Heroes getting bromantic...

Above: Wonder Man and Beast getting 'bromantic'.

Always looking for an angle to be hip with the times, Marvel Comics has embraced the new phrase 'bromance'.

Recently coined to describe films built around the bonding relationship between two male characters like 'Pineapple Express' and 'I Love You, Man', Marvel has jumping on the bandwagon, collecting stories of it's most well known super-buddy bromances: Wonder Man & Beast, Cable & Deadpool and urr...Power-man & Iron Fist (insert your favourite blue joke here).

Good on them for having a sense of humour I guess, but it's hard to say whether die-hard superhero fanboys will share their opinion.

Now DC Comics aren't exactly known for having much of a sense of humour (no super-baby's in microwaves on our watch!), but they REALLY have more than enough material for their own buddy companion collection.

First off, there's Batman: he may be a loner, but he's never met another guy he didn't like hanging out with eg. Robin, Nightwing, Superman or any other male hero for that matter who's 'Brave & Bold'. Superman is also equally up for a male bonding session with any guest-star who's sales need a lift. Green Arrow & Green Lantern are probably DC's biggest ongoing bromance. They could re-print that Mike Grell issue from the late 80's (GA#20) where Hel Jordan takes Oliver Queen camping; they end up sharing their feeling while beating the s#!t out of each other and making up with a big-macho hug (because that's how real men did it in the eighties!).

My favourite recent example of superhero bonding would have to be 'New X-men' #142 by Grant Morrison: Cyclops has had enough of his girlfriend troubles and spends a whole issue trying to drink Wolverine under the table before making a mess and passing out. Now I don't have an adamantium skeleton, but that's a bromance I can relate to!

-AK!

From Marvel's August solicitation:

MARVEL BROMANCE TPB

Written by J.M. DEMATTEIS, STAN LEE, ROGER STERN, MARY JO DUFFY, CHRIS CLAREMONT, LEN WEIN, FABIAN NICIEZA, BOB LAYTON, DAVID MICHELINIE, CHRISTOPHER PRIEST & BARRY WINDSOR-SMITH
Penciled by KERRY GAMMILL, GENE COLAN, MARK BAGLEY, JOHN BOLTON, JOHN BUSCEMA, PATRICK ZIRCHER, MARK BRIGHT, SAL VELLUTO, JACK KIRBY & BARRY WINDSOR-SMITH
All New Cover by TBA

If This Be Bromance--! Marvel's greatest buddies take the spotlight in this one-of-a-kind collection, and it's male bonding like you've never seen -- as Cable and Deadpool swap stories, Wonder Man and the Beast share a plane ride, Spidey and the Human Torch battle back-to-back, Wolverine makes a bet with Nightcrawler, Black Panther and Everett Ross lay their feelings on the line...and the Warriors Three set sail for fun! Plus: Captain America and the Falcon, Iron Man and Jim Rhodes, and more! Be here as Marvel says, "I love you, man!" Collecting MARVEL TEAM-UP #121, CAPTAIN AMERICA #126, AVENGERS TWO: WONDER MAN & THE BEAST #1, POWER MAN AND IRON FIST #79, CLASSIC X-MEN #4, MARVEL SPOTLIGHT #30, CABLE & DEADPOOL #19, IRON MAN #216, BLACK PANTHER #25, TALES OF SUSPENSE #78 and MARVEL FANFARE #15

Above: Oliver Queen and Hel Jordan get a little 'Brokeback Mountain' sharing their feelings on a camping trip.