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echoshifting · Jun 10, 2016

Sorcerer said:
Does DC still have it over Marvel in writing?

I think this is the wrong question to ask; both companies pull from the same pool of talent so frequently. Writers and artists will be exclusive at one of the big two for a couple of years, then they'll be exclusive at the other one, then back again, maybe a break to do some indie stuff for awhile, etc. etc. Like Tom King is writing the best book at Marvel right now (The Vision), but after that he's done over there and his run on Batman starts THIS month. Yes, there are some creators who tend to stick with one brand or the other (Brian Michael Bendis and Geoff Johns are probably the most significant examples), but they are the exception, not the rule.

A better question would be - who has the best editors/best editorial vision? And this is why I prefer Marvel books; they tend to take more chances and have a lot more variety in their approach to their stable of characters. From what I've seen of Rebirth so far there isn't much of that going on at DC right now. As I said earlier, though...we'll see. Rebirth has just started so this is kind of an awkward time to be asking the "Marvel vs. DC" question. It's not really fair to DC.

Parallax · Jun 10, 2016

beyond_death said:
I love both almost equally but for me its easiest to think about it in terms of decade.

60's Marvel, 70's Marvel, 80's DC, 90's DC, 2000's DC (but its close), 2010s Marvel (but its not over yet and Rebirth has made me excited for new DC stuff for the first time in a while).

Overall though, I think I prefer DC by just a hair. Mainly due to the fact that I think they have more memorable and iconic stories. And the fact that Batman is my favourite fictional character ever.

decade is the way for me to go with it too.

80s marvel, 90s dc, early 00s switches up. and now its a moment by moment basis

Major Gripex · Jun 10, 2016

You can like both. Both are great.

VanWinkle · Jun 10, 2016

Tragicomedy said:
Marvel has Black Panther, Daredevil, Ant-Man, Spidey, Iron Fist, the Punisher, and Luke Cage. Most event books are trash, but the character stuff is great. Movies and Netflix shows are right up my alley.

DC has Batman, Green Arrow, and Nightwing. Two thirds of the trinity make for messy, boring stories. Harley Quinn, the single worst character in fiction. is officially their fourth pillar. Flash show is great, movies range from decent to awful.

Make mine Marvel.

Which movies are you counting from DC? Just Man of Steel and BvS?

Azih · Jun 10, 2016

VanWinkle said:
I have to feel like anybody who has read a decent amount of material from these characters would understand that an argument about how one company's characters embody a different sense of power and idealism than the others is weak and doesn't hold up. You have many different level of powers, morals, and standards among the characters at both DC and Marvel. Even among their "main heroes".

This is probably more than valid as I am a very causal comics fan. A 'wiki' comics fan if you will and I focus really mostly on the a tier characters. Spiderman for example is far more grounded as a character than The Batman though right? Ot just feels like 'Man I gotta pay the rent next month' is a more relatable problem than 'Am I The Man Or The Mask?' Racism and mutants is a far different feel from 'I am a God Among Mortals'.

Sorcerer · Jun 10, 2016

echoshifting said:
I think this is the wrong question to ask; both companies pull from the same pool of talent so frequently. Writers and artists will be exclusive at one of the big two for a couple of years, then they'll be exclusive at the other one, then back again, maybe a break to do some indie stuff for awhile, etc. etc. Like Tom King is writing the best book at Marvel right now (The Vision), but after that he's done over there and his run on Batman starts THIS month. Yes, there are some creators who tend to stick with one brand or the other (Brian Michael Bendis is probably the most significant example), but they are the exception, not the rule.

A better question would be - who has the best editors/best editorial vision? And this is why I prefer Marvel books; they tend to take more chances and have a lot more variety in their approach to their stable of characters. From what I've seen of Rebirth so far there isn't much of that going on at DC right now. As I said earlier, though...we'll see. Rebirth has just started so this is kind of an awkward time to be asking the "Marvel vs. DC" question. It's not really fair to DC.

The reason I ask is because Joe Quesada was on Fatman On Batman recently and he said there was a time (I think he was referring to the 70's) when DC was just killing it and untouchable.

ShadowSwordmaster · Jun 10, 2016

I actually dislike both of them.

grimmiq · Jun 10, 2016

For me DC only wins in animation.

That being said I don't read comics much anymore, I've never been a fan of the western approach of constantly changing writers/artists. A lot of the time it's an easy transition, but sometimes the change in art style is too drastic and it kills it for me, I think "I'll pick it up again when the next artist comes along." and forget completely.

MulderYuffie · Jun 10, 2016

probably Marvel.

a916 · Jun 10, 2016

I enjoy them both... but DC > by a landslide.

Takeout Spider-Man and I could care less about the entire Marvel roster.

Batman material in just about any genre is GOAT tier and follow it up by Superman's along with the Green Lantern and the Flash are my go to. It also helps that growing up you were exposed to good Batman movies and Batman TAS and Justice League TAS whereas the Avengers cartoons were just bad.

Cipherr · Jun 10, 2016

I dont care for comics, only movies. So I care for whoever has the best movies out at the time

Pre-Avengers it was DC because of Nolan's films Post Nolan trilogy so far its been all Marvel. It'll probably be back to DC again in August for Suicide Squad, then Marvel again in November for Dr. Strange.

Breads · Jun 10, 2016

Does Vertigo count as DC?

I don't like the whole super hero/ power fantasy thing so I don't do much on the DCU stuff.

And I don't do any Marvel stuff except for most of the movies. Loved the Netflix stuff Marvel has done though and Deadpool was pretty fun.

PsychBat! · Jun 10, 2016

Moon Knight

VanWinkle · Jun 10, 2016

Azih said:
This is probably more than valid as I am a very causal comics fan. A 'wiki' comics fan if you will and I focus really mostly on the a tier characters. Spiderman for example is far more grounded as a character than The Batman though right? Ot just feels like 'Man I gotta pay the rent next month' is a more relatable problem than 'Am I The Man Or The Mask?'

I wouldn't say he's more grounded. I mean, he has powers and Batman doesn't. We would be much more likely to see a Batman in our real world than we would a Spiderman. However, I would say, for most of us, Spiderman is more relatable, since he is a kid who doesn't have much money and had school and a cheap apartment and all that stuff (though he doesn't really have to worry about that lately in the comics), while Batman is a billionaire who uses his wealth in part to fund his vigilante secret lifestyle.

Stiler · Jun 10, 2016

This is a tough one.

I love Superman, he is my favorite hero. However Marvel just have so many more heroes then DC does that I know/love.

I mean Gambit, Silver Surfer, Spiderman, Punisher, the whole x-men, etc.

If I had to pick based on just one hero it'd be DC, but as the whole I'd have to go with Marvel.

Tragicomedy · Jun 10, 2016

VanWinkle said:
Which movies are you counting from DC? Just Man of Steel and BvS?

Everything back to 1966 Batman. Haven't seen BvS yet, so I'll probably have an even less favorable view of their output in a month. Steel, Catwoman, Jonah Hex, Green Lantern, Batman & Robin...they've given us a ton of cinematic shit to sift through. I liked Nolan Batman.

Tabby said:
DC. Never really cared much for Marvel.

But Rebirth though.

It's early, but there has only been one barn burner so far in Rebirth (Green Arrow), a couple of good books, and several massive disappointments. When you relaunch Batman with CIA assassin Tom King at the helm and release a boring first issue, I don't even know what to think.

Biggest issue with Rebirth remains DC selecting to dick over Alan Moore again, after doing so for the previous 30 years.

Combat Wombat · Jun 10, 2016

DC just for Superman alone.

VanWinkle · Jun 10, 2016

Tragicomedy said:
Everything back to 1966 Batman. Haven't seen BvS yet, so I'll probably have an even less favorable view of their output in a month. Steel, Catwoman, Jonah Hex, Green Lantern, Batman & Robin...they've given us a ton of cinematic shit to sift through. I liked Nolan Batman.

Ah, I'm just surprised you found Nolan Batman at best decent. I even thought 1989 Batman and Batman Returns were both quite a bit better than decent.

Joe White · Jun 10, 2016

Breads said:
Does Vertigo count as DC?

Yes, and that is one of the biggest reason I prefer DC over Marvel (in comics).

broncobuster · Jun 10, 2016

Can't choose. With the comics I'd say, while many of my favorite characters are DC, I prefer the Marvel universe in a broad sense. So, I'd take Justice League over The Avengers, but once you start getting into C-list characters and cosmic, it shifts to Marvel. Because I never committed to one or the other I've got blind spots on both.

Staf · Jun 10, 2016

For comics i'm DC all the way. Never got into Marvel for some reason. When it comes to movies Marvel all the way. Staying as far away as possible from the abomination that is the DC cinematic universe.

BulletBees · Jun 10, 2016

Always been a DC guy. I love Watchmen and Superman. However, I'm a big fan of Spiderman and Venom so Marvel somewhat has me.

Vulcano's assistant · Jun 10, 2016

Flash was always my favorite since I was a kid, but X-men were my second favorites.

But I'll go DC for Vertigo as some have also said.

Aurongel · Jun 10, 2016

Marvel makes good films and DC doesn't. Couldn't give a shit about comic books, just a film guy. That being said, Batman is the best but he's an outlier.

NumberThree · Jun 10, 2016

Marvel has the X-Men and Spider-Man, so I'll have to go with them.

I guess the very best Batman stuff is better than anything I've seen from Marvel, but I really don't care about DC characters outside the immediate Batman family.

Tragicomedy · Jun 10, 2016

VanWinkle said:
Ah, I'm just surprised you found Nolan Batman at best decent. I even thought 1989 Batman and Batman Returns were both quite a bit better than decent.

Those movies were better than decent. I was basically judging their entire cinematic output on a simple scale, so they get a bit shortchanged. I'll revise one end of the spectrum to "good." Very few of their films meet that description.

I find the worst of Marvel's recent films to be decent, and their best stuff is in a whole different league from Warner Brothers.

MonkeyKing · Jun 10, 2016

Make mine Marvel. I've always been a fan of the X-Men, daredevil, the silver surfer. DC comics I never cared for except for the Sandman series.

KevinCow · Jun 10, 2016

Major Gripex said:
You can like both. Both are great.

I'm not saying you can't. You can enjoy two things and prefer one to the other, though.

As I said in the OP, I generally prefer Marvel to DC, and I'm not very interested in most of DC's comics right now. But DC has produced some of the best cartoons ever (DCAU, Brave and the Bold, Young Justice, Green Lantern), and their current live action TV lineup is great (Arrowverse, Gotham, even Lucifer).

PsychBat! said:
Moon Knight

I just ordered Vol. 1 of his 2014 run. Hope it's good.

TheFlow · Jun 10, 2016

Tragicomedy said:
Everything back to 1966 Batman. Haven't seen BvS yet, so I'll probably have an even less favorable view of their output in a month. Steel, Catwoman, Jonah Hex, Green Lantern, Batman & Robin...they've given us a ton of cinematic shit to sift through. I liked Nolan Batman.

It's early, but there has only been one barn burner so far in Rebirth (Green Arrow), a couple of good books, and several massive disappointments. When you relaunch Batman with CIA assassin Tom King at the helm and release a boring first issue, I don't even know what to think.

Biggest issue with Rebirth remains DC selecting to dick over Alan Moore again, after doing so for the previous 30 years.

That first issue wasn even real first issue though and it was co written by Snyder

Parallax · Jun 10, 2016

MonkeyKing said:
Make mine Marvel. I've always been a fan of the X-Men, daredevil, the silver surfer. DC comics I never cared for except for the Sandman series.

have you read planetary? its one of the best things to come out of dc

Tragicomedy · Jun 10, 2016

TheFlow said:
That first issue wasn even real first issue though and it was co written by Snyder

It's okay, TheFlow. You don't have to be the Batman apologist every time someone criticizes the first book. We know it was co-written. We also know it was boring shit.

TheFlow · Jun 10, 2016

Tragicomedy said:
It's okay, TheFlow. You don't have to be the Batman apologist every time someone criticizes the first book. We know it was co-written. We also know it was boring shit.

Lol k

VanWinkle · Jun 10, 2016

Parallax said:
have you read planetary? its one of the best things to come out of dc

Out of anywhere, IMO.

Tragicomedy said:
Those movies were better than decent. I was basically judging their entire cinematic output on a simple scale, so they get a bit shortchanged. I'll revise one end of the spectrum to "good." Very few of their films meet that description.

I find the worst of Marvel's recent films to be decent, and their best stuff is in a whole different league from Warner Brothers.

Hmm, yeah, I don't know. I think we just have some disagreements (which is fine). I find the Nolan Batman movies better than any Marvel movies. I'm not going to judge the DC movies pre-MCU from a comparison standpoint (it was a different time for comic movies back then), but I think every MCU movie is better than Green Lantern and Man of Steel. I personally really enjoyed BvS and liked it better than several MCU movies, but I'm not going to really dive into that, knowing how critical the reception is on it.

WesternHeretic · Jun 10, 2016

#Mavhel

Pilgrimzero · Jun 10, 2016

Marvel.

DC has messed their shit so many times I can't even begin to care any more.

Tragicomedy · Jun 10, 2016

TheFlow said:
Lol k

I thought about responding to your original post like that, since that's been your standard juvenile response whenever I voice my opinion in comics GAF, but I'm not an immature 14 year old.
I'm done with you harassment and shitpost responses. Stop.

VanWinkle said:
Hmm, yeah, I don't know. I think we just have some disagreements (which is fine). I find the Nolan Batman movies better than any Marvel movies. I'm not going to judge the DC movies pre-MCU from a comparison standpoint (it was a different time for comic movies back then), but I think every MCU movie is better than Green Lantern and Man of Steel. I personally really enjoyed BvS and liked it better than several MCU movies, but I'm not going to really dive into that, knowing how critical the reception is on it.

That's fair. I'm no movie snob, but I'm also not approaching any cape movies with expectations of Oscar worthy performances. On the whole, I've much preferred the Marvel movies. They hit me with the right mix of action and fun, and it doesn't hurt that the cast is on the money.

DC is taking that more brooding approach. I've heard it called joyless, and that seems pretty apt. I liked Nolan's stuff, but I wouldn't call the films fun. Guardians, now that was fun

I might like BvS. No clue until I see it.

Nephtis · Jun 10, 2016

Marvel, by light-years.

Rastafarian42 · Jun 10, 2016

Always preferred Marvel to DC but DC has some things I love as well.

BKatastrophe · Jun 10, 2016

I tend towards more Marvel, due to my love of X-Men and just because I grew up reading more Marvel than DC. In the past couple years I've really taken to DC and my library of them has increased significantly. Hopefully Rebirth will get me some more ongoings. I was only following three books qith DCYou and I dropped one of them and the other two are sadly done.

TheFlow · Jun 10, 2016

Tragicomedy said:
I thought about responding to your original post like that, since that's been your standard juvenile response whenever I voice my opinion in comics GAF, but I'm not an immature 14 year old.
I'm done with you harassment and shitpost responses. Stop.

Stay on topic.

yogloo · Jun 10, 2016

I'm a x-men fanboy so marvel.

TheFlow · Jun 10, 2016

BKatastrophe said:
I tend towards more Marvel, due to my love of X-Men and just because I grew up reading more Marvel than DC. In the past couple years I've really taken to DC and my library of them has increased significantly. Hopefully Rebirth will get me some more ongoings. I was only following three books qith DCYou and I dropped one of them and the other two are sadly done.

This is my case. Once I started collecting comics did I realize that DC had some amazing stuff like planetary.

PreFire · Jun 10, 2016

I love them both, but if I had to choose one over the other, it'd be DC.

Batman, Superman, Flash, Wonder Woman, Deathstroke, etc.

Superman was the first hero I ever saw.

Oddish1 · Jun 10, 2016

I don't really read comics, but I'm more familiar with DC and their characters than I am with Marvel because of the DCAU and such, so I guess I'll go with that.

Dalek · Jun 10, 2016

It's odd for me. Every week I'm always more excited to read my Marvel books first-but in the end my favorite stories are always DC stories.

I feel that DC for whatever reason has a few top tier talents guys working for them-Snyder, Capullo Johns and now Tom King-but then they have people clinging on like Dan Jurgens and Brett Booth that just make their respective books bland for me.

Marvel on the other hand tends to have more "medium" quality at the worst. There's always some great books and others will be just "eh". But with DC some of their books are just bad. I can't say that about Marvel right now.

Faynwulf · Jun 10, 2016

There any factors I have to weigh in when it comes to this question. But to make this answer easy...

Comics in General = Marvel
Comics lately = DC

Movie wise I like Marvel more. But I guess that is because they put out so much more. I like the old Superman and Batman films. And I can't stand Nolans Trilogy.

Dead · Jun 10, 2016

90% of the cape comics I purchase are DC. Most Marvel in general is very unappealing to me, and has been for a number of years.

DC back catalog is also more timeless and seminal IMO. For events, I can go back and enjoy Crisis on Infinite Earths or Final Crisis among others, on the other hand, vast majority of Marvel events are total trash.

I'd say the overall ratio is probably 40% Image, 40% DC, 10% Marvel and 10% Other.

Jigorath · Jun 10, 2016

DC

I've always found myself more invested in their characters.

Yager · Jun 10, 2016

DC, but there are some Marvel characters that I enjoy.

Cracklox · Jun 10, 2016

Mah-vel all the way. Never really got into DC stuff outside of Batman games and movies

Young me was fascinated with the X line of comics in the early 90s. I've long since stopped collecting, but they earned a special place in my heart. The 'super hero genre' in various forms of entertainment is also my fave as well

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