In the 1970s, Japanese anime strove to emulate American superhero cartoons with their own creations.

The programme also included superhero cartoons, which would be introduced by "The Space Teller"; Michael's disembodied head (often wearing a crown) seemingly "floating" in space.

In traditional superhero cartoons the battle is between good and evil.

Since the 1960s, superhero cartoons have been a staple of children's television, particularly in the U.S..

With makeup adapted from Kabuki and superhero cartoons, Kiss became rock and roll action figures, not exactly human.

It then added a dash of homoeroticism, to make the shorts not just a parody of classic superhero cartoons, but of contemporary anxieties about sexual identity as well.

I didn't just want it to look like a superhero cartoon.

I wanted it to look like a superhero cartoon from 1964 or 1966.

Takashi designed Jonny to be "edgy and handsome", and rendered characters in the style of Japanese animation to differentiate from American superhero cartoons.

Pérák, like Spring-heeled Jack, went on to become a folklore hero, even starring in several animated superhero cartoons, fighting the SS.