While Marvel and DC own some of the most famous superheroes around, they’re not the only game in town. Since the debut of Superman in 1939, various creators and companies have tried to chase that huge success, and hundreds of superheroes have followed in the decades since.
Marvel and DC may own the most recognizable, iconic superheroes to the general public, but a few others have managed to break through to more mainstream success. Characters such as Hellboy, Invincible, and the cast of The Boys have broken out of the comic book page to find success with the greater public, but there is still a wealth of fantastic superheroes not as well-known to the general public. Sifting through the vastness of indie comic characters can be a daunting task, but not impossible. Here are the best superheroes not owned by Marvel or DC.
30
Rogue Trooper
In the far future of 2000 AD‘s Rogue Trooper, humanity has made its way to the stars, but war remains a constant. Set on the planet of Nu-Earth, the title character is a ‘Genetic Infantryman’ – a warrior genetically engineered to survive the lethal conditions of the resource-rich battlefield. The series was created by Gerry Finley-Day and Dave Gibbons.
After the rest of his platoon are slaughtered, Rogue goes rogue to hunt down the traitorous general who sold them out. He’s accompanied by three of his squad, whose consciousnesses have been stored in data chips attached to his gun, helmet and bag, giving each piece of vital kit its own personality. Rogue Trooper tours a battlefield the size of a planet, bearing witness to every atrocity the future has to offer and saving innocents whenever he can.
29
Ghost
Taking inspiration from pulp heroes like the Shadow and the Phantom Detective, Dark Horse Comics’ Ghost is the alter ego of Elisa Cameron, a reporter who is killed and comes back as a spectral avenger of the night. At first believing herself to be a literal ghost, Cameron later learns that she was brought back by nanomites, which gave her the ability to turn invisible and become intangible.
Part of Dark Horse’s “Comics Greatest World,” an imprint designed to create a new shared universe of superheroes, Ghost was easily the most successful of the bunch, with several comics starring the character released in the decades following her debut in 1993.
28
Jack-in-the-Box
Astro City has a wealth of fan-favorite superheroes to choose from, but the most interesting of all just might be the clown trickster Jack-in-the-Box. Inspired by the acrobatic heroes of Steve Ditko, Jack-in-the-Box is actually toy inventor Zachary Johnson, who takes over from his father, the original Jack-in-the-Box. Using his own inventions like spring-loaded catapults in his gloves and boots, tangling confetti streamers and electric clown noses, Johnson keeps the denizens of Astro City safe from the street level. The second Jack-in-the-Box ultimately decides to retire from the superhero life once his wife announces that she’s pregnant, after which he passes the mantle on to this protégé, Roscoe James.
27
Death
In Jonathan Hickman and Nick Dragotta’s East of West, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse have had a falling out. Death broke up the band when he fell in love with a human woman, prompting the other Horsemen to imprison his wife, brainwash his child and leave him for dead.
Of course, Death returns, beginning a quest to free his family, even as society collapses into the foretold apocalypse, with the world’s most powerful men and women maneuvering the fall of civilization in their favor.
Often touted as the sci-fi Game of Thrones, East of West is part dark Western and part political betray-a-thon. However, at the heart of the story is Death, who will do – and sacrifice – anything to save the only people he ever loved.
26
Abe Sapien
Originally a supporting character in the Hellboy comics, Mike Mignola’s distinguished swamp monster has gone on to his own stories, exploring the eldritch mysteries of his origin. Abe is the classic ‘refined monster’, demonstrating more humanity and curiosity than the people who brand him an abomination.
25
Nexus
Steve Rude and Mike Baron’s futuristic hero is one of the classic characters of 1980s indie comics. Horatio Hellpop was given his powers by the divine, god-like alien the Merk, who instructed him to kill a certain number of mass murderers every “cycle.” If he doesn’t, Nexus receives massive headaches and troubled dreams that could eventually kill him.
Through the Merk, Nexus was able to draw his power from nearby stars in a process called “fusion-kasting,” which gave him increased strength, the power of flight and to manipulate energy into disintegrating blasts or force fields. The political situations and moral dilemmas Nexus faces make him one of the most intriguing superheroes out there, and his classic Alex Toth-inspired costume design is one of the all-time greats.
24
Homelander
He may be a “superhero” only in the loosest sense of the term, but there’s no question that The Boys’ Homelander is a fantastic character. An evil take on the classic Superman archetype, Homelander is presented not as the last survivor of a dying planet, but rather a shady lab experiment from the mega-corporation Vought-American in their quest to create an arm of superhumans.
What is most effective about Homelander is just how terrifying he is: The Boys presents a cynical, more realistic take on what would happen if an ordinary human was suddenly given the powers of a demigod, and Homelander’s complete lack of morality makes him one of the most terrifying superheroes of all time.
23
Spawn
With his skulls, chains, and long-flowing cape, Todd McFarlane’s Spawn cuts a distinctive figure when paired against the more classic superheroes, but what really makes the character special is his origin story. Spawn has the secret ingredients of everything needed to make a classic superhero origin, simple enough for anyone to understand and given a powerful motivation to move him forward through the story.
By striking a Faustian bargain with the Devil to see his wife Wanda again, covert assassin Al Simmons is brought back to life, but with a twist. Given the supernatural powers of a Hellspawn, he comes back five years later, only to find that Wanda has remarried and moved on with her life. Angry that he’s been duped, Simmons turns his hell-powers back on the forces who tricked him, eventually growing powerful enough to fight the forces of Heaven, Hell, and everything in between.
22
Stardust, the Super-Wizard
Fletcher Hanks’ bizarre hero made his debut in December 1930, nearly a year and a half after the first appearance of Superman in Action Comics #1. Almost wholly forgotten in the decades thereafter, Stardust found a new lease on life after Hanks’ work was discovered by a new generation of fans, who couldn’t get enough of the avant-garde, almost Dadaist approach to superheroes.
Stardust the Super-Wizard is a being of unimaginable power, who often meted out cruel punishments to the evil-doers unlucky enough to cross his path. Whether he was chopping the heads off his enemies and hurling them into space or turning them into rats to be tormented by a tomcat, Stardust the Super-Wizard’s memory is kept alive thanks to the singular vision of Fletcher Hanks.
21
COPRA
Created, drawn and written by Michael Fiffe, COPRA is an homage to John Ostrander’s iconic ’80s Suicide Squad run. The comic stars shameless homages to Marvel and DC characters, with trippy art reminiscent of the late, great Steve Ditko.
However, with its gritty characters, ambitious world and art that looks like nothing else on the stands, COPRA is far, far more than just a tribute act. The series is brimming with character and visual creativity that the comics it’s referencing wish they could still match. COPRA has earned its reputation as the hidden gem of indie comics.
