Since I’ve been writing this column, it’s been all about the male superheroes and villains. There have been pictures of actors such as James Marsters, Chris Hemsworth and Michael Rosenbaum for the ladies (and fellow Sidekick, Joe Glass) to swoon over. Many of the votes I’ve received from female fans for their favourite actors to play the characters I’ve covered have ended with words to the effect of “because he’s hot.” Sorry ladies, it’s true.

Well, this week, it’s the mens turn, as I turn Behind the Masks to possibly the sexiest lady to ever grace the printed page, and take a look at the actresses who have portrayed Catwoman.

This column was probably the toughest one for me to write yet. It turns out there have been a lot of great Catwomen over the years, and there are some shocking omissions from this list. Those who know me well enough will be surprised at the absence of Eliza Dushku, but with Batman: Year One not having been released yet, I couldn’t really include her by my own rules. Gina Gershon’s turn in The Batman was out of the running fairly early on, but it was only as I started actually writing that I dropped Eartha Kitt from the list. Likewise, the top five itself kept on changing, with my top two constantly swapping positions, even halfway through writing the entry for them, as did my three and four. Obviously, Halle Berry’s awful, awful version did not make the cut.

The votes for your favourite Catwoman were also close, which wasn’t much help for me, but in the end Michelle Pfeiffer just (by one vote) edged out Julie Newmar for the top spot, with one vote telling me that “Michelle Pfeiffer is how you spell M’rowr”. So, who tops my list?

Pages: 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6

So, after a week’s hiatus, Behind The Masks returns, and this week, for the first time, we’re turning our attention to the bad guys. Lets face it, a superhero is nothing without a good villain to battle against. The bad guys aren’t necessarily always more interesting characters, but when it comes to playing them on screen, they can be more fun for the actors. There’s just something about playing a super villain which allows them to really let go and have a blast.

And there isn’t a villain that’s more true of than the Joker. There probably hasn’t been a character, let alone a super villain, who’s been interpreted in such distinctly different ways by the different actors who have played him, but then, when you think about it, that’s not really a surprise. The Joker in the comics can veer wildly between the buffoonish clown just out to cause mischief, the dangerous, psychotic and downright sinister serial killer and the force of nature out to bring nothing but chaos to the streets of Gotham City. We’ve seen all these sides of the character play out on screen, and there have been some absolutely brilliant screen Jokers.

As ever, I put the question of which Joker was the absolute best to the people of the internet, and you know what? For the first time ever, we don’t have a definitive answer. The Joker would approve. There was a tie, with two actors receiving the exact same number of votes (I should also say, this is the most votes I’ve ever received for one of these columns). For you guys, Heath Ledger and Mark Hamill are your joint favourite Jokers. But which five actors made the cut for this list? Read on and find out…

Pages: 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6

Superman, as we all know, first appeared in Action Comics #1 in the year 1938. The first true superhero, Supes paved the way for a veritable army of comic book superheroes in the decades which followed. Quite naturally, it wasn’t long until the screen beckoned, and ever since 1941, when Superman again led the way in the classic Fleischer Studios cartoon series, superheroes have been a common feature on TV and cinema screens everywhere.

Over the years, most of the more popular heroes have appeared in one form or another, played by a huge amount of actors who, it must be said, are all brave for taking on such iconic roles. Some have done better than others, but who are the definitive actors who have played the characters we all know and love? That’s what I aim to look at in this series of columns. Each week, I’ll take a different, well loved character from comics and have a look at five of the actors who have played them, ranking them in order of my own personal preference. I’m also throwing it open to everyone else to tell me who their favourite is before I begin on my Twitter account.

For this week, let us begin with the greatest comic book character of all time, Batman! When I asked on Twitter who everyone’s favourite Batman was, Adam West just beat Christian Bale by a single vote, but does he top my list?

I tried to pick my five favourite actors to ever take on the part of the Caped Crusader, but I couldn’t pick between the last two. So you’re getting six. Let’s go!

Pages: 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7