DC vs Marvel

[Caroline Forbes]

We may have had this discussion before, but I don't really care ;)

Most of the time I feel like I'm the only person on here who reads DC, and after some things I read in the shoutbox I thought we needed a thread. So, which do you prefer, and why? Is it the characters, the writing, the artwork, or something else?

:)

[Arkaine]

Are we including the Vertigo inprint in this discussion?

I was always a Marvel fan and never really cared for DC until quite recently when I got into The Sandman. The Sandman, while slightly detached from the regular DCU, was still set in that DCUniverse (unlike most Vertigo titles which aren't bound to it). I began to more and more look into Vertigo titles, such as Lucifer, which became my favorite series, and then Fables -- the only comic I regularly read these days.

With my taste for Greek myth, I naturally was attracted to Wonder Woman, given her history and backstory, and reading some back issues fell in love with the character. Also had a good time reading some of the newer Teen Titans, and Outsiders. However, I was never able to get into reading the big two of the DC universe. Superman's appeal has forever eluded me, and Batman I get bored of.

Basically, what I'm trying to say is that I went from MArvel to DC. The reason being the writing. The X-Titles, my Marvel stable, have gone downhill considerably. From the induction of Morrison and Austen, I actually lost interest in characters I previously loved. The only Marvel comic I still read these days is Academy X, but even now that is really, really, starting to annoy me with the constant gimicks it's trying to pull.

[Clairvoyance]

MARVEL is my favorite and the only comics that I read. Really, so I guess it must be my favorite…oh, anyway, MARVEL rocks because of, well, basically everything. I love the characters, even the villains and humans. Each and every one has something most special about them. They’re all different and unique, in my opinion.

I can’t exactly compare MARVEL Comics to DC seeing as I’ve never read anything else besides MARVEL before. *shrugs* So, I guess it’s pretty much pointless for me to prefer one over the other. Yeah…:p

[sinosleep]

As a whole it's Marvel for me though I do reada good chunk DC/Vertigo and Wildstorm. I guess other then Superman (I really don't like him for the most part) at the end of the day it all depends on who's writing.

[Jill Monroe]

in the 80's i would have said Marvel hands down but these days? i would probably not pick EITHER.

BOTH have gone places they shouldnt have. Wonder Woman was derailed BADLY in the mid to late 90's ...and after the wonderfull revamp that was brought to her comic by George Perez and Karen Berger...i was supremely pissed off. John Byrne and his team did ONE thing right...after her "death" they resurrected her ...ASCENDING her to her ultimate destiny to become Diana, Goddess of Truth. THAT was a surprising yet wonderfull thing but of course they've messed THAT up too over the recent years.

Marvel is just a commercialized comic house now. nothing about it is appealing to me anymore.

[DonDaddyD]

Before Infinite Crisis I used to think DC was the devil and its comic book the spawn of evil.

But after Infinite Crisis, God Damn is that Devil good at making evil look good!

I currently collect Teen Titans, Shadow Pact, Ion, SuperGirl and Trials of Shazam. When Raven's mini comes out I'll collect that too! I can talk DC for days to be honest and feel more comfortable adding their titles to my pull list than anything Marvel has got going on right now.

What I like about DC is that it is what it is and doesn't try to be fake about things. If the characters are camp and crappy they won't try to make them look cool they'll play on the fact that they are camp and crappy and make heroes out of that fact. Personally I just think DC has a broader scope of what makes a hero in its Universe whereas Marvel has narrowed that perspective with its over elaborate storylines.

[Pry]

DC has Superman, right? Not a huge Superman fan.

Marvel has X-Men right? X-Men rock.

I say...Marvel! :)

[Jill Monroe]

The X-men USED to be Marvel's strong point...but thanks to this thing i like to call "wolverine saturation" which had been increasingly growing over the last 20 years....the X-men themselves hardly are as effective or relevant as they used to be (at least to me).

MARVEL over all is so commercialized now. sure there are gems here and there....but they dont give the time or care to their titles like they used to AND they charge too damn much for a single comic.

Here a regular issue of any given marvel comic will be at least $3.00 a pop. THAT to me is just ridiculous. I started collecting comics back when they were between 65 and 75 cents. I wouldnt mind paying $1.00-$1.75 per comic..but not $3.00 per comoic when its not even a double sized annual or something like that.

speaking of which...does Marvel even DO their annuals like they used to?

[Mat]

I've been reading more of DC lately. In the past, DC characters always seemed more campy to me, but the new writers over there have been doing a great job fleshing out characters you would never have cared about (like Ralph Dibney) and making them seem interesting and real. Marvel's Civil War is not half as interesting as Infinite Crisis, and it seems like Marvel isn't willing to risk big changes like DC is, imo.

Oh yeah, and maybe I'm more into DC now just because Marvel pumps out too much Wolverine. It's gotten to the point where I hate the character simply for existing.

[Black King]

These days while i do read both my definite preference is for DC. Say what you want the marvel characters more "complex" and "3 dimensional" bah and humbug i prefer my heroes to act like heroes not rehashed 90's antiheroes and a lot of the work DC has been putting into books especially like sinestro corps, the JSA, All Star Superman, Gail Simone's Wonder Woman, and other books they just have a better feel then most Marvel titles

[Rampage]

For my money, make mine Marvel.

I am impressed with BOTH companies lately in that the writing has definitely been better all around and they have come out with some real heavy-hitter epics. But I am still in love with how Marvel seems to make the characters a LOT more human IMHO. DC does the same with smaller characters, but I find that they are unwilling to properly delve into certain archetypal characters. I mean, who really gives a damn about Ralph Dibney? He is a redundant second-rate hero. I will say, however, that the death of Booster Gold was gripping in its own way. But neither of them are freakin' Steve Rogers or Thor, both of which endured their ends in the last couple of years (although Thor is back and better than ever).

That combined with two parts of one of the greatest comic stories I have ever read (Planet Hulk and World War Hulk), and I have to give Marvel the nod and my $$$.

[WarriorSmurf]

I enjoy certain books from both companies but both could use some improvements.

For DC, The whole Shazam! franchise screwups really get under my craw as does the Blue Beetle (Ted Kord) murder as well as the Firestorm (unecessary)replacement among other things. As far as Mavel goes, the Civil War thing left a bad taste in my mouth. Turning Speedball into a villain and what happened to the previous New Warriors members left me cold.

[Black King]

Actually if the death of Ted Kord was the price to be paid for the sheer goodness of the new Blue Beetle book then it I'm be honet it was completely worth him dieing, I only wish his death was a bit more heroic and as for the Shazam franchise word of advice move over to the "Power of Shazam" out of continuity mini-series, much better then Trails of Shazam.