I picked one hero at random, Green Arrow, didn’t get a named series until 1983. 23 series. At best a tier 3 hero, at worst, a lifelong sidekick to a hero that could actually kick butt.
Also, numerous TV appearances in Smallville and has his own TV show recently. Probably appeared in the animated adaptation of the Dark Knight, but I didn’t watch it.
Judge Dredd’s publications:
Quite a few at first glance, but it appears that more than half the list are reprints and one-shots. Seems to almost be a wash if you take out the ones published by Rebellion.
Edit: On second glance, Green Arrow might have more total publications.
Well, sure, but as **Ylaria **notes even if the secret of magic is that any cunt can do it, he’s *really *good at it. And carries with him some “hero with a thousand faces” overtones, as it seems no matter the period there always was a Constantine, mucking up the works with their powerful magic.
But if we accept the notion put forward earlier in the thread that Asterix is a kind of superhero, the signature looks being a costume isn’t necessary :).
And besides, Namor doesn’t really have a costume, he’s still a superhero. Ghost Rider would be another example - I don’t know much about the character but far as I know, his leather & chains style is just how he dresses.
But the Thor talk brings me to : would Hercules/Herakles be considered a superhero ? The mythological one I mean. I suppose he’s less “hero” (at least, in the figurative sense) and more “omnicidal maniac only vaguely steered by the gods”, but still.
Regarding Greek “superheros,” I just realized that Odysseus wore a disguise when he returned to Ithaca after answering the Sphinx’ riddle, so that would count under the “secret identity” bit. Didn’t Hercules also have to disguise himself when doing one of the 7 tasks?
I don’t know why you’re trying to discredit Dredd from this thread. All that matters is if he’s a popular comic book hero in his native country, and Judge Dredd is. He has been in 2000AD comic, every single week, without a break, since 1977.
It’s a drop in the bucket. Look at Case Closed. Something like 14 movies, numerous video games, continuous publication for decades, tv show that has like a thousand episodes, international syndication, etc. etc. etc. Dredd shouldn’t even be in the conversation.
It’s kind of like saying tennis is the most popular sport in the US when the conversation is about football, basketball, and baseball.
Re: Constantine - one of his major character points is an utter contempt for superheroes (save for Zatanna, who frequently has utter contempt for him). He exists in a superhero universe, but he’s not a superhero.
Regardless, doesn’t he sort of get that Skin-Of-The-Nemean-Lion bit for a costume?
(At that, I get a “Green Lantern” vibe from Perseus: no powers like Hercules or Achilles, but he’s chosen from among all others by mighty entities who grant him a wondrous [del]ring and lantern[/del] helmet and sandals, the better to fly around or turn invisible easy as battling an evildoer to protect the innocent.)
Asterix is a superhero? I read it once or twice when I found it in the library, it seems to be more along the line of Harvey Comics’ Archie, Casper, Richie Rich, etc. Lil Dot, a b-feature in the Archie and Richie Rich comics features a character with superhuman strength, Lil Lotta, but I doubt anybody would call her a superhero. Jackie Jokers, another supporting character, often would display superhuman powers of disguise, ventriloquism, and super joke telling ability.
I think of Asterix as the Gallic equivalent of Popeye, and I believe it was comics historian Bill Blackbeard who once labeled Popeye as “the first (arf, arf!) superhero of them all.”
I never thought about it that way, but I like it. Especially since the story of Perseus has always been my favorite myth, and Green Lantern my favorite comic book superhero.
No love for Arjuna from the Bhagavad Gita? (5th Century BC)
What about Jesus, Mohammad, David, Sampson, etc. from the various world bibles?
Theseus was the one I thought who got an inordinately large amount of swag: mirrored shield and special sword to fight medusa, pegasus to ride to face the kraken?
Samson was mentioned back in post 66. And IIRC it was Perseus who dropped Medusa and used her severed head to defeat the rampaging sea monster; Theseus is the one who killed a lot of other bad guys before facing the Minotaur.
Asterix is more Coyote/Rabbit/Anansi/Fox to me, the archetypal Trickster: sure, he has super-strength on occasion, but he thrives more on outwitting his enemies with his cunning and duplicity.
What kind of enemies? Iirc, they were along the lines of Archie vs Reggie, richie rich vs Reginald van dough, satishi vs the rocket twins, etc. More for comedy than crime.
Well, in the first book alone, Getafix is abducted by the Romans, who are keen to learn the secret of his magic potion in order that their ambitious commander can usurp Caesar. Asterix allows himself to be captured in order to rescue the druid, and pretends to submit to torture, only to feign his spirit has broken before it begins, in order that he and Getafix can amuse themselves having the Romans scour the Empire for exotic, and unnecessary and hard to procure ingredients like strawberries out of season. Then Getafix concocts a hair-growing potion, which is tested upon an idiot local, whom Asterix then pretends to be knocked out by. Convinced they have the strength potion, the Romans guzzle it en masse, and then begin growing hair and beards at an alarming rate. Finally, Asterix and Getafix escape the camp, and upon being captured by Caesar and his legions, reveal the commander’s treasonous political ambitions, and are released by a grateful Caesar. He’s a trickster through and through.