15 non-American Heroes (CBR article)

[paw broon]

Ah well now, Col, I'd happily allow Scarlet Hawk; X-Bow; perhaps Red Star Robinson as he does have what could be described as a costume. But from there on we differ as Dan Dare is an adventurer type hero in the same niche as Flash Gordon; Captain Condor; Cap. Valiant; Space Commander Kerry etc. Dare is undoubtedly one of the great comic book heroes but not a Masked Mystery Man, imo. By the way I'd add also Black Archer, just to have another black adjective in there! We did have a lot of Superheroes/MMM and we haven't gone anywhere near Captain Atlas and lots more.
We're getting into adjacent niches as you have me now wondering about General Jumbo and The Iron Fish - or it's pilot. These 2 are really heroes with gadgets or science type tools/weapons, but costume? or secret I/D? This is great. Keep them coming.
Returning to popularity, it occurs to me that when I was young - '50's into '60's, - My pals and I all knew of and looked forward to Iron Fish and Jumbo stories and Marvelman, so if we include the first 2 in the superhero/MMM group, they would have been popular.

[starscape]

There is no major difference between Dan Dare and any other spacer. He may have been very good at his job but a superhero has to have something that bit more IMHO.

[colcool007]

There is no major difference between Dan Dare and any other spacer. He may have been very good at his job but a superhero has to have something that bit more IMHO.

Oh I don't know. Would the Cosmic Claw count?

[paw broon]

I was daft enough to look up the Cosmic Claw and I'm still none the wiser
Back to popularity. Obviously at different times, different heroes would have been in different places in any popularity poll. Or not on it at all. Depends what anyone polled read or was reading and whether a character tickled his or her fancy. Trying to guage what the general public think or like is really difficult, even the political pollsters get it wrong. I was thinking about the Bananaman suggestion and as he had a tv show it would have fixed him in the nappers of young kids, so yes, very popular. Before Bananaman we had umpteen superheroes/MMM in British comics, very few of whom after 1959 were anywhere near as popular as the American ones they sought to imitate.
Of course, there were superheroes and MMM in the storypapers and pulps long before the comics. Black Sapper in his villain period was in the papers but real MMM and heroes with what could be considered to be powers, albeit gadget or science driven, included Flaming Avenger; Flying Justice, Black Whip; Night Hawk, Zero the Silent etc.

[Lew Stringer]

Not forgetting one of our oldest superheroes, BATSOWL, from 1918....

http://lewstringer.blogspot.co.uk/2014/ ... -1918.html

[TwoHeadedBoy]

Would Captain Scarlet count? He's "indestructible" and's been in plenty of comics.

EDIT:
Whoops, just noticed Kollektiboolz [sorry for the spelling, it's past my bedtime] mentioned him on the first page

[philcom55]

Dan Dare and his super-powered Cosmic Claw.