A new poll to discover the world's favourite comic book hero has seen a certain Caped Crusader deliver a decisive WHAM!, BAM! and WALLOP! to his rivals.
Readers of Comic Heroes Magazine chose Batman as their number one in a survey of their favourite characters.
The moody millionaire from Gotham City fought off the likes of Spider-Man and Superman into second and third place respectively.
Nothing gets comic fan boys worked up quite like a straight up comparison between the Marvel and DC Comics legends.
Anyone with even a passing interest in graphic novels will have debated at one time whether Batman's utility belt would really be enough to see off Superman's superhuman strength or Wolverine's worryingly sharp finger nails.
This latest poll to place the comic greats in some sort of order is unlikely to settle such debates for good, but fans of the Dark Knight at least have a new weapon in their armory.
The results appear in an edition of the magazine that also includes interviews with cartoonist and writer Ed Brubaker and a celebration of Judge Dredd, who came a respectable 5th in the list.
The Top Ten
1. Batman
2. Spider-Man
3. Superman
4. Wolverine
5. Judge Dredd
6. Tintin
7. Captain America
8. Wonder Woman
9. The Spirit
10. The Thing
Batman Facts
- Robin was only originally supposed to appear in one comic issue
- Batman is one of the only superheroes to possess no superpowers, battling his enemies with intelligence and strength
- His first appearance was in 'DETECTIVE COMICS #27' in May, 1939
- An industrialist and philanthropist, he vowed to fit criminals after his parents were murdered when he was just a child
- He was conceived by writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane