Marvel and DC Comics are the big names for superheroes, but they aren’t the only home of heroes in comics. There are numerous smaller comic companies out there, and have been for decades. These smaller companies used to circle the periphery, sometimes hitting a big hit, but often fading away or getting bought. The second rise of superheroes in the ’60s would eventually lead to a new indie market, and the ’80s would see numerous creators trying to tell stories all of their own, leading to the current indie comic landscape. The various eras of comics have led to some iconic indie heroes becoming standard-bearers, with some of them becoming superstars.
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These characters have reached popularity that most mainstream heroes never do, and some of them have become multimedia superstars. Some of them are trendsetters, independent heroes who have birthed entire genres. These seven indie heroes have changed comics in various ways, and several of them are some of the most famous fictional characters of all time.
7) Vampirella
There are superheroes beyond Marvel and DC, and one has been around for decades, helping keep a trend alive. Vampirella first appeared in 1969’s Vampirella #1, a beautiful, scantily-clad monster woman who would birth an entire genre of character, one that has stretched far past the comics. She’s had numerous comics over the years, and birthed what became known as the “Bad Girl” trend in the ’90s (some of you know and some of you are going to Google). She’s an icon who is still kicking around to this day, a secret part of pop culture that has had a much bigger impact than most people realize.
6) The Savage Dragon
Image Comics changed the comic industry, and one of the most important characters, albeit one that you haven’t heard of, is the Savage Dragon. Erik Larsen became a superstar drawing The Amazing Spider-Man along with Todd McFarlane, and eventually left Marvel to co-found Image. Since 1992, Larsen has been writing exactly the kind of superhero comic he wants to write with the Dragon, creating his own universe. Dragon is an icon of the freedom of the indie market. He’s not the most popular character ever, but he’s popular enough to allow Larsen to do whatever he wants. He’s endemic of the indie superhero ideal.
5) Cerebus
So, to begin with, I don’t think you should read Cerebus. Writer/artist Dave Sim got very misogynistic as the years have gone by, and isn’t a good person, but he became the blueprint for the indie comic market in the ’80s and ’90s. He created his own character and set out to tell a 300-issue story about the life and death of Cerebus the Aardvark, and did it on his own terms. The character would become one of the icons of the ’90s indies comic movement, and helped show a new generation of creators that they could do their own thing and succeed (just ignore him, though).
4) Rick Grimes
The Walking Dead isn’t a traditional superhero comic, but it definitely has a hero. Rick Grimes was the heart of the comic, which brought horror comics back to the forefront of the industry, and became an iconic character that fans loved. He’d eventually jump to the TV screen and become one of the coolest heroes of all time. He’s a superstar character, one who has spoken to generations of fans in multiple mediums. He proved to be capable of carrying an entire franchise on his back and showed how far an indie hero can go.
3) Invincible
Invincible blew the comic industry wide open and never looked back. This book dropped in the mid ’00s, and promised readers the best fights in comics, with more realistic heroes in a dangerous universe. Invincible was that character that could make anyone a superhero fan, or at least a fan of the hero himself, a mature, violent superhero in the center of a story that paid homage to the classics while forging its own path. Eventually, Mark jumped to TV as well and is now one of the most popular superheroes around.
2) Hellboy
Hellboy is another icon of the ’90s who birthed his own empire. Writer/artist Mike Mignola created the character for Dark Horse Comics and soon the character became the most popular horror character of a generation. He was such a great character and he birthed his own universe of related heroes and villains. He was the beating heart of the whole thing, the Beast of the Apocalypse who just wants to smoke his cigars, hang out with his friends, and kill monsters. He’s an icon that has starred in movies and cartoons, and is an indie juggernaut.
1) Spawn
Spawn is wildly popular even decades after his heyday. The character is the brainchild of superstar artist Todd McFarlane, whose work on Spider-Man changed Marvel in the late ’80s and led to the creation of Image Comics. Spawn was the first solo superhero book from the publisher, and since then we’ve gotten an entire universe out of the character, as well as Image becoming the home of the greatest indie comics ever. He’s a hero who still has a rather impressive pop cultural footprint, and helped birth one of the most important comic companies of the modern day. Plus, he has the coolest cape in comics.
What’s your favorite indie comic icon? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
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