First 10 Super Heroes in Comic Books -and a few notes from Hooper (because)

 I find it all very amusing that so many videos by Americans only include American created characters., I should not be that surprised since most Americans buying comics tend to get shocked when they discover that there are actually non American comics and comic strip characters all over the world. They are fed this ill educated tripe and accept it as fact -if I cared I would argue that Superman was NOT the first American super hero. 30 Minutes research would help you discover that...if you read books or just go to actual serious comic research web sites.

Firstly, let's define what a "super hero" is. Well, the easy one is that the person referred to acts like a hero. "Super" does not define super powers but is used to denote someone who is super heroic -by those terms James Bond in the movies (not the actual books) is a super hero. The dangers and threats faced by the Lone Ranger and Tonto make them super heroes. The ancient gods of Egypt, Greece and even Sumer (Gilgamesh, Hercules, Mercury et al) are super heroes and super villains.

British Penny Bloods of the 19th century featured characters that would be classed as super heroes from The Skeleton Horseman, the Pirate Prince and so on and so forth. We even have the pre Dracula "King of the Vampires" -Varney. German pulps had Captain Mors, Sun-Koh and others.

"Comic books" as such were late comers. British boys adventure papers featured a whole legion of super villains and heroes as detailed over at the British Golden Age Comics and UK Golden Age Heroes and Comics blogs -links on the right.

Remember that Hugo Hercules is widely perceived as the first superman and Doc Savage "Man of Bronze" was a 1930s character who owned a "Fortress of Solitude" long before Superman. There is even the suggestion that Philip Wylie's pulp Gladiator  was an inspiration (as he was for Roy Thomas' Iron Munro in the 1980s.

British comics never used the term "super hero" until the 1960s for its characters who were all "masked adventurers" or even costumed crime fighters.  Some used gadgets or disguises and even used  glider wings -looking exactly like those you can find being used in real life today!  Not all of those with "special abilities/powers" wore costumes.

As this is my blog I'd like to promote my Obscure British Super Heroes post

 https://hoopercomicart.blogspot.com/2023/07/the-obscure-british-super-heroes-mega.html

You will find other lost or forgotten characters mentioned in Comic Bits -issues 1-3 available and jolly good reads I am told!   

Cool French Comics will also give you the history of many French pulp and comic book characters that were around before American comics https://www.coolfrenchcomics.com/

Just never take You Tube as being "gospel" on anything no matter how loud or funny you might find them. Then again -I am an old dinosaur heading for extinction!