Top 5 Most Popular Comic Books

Even though we’re living in an age of digital storytelling, comic books are just as popular as ever with some of them becoming the theme for slot machines (click here for some examples) and billions of pounds are spent on these colourful creations every year.

But which comics are the most popular, which ones have sold the most units? The answer may surprise you.

5. Asterix = 370 Million+ Copies

Asterix is published as an annual book and has been printed in this format for around 60 years, albeit with much less frequency in the last couple of decades.

Created by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo, Asterix tells the story of a group of Gaul warriors who fight against the Roman Empire circa 50 BCE. The eponymous hero leads the way and is closely followed by his best friend Obelix as the pair face-off against real historical figures like Julius Caesar.

Although it was originally published in French, Asterix has been translated into over 100 different languages and dialects and has a massive following throughout Europe.

4. Spider-Man = 385 Million+ Copies

Spider-Man is a global franchise that turned an awkward photographer into one of the world’s best-loved superheroes. It was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and is the number 1 Marvel comic in terms of sales.

The famous-web slinger first appeared in 1962 in the Amazing Fantasy anthology, before getting his own series a short time later.

3. One Piece = 470 Million+ Copies

One Piece is a Japanese manga series that has been published in close to 100 volumes. The first of these was in 1997, making it the youngest comic on this list.

The massive popularity of this series in its native Japan, along with a huge following in North America, has given One Piece the enviable honour of being the world’s best-selling comic volume.

2. Batman = 480 Million+ Copies

Also known as the Dark Knight, Batman is more of an everyday superhero than his contemporaries. As a result, he is more relatable with readers. He also has a dark back story and lives in a twisted and somewhat dystopian city, making for a much bleaker backdrop and attracting an older audience.

Created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics, published by DC Comics in 1939. His inclusion was a big hit with fans, and he was given his own comic a year later, beginning a legend that would culminate in thousands of issues and a number of TV, film, and game adaptations.

Although he’s not number 1 on our list, the success of the Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy, as well as the Arkham series of video games, has made Batman the world’s most profitable superhero franchise.

1. Superman = 600 Million+ Copies

The Man of Steel has dominated the superhero sales rankings since the beginning. He’s the definitive superhero—the strongest and most powerful man in the universe—and kids and adults alike have been following his adventures since 1938.

Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, Superman first appeared in the very first edition of Action Comics, and his inclusion helped to make the issue a huge success. Incidentally, that same comic, which sold for just $0.10 in 1938, once sold for over $3 million and is considered the most valuable comic in the world.

The Last Son of Krypton made 859 appearances in Action Comics and 475 appearances in the “Superman” comics. When these are combined with the many mini-series and cross-over issues, it accounts for thousands of comics and over 600 million sales.

Top Comic Book Characters that have made it in Films

Spiderman

There are lots of different spiderman films and there was even a television series making it a really high contender. Peter Parker, a photographer for the newspaper the Daily Bugle gets bitten by a radioactive spider and this gives him special abilities. He has super strength and agility and can climb walls and ceilings with ease. He decides to become a disguised superhero to use his skills for good and of course, defeats numerous villains in various films. Many people are fans of spiderman because he does not have powers that are too over the top. Not being able to fly, read minds or things like that make him seem more relatable than some others as well as the fact that he is not from another planet.

Batman

Batman is a Dc comics character and has a sidekick called Robin in some movies. He is also known as the Dark Knight and the Caped Crusader and is often seen driving the Bat mobile. His secret identity if Bruce Wayne who is a wealthy American business owner. When he was a child, he saw his parents murdered and swore that he would fight criminals. Therefore, he trained himself physically and intellectually to be able to fight crime. This makes him a superhero that many people like because he has no super powers as such but he can do martial arts and his money allows him to buy lots of equipment and weaponry. He works in Gotham City and fights crime there and the villains he fights include The Joker, The Penguin and The Riddler. Continue Reading

Top 4 Slots Based on Comic Book Characters

It can be great fun playing slot machines and even more so if they have a comic theme. You might be surprised about how many comic themed ones there are but here are our top five picks that we would recommend for all comic fans.

Green Lantern

This is based on the DC comic character, Green Lantern and has 5 reels. You need to match different symbols such as Green Lantern, Kilowog, Hector Hammond, Guardian of Oa, Sinestro and Tomar-Re. There are lots of winning combinations if you match the same symbols in 243 directions. It is possible to get multipliers of up to 500 so there is a big chance of winning large prizes. There are 4 levels and the game features all sorts of missions as well such as the training centre mission and the fear flight mission. There is the chance of earning free spins, bonuses and these can be activated at any time during game play. This game has really good graphics and lots of fun features as well. The backdrop features a space scene with a big green planet. Continue Reading

Top Comic Book Heroes

Asking someone to rank their favourite comic book heroes can be like asking them to pick their favourite children and this is why this list is not in ranked order. However, we still have comic book characters that we prefer over others and therefore that is why this list was able to be put together. We know that you will not completely agree but we thought we would throw this out there and see whether you might like to put together your own list.

Batman

The Dark Knight of Gotham city has to feature here. He is much admired by many because he does not have a specific superpower as such. Although admittedly, he does have enough money to buy weapons and a snazzy car to help him out with his quests, it is his physical strength that gives him a lot of power This means that it can feel that he is the most realistic superhero in that we could all, theoretically become him. The fact that his status also comes from a sad and dark back story when his parents were killed by criminals also makes him a dark, brooding character which is very different to the more perfect personalities of many other superheroes. Continue Reading

Top Female Superheroes

Most comic characters seem to be male, but there is a selection of female superheroes as well. It is well worth thinking about these as although they are rare, they are certainly not worth forgetting. This is why we have decided to put together a list of our favourites. It is very hard to decide which is the best so we have decided not to rank the list but just to come up with a few ideas as to the superheroes we admire and we will let you decide which you think is the best and the worst from the list.

Catwoman

Catwoman or Selina Kyle started off as a cat burglar (in some story versions) and then became a villain in the Batman series. She was not as memorable as The joker etc but was more playful and fun. However, her character evolved as she changed from villain to hero as she and she was a blackmailer and company vice-president and then started using her skills to protect part of Gotham City and then Batman. She even faked the death of her daughter to give the baby a decent life so has proved that she is worthy of her superhero status. Continue Reading