DC's made-up cities versus real world ones

[Joe Grendel]

For the most part, DC Comics has preferred to make up fictional cities for their stories from the beginning. Metropolis, Gotham City, Keystone City, Central City, Opal City, Coast City, Bludhaven (boy, that's a bad name) the list goes on and on.

In contrast, Marvel Comics usually (but not always) prefers to set their comics in real world cities, typically New York City, New York City or New York City. (One out of three New Yorkers on Marvel Earth is now a Spandex-American.)

Now, DC's approach allows them a great deal of flexibility -- landmarks can be wherever creators want them to be, and things are as mutable as needed. Gotham City can be redesigned to resemble the Tim Burton movies and then razed to the ground so that clear districts can be established a decade later. Doing the same thing to Pittsburgh (like Marvel Comics' New Universe once did) is a little more problematic for some readers (and in a post 9/11 world, that number might be larger than it once was). (It should also be noted that DC Comics had no problem inserting two comic book characters into the White House, which is as real as Washington gets.)

On the other hand, even the best-detailed and most believable fictional cities of the DC Universe (and this title probably goes to Opal City or the post-Geoff Johns' Central/Keystone) don't have the reality and level of detail that creators can bring, even unconsciously, to stories about real places. No writer needs to sit down and list what ethnic groups might be likely to operate a food stand in a park in New York City, as the ethnic groups, types of food stands, name of the park, landmarks in it and what it looks like are all instantly familiar to most American creators, especially after a visit to Marvel's offices in NYC and a quick spin around the city.

Which do you prefer? The freedom a fictional city affords DC or the reality and level of detail that comes with setting stories in an actual real world city?

[Expletive Deleted]

I prefer DC's way of doing things. It lacks details, but most of them are extraneous to the story being told. I need the, for lack of a better word, vibe of the city, not the menu at the local delicatessen. With a fictional city, the sense of place can be tailored to whatever the writer needs it to be.

Hell, after reading however many volumes of STARMAN, Opal feels more "real" to me than a lot of non-fictional cities.

That said, I'd imagine my opinion might be different if I actually lived in New York (or wherever).

[Master Darque]

I prefer Marvel's way . I'm not a New Yorker by any means ... but I know New Yorkers have GOT to get a kick outta seeing themselves represented helping Spidey out in the movies , when they throw debris at the Goblin or carry an unconscious and unmasked Spidey to seeming safety . It's safe to say as much as you've heard that New Yorkers are gruff or rude or whatever cliche you've seen , you are also shown in these stories that the opposite is just as much true .... New Yorkers obviously have hearts of gold .

One thing I've always been curious about ( and maybe I'll have to post this in the X Topic ) is ...if New York is such the melting pot of the U.S. .... would real New Yorkers give a damn about mutants ?

[Rio_de_Janeiro]

The people in Uruguay definitely prefer it the Marvel way, especially after DC nuked Montevideo. ;) It's funny that it barely gets any mention...

ah, of course!!! it's in south america...that's why...

[Patient Boy]

The people in Uruguay definitely prefer it the Marvel way, especially after DC nuked Montevideo. ;) It's funny that it barely gets any mention...

ah, of course!!! it's in south america...that's why...

I think it's more because Grant Morrison no longer writes JLA on a regular basis.

It's funny, because I think immediately post-Crisis, in a bid for more "reality" all of DC's fictional cities were erased barring Metropolis and Gotham, but were slowly reintroduced, and for the better I think.

Marvel's New York is a great concept that allows for closer continuity and a sense of reality, especially when you can actually go down to Central Park and see "Avengers Mansion". It does tend to get claustrophobic though, and it always begs questions like "Dr Doom/Magneto is attacking Manhattan? Why don't all the heroes just gang up to beat the crap out of him?"

[Bat-Mite]

Bah! Montevideo got replaced with a flying fortress full of superheroes. They got the better part of the bargain.

[Sk8maven]

Which do you prefer? The freedom a fictional city affords DC or the reality and level of detail that comes with setting stories in an actual real world city?

It doesn't have to be either/or. Opal City has a very great deal of "reality" and "level of detail", not to mention a good bit of "history" (though there are still some inconsistencies that need to be explained or, more likely, Mopee'd).

On very rare occasions a "fictional" city has been exposed AS a real one - the most conspicuous example of this I can think of is "Capitol City" being revealed in All-Star #37 to be Washington, DC.

Sort of makes you wonder how many other "fictional" DCU cities are merely wearing masks....

Maven

[Kid Kyoto]

The people in Uruguay definitely prefer it the Marvel way, especially after DC nuked Montevideo. ;) It's funny that it barely gets any mention...

ah, of course!!! it's in south america...that's why...

Mount Video? I thought that was a made up city too? Who'd name their city Mount Video? :p

Seriously, I like the DC way,it puts writers and artists first and gives them the freedom to do something really exceptional. But DC didn't really do much with until Steve Rude's world's Finest comic in the early 90s. In the 80s you Superman was always flying around the World Trade Center (rest in peace) and other NY land marks. Rude and the Steve Burton Gotham really were the first time I saw DC try and make their cities come alive and become as much a character as any other city.

As for detail, that's up to the artist. Just because a story in NYC does not mean the street vendor will be Chao-Won Lee a Chinese illegal immigrant from Guangzhou selling priate DVDs to try and pay off the snake head so they won't kill his family back in China and secretly hoping that the cute girl who always stops by and buys him coffee will one day offer to marry him so he can stay in the US and bring his family over. For most artists it will still be 'generic hot dog guy'.

And the problem with NY, as a native New Yorker is WHEN THEY GET IT WRONG! An abandoned farm in Staten Island miles from any habitation? Maybe 50 years ago but not in 2005. An El train that goes down 5th avenue and then turns on to 42nd street?!?!?! What? That was the one thing that pissed me off in Spider Man 2. Spider Man 1 was very faithful to the city, I could pick out streets and buildings I knew (hey I worked 3 blocks from Peter Parker's apartment! w00t me!) but SM2 just ignored the city that is to throw in a pointless train. There are trains like the one in the movie but not where they showed it. The scene would have worked just as well on the 7 train across Queens. Nit picking maybe but how would you feel to have a film maker insert a ginormomous train line down your main street?

So anyway... comics are not realistic, give the writers and artists the freedom to invent any monuments, neighborhoods or streets they need to tell good stories.

[Captain Jim]

Another weakness with the Marvel way is that for some reason, all of the super-heroes are congregated in New York City (mainly because most of the writers used to live there).

[Augusto]

Mount Video? I thought that was a made up city too? Who'd name their city Mount Video? :p
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Not Mount Video. Montevideo, Uruguay's capital city. It's located in south america between Brasil and Argentina, over the atlantic coast. Montevideo have almost 300 years old.

[stealthwise]

Definitely prefer DC's method, and I wish that they would go even further and show a complete society that's been altered by the existence of superheroes and the accompanying concerns and technologies that would go with it.

[Toreador]

Prefer DC fictional. With real cities the artist/writer is restricted to how the real city looks and how/where the story takes place in the city. Sure they could ignore the real geography but there will always be nitpicker about how it really looks. And not all artists are familiar with what the real city looks like and not all artists are american either. A fictional city gives the artist/writer a lot more leeway in telling/drawing their story.

[dreyga2000]

I prefer DC... when done right these fictional cities seem to take on a life of their own almost their there own character. Places like Gotham, Metropolis, Keystone and etc have a way of enhancing the aura around a character.

[Eumenides]

I'd say I prefer fictional cities, but not in the lame way DC uses them. Let's be honest, Gotham, Metropolis, Opal City, etc, are practically indistinguishable from New York. Gotham has a few more gothic buildings and Metropolis has a futuristic railway system, but that's it for differences.

I don't think many pencillers have ever truly explored the possibilities of using the city as a genuine unique background, as a character in itself in comics. Perhaps Eisner and Miller, Gibbons or Dean Motters. Usually all cities, fictional or real, look the same. Which is a pity.