The delicious men of DC Comics

When drawn by very talented and gifted artists like Neal Adams, John Byrne, Jim Lee and Ivan Reis, the male superheroes of DC Comics like Superman and Green Lantern are sexy, but scenes of scantily clad male heroes remain rare at the company.

Although drawn handsomely, DC Comics’ male superheroes weren’t really all that sexy until revolutionary artist Neal Adams came around and worked for the company in the late sixties and early seventies. His men had clearly defined muscle tone, nipples and hair on the chest. However, sexy depictions of the male superheroes remained rare at DC Comics compared to at their competitor Marvel Comics. But when Marvel writer and artist John Byrne relaunched DC’s Superman series in 1986, he brought some of Marvel’s sexiness with him to the company. And, of course, Superman is the hottest male superhero around. He is the ultimate symbol of masculinity and is featured prominently here, followed by Green Lantern and various others. The catch is that in modern times, half-naked depictions of the male superheroes at DC remain rare, so mostly a sexy man in a sexy costume striking a sexy pose will have to do and when drawn by hot artists like Jim Lee and Ivan Reis the temperature certainly rises.

Here are some highlights from the evolution of the depiction of sexy male superheroes at DC Comics.

In Spectre #3 from April 1968, groundbreaking and innovative artist Neal Adams drew his first hot DC superhero when Wildcat in his civilian identity as Ted Grant took his shirt off and revealed his sexy body to the readers. The image of the hero stripping off his shirt would become a recurring scene in the works of Neal Adams.

A scantily clad, bare-chested Boston Brand – the trapeze-artist who would become Deadman as envisioned in all his strong masculinity by Neal Adams in Strange Adventures #211, also from April 1968.

Boston Brand had a twin brother, Cleveland Brand, who strikes a suggestive pose in a sexy Deadman costume exposing his hairy chest in this image by Neal Adams from Strange Adventures #212 in June 1968.

Green Lantern didn’t need to show skin to be sexy when drawn by artists Gil Kane and Joe Gilla like here from Green Lantern #68 from April 1969. Did he ever look more attractive when recharging his ring and reciting his sacred oath?

By 1971, Neal Adams had graduated to the big star super-heroes at DC Comics. Here is Green Lantern in his civilian identity as Hal Jordan stripping off his shirt and revealing his sexy body underneath as inked by Dick Giordano in Green Lantern #86 from 1971.

Green Lantern had a co-star in 1971, namely Green Arrow who is in his civilian identity as Oliver Queen and stripping off his shirt in this sequence by Neal Adams & Berni Wrightson from Green Lantern #84. Certainly, Green Arrow was as sexy as the top-billing Green Lantern.

 

Green Lantern #87 from 1971 served up a much better image of the shirt-stripping Oliver Queen as portrayed by Neal Adams & Dick Giordano. That Green Arrow sure was a handsome man.

The final shirt-stripping scene by Neal Adams & Dick Giordano appeared in Action Comics #425 from 1973. It was of the lesser-known hero Christopher Chance, The Human Target. And his body sure was right on target.

Jan Arrah, the only survivor of the massacre on the planet Trom, joined the Legion of Super-Heroes as Element Lad and was drawn very sexy by Mike Grell in Superboy #211 from September 1975. Years later, Jan Arrah would have a relationship with a woman who turned out to be a man in Legion of Super-Heroes vol. 3 #31.

Stripping out of his Green Arrow costume, it sure doesn’t look like Oliver Queen was wearing any underwear underneath it as envisioned by artist Mike Grell in Green Lantern #91 from November 1976. Yeah, he's naked!

In January 1981, DC Comics #29 proudly presented Superman as drawn by Jim Starlin and Romeo Tanghal. Jim Starlin had previously made Captain Marvel sexy at rival company Marvel Comics, and with his move to DC Comics, he brought sexiness with him as envisioned in this splash-page showing an impressively packing Superman.

With the Silver Age and Modern Age Superman looking young and sexy, his Golden Age incarnation was now a mature, but still very sexy Superman living on Earth-2. Here he is envisioned by artists Keith Pollard and George Pérez and inked by Romeo Tanghal in Justice League Of America #197 from December 1981.

Skipping ahead to 1986, the superstar artist John Byrne who also made his claim to fame at the rival company Marvel Comics, had migrated to DC Comics and more sexiness ensued. Check out his take of the granddaddy of all superheroes, Superman himself in this ad for a Legend limited series. And Superman was indeed a legend because of his impressively good looks and powerful physique - and in this Byrne drawing: A wonderful looking package making him irresistible to everyone.

In this John Byrne drawing inked by Karl Kesel of the superhero Steel from Justice League of America from Legends #1, November 1986, Steel sure filled that costume to perfection. Look at that body. Look at that package. 

Clark Kent took a shower while dreaming about being loved as dreamily and romantically portrayed by artist Jerry Ordway in Adventures of Superman #427 from April 1987.

In bed with Superman! An intimate look at Clark Kent getting out of bed as detailed by John Byrne and Karl Kesel from Superman #5, May 1987. Who wouldn’t want to have spent the night in that bedroom next to that ultimate sexy hunk of a man?

Clark Kent gets out of bed once again in a scene depicted by John Byrne and Karl Kesel. This one is from Superman #6, June 1987, and reveals that the super man sleeps wearing a pair of sexy white briefs before getting up and putting on his revealingly tight Superman costume.

Superman looks like a stern man who knows exactly how he wants it in this fairly simple but still sexy full body shot by John Byrne from Superman #22 in October 1988. The tight costume reveals the contours of Superman’s super strong body, almost as if the costume is painted on his naked body, making it easy to let the mind imagine him naked.

Two more DC heroes with practically body-painted costumes. Captain Atom of the Justice League International meets Jim Harper, Guardian of Project Cadmus in Superman #26 by Kerry Gammill and Brett Breeding, winter 1988/1989. Guardian has assumed a sexy masculine stance, highlighting his appealing package.

Raised as Clark Kent on a farm, Superman is still a farm boy at heart in Superman #30, April 1989, where artists Kerry Gammill & Dennis Janke have him sowing shirtless, revealing his sexy strong body and sporting a bulging package. Simply irresistible.

Like John Byrne, Kerry Gammill and Dennis Janke knew how to draw a sexy Superman. Here they have him bulging in all the right places on the cover for Superman #31, May 1989. It is easy to imagine that perfect body naked.

Action Comics Annual #2 from June 1989 was a sheer delight with a bearded Superman fighting as a gladiator in a very revealing outfit. The sexiness was provided by Curt Swan inked by Brett Breeding and Jerry Ordway inked by John Statema. Check out this handful of delightful samples:

Superman sporting a masculine beard in a sexy full-figure body-shot drawn by Dan Jurgens and Art Thibert in Adventures of Superman #455 from June 1989.

That is not what’s really going on, but any dirty mind can easily see Superman looking ready to come in the missionary position on this cover of Superman #40 by Jerry Ordway from February 1990.

Next to Superman, Green Lantern was the hottest DC superhero around. There were several Green Lanterns, but Hal Jordan was the one and only that would do, and these two panels drawn by Pat Broderick & Bruce Patterson from Green Lantern vol. 3 #1, June 1990, reveal the reason why. It is not just Hal Jordan’s suggestive grip on that shaft, but his good looks and strong hairy body, too.

Superman gets ready for action with his nice-looking package on the cover of Superman # 656 by Kerry Gammill & Brett Breeding from August 1990.

Prison sex is a gay porn sub-genre unto itself, so this image should arouse the interest of many, no less because of the full body-shot of Green Lantern sporting a sexy strong body and a nice package. The illustration is a 1991 ad for the Green Lantern: Emerald Dawn II limited series and was probably envisioned and drawn by the artists of that series.

Jerry Ordway & Dennis Janke’s version of Superman was a bit rough, like as if he were a boxing champion as opposed to the elegant man presented by other artists. That take had its appeal too as witnessed in this illustration from Superman # 53 in March 1991.

An intimate and very private moment with Clark Kent in his bathroom by Bob McLeod from Action Comics # 663, March 1991.

Guest-artists Pete Krause & Keith Williams made Superman look like a firm and confident man in Superman #69, July 1992. Notice the trick of making his body look bigger and stronger by drawing his head proportionally smaller. It was an art trend that was popular in superhero comics in the early to mid-90s, oftentimes reaching ridiculous levels with huge bodies with tiny pin-prick heads. Thankfully, that fad passed quickly.

When drawn by artists Dan Jurgens & Brett Breeding, Superman occasionally looked very sexy indeed, as exemplified in these two panels from Superman #70, August 1992.

 

Following the famous death and resurrection of Superman storylines, Superman sported long hair for a while. It is all a matter of taste of course, and in Superman #95 from December 1994, artists Dan Jurgens & Mike Manley still managed to make Superman look sexy in this frog-perspective full body-shot highlighting his super package.

When DC Comics launched their new series Damage in March 1995, they used a real-life model dressed up as Damage in their advertisements for the series. And a sexy model it was too, dark and alluring and filling those tight pants nicely.

Batman and his young sidekick Robin have been the butt of many gay jokes throughout the years, and in this drawing by Rodolfo Damaggio & Robert Campanella from Batman Vs Predator III in November 1997, the couple oozes of sexual subtext with big bulges in all the right places.

Superman’s origin was retold in the 2003 Superman: Birthright limited series and the young Clark Kent looked very attractive as portrayed by Leinil Francis Yu & Gerry Alanguilan in these panels from the second issue. Who wouldn’t want to date him?

A superstar artist for a Superman. Jim Lee, who like Jim Starlin and John Byrne had risen to fame at the rival company Marvel Comics, drew the Superman book for a twelve-issue stint inked by Scott Williams and sexiness immediately ensued as in this panel from Superman #204, June 2004. Look at that body. Look at that package.

Here’s a nice bird-perspective full body-shot of Superman by Jim Lee & Scott Williams from Superman #205, July 2004.

Jim Lee & Scott Williams’ take on Superman was indeed very handsome and sexy as witnessed by these three panels from Superman #206, August 2004. Let the pictures speak for themselves.

Jim Lee & Scott Williams’ take on Superman was without a doubt the ultimate manly man as also witnessed in Superman #207 from September 2004.

As if from a beefcake magazine, Jim Lee & Scott Williams did Superman pin-up worthy justice in Superman #208 from October 2004.

Superman had an evil counterpart in the negative universe, Ultraman. Here the bad guy has travelled to the positive universe and is doing a great impersonation of Superman, filling that iconic costume out real nice according to Ron Garney and Dan Green in JLA #110, March 2005.

Ron Garney and Dan Green also drew the real Superman with an impressive body and package as seen here from JLA #111 in April 2005.

The superfast Flash also had a fantastic firm strong body when drawn by Ron Garney and Dan Green as witnessed here from JLA #113, June 2005.

Hot new artist Ivan Reis drew the DC superheroes in the 2006 Infinite Crisis limited series with inks by Art Thibert. His work showed great promise of sexiness to come as exemplified by this nice drawing of the Flash practically assuming the missionary position in the 5^th issue.

Infinite Crisis Secret Files 2006 featured a sexy Superboy drawing by Dan Jurgens & Nelson in “on your knees and worship”-perspective. Hot!

A great Superman cover by Carlos Pacheco & Jesus Merino from September 2006 with a well-drawn sexy Superman in a masculine strongman pose.

Superman even looks good when soaking wet as illustrated by Carlos Pacheco & Jesus Merino in Superman #664 from August 2007. He looks almost angelic and here to rescue you from both loneliness and despair.

Giving Superman competition for being the sexiest man around, here is Green Lantern by Jim Lee & Scott Williams from All Star Batman & Robin #9, April 2008.

Not to be outdone by Jim Lee, Ivan Reis made Green Lantern look very sexy too, here on the cover of Green Lantern #29 in May 2008.

Ivan Reis did a sexy Green Lantern again for the cover of Green Lantern #31 in July 2008 with the superhero striking a victorious pose in his classic costume highlighting both his well-defined torso and big package.

A “softer” take on Superman by Gary Frank and Jon Sibal from Action Comics #866, August 2008. His body is not that big and muscular, yet he still looks strong, masculine and super-sexy. Very nice and realistic proportions.

Ivan Reis struck back twice, inked by Oclair Albert, in Green Lantern #35, November 2008, with Green Lantern striking a couple of sexy poses in his revealing, classic costume.

Battle of the bulges. Or packages. Whichever, the Flash and Green Lantern ooze of sexiness in this image penciled by Ivan Reis for Blackest Night #0 in June 2009. It was free on Comic Book Day.

Not to forget about DC Comics’ other big superstar, the Batman, here he is sound asleep in his civilian identity as Bruce Wayne by Tony Daniel from Batman #701, September 2010.  Looks real dreamy, doesn’t he, despite all the band aids? Snuggling up next to him seems tempting.

The final image of Superman in his classic costume with the red briefs drawing attention to his crotch as imagined by Ryan Sook in a DC Universe Legends ad from 2011. The iconic costume was about to get a modern-day update.

The modern times of avoiding embarrassing sexuality-sensitive superhero readers arrived in 2011. When Justice League was relaunched with a new #1 in October 2011, Green Lantern and Superman were still the hottest guys around as penciled by Jim Lee & inked by Scott Williams but gone were the parts of their costumes drawing attention to their crotches. They were no longer “wearing their underwear on the outside.”

The legendary groundbreaking artist Neal Adams returned to DC Comics in 2011. His drawing style was now a bit more rough than his elegant style from the sixties and seventies, but still very detailed as witnessed in these stunning images of Bruce Wayne from Batman Odyssey Vol 2 #1, December 2011.

A tall and lanky and sexy Flash in his almost body-painted costume by Jim Lee & Scott Williams in Justice League #5, March 2012.

The re-imagined Superman seemed more like a Superboy than a Superman, but he was still kind of sexy when drawn by Jim Lee & Scott Williams like here on the cover of Superman Unchained #2 from September 2013.

Ending where we began – with legendary artist Neal Adams. Here is his modern-day take on Superman – arguably the sexiest man at DC Comics - on the cover of Superman: The Coming of the Supermen in 2016. Simply: Wow! Gorgeous!