The Age old Question: Marvel Vs. DC?

[PipelineRnD]

I'm not one of those guys who refuses to read books if they are published by one company or the other (hmmph, like some people we know).  Frankly, I enjoy both Marvel and DC products.  But, it's still fun to see some discussion about which company gets first billing in your heart of hearts.

So, have at it!

But first, my answer would be DC.  How do I know this?  Because a couple months ago when I was cutting my pull list, The tally of Marvel to DC titles was as follows: 25 marvel titles, 13 DC titles.  That was prior to the cut.  So, after the cut, the tally was: 10 Marvel titles, and 13 DC titles.  To me, every DC book I read, I couldn't do without.  They are essential to my comic book reading identity.  Marvel on the other hand has a bunch of titles that are very easy to drop on a whim. 

Those DC titles will probably always be on my pull list.  My number of DC pulls will never get smaller, but it sure will get larger.  Marvel on the other hand is constantly in flux.  DC = Rock solid.   

[Alec B.]

And so the war began....

 

[VinceB]

I'm not one of those guys who refuses to read books if they are published by one company or the other (hmmph, like some people we know).   

Now who could that be? 

Obviously, other than the "author" titles, I'm not reading any Marvel. No desire at all. Not saying they're substandard books, I just don't care all that much about their characters anymore.

DC for me. Like yourself, I can't imagine going without GLCorps, Jonah Hex, Blue Beetle, Booster, and a score of others. Despite what the sales figures might indicate, I think DC is doing everything right, these days. 

[PipelineRnD]

DC for me. Like yourself, I can't imagine going without GLCorps, Jonah Hex, Blue Beetle, Booster, and a score of others. Despite what the sales figures might indicate, I think DC is doing everything right, these days. 

I've grown to like DC more and more the longer I've been in comics.  Marvel was my gateway drug, and DC is more like my crack now. 

I think it makes sense that you enjoy DC books.  You are part of the next generation back from me (don't worry, I'm not calling you old), which is who DC is essentially catering to now.  A person my age has to grow to like DC.  Someone your age seems more likely to be predisposed to like DC comics. 

I don't necessarily agree that DC is doing everything right right now though.......

[Matt H.O.W.L.]

Unfortunately for me, I was just starting to buy comics regularly and decided I'd try out some DC, because, hey, Detective and Batman are good, right? So, I picked up Crisis on Infinite Earths #8. I know it's weird, but being that confused and alienated just put me off the books, for the most part for 20 years. It's the little things, right? I did buy the whole Blue Beetle run and some Question, but, for the most part, I'm just getting interested in going back and hitting some of the highpoints in Flash, GL, and Batman now.

[Derek Coward]

The last time I got comics I got 3 DC comics (Tangent: Superman's Reign, Checkmate and Madame Xanadu), 3 1/2 Marvel (Immortal Iron Fist, Uncanny X-Men 500 and War Is Hell:  The First Incredibly Boring Flight of The Phantom Eagle and The Stand Sketchbook) and 9 Non-Those Two Books (Liberty Comics, Afterburn, Potter's Field, Helen Killer, The Mice Templar, The Helm, War Heroes, Perhapanauts and Proof).

I suppose by those standards I am falling more on the Marvel side.

[Papercut]

I'd have to say that I read and enjoy both publishers (and their related imprints) equally, but if pressed for an answer, I'd probably have to say....IMAGE.  

[zack kruse]

For a really long time I almost never bought any books from DC except for Batman and Flash. I made the occassional forays into the Milestone stuff, Green Lantern, the Death of Superman, and Robin II...but nothing that ever lasted more than a few issues. So for a really long time I only read Marvel and Image books (with a very small number of other publishers sprinkled here and there).

Then DC started putting out some REALLY compelling stories and I just got more and more invested in the universe. The same thing happened with other publishers as well. Marvel still makes up the majority of my monthly order, but I buy more non-Marvel books now than I ever have in the past.

Honestly I think that the biggest factor in the change is just me becoming a more informed reader. The day I picked up my first Previews my whole perspective completely changed. All of I sudden there were more comics than what was just on my old LCS's shelf (where I still shop occasionally) and seeing that all those different books were available just made me want to try them.

[PipelineRnD]

You work for DCBS and you still need to buy stuff from your LCS 

[RealGone]

Marvel. Straight up. I like a few DC books and a lot of the concepts of the DCU, but they've made a lot of decisions in the past couple years that really turned me off. So I'll just stick to my little Green Lantern/Corps corner of the universe and enjoy it.

I started reading Marvel and DC (through trades at first) beginning at close to the same time with Identity Crisis and House of M and followed them up to the present reading pretty much every major event, as well as the build to them and aftermath from them. When I started using DCBS and really focusing on singles, I was buying about 12 Marvel and 8 DC. Now I'm at about 25 Marvel and 2-4 DC. I've grown tired of the Geoff Johns books, and that certainly hurt the split.

I personally couldn't imagine going without Nova, Incredible Hercules, Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor, Captain America and so on, and while Marvel is currently printing BY FAR the worst book on the market (Hulk), the good outweighs the bad.

[zack kruse]

You work for DCBS and you still need to buy stuff from your LCS 

haha, no i suppose that i don't need to. there are three LCSs around here that i basically grew up going to and they're all good stores so i'll swing by to pick up the occasional back issue, etc.

[PipelineRnD]

haha, no i suppose that i don't need to. there are three LCSs around here that i basically grew up going to and they're all good stores so i'll swing by to pick up the occasional back issue, etc.

Ah, I see.  Supportin the ole' lcs.  I gotcha.

[DGoodhart]

DC... first comic I ever got was an 80-page DC Giant with Superman in it, and I've been with them ever since... not to say that I'm not a Marvel fan as well, but my period for that was more the 70s and the 80s than it is now...

[Tom Morris]

Has to be Marvel for me.  Several times I have tried to get into DC books, but something never works for me.  Maybe its the multiverse, maybe its that some of the Silver Age heroes still seem awkward in this era, or maybe its just that Vertigo is where the real deep stories are and I prefer that.  Marvel's characters have never had big events to correct timelines.  What is odd though is that DC definitely has been great for Animated Series.  I loved all of Paul Dini and Bruce Timms works on Batman, Superman, JLU, ect.  Marvel had two great animated series, but gave up on story quality a while back. 

Personally my last try at DC books was around Zero Hour.  Hal was evil, Bruce had just got the costume back, Superman had his mullet, Starman was great, Kyle had his girlfriend in a fridge....... then Superman went Blue.  End of line.

[GlowInDarkDork]

Back in middle school was when i learned that there was a comic book community beyond me and 2 friends, it was Marvel, Marvel, Marvel!  DC was pre-crisis at the time and just seemed way too complicated continuity-wise and at the same time too simplistic story-wise.  Then in the 90's Marvel seemed to favor either making new heros or revamping old heroes so that they all grew 5 0'clock shadows, spiky or jericurl(sp?) mullets depending on ethnicity, trench coats, and squinty eyes.  At this point i had already dipped my big toe in the DC pool with Baron/Guice Flash, Giffen/Maguire Justice League(and Later LSH 5 Years Later) so i switched my allegiances.  These days I'm equally impressed with the strives in creative teams(warts and all) of both companys.  I'm a blissful fence-sitter.

[zack kruse]

Marvel had two great animated series, but gave up on story quality a while back. 

Which ones?

[tomkaters]

Well all those longboxes filled with old DC books would lead me to believe I am a DC guy.

A couple of things have always attracted me to the DC Universe:

1)I am a huge history nerd. As soon as I figured out that there was two Flashes, I was hooked. I loved figuring out the history of the DC universe as a kid. It appealed to the history nerd in me. I just never go that same feeling from the Marvel books.

2)I am a huge geography nerd. I LOVED fictional cities. As a kid I just didn't care about everything taking place in NY. I was intrigued by this ficitonal geography.

Now I do love me some Marvel stuff but I will always have a special fondness for the DC Universe.

[Tom Morris]

Which ones?

X-men (1990s) and Spider-man (1990s) both were really good, but Marvel never properly followed up with those.  Silver Surfer series was starting good, but didn't last to get anywhere.  I believe that Marvel's bankruptcy problems killed a lot of planned series.

[zack kruse]

X-men (1990s) and Spider-man (1990s) both were really good, but Marvel never properly followed up with those.  Silver Surfer series was starting good, but didn't last to get anywhere.  I believe that Marvel's bankruptcy problems killed a lot of planned series.

Ah, I kind of figured those were the two you were referring to. The new Spider-Man series blows those out of the water though, IMHO. It's VERY well done.

Also, I didn't know if you were counting GI Joe and Transformers since those technically came out of Marvel Productions. Jim Shooter actually worked out the basic idea for the Transformers series

[Colonel2Sheds]

When I first got into comics I read Marvel exclusively, I might pick up the occasional Batman, but other than that it was all marvel all the time. I was getting damn near every book they put out (and ALL the Xmen books)

Then on a whim I decided to try some DC and I picked up the first issue of Identity Crisis. I absolutely loved it. I started getting more and more. I know that the giant (and sometimes confusing) history of the DCU puts a lot of people off but I was absolutely fascinated by it, I started buying as much as I could and reading as much on the internet to fill in the gaps in my knowledge (which were enormous) I just LOVED learning about all the complicated histories and story's that had gone on. There was just something about the characters and the types of stories told about them that really clicked for me.

Now I'm a die-hard DC guy. I still get some Marvel (Cap, Avengers, Spidey, Daredevil and a couple others) but DC gets way more of my money.