sakaki benefits a lot from having close friends who know who she really is. At heart, she’s sensitive and sweet.

• 

  Sara Toomey

  from Zits

  Sara Toomey is the main love interest and sometime-girlfriend of Zits protagonist Jeremy Duncan. Kind and down to earth, Sara also serves as a contrast to Jeremy’s laziness - she’s more active, organized, and responsible.

  In high school and early college, I identified strongly with Jeremy and Sara was exactly the sort of girl I was interested in. I dated girls like Sara.

Formative Tier

ⓘ

Characters I was exposed to when quite young that had significant impact on what kind of women I found attractive.

• 

  Peppermint Patty

  from Peanuts

  Peppermint Patty is one of Charlie Brown’s friends in Peanuts. She’s a tomboy with a strong personality who does well when pursuing her own interests (such as baseball) but struggles in more traditional and constrained environments (such as school). She has a crush on Charlie Brown and clearly carries insecurities because she doesn’t think she’s classically attractive.

  As a formative character, Peppermint Patty instilled an appreciation of tomboy characters with strong nonconformist personalities.