"Six Enormous Fanbases You Won't Believe!"
Yeah, that's a weird one. Standard powers, dull predictable costume, sweet girl who everyone likes.
Goodwin/Simonson Manhunter. Seven back-stories in Detective Comics, in the mid-70s, leading to his death. But as the collected work notes, it won 6 awards off 7 issues. Massive following amongst fanboys. Kurt Busiek (remember him?) decided to revive the character in a round about way for that failed team book The Power Company in 2001. He said he has a JSA/Manhunter story he would like to publish. Personally I think the reason the character is iconic is because his death was indeed final.
That's a lot of it. A lot of it is also how different it was--and looked-- from anything DC or even Marvel was doing at the time. But for his costume (which was also atypical) and the Batman guest shot it was less a superhero story and more a Ludlemesque spy drama.
The preface to the 1980s collected editions quotes Goodwin on the costume design. Basically, he wanted it different to Batman's, because they were cohabitating the same book (Detective Comics). Even the gun was deliberately different to Batman. Personally, I like the katars, which otherwise I don't think I've seen in comics.
Good supporting characters too: the ninja assassin, Christine St Clair, the Kenyan arms dealer. You're right - it is Ludlum -esque save for the costume. And the clones. And the cryogenic freeze. And the telepathic death ray. Hmm.
