WEEKLY DISCUSSION: Are you a Marvel or DC fan?

Since we are at the pinnacle of the comic book adaptation influx, I thought it'd be cool to see where your allegiances lie. A lot of people have very strong feelings toward one or the other. I'm curious to hear everyone's takes. Share childhood stories about your love for one or the other.It can relate to films, cartoons, comics, toys, whatevz.

It's perfectly acceptable to love both.

Don't get hostile or I'll cut you.

 

So if you had asked me this question ten years ago, I'd have to say Marvel. Their books always felt stronger to me and the mythology a lot less convoluted. The DC Multiverse just kind of scared me. I grew up on all of the classic cartoons (Batman, Superman, Justice League) but never really committed to the product as a whole. Spider-Man, X-Men, and The Avengers just seemed much more fun and accessible.

With the launch of New 52, things changed quite a bit. It gave me a strong jumping on point with fresh starts for a lot of classic characters. The grittier approach DC had taken captivated adult me. Books like Midnighter and Batwoman were pushing boundaries that you didn't see from Marvel and that was exciting. For the last two years or so, I was very much a DC guy.

But, the old adage about 'all good things' has reared its head. Now I'm just somewhere in between. I'm mostly reading Image books with a few scattered between the big two.

In terms of animated series/films, DC is the clear winner as of late. I've loved almost everything they've produced over the last ten years or so. Marvel is pretty middling with their animated productions. They've taken a very similar approach to their animated films to what they've done in theatrical releases. It's all just a boring formula or adaptation of a classic story.

When it comes to the theatrical releases, DC hasn't really figured it out yet. They have all of the pieces for a great universe, I'm just waiting for it to come together in the right way. BVS was not a film I enjoyed, but I can see these characters doing great things under the watch of Not-Snider. Marvel could put a turd on screen and I think I'd at least find it a little enjoyable.

 

I've never read Marvel or DC comics, or really paid attention to their animated series growing up or as an adult. So my answer will definitely be tempered by my interactions with their cinematic/live action television output.

I don't really like Superman. I find him really boring in most regards... though, admittedly, I was a pretty big Smallville fan way back in the day. I adore Nolan's Batman trilogy. Green Lantern, Catwoman, etc... all terrible. I'm sure there are plenty of good ideas there, but what I've seen is never enough to get me intrigued when new projects are introduced. I've seen parts of Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow, and The Flash and none of it is all that intriguing.

As for Marvel... I go out of my way to make sure I see an MCU/Fox MCU film. Their interconnectedness provides a level of depth that I really enjoy. Yeah, as blockbusters go, they're pretty standard the majority of the time, but the cast and action always makes it worth the ride. Once Agents of Shield got going, and I've heard Agent Carter is the same, it became a fantastic show to help expand the universe. And the Marvel Netflix shows are some of the best superhero stories I've seen told thus far.

I also have the most ridiculous soft spot for anything in the X-Men universe. They've always been the comics I've wanted to read.

 

Growing up I was more interested in Marvel, mainly Spider-Man and the X-Men, sometimes the Fantastic Four as well. My grandmother was very into the sci-fi and fantasy stuff of her time, and come to think of it I definitely remember watching one or two of the old Superman films with her, as well as Lois & Clark haha. As an adult it's been a bit more intermittent with both, but I like a bunch of Vertigo stuff if we're including that under DC. I also like what I've read of the New 52, but then it seems like I only really ended up reading the series that have been better received.

Film-wise, I think I'm about 60/40 or 70/30 in favour of the MCU films. I didn't really like the new take on Superman but I've made peace with that and I think Man of Steel was OK in itself. Haven't seen Batman v Superman though.

 

I grew up as a Marvel guy, but I love both now.

One thing I really appreciate about DC is the way they handle their universe. They will "end" continuity, so different generations can lay claim to different kinds of heroes. Whereas Marvel will retcon the hell out of characters to keep Peter Parker essentially the same for decades.

 

Overall, I'd have to say Marvel. From Deadpool to Spiderman, Marvel is more fun and has better whole universe stories. DC has batman, my favorite comic, and I think better individual comics. I love batman, (constantine the) hellblazer, and green arrow.

 

Also, DC has the better graphic novels and some really great arcs. The Killing Joke is so great, watchmen is really good, and tower of babel is one of my favorite stories. Batman endgame was also really fantastic.

 

I like both. They're not sports teams, comics are better when both are putting out great books and I've never enjoyed the way some people pit them against each other. Superman and Spider-Man are my favorite superheroes, so I've always just kind of enjoyed both branching off from them.

In recent years, though, Marvel's output has been pretty interesting and diverse, and even when the movies aren't super great they're at least solid from a character standpoint. DC has had a bunch of issues and really embarrassing and frustrating missteps. Granted I haven't checked out the Flash and Supergirl, both of which I've heard great things about, so maybe they're really doing good stuff there. But Marvel's just a few steps ahead in comics and movies. Which I don't like, I want DC to be right there with them but I just think they've really fumbled a lot of attempts at keeping pace.

I've not been super attuned to comics lately though (aside from some Image stuff), I'll check out some paperbacks when this DC Rebirth thing has played out a little bit.

 

I like both a lot but I think I prefer Marvel's characters. They're just more fun to me. I like the films/tv shows a lot more too although I loved Nolan's trilogy.

 

Definitely more of a Marvel fan. Love me some DC though. Had so many X-Men comics when I was a kid and a big collection of Marvel figures. When it comes to DC, I like the Batman villains the most.

 

The overall Marvel world is more exciting to me. DC has its icons that I love, but seeing the Marvel name on something I don't know makes me more curious than DC.

As far as current comics go, I easily prefer Marvel, and as interesting as DC Rebirth looks, I don't think that will change. The standard in-house DC style visually doesn't appeal to me, but Marvel has a lot of artists I really dig and some really interesting characters.

I'll add more later.

 

This was always such a huge bummer for me. DC wants everyone to draw like Jim Lee. It makes for some really boring stuff, artistically. I'm glad that Marvel is willing to give a lot more people a chance, even if it sometimes doesn't turn out great.

 

I love Snyder's New 52 Batman more than anything Marvel has but out, but on the whole, I'd say Marvel. I think the characters they have are more interesting, better powers, etc.

 

I'm a huge fan of both. I grew up loving both Spider-man and Batman—you couldn't get me to stop watching the shows or reading the comics or playing with the action figures; in fact, I bet I still have a lot of my old ones at my parents' house . . . and my uncle may have dressed up as Batman for my 6th birthday and I didn't know it was him for an embarrassingly long time. Also, my mom made me a Batman costume around that time (and my sister a Catwoman costume) and we have the most adorable photo of it on our mantle.

Anyway. Here's my take on what both publishers are doing lately. I haven't read too many of the comics since I was a kid, but I'm starting to get back into them, so any recommendations are appreciated.

DC: Love the animated series/films. I've been watching what I can on Netflix/Prime/Hulu lately and I'll keep working on those. So far, I've really enjoyed all of them. Nolan's trilogy was fantastic and really got me back into Batman, who's my favorite DC character. I loved Smallville but somehow never finished (didn't catch the last two seasons because I was living in Mexico). Right now I'm enjoying Supergirl; I still need to watch The Flash/Arrow/Legends of Tomorrow. I'm planning on rewatching the older Batman & Superman films soon. I really enjoyed Man of Steel and Batman v Superman. I've read The Killing Joke and Year One, but that's about it (I have a couple Wonder Woman & Justice League collections sitting on my shelf though).

Marvel: Maybe my preferred overall universe, even though I like Batman as a character better than anyone else. I like the Avengers more than the Justice League (most days). I watched Spider-man cartoons religiously when I was a kid and sank countless hours into the Spider-man Cartoon Creator. Enjoyed the Raimi trilogy, enjoyed Amazing Spider-man 1 & 2, and looking forward to seeing him incorporated into the MCU. As for the MCU itself, I've loved it. Thor 2, Guardians of the Galaxy, both Avengers films, Ant-Man, and Winter Soldier are standout films for me, but honestly I don't think there's been a bad film in the lot, just some I like more than others. Definitely excited for Civil War, Ragnarok, Guardians 2, and Infinity War—plus, of course, Doctor Strange and all the others they've announced. I'm also a sucker for X-men films; I adore Days of Future Past, and I really enjoyed all the other installments. Looking forward to Apocalypse. I just ordered season 1 of Earth's Mightiest Heroes and I'm looking forward to rewatching those. Other than a couple Deadpool comics (though I didn't see the movie), I haven't read too much from Marvel—where should I begin?

tl;dr I love pretty much everything and that would probably make me a terrible reviewer and I want to read more comics so which ones should I read?

 

The Marvel Unlimited app is a great place to start getting back into the swing of things.

The universe recently went through a semi-reboot with Secret Wars. You can definitely start there if you are looking for new stories. If you post what you typically like in the comic book thread, we'd be happy to give you some more defined direction.

 

Time for some lame nerd rambling!

In terms of animation, the best of the best is obviously DC, but I haven't liked their output at all recently. Batman: Bad Blood was a decent excuse to spend time with Batwoman, but otherwise, meh. Though, they kind of have a free pass forever thanks to Batman: The Animated Series.

I don't spend time with any of Marvel's animated television, but their Spider-Man series has had appearances from Cloak & Dagger, Miles Morales, and Agent Venom, so I've gotta at least give it credit for that. Spider-Man: The Animated Series deserves credit for spawning my Spider-Man love that has endured to this day, and X-Men: Evolution is under-appreciated.

In terms of live-action television, DC was killing it, but they've become pretty inconsistent. Arrow S2 was brilliant, but I can't even bring myself to watch it anymore. Gotham is unwatchable. I gave up on Legends of Tomorrow because I don't care at all about the plot, but Sara and Snart are awesome. Two of the three comic book shows I watch(ed) weekly are The Flash and Supergirl, so I guess they're still winning in a certain sense? The Flash is one of my two favorite comic book shows right now; I love the cast so much that recent dumb developments haven't lessened my weekly anticipation. And, Supergirl grew over the past year into everything movie Superman isn't and should be, with a tasty helping of girl power thrown in.

My third weekly show is Marvel's Agents of SHIELD, which started so very rough but has grown into a pretty entertaining show. I wish so hard that Daisy, May, Fitz, Simmons, and Mack could join some movie characters (maybe Natasha, Bruce, and Fury?) for a SHIELD film. Also, Jessica Jones is my other favorite comic book show right now, and Daredevil S1 was a lot of fun (though I somehow haven't finished S2 yet). Agent Carter was an under-appreciated gem, especially in S2. I'm excited for Cloak & Dagger on Freeform, even without any developments on that front yet, and even though it'll be so convoluted. Dang it, Marvel, as far as everything with Iron Fist is concerned.

 

BECAUSE IT'S FUN TO DISCUSS, DANGIT.

 

I like Marvel Comics and DCAU.

 

I hear you're pretty excited for Doctor Strange and Iron Fist.

 

Even if you take away those unfortunate decisions, I'm like ehh.. for both of them.

 

I hope Black Panther plays out like a John Grisham book.

 

DC Comics is my preferred superhero universe. But they lost me with the Nu52. I was OK with the relaunch, but they hired sub par talent on the books, became much more stringent about enforcing the "house style" of art, and rendered the character of Superman completely unrecognizable.

I am hopeful for Rebirth, as I am missing my DC fix. And this time around, the writing talent is much better (Tom King, Joshua Williamson, James Tynion, as opposed to Scott Lobdell on 5 books and Rob Liefeld).

I do read some Marvel. I am particularly fond of the X-Men books. Unfortunately, once Bendis got his hands on them, I feel like they have been a complete and utter trainwreck. I read my Marvel books via the Marvel Unlimited app so I am about six months behind schedule. Hopefully, the post Secret Wars world treats the X-Men better. But I doubt it.

 

This sounds like the complete opposite of how I feel about both products.

New 52 had Snyder, Morrison, and Azzarelo writing the big three. Johns Was writing GL, JL, and Aquaman.

In terms of writing staff, it doesn't get much better than that. There are very few New 52 books I disliked.

That being said, I've only really been reading DC for two years. The older stuff was super convoluted to me. I'm slowly pulling it all together and appreciating the classics.

 

I go back and forth on this, I think I've just settled as saying both companies have fantastic runs on their titles and not so fantastic runs on their respective titles. Neither have them have been anything close to perfect so I think that's the most logical answer. Currently I like Miles Morales as Spider-Man and I dug the Nightwing title from the New 52 a couple years back a ton. Green Arrow was good then it slowed down too much for me.