John Bates

Born in the pages of Alan Moore and Garry Leach's landmark Warrior in 1982, John Bates is a Bronze Age figure whose existence is intertwined with one of the most celebrated and consequential runs in British comics history. Sharing the page with the likes of Miracleman, Marvelman, Kid Miracleman, and Liz and Mike Moran, he moves through some genuinely electrifying company across a publishing history that stretches all the way to 2014. His appearances are modest in number, but the series he inhabits — Warrior and Miracleman — carry enormous weight in the collector's world, making even a supporting presence within those pages worth seeking out. For fans tracing the full tapestry of Moore and Leach's groundbreaking work, John Bates is one of those quietly rewarding discoveries hiding in plain sight.