Marvel vs. D.C.

MANILA, Philippines - We continue with our first-ever geek debate, this time focusing on D.C. Comics.

D.C. fans get a bad rep sometimes. Some say, “D.C. guys just do that to be cool.” First of all, no one reads comics in order to be cool. Or to be more precise, no one should read comics in order to be cool.

Yes, it’s named after the legendary title Detective Comics. And yes, Detective Comics sounds silly. But don’t let the name fool you. Since its origin, D.C. Comics has been the go-to-publisher for the best stories in the last few decades. D.C. is the better publisher and here’s why:

D.C. is big on legacy

At first, it’s really considered a bad thing. Questions like “Wait, there are three Robins?” or “Wait, there’s more than one Flash?” and “Wait, there are how many Green Lanterns?” arose. A lot. After a while, you’ll come to understand that in the DC Universe, there’s always more than one of everything. What could be seen as a point of confusion for the average reader is actually affection on the part of DC Comics and its loyal fan base. It’s the fact that (to a certain extent) these characters grow with you, and when someone new comes along, you see them transform from a nobody to the hero you’ve known all these years.

D.C. has a wider scope

By that we mean it has a lot of imprints and publishes a whole range of comics, from Scooby-Doo to Suicide Squad. Not to take anything away from Marvel, as it does also offer a range of genres, but D.C. just does it better. The clearest point to make is its Vertigo line. All those comics you’ve heard about such as Watchmen, V for Vendetta and Sandman are all under the D.C. Vertigo brand. Even today, Vertigo continues to be strong with titles such as American Vampire, Fables, and Scalped leading the pack. And on the other side of the spectrum, D.C. has been committed to publishing comics meant for kids, with titles such as Young Justice, Tiny Titans, and Captain Marvel and the Power of Shazam. Admittedly, not every comic D.C. publishes is worth the price tag but it offers enough that they’ll have a comic for everyone.

DC gets the best out of its writers

We truly believe that writers do their best work when they write for D.C. Alan Moore is a clear example with his aforementioned Watchmen, his run on Swamp Thing, and Promethea all coming from D.C. Whereas his Marvel work, writing Captain Britain and others, was good, it did not achieve the same success. Grant Morrison is another example. Although, his run of Marvel’s New X-Men was one of the best comics published in years, it’s not enough compared to his run of Doom Patrol, Animal Man, and All-Star Superman, all published under D.C. Comics. And of course, no true comic reader will ever say that Neil Gaiman’s 1602 from Marvel is better than Sandman or even Books of Magic.

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The NBA lockout is finally over! With the official launch just weeks away, it’s time to talk about our favorite team and why its city is the greatest ever. Stay tuned!

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