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Robbie Parry
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 17 June 2007
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 12186
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| Posted: 17 January 2013 at 2:29pm | IP Logged | 1
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Almost all of the major superheroes I can think of have encountered horror during their careers. Superman has certainly faced werewolves, monsters and supernatural foes. Spider-Man has often encountered the likes of Dracula. The X-Men, Captain America and Iron Man have encountered vampires, werewolves and Frankenstein's Monster.
Do you think all superheroes are capable of interacting with horror elements or are there characters best kept away from horror foes?
I quite liked ACTION COMICS #585 (written and drawn by Mr. Byrne), featuring Superman teaming up with The Phantom Stranger. I felt Mr. Byrne, when he has used horror elements in his tales, has really made superheroes and horror/supernatural mesh very well.
There are characters I don't recall ever having horror-style adventures. Doesn't mean it's never happened, just saying I haven't read such issues. For example, I don't recall Daredevil, Punisher, The Flash, Aquaman having any adventures with horror characters. Not sure about the Hulk, I vaguely recall some adventures which may have used horror elements.
It'd be interesting to hear people's thoughts. Can all DC/Marvel superheroes/teams work with horror elements, given the right writer?
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Flavio Sapha
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 16 April 2004
Location: Brazil
Posts: 12912
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| Posted: 17 January 2013 at 2:44pm | IP Logged | 2
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I think it depends a lot on the power level of the super-hero.
Howard Mackie did some vampire stories in Spider-man which I thought turned out really great! The vamps seemed to be the right power level to challenge Spider-man.
On the other hand, Crucifer against the whole JLA and the Doom Patrol was a bit of a stretch, IMO.
For some reason, I didn´t like the Batman/Superman story JB did with Art Adams on Action Comics at all.
I love the KIRBY Jimmy Olsen story in which he and Superman visit a planet peopled by Universal monsters analogues.
Aaand the Neal Adams werewolf Batman tales is one of my all time favorite comics!
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Michael Todd
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 07 September 2009
Location: United States
Posts: 4115
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| Posted: 17 January 2013 at 2:52pm | IP Logged | 3
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I remember getting a kick out of this issue of the Fantastic Four's homage to "The Creature from the Black Lagoon". 
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Aaron Smith
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 06 September 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 10461
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| Posted: 17 January 2013 at 2:55pm | IP Logged | 4
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I think putting a non-horror heroic character into a horror story can be a wonderful change of pace as long as it isn't done often enough to lose its impact. Thinking back to my childhood, I can think of several examples of characters facing horror situations and they turned out to be very memorable stories. Things like the Batman vs. vampires stories drawn by Gene Colan, the Captain America/ Baron Blood story by JB and Roger Stern, the space vampires episode of the Buck Rogers TV show, and I think I also recall a vampire episode of Thundarr the Barbarian. And my introductions to both the Phantom Stranger and the Demon came via JB's Superman stories, which were made very effective by the contrast of Superman with those much darker characters. I'm all for intersections between superheroes and horror as long as it's only occasional. One thing I admire about the series TOMB OF DRACULA is that it clearly took place in the Marvel Universe but knew when to have Dracula interact with superheroes and when not too. There were a few crossovers, one with Dr. Strange who SHOULD be in stories like that, and one with the Silver Surfer which worked because it was such an odd mix.
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Peter Martin
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Joined: 17 March 2008
Location: Canada
Posts: 15878
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| Posted: 17 January 2013 at 4:35pm | IP Logged | 5
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I think it can probably work with all superheroes, but some may be a better match than others.
I enjoyed the JB/Art Adams story where Superman and Batman come up against a downhome vampire.
I also loved the Roger Stern/JB story with Captain America and Baron Blood. Felt like a Hammer Horror -- in a good way.
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Robert White
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 16 April 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 4560
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| Posted: 17 January 2013 at 6:18pm | IP Logged | 6
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I think ANYTHING can work in the context of superheroes because the genre, at its core, is an amalgam of virtually every conceivable genre in the fantasy/sci-fi/pulp adventure cannon. That being said, the "horror" will always be somewhat watered down. It's hard to experience real horror in a world where Superman lives, as apposed to the world created by H.P. Lovecraft where the universe is a cold, uncaring thing and "god" is a mindless monstrosity.
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Robbie Parry
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 17 June 2007
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 12186
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| Posted: 17 January 2013 at 6:22pm | IP Logged | 7
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How do I not know about that FF comic?!
You know, thinking about this topic, when I do team-ups in my head, I try and come up with two totally different characters (opposites attract and all that). So instead of Hawkeye and Green Arrow or Batman and Daredevil, I'll come up with something like Aquaman and Nova vs Kingpin and Captain Cold. Well, with horror and superheroes, I like to think of something different.
So, instead of going with something logical, like a punch-up between the early Hulk and Frankenstein's Monster, I'll go with something less obvious, like Namor vs Frankenstein's Monster, Aquaman vs Count Dracula or Green Lantern vs Wolfman. If they ever do do more superhero vs horror stories, I'd like to see some interesting match-ups.
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Robert White
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Location: United States
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| Posted: 17 January 2013 at 6:24pm | IP Logged | 8
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I will say that the X-Men vs Dracula by Claremont in the early 80's always bugged me to an extent. I always felt that Dracula was portrayed as being waaay too powerful. Tossing around Colossus easier than the Juggernaut?
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Robbie Parry
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 17 June 2007
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 12186
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| Posted: 17 January 2013 at 6:36pm | IP Logged | 9
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Never read that one, Robert. I agree with your point, though.
Based on the strength Dracula was capable of in various films, I would say the only superpowered heroes he can really go toe-to-toe with in a physical sense are Spider-Man and Namor. I'd guess that the Hulk, Thing, Thor, Hercules and Silver Surfer are much, much stronger than him.
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Wallace Sellars
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Joined: 01 May 2004
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| Posted: 17 January 2013 at 7:12pm | IP Logged | 10
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Based on the strength Dracula was capable of in various films, I would say
the only superpowered heroes he can really go toe-to-toe with in a physical
sense are Spider-Man and Namor.
---
Why do so many people underestimate the Sub-Mariner's might? His
strength is on par with the heroes you say are "much, much strainer" than
Dracula! The folks in charge of putting together the TOHOTMU made Namor
less powerful than he has previously been portrayed, but even if they got it
right, the Sub-Mariner is far stronger than Spider-Man.
Imperius Rex!
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Robbie Parry
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 17 June 2007
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 12186
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| Posted: 17 January 2013 at 7:14pm | IP Logged | 11
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Why do so many people underestimate the Sub-Mariner's might?
***
I wasn't underestimating it, I was thinking of what would happen if Dracula got hold of Namor if Namor had been out of water a long time (which I believe weakens him). Dracula underwater against Namor would obviously put Dracula at a huge disadvantage.
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Eric Smearman
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Joined: 02 September 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 5808
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| Posted: 17 January 2013 at 7:22pm | IP Logged | 12
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I really enjoyed the Trigon and Brother Blood story arcs in NEW TEEN
TITANS. I found the horror elements (particularly in the second Trigon
story) to be very effective.
JB's last few issues of X-MEN with the Wendigo, "Days of Future Past"
and Kitty with the demon in the mansion were pretty tense, scary and
downright chilling at times!
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