Whose side are you on? (third address)
Let’s get the big one out of the way. There’s been an ongoing battle that’s been raging for decades. It started out subtle at first but slowly became more fierce and public. It’s taken many forms and many devastating shots have been fired.
What’s that you say? “What war am I talking about? Who’s fighting it? Who will win? Who will survive?”
Well I’ll tell you. It’s Marvel vs DC Universe. “What do you mean? Haven’t these companies co-existed fine for decades?” Man, you’re asking a lot of questions today. Actually you’re right. They aren’t fighting this war. It’s the fanboys. Now given the power of internet anonymity, They have evolved into the most vicious, remorseless, and aggressive soldiers for whatever product or person they’re backing that day. Today, for all those who care, I’ll be putting it all into perspective (as if that will help, it’s been my experience that fanboy’s never actually read opposing views, they just pick out key words and tell you why they’re wrong)
First, the state of things today. Comics have recently in the last several years made a huge impact in the movie arena. This is clearly attributed to Marvels influence in finally taking advantage of modern technology and good writing and making good superhero movies. I will discuss the superhero movie genre in a later column but I give credit to the Toby Maguire Spiderman for the resurgence of superheroes in movies. That being said, these movies have made comics cool. People are into comics again and Comicon is now one of the biggest conventions of the year. So of course the Marvel vs DC debate has also seen a resurgence. So let’s take a look at the companies to see which is truly the better one.
Marvel
The Marvel Universe is truly the brainchild of Stan the Man (Stan Lee for all you plebeians). His philosophy was “Heroes should be Human”. Nearly every character he created is essentially a regular guy who happens to have an opportunity to do some good. Spiderman was the coolest guy in New York, when he took of his mask he was a high school nerd who got bullied and couldn’t get a girl. Iron Man was a rich playboy type but also was a drunk. The X-Men were constant victims of racism. This allowed for people to relate to the hero they were reading about. If you were a nerd or a drunk or a minority, you would think “If they can go through that and still be good then so can I”. If you’re a drunken nerd then it may be too late for you.
DC
DC’s superhero philosophy, on the other hand, is about inspiration. Superman is the ultimate hero. Arguably the most powerful being in the galaxy, yet he would still stop to help an old lady get her cat out of a tree. Wonder Woman is the same for females. Batman is the pinnacle of human achievement. Their stories usually say “Maybe you can’t do what I do but you can do your part”. They inspire you to be a part of something greater. Like flash mobs.
So which is greater? Both. Neither. Truth is, it’s all about your taste. It’s apples and oranges. My favorite DC character is Batman while my favorite Marvel Character is Deadpool. You couldn’t ask for a wider difference in character archetypes then that, yet to me they are both top of the list. What’s better, Batman’s stoic , grim, analytical, no killing or nonsense attitude or Deadpools random, nonsensical, wisecracking, murderous attitude? Who cares, they both entertain me.
And that’s what it all comes down to. It’s all entertainment. You enjoy what you enjoy and I’ll enjoy what I enjoy. We all have different taste and no one should be told they are wrong for liking something different than other people do. Except pedo’s. You’re wrong pedo’s. Stop it. Stop it right now.
