I'm using "rules" in quotes because in this matter there are no hard laws, but a set of conventions that developed and that people have come to expect in superhero comics. Since I started posting mine, commenters have occasionally pointed out how it followed or broke such conventions. That's what got me interested in them. What conventions do you know in this genre? Do you expect them? Do you feel wrongfooted if they are not respected? Do they bore you? Discuss!

I'll start with a few I noted:
- The hero's identity must be secret, and identity breaches only happen rarely and pretty far down the storyline.
- The hero must have a superhero name and a real name
- There must be at least one personalized supervillain (as opposed to, say, forces of nature or random criminals) to oppose the hero
- The hero must have some kind of helper
- The hero must experience some kind of personal struggle ('tis the fad of the age)
etc...

As for me, I like that they are there, as something to refer to, and referring to them in my own story is what ties it to the genre, but I don't feel bound by them at all. I develop the story along its own inner logic – for me that's much more important than fitting into a genre.

--
Designer, illustrator, comic author, martial artist, globetrotter, tutorial queen, shock therapist...
Tutorial list: [link]