I was at Barnes & Noble’s; I usually go in there to buy the monthly Batman comic. There isn’t a comic shop closer so I buy it there. They usually take longer to get the comics for some reason so I waited a couple of weeks hoping they would have Batman #13. They didn’t. I went into the graphic novel section. They had a full version of
Batman: Hush. I know the story of Hush and thought about getting it since I don’t own it. As I read though it, a guy saw me reading it. He walked up to me and said “Hey since you look like someone a comics fan, I got a question.” His question was, “What is the difference between DC and Marvel?” I told him that the real difference is that they are two companies. DC has Batman, Superman, and Justice League while Marvel has Spider-Man, Avengers, and X-Men. He thanked me. As he left I thought, what really is the difference between Marvel and DC? The fact they are 2 different companies? That’s it? I think as comic fans we get too hyped about Marvel vs. DC. Why? I’m going to explain why the Marvel vs. DC debate shouldn’t really exist. It’s more of the fact they are 2 different companies. Let me explain.
As a kid, I played with action figures of both Marvel and DC. Did I just have the Marvel characters stay with the Marvel characters? No and the same goes for DC. I would have Batman and Spider-Man and Wolverine and Superman and others team up. As children we don’t really care about Marvel vs. DC. Maybe it’s because we loved superheroes period. We didn’t love just Marvel superheroes or just DC superheroes but we just loved all types of superheroes. LEGO nowadays have both DC and Marvel superheroes. Not just siding with Marvel and having only Marvel or siding with DC and having only DC but they have both. As kids, we enjoyed both Marvel and DC but it seems now more people are either a Marvel fan or DC fan. Can’t you be both?
When Marvel had Namor and called him King of Atlantis, DC introduced Aquaman and called him the King of Atlantis and Aquaman became more popular. Marvel releases
The Avengers on the big screen. DC starts to get their ship going announcing they are making a Justice League movie. Marvel and DC are perfect for each. They make each other better. Marvel was kicking DC’s butt in comics. DC announces The New 52 and Aquaman for many months outsold Marvel titles. AQUAMAN!!! Now Marvel announced a reboot and is having #1 edition. My point is they both are going after each other like an 8 Mile rap battle. They improve one another. DC is dominating Marvel in animation and Marvel knows it. Recently Marvel announced a couple new animated series and 2 new Iron Man animated movies. If Marvel never existed, DC couldn’t improve because they will always be dominating. If you’re always dominating, what’s the point of changing? The same can be said about if DC never existed.
Now I want to get into this summer. Everyone compared
The Avengers to
The Dark Knight Rises adding more fuel to the fire of this Marvel vs. DC rivalry. Why? Why would you compare those two films? One film is the beginning of something greater and having heroes team up. The other film was the ending of something great with one hero’s back against the wall. There is really nothing these films had in common and yet everyone wants to compare these films like they are similar. The only movie Marvel has put out that can be compared to
The Dark Knight Rises is
Spider-Man 3. Also the only movie DC has put out that can be compared to
The Avengers is
Watchmen. So why compare those films.
What I’m trying to say is what is more important; for people to know the heroes in each company or for people to know the difference between the companies? I wrote a story on how a New Yorker film critic, David Denby criticized both
The Dark Knight Trilogy and
The Avengers. He didn’t go after Marvel or DC but superheroes. That’s what Batman, Superman, Spider-Man and the rest of them are. Superheroes. They have other titles but that’s the only one that should be important.
I hope you guys get what I’m trying to say in this reflection. What are your thoughts and feelings about this? Comment below. Peace.