COMIC BOOK CHARACTERS WHO WERE BASED ON REAL-LIFE MUSICIANS

In 1995, the DC Comics imprint, Vertigo Comics, released the five-issue miniseries, 'Jonah Hex: Riders of the Worm and Such', which stars the titular character fighting against two evil-looking brothers who were based on the real-life musicians, Johnny and Edgar Winter. But when Johnny and Edgar heard about this depiction, they decided to sue DC for defamation because the aforementioned miniseries portrays them as being evil monsters. Currently, the case is under review as the court is unable to determine a unanimous outcome. Along similar lines, several other comic book characters were also based on real-life musicians. This includes...

Name: Alison 'Ali' Blaire / Alias: Dazzler / Created by: Tom DeFalco and John Romita Jr. / First appearance: The Uncanny X-Men #130 / Cover date: February 1980 / Published by: Marvel Comics

Who's this character based on? Initially, the Jamaican singer, songwriter, model, and actress, Grace Jones, but was then altered to look like the American actress and model, Bo Derek. The main reason for this is because Dazzler was originally conceived as a joint venture between Marvel Comics and Casablanca Records in order to cross-promote each other's wares. But after a while, Casablanca suffered several financial setbacks and the project eventually fell into the hands of the filmmaker, John Derek, who wanted to transform it into a film starring his wife, Bo. Grace was born on the 19th of May, 1948, and is known for singing the songs, 'Pull Up to the Bumper' (1981) and 'Slave to the Rhythm' (1985), whereas Bo was born on the 20th of November, 1956, and is known for starring in the films, '10' (1979) and 'Tommy Boy' (1995).

Name: Judge Cassandra Anderson / Alias: Not applicable / Created by: John Wagner and Brian Bolland / First appearance: 2000 AD #150 (Volume 1) / Cover date: February 1980 / Published by: IPC Media/Rebellion Publishing

Who's this character based on? Allegedly, the lead singer of the American rock band, Blondie, Debbie Harry, although it has been suggested that Judge Anderson was initially inspired by one of the assistant editors who worked on the comic magazine, '2000 AD', Deirdre Vine. Debbie was born on the 1st of July, 1945, and is known for singing such songs as 'Heart of Glass' (1979) and 'Call Me' (1980), whereas Deirdre, on the other hand, hasn't publicly disclosed her date of birth, but we do know that since she left '2000 AD', she became the editor for two magazines, 'Woman's Journal' and 'Aura'.

Name: John Constantine / Alias: Hellblazer / Created by: Alan Moore, Steve Bissette, and John Totleben / First appearance: Swamp Thing #37 (Volume 2) / Cover date: June 1985 / Published by: DC Comics

Who's this character based on? The singer, songwriter, and bassist for the English rock band, the Police, Sting, who also became an actor and launched his own solo career in 1985. Sting was born on the 2nd of October, 1951, and is known for singing songs like 'Roxanne' (1978) and 'Every Breath You Take' (1983), as well as for starring in the 1979 drama, 'Quadrophenia'. Coincidentally, his appearance in the aforementioned drama, along with his role in the 1982 film, 'Brimstone & Treacle', inspired the creation of John Constantine.

Name: Tashana / Alias: Lady Quark / Created by: Marv Wolfman and George Pérez / First appearance: Crisis on Infinite Earths #4 / Cover date: July 1985 / Published by: DC Comics

Who's this character based on? The Scottish singer-songwriter and lead vocalist for the pop duo, Eurythmics, Annie Lennox, who then went on to embark on her own solo career in 1992. Annie was born on the 25th of December, 1954, and is known for singing many sensational songs, including 'Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves' (1985), 'Why' (1992), and 'Walking on Broken Glass' (1992).

Name: Lucifer Samael Morningstar / Alias: Satan / Created by: Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth, Mike Dringenberg, and M. R. Carey / First appearance: The Sandman #4 (Volume 2) / Cover date: April 1989 / Published by: DC Comics

Who's this character based on? The English singer, songwriter, and actor, David Bowie, who's known for singing such songs as 'Space Oddity' (1969) and 'Starman' (1972), as well as for starring in fantastic films like 'The Last Temptation of Christ' (1988) and 'The Prestige' (2006). David was born on the 8th of January, 1947, and died of liver cancer on the 10th of January, 2016. He was 69 years old.

So, there you have it, folks, five comic book characters who were based on real-life musicians. Out of curiosity, have you come across any of these facts before? Or is all of this something new? Either way, please feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment section below.