Published on the CBR website, we read a fun post by Ashley Land titled ‘10 Indie Comic Superheroes Who Are Basically Batman‘.

The focus of the post is one of DC Comics most famous characters, Batman. Ashley correctly notes that not only has Batman influenced the creation of other characters, but he himself draws inspiration from other heroes in his creation. Ashley’s post notes:

The company’s flagship hero, Batman has been a powerful force in American comics since his creation by Bill Finger and Bob Kane in May 1939. Despite his standalone success, Batman has many heroes to thank for inspiring his story. A testament to Batman’s success and influence was his countless knock-offs and pastiches from the so-called Platinum Age of the 1930s to the modern indie scene.

Ashley provides us with a list of 10 comic book characters with similar traits to Batman, those being of a mature vigilante nature with a sense of adventure.

The Phantom is found amongst the list of characters, from the point of view of influencing and inspiring the creation of Batman’s storyline. Ashley writes about the Phantom:

The Phantom is often pointed to as the first costumed superhero, and the precursor to Batman and the superhero age. The hero didn’t debut in comics, but rather pulp comic strips in newspapers. His short, serialized adventures were printed for readers on a weekly basis. These included fights with pirates, looters, greedy industrialists, and other criminals as he defended his country, the fictional African nation of Bengalla.

The Phantom was much like Batman in the sense that he had a secret identity, no powers, was a master of combat, and depended on his intelligence to gain the upper hand. There were some differences, such as the Phantom’s use of guns and how his mantle was passed down between father and son for multiple generations.

The post is an interesting and detailed read, with comparable similarities identified between Batman and other comic book characters. The Phantom has certainly been a source of inspiration in the birth of other comic book heroes, from the way they looks through to their mythos. Lee Falk was certainly ahead of his time in respect to his imagining of his various creations, including Mandrake the Magician and the Phantom.

To read 10 Indie Comic Superheroes Who Are Basically Batman on the CBR website, click HERE

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