The comics in this collection come from Amar es, Spanish for “To love is”. Each panel shows one small moment between a young couple, a dark-haired guy and a red-haired girl, with a short caption that completes the sentence: to love is sharing a coat, stealing a kiss, finishing her plate, or arguing loudly and still saying “I love you anyway”. The 2018 feature that introduced them on this site credited the drawings to Mexican illustrator Aarón Ramirez.
The captions are in Spanish, and much of the humour sits in the dialogue, so below every panel you will find an English translation and a short note on what it shows. The appeal is simple: none of these moments is dramatic, and almost all of them are recognisable.
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What “Amar es” means, and where the idea comes from
The format will feel familiar to many readers. In the late 1960s New Zealand cartoonist Kim Casali began drawing little love notes for her future husband, Roberto. They grew into Love Is…, a single-panel newspaper cartoon launched in 1970 in which every strip begins “Love is…” and finishes the thought under a small drawing of a couple. The strip is still syndicated worldwide, drawn since 1975 by British cartoonist Bill Asprey.
Amar es follows the same one-line structure but updates it for a younger, more mischievous audience. The couple text each other, play video games, binge-watch series, argue about the beach and visit the in-laws under protest. Many panels are numbered (from #105 up to #282 in this selection), which shows the series ran for a long time and built up a large following on social media.
Several panels are signed “El Chico Detergente”, the signature that appears on the drawings themselves. We could not independently confirm how that name relates to the credit given in the original feature, so both are noted here.
Why these little comics work
The panels rely on gestures more than words. A hand on a shoulder, two people sharing one blanket, or a guy panicking while his girlfriend hugs him can say more about a relationship than a long speech. The art style helps: bright flat colours, big expressive eyes and clean outlines make each feeling easy to read at phone size.
They also balance sweetness and honesty. For every forehead kiss there is a fight, a forgotten anniversary or a burst pimple. That mix is why readers tag their partners in the comments. The comics are not a guide to how love should look; they are a scrapbook of how it often does.
Playful moments and inside jokes
1. “Un beso con mordisco” (A kiss with a bite), panel #282. She nips his lip mid-kiss and a startled exclamation mark pops up over his head. It is a cheeky opener that sets the tone: affection here is playful, not solemn.
2. “Una sorpresa” (A surprise), #200. Both partners stare at a pregnancy test, he chewing his fingernails and she covering her mouth. The joke leaves the result to the reader, which is exactly how that moment feels.
3. “Karmático” (Karmic), #131. He is glued to a video game promising “I’ll be ready in five minutes!” while she sits behind him, dressed and waiting. It flips the old cliché of the man waiting for his partner to get ready.
4. “Respetar sus espacios” (Respecting each other’s space). Sitting back to back on their laptops, he asks what her Facebook password was again, and she replies that she never told him. Trust, the panel suggests, includes a little privacy.
5. “Cuidarse como adultos y divertirse como niños” (Look after each other like adults, have fun like children). The couple hold hands on two playground swings. It is one of the gentlest panels and one of the most widely shared.
6. “La mejor forma de quitarse el frío” (The best way to beat the cold), #133. The two cling together in their underwear, wrapped around each other. Ramirez draws physical closeness with warmth rather than embarrassment.
7. “Un feliz día del amor, la amistad… y algo más” (Happy day of love, friendship… and something more). In Mexico 14 February is called the Day of Love and Friendship; here she grabs his backside and tells him “today it’s your turn, champ”.
8. “Despertar a su lado” (Waking up beside her), #225. Snuggled in bed, she tells him “You are my good morning.” This panel is signed “El Chico Detergente”.
9. “Compartir abrigo” (Sharing a coat). He wraps his big overcoat around both of them and she kisses his cheek. It is a small, practical act that reads as pure tenderness.
10. “Prepararse para las vacaciones” (Getting ready for the holidays). She sweats through a plank on an exercise ball while he lounges above her with a drink and a burger, complaining she is blocking the TV. Her muttered reply is Mexican slang for “are you kidding me?”.
11. “Invernar juntos” (Hibernating together), #135. Wrapped in one blanket on an armchair with hot drinks and bear slippers, they look perfectly content to stay put all winter.
12. “Ir a donde vaya” (Going wherever she goes). She drags him along saying “I said, let’s go!” while he protests that he will do anything except visit his mother-in-law. The joke about in-laws needs no translation in any culture.
13. “Beso de narices” (A nose kiss). Bundled in scarves, the couple rub noses instead of lips. It is a reminder that affection does not always need a big gesture.
14. “Dejarlo ser… aunque sea un ratito” (Letting him be himself, even just for a while). He slumps in a beanbag with a beer and a plate of food while she looks on with patient resignation.
15. “Compartir” (Sharing). At a café table she pushes her plate across and says she has had enough, he can finish it. Every couple has an unofficial plate-finisher.
Closeness, comfort and long distance
16. “Dormir de cucharita” (Sleeping like spoons). The classic spooning position, drawn in soft, sleepy colours with no dialogue at all.
17. “Darse un beso de película” (A movie-style kiss). A close-up, eyes closed, in warm brown tones. The panel borrows the framing of a romantic film poster.
18. “Miedo a perderl@” (Fear of losing him or her), #243. She hugs him and asks what she would do without him, while his head fills with panicked thoughts such as “she’s going to dump me” and “I’ll die alone”. The @ is a common Spanish shorthand that covers both “lo” (him) and “la” (her). Signed “El Chico Detergente”.
19. “Dormir juntos aunque no lo estén” (Sleeping together even when you’re apart). She falls asleep hugging a tablet that shows a photo of the two of them, a familiar scene for anyone in a long-distance relationship.
20. “Ese abrazo que te dice en silencio… ‘todo estará bien’” (That hug that silently says everything will be fine), #107. Her eyes are shut tight and his face is worried but steady. It is one of the few panels with no joke at all.
21. “Orientarse sutilmente” (Finding the way, subtly). Beside an old car in the desert he insists he knows exactly where they are; she, holding up a map, tells him to just use it and get them out of there.
22. “Peligroso pero cool” (Dangerous but cool). Both pose in leather jackets and ripped jeans, trying very hard to look tough. Part of being a couple is playing a role together.
23. “Con todo y familia” (With the whole family), #126, with the artist’s own English subtitle “To love is: with everything and family”. Her family lines up to make it clear what will happen if anything happens to her.
24. “Crecer juntos” (Growing up together), #182. Labels around the pair move from novio and novia (boyfriend and girlfriend) to prometido and prometida (engaged) to esposo and esposa (husband and wife).
25. “Susurrarle palabras al oído” (Whispering in her ear), #139. He leans in and suggests that in a little while the two of them might… and she turns bright red. The rest is left to the imagination.
26. “Un compromiso imposible de romper” (A promise that can’t be broken), #178. Riding on his shoulders, she seals a deal with a pinky swear, which in Spanish is promised “by the little finger”.
27. “Comértel@ a besos” (Smothering you with kisses), #176. Literally “eating you up with kisses”, a common affectionate phrase in Spanish, drawn against a background of floating hearts.
28. “Un tierno beso en la frente” (A tender kiss on the forehead), #159. Many readers say a forehead kiss feels more protective than romantic, and Ramirez draws it in a soft sunset glow.
29. “Ser feliz de hacerla feliz” (Being happy because you make her happy), #108. The two walk along holding hands, each with a heart above their head.
30. “Robarle un beso tronador” (Stealing a loud, smacking kiss), #105. The sound effect “MUA!” bursts out of the frame as he grabs a kiss she clearly did not see coming.
31. “Consentirse” (Pampering each other), #146. She gives him a back massage and he announces that she has just earned herself some tacos. It is affection measured in very Mexican currency.
32. “Despertarla para algo mejor que dormir” (Waking her for something better than sleep), #140. Lit in night-time blue, he leans over and asks if she is asleep, with a grin that explains the rest.
Everyday life, arguments and making up
33. “Alzar la voz solo cuando es necesario” (Raise your voice only when necessary), #111. She points a finger and says that in this house, the only shouting happens in bed. He answers with a meek “Ok…”.
34. “Verl@ mientras duerme” (Watching her while she sleeps), #128, with the English subtitle “To love is: see her while sleeps”. A quiet, moonlit moment of simply looking.
35. “Siempre ser agradecidos” (Always be grateful). She serves up a dish and he cheerfully notes that it is beans… again. The punchline is in his smile: grateful anyway.
36. “Compartir una nieve de avioncito” (Sharing an ice cream, airplane-style). They spoon-feed each other from a sundae, the way parents feed small children with an “airplane” spoon.
37. “Acordarte de las fechas importantes” (Remembering important dates), #163. She suspects he forgot again; he holds out a present and insists of course not, it is their day of… what is it called?
38. “Jugar en la cama” (Playing in bed). A burst of play-fighting on a checked bedspread, with her towering over him in a mock wrestling move.
39. “Sensual”. She reminds him that it is Friday, handsome, and he can only manage a nervous “heh…”. Ramirez often lets the woman take the lead in these panels.
40. “Ponerse de acuerdo para ir a la playa” (Agreeing on things before the beach). He says she could have worn more clothes; she suggests he could have gone on a diet. A tie.
41. “Saber que una discusión no cambia el amor que se tienen” (Knowing that an argument doesn’t change your love). In the middle of a shouting match, she yells that she loves him anyway, and he shouts back that so does he.
42. “Vivir el presente” (Living in the present), #161. He tells her that if she had stayed with her high-school ex her life would have been a disaster; her face suggests she is not entirely convinced. His red puffer vest looks like a nod to Marty McFly.
43. “Sacarse los barritos” (Popping each other’s pimples). She winces in tears while he admires a particularly loud one. Unglamorous intimacy is still intimacy.
44. “Una obra de arte” (A work of art). He paints her portrait at an easel, drawn in loose red strokes. It is also a small self-portrait of an illustrator at work.
45. “Uno más” (One more), #180. On the sofa at night he asks “One more episode?” and she answers “¡Arre!”, a Mexican way of saying “let’s do it”.
46. “Traerse de cabeza” (Head over heels), #125. The Spanish idiom literally means to have someone upside down, so he carries her upside down while she thinks of a heart.
47. “¡¡¡Fiesta!!!” (Party!). The couple dance under disco lights in superhero costumes, with him in a tiara and her in a mask.
48. “Ir al cine… y no ver la película” (Going to the cinema… and not watching the film), #106. Surrounded by annoyed moviegoers, they are clearly not following the plot.
49. “Incondicional” (Unconditional), #147. On a park bench he asks whether she still loves him even though his feet smell, he gets grumpy, forgets dates and is getting chubby; she answers “yep” every time and finishes with “always”.
50. “Juntos ganen o pierdan” (Together, win or lose), #114. Crouched at a starting line, they shout “Let’s go!”. Signed “By: El Chico Detergente”.
51. “Fidelidad” (Faithfulness). At a beach bar a stranger compliments his superhero T-shirt, and he stammers that he is taken and “allergic to other girls or whatever”. His girlfriend replies, “Good boy.”
52. “Creer” (Believing), #116. He pitches a plan to get rich selling corn snacks at the circus and she answers “Great!”. Supporting a partner’s wild ideas is its own kind of love.
53. “Confiarle tu cabello… para practicar” (Trusting her with your hair… for practice). She attacks his hair with scissors while he sits with his eyes closed, either very brave or very trusting.
54. “Un montón de apodos cariñosos” (A pile of pet names), #112. Walking on the beach they swap nicknames such as “sardinita” (little sardine), “muñeca” (doll) and “chonchis” (chubby), ending with “I love you” and “me too”.
55. “Provocarl@” (Teasing), #246. She stretches out across his desk and says she hopes she is not distracting him while he works. He is, of course, completely distracted. Signed “El Chico Detergente”.
What the comics say about love
Taken together, the 55 panels make a quiet argument: a relationship is built from small, repeated choices. Remembering a date, sharing the last bite, letting someone be lazy for an afternoon, or saying “I love you anyway” in the middle of an argument matter more than grand gestures.
They also show a couple who respect each other’s space. He does not get her password, she does not have to give up her friends, and both are allowed to be ridiculous. If one of these panels reminded you of someone, the best compliment you can pay the artist is to share it from the original page rather than a repost.
Continue with a related feature: Skvllpel's Skeleton Illustrations Explore Love Through Gesture.
Sources: comics from the Amar es series credited to Aarón Ramirez, via Amar es on Facebook and Weheartit; background on the original strip from Wikipedia: Love Is…; translations by Thinking Humanity.
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