DC is the new Marvel and Marvel is the new DC

Discuss comics from around the world.

Moderator: AndyB

Post Reply
User avatar
Marionette
Posts: 541
Joined: 17 Aug 2012, 23:50
Location: Lost in time and lost in space. And meaning.

DC is the new Marvel and Marvel is the new DC

Post by Marionette »

I find it very odd that Marvel's big event for this year resembles DC's classic Crisis on Infinite Earths, in the way it appears to be designed to integrate their various properties and start over fresh, while DC's big event for the year involves getting together lots of their characters and making them fight for no very good reason like a five year old playing with action figures, so much like Marvel's original classic Secret Wars.

How is it that they each seem to be turning into the other?
The Tammy Project: Documenting the classic British girls' comic, one serial at a time.

User avatar
paw broon
Posts: 1215
Joined: 29 Jan 2011, 19:13
Location: Falkirk, Scotland

Re: DC is the new Marvel and Marvel is the new DC

Post by paw broon »

I'd heard that as DC were moving to L.A., this Convergence thingy nonsense was a stopgap for a few months. Keep the money coming in while they got themselves set up again. Cover prices have gone up, haven't they?
My pal, Wee John has given up on Convergence after reading the first month's offerings and he's been reading DC since they started distribution in '59 - '60!
I wonder if some fans of both companies are beginning to wonder if the whole superhero thing is running out of steam. I know that I read very few new superhero comics nowadays, and I'm someone who still remains a huge fan of the genre. I just can't get my head around/be bothered working out, what is going on and I have left it too late to go back years and try to get it straight. But that could be because I'm getting old. Actually, the Archie Maries B/V and Archie Afterlife are about my favourite newish comics and it's easier to settle down with them or a copy of The Black Terror or a small pile of Ditko Blue Beetle; The Fly/ classic Batman. They are well done and still highly enjoyable. I just detect a touch of cynicism in the superhero offering from the big 2.

User avatar
Robbie Moubert
Posts: 198
Joined: 18 Dec 2008, 14:12
Contact:

Re: DC is the new Marvel and Marvel is the new DC

Post by Robbie Moubert »

The problem with mainstream superhero comics is that the companies abandoned the newsstand and embraced the direct sales market, giving up on that naturally self-renewing audience that had been the core audience for so many years. Nowadays the comics are read and produced by aging fanboys who've seen it all before but won't move on, and so the comics get twisted more and more away from what they used to be.

It used to be the case that, if you realised Spider-Man was fighting Doc Ock for the xxth time or that the characters weren't getting any older, then it was time to move on (or realise that there are certain conceits of the genre that you just have to accept). John Byrne has told of the time he pitched an idea to DC for a comic called Batman and Robin, a more traditional version of the characters aimed at all ages. They rejected the idea on the basis that Batman was one of their mature characters. How f**ked up is that?!

User avatar
Marionette
Posts: 541
Joined: 17 Aug 2012, 23:50
Location: Lost in time and lost in space. And meaning.

Re: DC is the new Marvel and Marvel is the new DC

Post by Marionette »

paw broon wrote:I'd heard that as DC were moving to L.A., this Convergence thingy nonsense was a stopgap for a few months. Keep the money coming in while they got themselves set up again. Cover prices have gone up, haven't they?
My pal, Wee John has given up on Convergence after reading the first month's offerings and he's been reading DC since they started distribution in '59 - '60!
I wonder if some fans of both companies are beginning to wonder if the whole superhero thing is running out of steam.
Have you been to the cinema lately? Or watched TV? Superheroes are more popular now than they've been in decades.
The Tammy Project: Documenting the classic British girls' comic, one serial at a time.

User avatar
Marionette
Posts: 541
Joined: 17 Aug 2012, 23:50
Location: Lost in time and lost in space. And meaning.

Re: DC is the new Marvel and Marvel is the new DC

Post by Marionette »

Robbie Moubert wrote:The problem with mainstream superhero comics is that the companies abandoned the newsstand and embraced the direct sales market, giving up on that naturally self-renewing audience that had been the core audience for so many years. Nowadays the comics are read and produced by aging fanboys who've seen it all before but won't move on, and so the comics get twisted more and more away from what they used to be.

It used to be the case that, if you realised Spider-Man was fighting Doc Ock for the xxth time or that the characters weren't getting any older, then it was time to move on (or realise that there are certain conceits of the genre that you just have to accept). John Byrne has told of the time he pitched an idea to DC for a comic called Batman and Robin, a more traditional version of the characters aimed at all ages. They rejected the idea on the basis that Batman was one of their mature characters. How f**ked up is that?!
I'm not sure this entirely the right place to suggest that people should grow out of comics. :lol:

Actually superhero comics are getting a lot more kid-friendly lately. Or at least the range seems to be broadening to include comics aimed at kids as well as comics that might be enjoyed by women. Take a look at The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl - it's lighthearted and fun, and features a female hero who does not appear to be made of sticks and balloons.
The Tammy Project: Documenting the classic British girls' comic, one serial at a time.

User avatar
paw broon
Posts: 1215
Joined: 29 Jan 2011, 19:13
Location: Falkirk, Scotland

Re: DC is the new Marvel and Marvel is the new DC

Post by paw broon »

"Have you been to the cinema lately? Or watched TV? Superheroes are more popular now than they've been in decades." Marionette
Well, you said it yourself, Cinema, TV. A different experience and while I quite like the Iron Man fims, can't stand Batman films, I was never a Thor fan, and right from the very start, when I first set eyes on Loki, in the comic, I didn't rate him as a character and villain. So the Avengers film was the classic curate's egg for me. Thoroughly enjoyed what little I saw of Hawkeye. The opening sequence of Winter Soldier had some tasty superhero action.
By the way, X-Men films leave me cold and, anyway, I'm fed up with all the Wolverine crap. Wasn't all that keen on him when I first saw him either.

User avatar
suebutcher
Posts: 348
Joined: 20 Feb 2013, 13:39
Location: Daylesford, Australia

Re: DC is the new Marvel and Marvel is the new DC

Post by suebutcher »

I just wish superheroes would take a holiday for a few years, and give other comic genres a chance. There's a single solitary comic shop in my part of the world, and if you don't want superheroes, you're stuffed. OK, they've got a bit of horror, a bit of manga, and Doctor Who, but where's the funny books?

User avatar
Marionette
Posts: 541
Joined: 17 Aug 2012, 23:50
Location: Lost in time and lost in space. And meaning.

Re: DC is the new Marvel and Marvel is the new DC

Post by Marionette »

suebutcher wrote:I just wish superheroes would take a holiday for a few years, and give other comic genres a chance. There's a single solitary comic shop in my part of the world, and if you don't want superheroes, you're stuffed. OK, they've got a bit of horror, a bit of manga, and Doctor Who, but where's the funny books?
While it's technically a superhero book, I'd recommend you give The Undefeatable Squirrel Girl a try.

I agree that the big two are a bit limited in their output, but Image is doing all kinds of interesting stuff. Not to mention Dark Horse, IDW, Dynamite... Have you read Lumberjanes? It's fantastic. Lots of fun. I was a big fan of Courtney Crumrin, which is sadly now finished (though of course available in TPB), but its creator, Ted Naifeh is just finishing up on the excellent Princess Ugg, and I'm sure whatever he does after that is going to be worth reading too. If your comic shop isn't stocking any of these and refuse to get them when you ask then they clearly don't want your money. I'm sure Amazon has all the trade paperbacks.
The Tammy Project: Documenting the classic British girls' comic, one serial at a time.

User avatar
philcom55
Posts: 5170
Joined: 14 Jun 2006, 11:56

Re: DC is the new Marvel and Marvel is the new DC

Post by philcom55 »

I haven't read the other titles you suggest but I agree that Courtney Crumrin and Princess Ugg are great.

User avatar
paw broon
Posts: 1215
Joined: 29 Jan 2011, 19:13
Location: Falkirk, Scotland

Re: DC is the new Marvel and Marvel is the new DC

Post by paw broon »

The other option, of course, is to read digital comics on a tablet, which also has the advantage of keeping you out of Amazon's clutches. If you use Comixology, for instance, there are absolutely piles of non-superhero titles to choose from. Here's the site:-
https://www.comixology.com/?app=1&tid=1209000016
Same as being in a comic shop, you can usually check a few pages of each comic. Have a look at the Archie section as they have been offering some really different looks at the Archie universe.

Post Reply