“Marvel or DC?” That’s a question many comic book fans have heard for decades. Yet, while some choose one company and their characters over the other, many artists and writers have worked for both.
Among those who have shared their talents with Marvel and DC, is the Marvels and Kingdom Come artist Alex Ross. So, it stands to reason that the legendary figure is familiar with characters created and owned by the big two.
While promoting his upcoming book Marvelocity, which he describes as the “Marvel version” of his Mythology, was asked a question that called upon his familiarity with both companies: What is the difference between Marvel and DC characters?
“What’s always separated the two for me is Marvel’s material has always had a kinetic quality to it, particularly based on the design aesthetics of Steve Ditko and Jack Kirby,” Ross said, first discussing the aesthetic qualities of the heroes. “DC characters are not defined by a singular artistic voice influencing all the rest, but that’s what happened with Jack Kirby’s leadership of the entire Marvel brand. Everything is affected by what he led the charge of. That 10 years where he created the majority of those characters in the ’60s, that’s what every artist and writer has built their process upon, including the movies today.” Ross' comments about Kirby influencing even the films about Marvel characters are undoubtedly true, as some of their more recent MCU entries like Thor: Ragnarok have drawn heavily on Kirby's designs.
Eventually the artist departed from the outward aesthetic differences and discussed how else the two sets of characters differ. “DC is the foremost component of where the DNA of what makes a superhero came from. They did the very first superhero in Superman, and the first great embodiment of the dark superhero in Batman, and of course the first female superhero in Wonder Woman,” the artist explained to Entertainment Weekly, establishing the importance and influence of DC’s superheroes. “The Marvel characters are all over the place in terms of what makes them unique, and there’s a hip energy that’s been instilled in them since their creation. Every other superhero company follows the mold of having their heroes follow those archetypes that DC embodies, but Marvel broke away.
Alex Ross and Chip Kidd's Marvelocity is currently set go on sale October 2 and will feature an introduction by Star Wars: The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams.
ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.