10 Best Batman Analogues

8. Darkwing

Nighthawk Marvel
Amazon

Invincible is maybe the closest anyone outside of Marvel or DC has gotten to creating a pure superhero universe. Robert Kirkman became an Image partner due to the success of the Walking Dead. Still, the importance of fulfilling the dream of the company's founders nearly twenty years after the "Marvel exodus" can't be understated.

If Omni-Man is Invincible's answer to Superman then Darkwing is Batman in all but name. The original incarnation of the character only existed for a handful of pages and served no purpose other than setting up the shocking events at the end of issue #7.

In the aftermath of this, the mantle of Darkwing passed onto the sidekick of the original. This version of the character had neither his predecessors' physical abilities nor moral fibre. He did, however, possess powers that granted him access to the "shadow verse" - powers he used to take control of his city and become a dictator instead of its saviour.

Contributor
Contributor

Kevin McHugh is a code-monkey by day and a purveyor of the unpleasant by night. Having had several comics published by Future Quake Press he is now moving into prose. An avid fan of punk rock, cheap horror movies and even cheaper fast-food Kevin can be found pontificating either on Twitter or over at WhatCulture Comics where he is a regular contributor. He lives in Edinburgh with his wife and two daughters.