Why do you like Marvel more than DC?

[Ex_]

I've recently been reading a lot of DC comics, but Marvel I've always liked more. Before I read DC, I just assumed that The Big Two were just analogs of each other, and most characters were similar. I was very wrong. Both universes have their own little things, their own interesting stories, and their own awesome characters.

Tell me why you prefer Marvel to DC. PLEASE keep it educated, I want to hear actual answers, not PUT-DOWNS about DC.

I like Marvel a little bit more: I think the crossovers are a lot better than the Crises. Also, I think the villains in Marvel are MUCH better -- they aren't as campy as DC's villains.

[ComiXFanBoy]

i like the way marvel keeps its continuity better than dc. their characters arent as powerful or perfect. also ive been reading them since 1989 whereas ive been reading DC since 2008. more of a biased opinion on my part

[Ex_]

i like the way marvel keeps its continuity better than dc. their characters arent as powerful or perfect. also ive been reading them since 1989 whereas ive been reading DC since 2008. more of a biased opinion on my part

That's true. The crises make things pretty confusing with the whole multiverse.

[Frodo-X]

their characters arent as powerful or perfect.

This is a large part of it, for me. I just don't care for DC's characters. In part, because a lot of them are quite powerful, and in part because one of them is sooo powerful (Superman) that it sort of wrecks it for me. I know they've given reasons, but I just never can swallow the idea that Superman needs help from Batman, Wonder Woman, et cetera. The only character that even remotely draws me is Batman, but not enough to read any of his books.

And it doesn't have anything to do with my not liking DC, but their overuse of 'Crisis' does get tiresome, even from an outside perspective.

Plus, what initially drew me to comics was the X-men, and, to my knowledge, DC doesn't really have a parallel for the mutants. So now, even though I'm no longer strictly an X-Whore, the allegiance is already set.

[whiteshark]

Marvel stories are more real.

[areacode212]

I've been reading both companies since I was really little (late 70s but early 80s is when I started to really become a "fan"), and though I was more of a DC fan from the late 80s up to the early DiDio period, I do prefer Marvel now.

Yeah, a big part of this is just general disenchantment with what's been happening at DC, but going back to the early Quemas days, to me, Marvel actually feels like it's moving forward and doing new, interesting things. Civil War was a good concept that put a lot of things in motion, the Annihilation stuff revitalized the cosmic end, etc. I'm not crazy about some things, like the way Bendis writes so many of the MU's core titles (the Avengers books), but overall, it just feels like a more cohesive, organic universe.

When I stopped reading most of my DC books, a year or so ago, a lot of DC stuff felt like fanfiction written by guys who have a jonesing for the Silver Age and for revisiting old plots and characters that I thought were better off left in limbo. Was anyone really clamoring for the return (and heel turns) of Alexander Luthor and Superboy of Earth-Prime? I loved the old multiverse as much as Geoff Johns does, but bringing it back always felt like a step backwards. I mean, the freaking Anti-Monitor in Sinestro Corps War? I was perfectly happy with him being killed at the end of Crisis #12.

Plus, the way they junked things like PAD's Supergirl and the DnA-era Legion, and replacing them with inferior versions, really stuck in my craw!

I'm glad I took a year off from comics, because now I don't really care anymore. I can sit back and enjoy cool titles like Cap, Iron Fist, Nova, GOTG, etc., without even thinking about whatever DC is doing. I still enjoy Vertigo, though.

[Kusanagi]

Fewer continuity concerns. There are hiccups and terrible stories *glares at Spidey* but it's easier to grasp. A lot of this is due to a much much much simpler multiverse.

More books that stand on their own. Books like Runaways, and Iron Fist that you can read and for the most part pretend big crossovers don't happen. Or often if they are involved it's a miniseries that doesn't effect the current title, and is more if you want to explore other aspects of whatever big crossover's going on.

Not every crossover determines the fate of Universe. It's not bad once in awhile but I think DC has gotten crisis happy lately.

All that said, if you include Vertigo my pull is about even between the two companies. But if we're talking the mainstream universes Marvel does get more of my money.

[Assemble]

I could never find an interesting enough character.

My first comic was an Eclipso book in 1992 and it pretty much ruined a lot about it.
I always thought Superman (based on the Movies and Super Friends cartoon not the comic) was about as lame as it got.
I thought Batman could be cool, but I never got into it. It's like my brain didn't want me to.

Plus The X-Force and the Age Of Apocalypse were just books I read and read and read all the time, daily.

[CMBMOOL]

Marvel stories are more real.
Amen, but from time to time, they tend ot get a bit out of focus. :biggrin:

[Ryan W]

They've never really had trouble making heroes that some segment of the population can relate to. Since day one characters have always been some part of a metaphor for something rather than just the typical "super hero" (not to say that those don't exist in DC, but IMHO I feel they're more frequent in Marvel).

Personally as a gay man I always identified with the plight of the X-Men as a whole. and then I've found individual characters that I can relate to. TO me that makes for more fleshed out, engaging super heroics.

[XPac]

I think marvel in the past did a better job using heroes as metaphors for the human condition. DC stuff was comparatively more generic superhero fodder.

Today, the differences between marvel and DC are a lot smaller... but the fact that Marvel (in my view) did it better at the start just hooked me sooner and kept me there.

[Omega Alpha]

* Easier to understand continuity (even if it can be extremely hard sometime)

* More willing to take the major characters into new directions

* Also more willing to spotlight B or C listers

* In general, also more realistic than DC (though the difference is certainly smaller than it used to be), and also less black and white.

* Marvel is also not afraid of making their major characters hated by their public or seen as complete bastards that deserve to die; heck, in some cases, specially X-men, that's the whole point.

[Arksy]

I don't care about specific characters as much as i care about stories, and i definitely don't care about company as much as i care about writers. If Warren Ellis started a series about Squirrel Girl or that Chicken Mutant i'd probably read it.

[midnightman2001]

This is a large part of it, for me. I just don't care for DC's characters. In part, because a lot of them are quite powerful, and in part because one of them is sooo powerful (Superman) that it sort of wrecks it for me. I know they've given reasons, but I just never can swallow the idea that Superman needs help from Batman, Wonder Woman, et cetera. The only character that even remotely draws me is Batman, but not enough to read any of his books.

And it doesn't have anything to do with my not liking DC, but their overuse of 'Crisis' does get tiresome, even from an outside perspective.

Plus, what initially drew me to comics was the X-men, and, to my knowledge, DC doesn't really have a parallel for the mutants. So now, even though I'm no longer strictly an X-Whore, the allegiance is already set.

Ah dude, was not the X-men copying DC's Doom Patrol?

[Omega Alpha]

Ah dude, was not the X-men copying DC's Doom Patrol?

Nope. Neither X-men nor Doom Patrol were copying each other, they were both released almost at the same time.

[Holdyourfireal]

Because of the foundation laid down while I was a kid by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, John Romita, the Buscema brothers, etc, etc...

:)

[Ex_]

Does anyone enjoy the realism from Marvel? Does anyone CONSIDER it realism? Marvel is darker than DC, I think that's agreed.

[SquidSquod]

- I like variety, where each superhero gets equal chance.
- Iron Man. Top techie superhero IMO bar none. Being a techie that's a very big plus.
- The B-Listers are building up. Not like in DC where they seem stagnating.

DC got a big plus on character story though thanks to Geoff Johns and Grant Morrison. Like GL, Batman, and soon perhaps Flash. Also thanks for the cheaper price, DC.

[Blackhawkk]

Because of the foundation laid down while I was a kid by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, John Romita, the Buscema brothers, etc, etc...

:)

For truth. Stan Lee aimed for realism and characterization and succeeded! Roy Thomas etc.etc. followed through and to this day the creative teams build on the foundation of Stan & Jack & the original Bullpen.

I find myself more excited about Marvel now than ever before. With Civil War the stakes went even higher and their storytelling better. With DC and Infinte Crisis I felt there was never a conclusion and Final Crisis just bores me. Now I just get 3 DC titles: JSA, JLA, and Jonah Hex. Yeah, DC does better Westerns than Marvel though.

[tjarvis]

As most people said:

-- The characters are more realistic and relatable
-- The meatphors behind the characters are stronger
-- A shared universe with a tight continuity that isn't strangling or dictated to by tiny minutia
-- A nicer blend of different genres that interesect with each other
-- Writers are allowed to take greater risks with the characters, which gives the stories being told the illusion of direction and purpose.

This is not to say that there isn't a lot to like about DC. As a Dick Grayson fan, I'm honestly curious about BFTC and what comes after, although Brubaker has them beat on that for nearly a year now. And I'm really hoping Kyle Raynor gets a chance to step up in Blackest Night.

[Deep_Sleeper]

This is gonna sound like a zombie comment, but I think I was conditioned to like Marvel more.

I grew up with Marvel. I was an X-Men fan before I was a comic fan. Yeah, go figure.

When I realized the X-Men were comic characters, I started looking for the comics. Then I found out that Spider-Man lived in the same world as the X-Men. Hulk lived in the same world as Spider-Man and the X-Men.

I sort of grew up with Marvel characters, so I'm drawn to them more.

In terms of iconic stories, I don't think anyone does them better than DC. I just like the Marvel characters more.

[Shypsi-Prime]

As most people said:

-- The characters are more realistic and relatable
-- The meatphors behind the characters are stronger
-- A shared universe with a tight continuity that isn't strangling or dictated to by tiny minutia
-- A nicer blend of different genres that interesect with each other
-- Writers are allowed to take greater risks with the characters, which gives the stories being told the illusion of direction and purpose.


That pretty much sums it up. Especially the characters. DC characters (as a whole) seem like the JV compared to Marvel. If I were a rich man, Marvel would get alot more of my money every week because it's easy to get into their characters. DC just gets more and more complicated and messy.

The Green Lantern universe is #1 in my heart tho. Hence the title below my name. :biggrin:

[Whitster]

I used to read a few comics from both when I was younger, then I got out of comics for a fair few years. Civil War got me back into them but also got me buying alot of other marvel books. Now I just dont really have the cash to keep up with 2 universes and marvel got there first. but will still pick up some of the interesting DC stuff in trade. As I plan to with BM: R.I.P.

[Elayis]

For me, all I read when I was younger was Marvel. Sure, I knew of Suprman and Batman, but I just never picked them up. And then, after reading Marvel for so long, DC just felt completely alien.

Plus, one of the biggest problems for me are the names and costumes of characters; I mean Darkseid? Really? Also the background of the DC characters: they just feel like I've heard them all before.

And now with the current books being so steeped in continuity, I'm finding it harder and harder to get into the DCU, even though I really want to.

The only DC books I read are the occasional Batman arc, Rucka's Wonder Woman, random Green Arrow and Green Lantern stuff, and now Secret Six.:redface:

[The Sword Is Drawn]

My preference for Marvel does stem from the alleged 'reality' of the books they put out. The bottom line is that regardless of how genuinely real they actual feel Marvel has a New York, London, Paris and other important Capital Cities because the geographical map of Marvel's world is mostly that of our own. Sure, there are a few made up places as well, like Wakanda and Madripoor, but by and large it's all mostly plausible.

DC can't boast this. They may claim that Metropolis, Gotham and Star City can be used as analogues for real cities, but the bottom line is that they aren't. And while that does give writers a certain amount of freedom to play with it also detracts from quite the level of association I personally can have with the places these stories are set.

I also feel that outside a relatively small number of titles I just don't find that much to interest me in DCs lineup. I've read books out of DC, but mostly for specific writers (Winnick on Green Arrow, Morrison on Doom Patrol, Gaiman's Sandman). The greater universe just seems a little too silly a lot of the time. And when you start getting into involving Kryptonians or the Legion I just don't care to continue.

I think that in terms of actual writing talent DC fairs a lot less favourably than Marvel. Yes they have Morrison, yes they have Johns, but very few of their current creative teams stand out to me to pull me into reading their titles.

However, one thing that DC will win out with where Marvel simply doesn't is in terms of time progression being shown over the decades. Marvel genuinely seems to be determined to stick with the concept that very little time has passed since the 50s in Marvel time, but with characters who were around in specific wars and other events in history it's far less easy to claim that they're not aging.

DC gets past this to a degree with the adoption of legacy characters - passing the mantel to the next generation. I really wish Marvel would have the sense to adopt that more creatively too.

[Samy]

I don't.

I did ten years ago, but not anymore.

[Ex_]

My preference for Marvel does stem from the alleged 'reality' of the books they put out. The bottom line is that regardless of how genuinely real they actual feel Marvel has a New York, London, Paris and other important Capital Cities because the geographical map of Marvel's world is mostly that of our own. Sure, there are a few made up places as well, like Wakanda and Madripoor, but by and large it's all mostly plausible.

DC can't boast this. They may claim that Metropolis, Gotham and Star City can be used as analogues for real cities, but the bottom line is that they aren't. And while that does give writers a certain amount of freedom to play with it also detracts from quite the level of association I personally can have with the places these stories are set.

I also feel that outside a relatively small number of titles I just don't find that much to interest me in DCs lineup. I've read books out of DC, but mostly for specific writers (Winnick on Green Arrow, Morrison on Doom Patrol, Gaiman's Sandman). The greater universe just seems a little too silly a lot of the time. And when you start getting into involving Kryptonians or the Legion I just don't care to continue.

I think that in terms of actual writing talent DC fairs a lot less favourably than Marvel. Yes they have Morrison, yes they have Johns, but very few of their current creative teams stand out to me to pull me into reading their titles.

However, one thing that DC will win out with where Marvel simply doesn't is in terms of time progression being shown over the decades. Marvel genuinely seems to be determined to stick with the concept that very little time has passed since the 50s in Marvel time, but with characters who were around in specific wars and other events in history it's far less easy to claim that they're not aging.

DC gets past this to a degree with the adoption of legacy characters - passing the mantel to the next generation. I really wish Marvel would have the sense to adopt that more creatively too.

I agree with you there. I love the DC Legacy of heroes that they have--but at the same time, the Marvel heroes are SO iconic, I don't know how much I'd like someone besides Stark being in the armor, or to be more ancillary, someone besides Chris Powell as Darkhawk.

[Omega Alpha]

I disagree on the Legacy thing, and it wouldn't work in Marvel. That is because in DC, what matters the most is Green Lantern, Flash, Superman, etc. In Marvel, it's primarily about Peter Parker, Matt Murdock (heck, in Bendis and Brubaker's runs, he's in costume 30% of the time at most), Tony Stark, etc. I have no interest in reading about "random Joe in Daredevil's costume". It worked for Cap. America, but he's a different case. A guy that has the flag as his costume and his background can't help being a metaphor for the USA, for better and for worse.

And besides, DC brought back Hal Jordan, Barry Allen, Jay is alive and running, etc, which means that the "progression" thing is really bull. And now you have 3 Flashes running around (pun intended), Wally will become "Kid" again...

[pharoahe22]

As most people said:

-- The characters are more realistic and relatable
-- The meatphors behind the characters are stronger
-- A shared universe with a tight continuity that isn't strangling or dictated to by tiny minutia
-- A nicer blend of different genres that interesect with each other
-- Writers are allowed to take greater risks with the characters, which gives the stories being told the illusion of direction and purpose.

This is not to say that there isn't a lot to like about DC. As a Dick Grayson fan, I'm honestly curious about BFTC and what comes after, although Brubaker has them beat on that for nearly a year now. And I'm really hoping Kyle Raynor gets a chance to step up in Blackest Night.

I agree. I could probably name a vast majority of the DC heroes off the top of my head...but I don't feel the connection to them like I do the Marvel heroes...with the exception of a few characters like Batman. And as far as charcters go...Marvel spanks DC in that department...it's pretty much a curbstomp actually. The vast majority of Marvel characters could support their own book...even lesser known characters. We all know the top dogs are pretty much like this:

A-List:
Captain America
Iron Man
Wolverine
The Fantastic Four
The Incredible Hulk
Spiderman
Thor
Dr. Strange
Silver Surfer
The X-men (as a whole)

Then you have:
Black Panther
Captain Britain
Luke Cage
Hercules
Deadpool
Iron Fist
Nova
Cable
Blade
The Punisher
Daredevil
Ghost Rider
She-Hulk
Nick Fury
The Eternals
Black Bolt and the Inhumans
The Shi'ar
Captain Marvel
Hawkeye/Ronin
etc...etc....etc...
I'm not even counting the great villains like Dr. Doom, Thanos, Magneto, The Mandarin, Loki, Kang the conqueror, Mephisto, Venom and Spidey Rogues Gallery, etc.

And then, they'll create relatively new characters like the Runaways, the Young Avengers, The Sentry, the Blue Marvel, etc. that are all great!

It's just insane. I think even DC's top guys would say Marvel spanks them in the character department.

Just recently, Nova, Iron Fist, Moon Knight, Captain Britain, Hercules, The Eternals, and Deadpool all got books, and they're all fan-faves. Spiderwoman, Darkhawk, Sleepwalker, Deathlok and a bunch of other C-listers could have really cool books. Actually, the vast majority of Marvel's A, B, and C listers could probably support their own movie...and by that I mean that all of the characters are so fleshed out and have such rich histories that you could make a really interesting story (I'm not talking about how much the movie would make because that depends on too many different things). Like Moon Knight isn't one of the most recognizable characters in comics, but the fist of Khonshu would definetly make a very interesting movie. We've already seen C-lister Blade turn in a successful movie franchise and even have a television show. Deadpool (who may be considered B-list) is about to have his own movie. There's like a never-ending list of great characters.

And the Marvel Universe just seems more dangerous and real. There's like an alien invasion, or Thanos trying to destroy the universe quite frequently. Like House of M happened on top of Civil War and Annihilation on top of another Annihilation event and Secret invasion on top of Dark Reign and now War of Kings lol. I'd hate to live in the MU...but I love reading about it. I never feel like any of the Super heroes are untouchable, and that anyone can bite it. Even with the death of Superman, I was like "this isn't going to last at all...everyone knows that Supes is coming back because he always wins in the end. Superman doesn't lose to anyone or die for long for that matter". In Marvel, you'll have someone like Thor, who's just as powerful, if not more powerful that Superman, but you'll read a comic and you'll be like "Wow...Thor really got his @$$ kicked by Kurse and the Destroyer...I wonder if he'll survive this...and that's the difference.

I will say this though. I think Nightwing might have the coolest looking costume in comics lol

[DrDoom616]

Because of the foundation laid down while I was a kid by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, John Romita, the Buscema brothers, etc, etc...

:)

I have been a fan of everything Marvel for almost 30 years, unfortunately recent times in Marvel have made me rethink this and I have been forced to give up titles I liked because of the bad writing/ ideas of late.

Maybe one day things will change and Marvel will once again become great.

[Samy]

I just wanted to say that I throughly enjoyed the word "meatphors".

[SydneyFalco]

I'm a Marvel reader, but I have to admit that it's probably just my prejudice at this point. I started reading Marvel as a kid and it's what I respond to now. If I knew DC stuff better, I could probably pick up and go with it more easily. But I just don't know what it is, I've never been able to get a hand hold.

I certainly don't care for the confusing DC "history". In fact I find their crossovers or "big stories" or whatever you call them (those that I've tried) practically unreadable. But there's also something about their characters. In uniform they're stiff and stodgy and a bit one note. Out of uniform they're very pale. Or so it feels. Like I said, I'm willing to cop to prejudice.

[Ex_]

I agree. I could probably name a vast majority of the DC heroes off the top of my head...but I don't feel the connection to them like I do the Marvel heroes...with the exception of a few characters like Batman. And as far as charcters go...Marvel spanks DC in that department...it's pretty much a curbstomp actually. The vast majority of Marvel characters could support their own book...even lesser known characters. We all know the top dogs are pretty much like this:

A-List:
Captain America
Iron Man
Wolverine
The Fantastic Four
The Incredible Hulk
Spiderman
Thor
Dr. Strange
Silver Surfer
The X-men (as a whole)

Then you have:
Black Panther
Captain Britain
Luke Cage
Hercules
Deadpool
Iron Fist
Nova
Cable
Blade
The Punisher
Daredevil
Ghost Rider
She-Hulk
Nick Fury
The Eternals
Black Bolt and the Inhumans
The Shi'ar
Captain Marvel
Hawkeye/Ronin
etc...etc....etc...
I'm not even counting the great villains like Dr. Doom, Thanos, Magneto, The Mandarin, Loki, Kang the conqueror, Mephisto, Venom and Spidey Rogues Gallery, etc.

And then, they'll create relatively new characters like the Runaways, the Young Avengers, The Sentry, the Blue Marvel, etc. that are all great!

It's just insane. I think even DC's top guys would say Marvel spanks them in the character department.

Just recently, Nova, Iron Fist, Moon Knight, Captain Britain, Hercules, The Eternals, and Deadpool all got books, and they're all fan-faves. Spiderwoman, Darkhawk, Sleepwalker, Deathlok and a bunch of other C-listers could have really cool books. Actually, the vast majority of Marvel's A, B, and C listers could probably support their own movie...and by that I mean that all of the characters are so fleshed out and have such rich histories that you could make a really interesting story (I'm not talking about how much the movie would make because that depends on too many different things). Like Moon Knight isn't one of the most recognizable characters in comics, but the fist of Khonshu would definetly make a very interesting movie. We've already seen C-lister Blade turn in a successful movie franchise and even have a television show. Deadpool (who may be considered B-list) is about to have his own movie. There's like a never-ending list of great characters.

And the Marvel Universe just seems more dangerous and real. There's like an alien invasion, or Thanos trying to destroy the universe quite frequently. Like House of M happened on top of Civil War and Annihilation on top of another Annihilation event and Secret invasion on top of Dark Reign and now War of Kings lol. I'd hate to live in the MU...but I love reading about it. I never feel like any of the Super heroes are untouchable, and that anyone can bite it. Even with the death of Superman, I was like "this isn't going to last at all...everyone knows that Supes is coming back because he always wins in the end. Superman doesn't lose to anyone or die for long for that matter". In Marvel, you'll have someone like Thor, who's just as powerful, if not more powerful that Superman, but you'll read a comic and you'll be like "Wow...Thor really got his @$$ kicked by Kurse and the Destroyer...I wonder if he'll survive this...and that's the difference.

I will say this though. I think Nightwing might have the coolest looking costume in comics lol

You make a VERY good point. Even the B-Listers can support ongoings in Marvel, whereas in DC, they are stagnant.

[B. Kuwanger]

I was raised as a Marvel kid. When I was five, I liked Batman and the X-Men cartoons equally, but then Marvel came out with FF, Hulk, Spider-Man, and Iron Man. Quality and quantity. More and better video games. Punisher and Captain America. The two of them had films to match Batman's two films. Jim Lee in their corner. Jim Lee was everywhere I looked when I was very young, and he was awesome. He's the closest comics have to Michael Jordan. Everything that would make a kid prefer one to another was there for Marvel, really.

When I started collecting comics, I was almost Marvel exclusive, but I made an exception for Batman. Then I realized how much I like Superman and a lot of what DC has to offer. I like Justice League and Vertigo back issues more than most of what I have from Marvel. My collection is still 80% Marvel, but that's just because I'm not feeling too many of DC's current titles.

A-List:
Captain America
Iron Man
Wolverine
The Fantastic Four
The Incredible Hulk
Spiderman
Thor
Dr. Strange
Silver Surfer
The X-men (as a whole)

Then you have:
Black Panther
Captain Britain
Luke Cage
Hercules
Deadpool
Iron Fist
Nova
Cable
Blade
The Punisher
How is Dr. Strange an A-lister while the Punisher is not?

[Ex_]

I was raised as a Marvel kid. When I was five, I liked Batman and the X-Men cartoons equally, but then Marvel came out with FF, Hulk, Spider-Man, and Iron Man. Quality and quantity. More and better video games. Punisher and Captain America. The two of them had films to match Batman's two films. Jim Lee in their corner. Jim Lee was everywhere I looked when I was very young, and he was awesome. He's the closest comics have to Michael Jordan. Everything that would make a kid prefer one to another was there for Marvel, really.

When I started collecting comics, I was almost Marvel exclusive, but I made an exception for Batman. Then I realized how much I like Superman and a lot of what DC has to offer. I like Justice League and Vertigo back issues more than most of what I have from Marvel. My collection is still 80% Marvel, but that's just because I'm not feeling too many of DC's current titles.


How is Dr. Strange an A-lister while the Punisher is not?

Dr. Strange will never be an A-Lister. That list is an abortion!

[pharoahe22]

Dr. Strange will never be an A-Lister. That list is an abortion!

It was stated a while ago that Dr. Strange was one of the pillars of the Marvel Universe. Marvel stated that their top dogs were:

Captain America
Wolverine
Spiderman
Iron Man
Thor
The Incredible Hulk
Dr. Strange
Silver Surfer
The Fantastic Four

Side note: I actually bought a tee when I went to Universal Studios that had all the above listed but the FF, and it was supposed to be the tee that represented the Marvel Universe...a "Marvel Heroes" shirt. It was a while ago...in the 90's.

He may not be able to sustain a book for a long time, but he is Marvel's Sorceror Supreme...he's top dog when it comes to magic. Besides that, He had a live action television show in the 70's I think it was, and recently an animated feature. I heard talks of a live-action Dr. Strange movie as well. To me, A-list characters are defined by their overall impact on the MU, as well as their visibility as a character. That's how I think about it. The Punisher has had two movies and has a couple of on-goings, but as for the over-all impact on the MU, it's pretty miniscule. He massacres thugs and gangsters but there's always more, and for a long time, he was missing from the mainstream MU. If the Punisher died, we'd still have Moon Knight and a bunch of other vigilantes to pick up the slack. If Dr. Strange died, it would be a very big deal in the MU.

[Ex_]

It was stated a while ago that Dr. Strange was one of the pillars of the Marvel Universe. Marvel stated that their top dogs were:

Captain America
Wolverine
Spiderman
Iron Man
Thor
The Incredible Hulk
Dr. Strange
Silver Surfer
The Fantastic Four

Side note: I actually bought a tee when I went to Universal Studios that had all the above listed but the FF, and it was supposed to be the tee that represented the Marvel Universe...a "Marvel Heroes" shirt. It was a while ago...in the 90's.

He may not be able to sustain a book for a long time, but he is Marvel's Sorceror Supreme...he's top dog when it comes to magic. Besides that, He had a live action television show in the 70's I think it was, and recently an animated feature. I heard talks of a live-action Dr. Strange movie as well. To me, A-list characters are defined by their overall impact on the MU, as well as their visibility as a character. That's how I think about it. The Punisher has had two movies and has a couple of on-goings, but as for the over-all impact on the MU, it's pretty miniscule. He massacres thugs and gangsters but there's always more, and for a long time, he was missing from the mainstream MU. If the Punisher died, we'd still have Moon Knight and a bunch of other vigilantes to pick up the slack. If Dr. Strange died, it would be a very big deal in the MU.

Bra, the rule to be an A-Lister is:

If you show the picture to a NON-comic fan, with no comicdom under them, they'll know who they are.

I love Marvel, and I don't even know who Dr. Strange is.

[lou-bert vs. q-bert]

I The Punisher has had two moviesTechnically, he's had three movies.

As for why I like Marvel: According to my mother, I'd liked Spider-Man since I was able to perceive images. (I also liked Mickey Mouse, but I"ve long grew out of that.) Ever since then it's been Marvel comics characters that I've loved and embraced. DC I just couldn't get into because I never could fully understand their stories, still don't.

And besides, Superman needs a team? That's about as realistic as the Hulk needing a team, why else would he have left the Avengers?

[pharoahe22]

Bra, the rule to be an A-Lister is:

If you show the picture to a NON-comic fan, with no comicdom under them, they'll know who they are.

I love Marvel, and I don't even know who Dr. Strange is.

LOL...I guess that depends on who you ask. My dad and my uncles all know who Dr. Strange is, and none of them are comic readers...I think people who were around when the tv show was on remember Dr. Strange, even though I think it was a short lived show. A bunch of other random people might not though. But my thing is this, if you just go by who's A-list based on just visibility to non-comic readers, that makes Blade and Elektra A-list...and I don't think they are at all.

[pharoahe22]

Technically, he's had three movies

I know Dolph Lundren was the Punisher in that old cheesy 80's movie. I meant recently...like I don't really count the fact that Cap has had movies before because they were bad and I dont wanna remember them haha

[Pixie_Solanas]

I'm not partial to one company over the other. I'll read whoever's putting out some good books, whether it's Marvel, DC or Dark Horse, or even ferkin' Image comics.

When I was a young lad, you couldn't get me to buy DC, though. I thought they were cornball beyond belief, and being the mid-80s, it pretty much was. Until Frank Miller kicked the company in the arse with that Dark Knight stuff. The first DC product I ever bought.

[lou-bert vs. q-bert]

LOL...I guess that depends on who you ask. My dad and my uncles all know who Dr. Strange is, and none of them are comic readers...I think people who were around when the tv show was on remember Dr. Strange, even though I think it was a short lived show. A bunch of other random people might not though. But my thing is this, if you just go by who's A-list based on just visibility to non-comic readers, that makes Blade and Elektra A-list...and I don't think they are at all.I had a co-worker a while back and she had absolute no idea who Captain America is. I mean really, it's Captain America!!!!!!

[Imraith Nimphais]

Having collected comics for going on thre decades...I have read/colected both DC and Marvel...in the early years, I've loved TJL, Avengers,Teen Titans, UXM, LoSH, NM, Wonder Woman (I am currently collecting this, btw) etc...but my preference for one over the other is simply this...Marvel's characters tend to have better names and costumes...DC has a tendency to come across as loud, garish and just a tad wonky.

[Libaax]

The biggest reason for me is that there are several comics you can enjoy without caring about the newest event.

My favorite marvel u comics are DD,Cap America,Nova,Hercules,X
Factor,Guardians of the galaxy and SI barely happened in those comics.

In DC i had dump even Batman cause of a fricking event and Batman goes before any hero in marvel for me.

2nd Reason: Cosmic Marvel

3nd Reason : Less famous superheroes gets their chance
Nova,Herc,X-Factor,Iron Fist,Gaurdians,Captain Britain and M13.


In DC where is Blue Beetle and co ? Dead and gone...

[Pro]

Why do you like Marvel more than DC?

Mutant race. It's what got me into comics.

But since that's largely gone I'm not quite sure why I like Marvel more than DC. Part nostalgia, part good writers like PAD and Cornell still writing books I enjoy.

[Shellhead]

I grew up with Marvel comics, until I outgrew them. Back when I did like Marvel more than DC (up until about 1985), I preferred Marvel because:

*Marvel heroes had more personality than DC's timeless icons

*Marvel Universe was more interesting place, with better concepts (the Negative Zone, Counter-Earth, Asgardians, mutants, etc)

*Marvel has better alien races (Kree, Skrull, Shi'ar, Badoon, etc)

*Lots more interaction between the heroes and villains in Marvel's New York City, while DC's heroes and villains tend to clump up in different cities, mostly fake, like Gotham or Metropolis or Central City

*Marvel's best villains were more interesting, sometimes with complex
personalities and motivation, like Magneto, Thanos and Doctor Doom

Even though Marvel still has a lot of these advantages, the current crop of writers and editors have mostly alienated me by turning so many Marvel heroes into @$$holes. I blame Quesada, Bendis, Millar, Hudlin and JMS more than most. The price increase is also an aggravating factor, though I'm sure that DC will match it soon enough.

[~kev~]

I like the marvel universe better because the characters seem better developed. The entire universe seems to intertwine better.

[jackolover]

Oh God. Where do I start? Final crisis! Did anybody get issue #7? I know I'm not a follower of DC continuity, but the first Identity Crisis by Metzler was brilliant, and i could follow Metzler without any trouble. FC? I have no idea what Grant Morrison is doing there, with issue 7. FC is why I like Marvel more than DC.

Do any of the DC people dislike Marvel because of the continuity complications of CW and Dark Reign?

[Parch]

My knowledge of comics was limited to a few movies. I knew nothing about sales or popularity, so I think I had a fairly unbiased start when I bought some variety boxes on ebay to sample everything. Multiple titles, old and new, multiple companies.

The results were simple. Marvel superhero comics made me want to sample more. DC, Darkhorse, and Image didn't. It's hard to pinpoint exactly why. There's a quality of writing and character development that Marvel excels at while others struggle.

The exception for me would be most of the Vertigo titles. They're good too, but they're not really the superhero genre.

[TheComet]

Until a few years ago I wouldn't touch a Marvel comic. I read them when I was a kid and a teenager, but the 90s made me leave the company's work entirely. I didn't pick up anything by Marvel again until New Avengers, and even then it was mostly just out of curiosity instead of a desire to start reading Marvel again.

DC had a very interesting universe to me. Batman and Superman always bored me, but the rest of their characters and books were amazing. I kind of roll my eyes at some of the complaining about Marvel's current direction because compared to what DC has been putting out Marvel is gold. DC's essentially become incoherent nonsense imo. That and they went about systematically killing all of the characters that got me interested in DC. The first DC book I picked up was JLI, and they've killed off almost every one of those characters except Guy Gardner and Booster Gold. I read the Flash, but when they ditched Wally the first time I left. Since then they've killed his replacement (a character that was great as Kid Flash) only to now be bringing back the original Flash Barry Allen. I read Teen Titans, but they've killed off my two favorite characters Superboy and Kid Flash. Meltzer's JLA started out very well, but quickly lost it's way in the midst of Crisis XXVIII or whatever the one a couple of Crisis's back was. Basically everything that was done by DC seemed calculated to piss me off so I quit reading.

While DC was crashing for me Marvel kept a tight universe. They did interesting things with their characters taking them in strange directions, but not in a destructive way. Now, if I'd been a big Avengers fan before Disassembled I might have a different outlook. Even if I was though not a whole lot of lasting harm was done. Vision came right back. Hawkeye's back. The new Antman is a unique character that makes it worth the loss of the last one.

In short Marvel is doing a better job with their characters and universe right now than DC. I'll stick my nose back in to DC when Dan Didio (DC's eic equivalent) is gone, but for now I'm only reading Marvel and a few independent titles.

[B. Kuwanger]

Yeah, that's kind of the thing. My DC titles were Batman, Superman, Detective, Action, and JLA. I'm getting into Booster Gold and Green Lantern, but four of the five titles I mentioned are going off the rails. The company isn't very exciting at the moment, and the future looks bleak. I drop and pick up Marvel books all the time, but I'm always close to picking up something like 20 of their monthly titles.

Continuity isn't really an issue for me, I get whatever I think is cool and make my own continuity if I care.

[tjarvis]

I just wanted to say that I throughly enjoyed the word "meatphors".

Well yeah, it's when you compare two dissimilar meats, and say that one takes on the properties of another.

ie. "It tastes like chicken."

:tongue:

[mikekerr3]

I used to prefer Marvel to DC allmost exclusively, with the exception of Sgt Rock who completely blew away Sgt. Fury as war Stories. I loved the consistent continuity, the respect for the characters the realistic voices of the character and the seeming realism of the MU. I loved it enough to ignore the venomously anti-military attitude that marvel had and still has.

The Continuity seems to be disposable at Marvel Now, They ghave no respect for the characterization even their flagship characters and The Mu is so dark s to be Nhilisatic with a population that seems to be getting more banal evil and stupid as time goes by, I still primarily read Marvel out of habit a a loack of knowledge of DC continmity but am starting to pick that up now.

It seams to me that for the last few years marvel has been builing events and sales on the destruction of the Status Quo, the destruction of characters and the promotion of sleazy thugs as heroes, I don't know how long they can keep that up before the the Authority starts seeming to me straight laced in comparison to the Avengers. Seemingly lead by Bendis they have already killed off Capt America, Gutted the Mutants, and turned my oldest heros' Iron Mant and Spidey into a thug and a punk respctively.

I don't know how much farther they can push this way and still have something I care to read. There are too few character who remain uncorrupted in Marvel inability to distinguish between realistically gritty and being a super-power thug for them to keep it up very long I hope.

I don't even see much sign that anyone at Marvel knows that their is much difference between a villain and a hero but the side they are on, or that good and evil are more than trite and passe' ideas. I know they don't see much difference between a soldier and a murderer or a terrorist, that is plain as day.

[John Lynch]

I don't. Nor do I like DC more then Marvel.

[Elayis]

I used to prefer Marvel to DC allmost exclusively, with the exception of Sgt Rock who completely blew away Sgt. Fury as war Stories. I loved the consistent continuity, the respect for the characters the realistic voices of the character and the seeming realism of the MU. I loved it enough to ignore the venomously anti-military attitude that marvel had and still has.

The Continuity seems to be disposable at Marvel Now, They ghave no respect for the characterization even their flagship characters and The Mu is so dark s to be Nhilisatic with a population that seems to be getting more banal evil and stupid as time goes by, I still primarily read Marvel out of habit a a loack of knowledge of DC continmity but am starting to pick that up now.

It seams to me that for the last few years marvel has been builing events and sales on the destruction of the Status Quo, the destruction of characters and the promotion of sleazy thugs as heroes, I don't know how long they can keep that up before the the Authority starts seeming to me straight laced in comparison to the Avengers. Seemingly lead by Bendis they have already killed off Capt America, Gutted the Mutants, and turned my oldest heros' Iron Mant and Spidey into a thug and a punk respctively.

I don't know how much farther they can push this way and still have something I care to read. There are too few character who remain uncorrupted in Marvel inability to distinguish between realistically gritty and being a super-power thug for them to keep it up very long I hope.

I don't even see much sign that anyone at Marvel knows that their is much difference between a villain and a hero but the side they are on, or that good and evil are more than trite and passe' ideas. I know they don't see much difference between a soldier and a murderer or a terrorist, that is plain as day.

Personally I like what Marvel has been doing, in terms of their character developments. The way they are blending good and bad, right and wrong; they're sowing that not everyone is as good as people think. Everyone has faults. That there id no good and bad, only shades of gray. And that all it takes are a couple of bad choices to make even the noblest of people into the most hated of criminals (for example, Tony Stark/ Iron Man) or vice-versa (for example. Norman Osborn/ Green Goblin). Unlike, DC, where every character is only one-faceted; displays only one side of human emotion. Good people are good, and bad people are bad, plain and simple.

I mean, can you say that DC will ever make Super-Man bad, or Darkseid good? At least for Marvel, you can never be sure of a person's motive, or the course they are on. Good guys have been bad, and bad guys have been good, Hawkeye and Emma Frost; Spider-Woman and Namor, for examples.

And anyone who wants to mention Green Lantern/ Hal Jordan as a side switcher, he switched back so it doesn't count.:mad:

[Elayis]

I used to prefer Marvel to DC allmost exclusively, with the exception of Sgt Rock who completely blew away Sgt. Fury as war Stories. I loved the consistent continuity, the respect for the characters the realistic voices of the character and the seeming realism of the MU. I loved it enough to ignore the venomously anti-military attitude that marvel had and still has.

The Continuity seems to be disposable at Marvel Now, They ghave no respect for the characterization even their flagship characters and The Mu is so dark s to be Nhilisatic with a population that seems to be getting more banal evil and stupid as time goes by, I still primarily read Marvel out of habit a a loack of knowledge of DC continmity but am starting to pick that up now.

It seams to me that for the last few years marvel has been builing events and sales on the destruction of the Status Quo, the destruction of characters and the promotion of sleazy thugs as heroes, I don't know how long they can keep that up before the the Authority starts seeming to me straight laced in comparison to the Avengers. Seemingly lead by Bendis they have already killed off Capt America, Gutted the Mutants, and turned my oldest heros' Iron Mant and Spidey into a thug and a punk respctively.

I don't know how much farther they can push this way and still have something I care to read. There are too few character who remain uncorrupted in Marvel inability to distinguish between realistically gritty and being a super-power thug for them to keep it up very long I hope.

I don't even see much sign that anyone at Marvel knows that their is much difference between a villain and a hero but the side they are on, or that good and evil are more than trite and passe' ideas. I know they don't see much difference between a soldier and a murderer or a terrorist, that is plain as day.

Personally I like what Marvel has been doing, in terms of their character developments. The way they are blending good and bad, right and wrong; they're sowing that not everyone is as good as people think. Everyone has faults. That there id no good and bad, only shades of gray. And that all it takes are a couple of bad choices to make even the noblest of people into the most hated of criminals (for example, Tony Stark/ Iron Man) or vice-versa (for example. Norman Osborn/ Green Goblin). Unlike, DC, where every character is only one-faceted; displays only one side of human emotion. Good people are good, and bad people are bad, plain and simple.

I mean, can you say that DC will ever make Super-Man bad, or Darkseid good? At least for Marvel, you can never be sure of a person's motive, or the course they are on. Good guys have been bad, and bad guys have been good, Hawkeye and Emma Frost; Spider-Woman and Namor, for examples.

And anyone who wants to mention Green Lantern/ Hal Jordan as a side switcher, he switched back so it doesn't count.:mad:

[Elayis]

I used to prefer Marvel to DC allmost exclusively, with the exception of Sgt Rock who completely blew away Sgt. Fury as war Stories. I loved the consistent continuity, the respect for the characters the realistic voices of the character and the seeming realism of the MU. I loved it enough to ignore the venomously anti-military attitude that marvel had and still has.

The Continuity seems to be disposable at Marvel Now, They ghave no respect for the characterization even their flagship characters and The Mu is so dark s to be Nhilisatic with a population that seems to be getting more banal evil and stupid as time goes by, I still primarily read Marvel out of habit a a loack of knowledge of DC continmity but am starting to pick that up now.

It seams to me that for the last few years marvel has been builing events and sales on the destruction of the Status Quo, the destruction of characters and the promotion of sleazy thugs as heroes, I don't know how long they can keep that up before the the Authority starts seeming to me straight laced in comparison to the Avengers. Seemingly lead by Bendis they have already killed off Capt America, Gutted the Mutants, and turned my oldest heros' Iron Mant and Spidey into a thug and a punk respctively.

I don't know how much farther they can push this way and still have something I care to read. There are too few character who remain uncorrupted in Marvel inability to distinguish between realistically gritty and being a super-power thug for them to keep it up very long I hope.

I don't even see much sign that anyone at Marvel knows that their is much difference between a villain and a hero but the side they are on, or that good and evil are more than trite and passe' ideas. I know they don't see much difference between a soldier and a murderer or a terrorist, that is plain as day.

Personally I like what Marvel has been doing, in terms of their character developments. The way they are blending good and bad, right and wrong; they're sowing that not everyone is as good as people think. Everyone has faults. That there id no good and bad, only shades of gray. And that all it takes are a couple of bad choices to make even the noblest of people into the most hated of criminals (for example, Tony Stark/ Iron Man) or vice-versa (for example. Norman Osborn/ Green Goblin). Unlike, DC, where every character is only one-faceted; displays only one side of human emotion. Good people are good, and bad people are bad, plain and simple.

I mean, can you say that DC will ever make Super-Man bad, or Darkseid good? At least for Marvel, you can never be sure of a person's motive, or the course they are on. Good guys have been bad, and bad guys have been good, Hawkeye and Emma Frost; Spider-Woman and Namor, for examples.

And anyone who wants to mention Green Lantern/ Hal Jordan as a side switcher, he switched back so it doesn't count.:mad:

[Elayis]

I used to prefer Marvel to DC allmost exclusively, with the exception of Sgt Rock who completely blew away Sgt. Fury as war Stories. I loved the consistent continuity, the respect for the characters the realistic voices of the character and the seeming realism of the MU. I loved it enough to ignore the venomously anti-military attitude that marvel had and still has.

The Continuity seems to be disposable at Marvel Now, They ghave no respect for the characterization even their flagship characters and The Mu is so dark s to be Nhilisatic with a population that seems to be getting more banal evil and stupid as time goes by, I still primarily read Marvel out of habit a a loack of knowledge of DC continmity but am starting to pick that up now.

It seams to me that for the last few years marvel has been builing events and sales on the destruction of the Status Quo, the destruction of characters and the promotion of sleazy thugs as heroes, I don't know how long they can keep that up before the the Authority starts seeming to me straight laced in comparison to the Avengers. Seemingly lead by Bendis they have already killed off Capt America, Gutted the Mutants, and turned my oldest heros' Iron Mant and Spidey into a thug and a punk respctively.

I don't know how much farther they can push this way and still have something I care to read. There are too few character who remain uncorrupted in Marvel inability to distinguish between realistically gritty and being a super-power thug for them to keep it up very long I hope.

I don't even see much sign that anyone at Marvel knows that their is much difference between a villain and a hero but the side they are on, or that good and evil are more than trite and passe' ideas. I know they don't see much difference between a soldier and a murderer or a terrorist, that is plain as day.

Personally I like what Marvel has been doing, in terms of their character developments. The way they are blending good and bad, right and wrong; they're sowing that not everyone is as good as people think. Everyone has faults. That there id no good and bad, only shades of gray. And that all it takes are a couple of bad choices to make even the noblest of people into the most hated of criminals (for example, Tony Stark/ Iron Man) or vice-versa (for example. Norman Osborn/ Green Goblin). Unlike, DC, where every character is only one-faceted; displays only one side of human emotion. Good people are good, and bad people are bad, plain and simple.

I mean, can you say that DC will ever make Super-Man bad, or Darkseid good? At least for Marvel, you can never be sure of a person's motive, or the course they are on. Good guys have been bad, and bad guys have been good, Hawkeye and Emma Frost; Spider-Woman and Namor, for examples.

And anyone who wants to mention Green Lantern/ Hal Jordan as a side switcher, he switched back so it doesn't count.:mad:

[Elayis]

Sorry for the quadruple post.:redface: I had some browser difficulty.