Like you gotta ask. Hmmm? DC's roster of original and exciting heroes vs. Marvel and their endless stream of stupid "omgwtf this guy's got metal body parts and guns and army shit". Plus, all of Marvel's frontmen, besides maybe Daredevil, are pretty lack luster. Spiderman, Hulk, X-Men, and Capitain America are pretty overrated and have been whored out the masses with all these movie deals.

[mag]

It's hard to say. Marvel has much cooler characters. Spider-Man. The X-Men. The Punisher. Daredevil. The Hulk. They're characters with personality. They have real personal conflicts. DC's main characters are so bland and boring. Batman is the only cool character they have, and even he is often mistreated and poorly written.

On the other hand, some of the best comic book stories I've read have been DC. The Dark Knight Returns. Red Son. The Death and Resurrection of Superman. Plus, they have V for Vendetta, which is the most awesome comic book ever.

In general, though, I guess I would have to go with Marvel. They're just more consistently good. And besides, I gotta back up my boy Thor.

mag

[stepurhan]

DC. Almost everything I collect is in DC's Vertigo line. Comics suggested for mature readers. We're not talking porn here (though there are porn comics) but more the sort of subjects that would get a move a 15 to 18 rating.

Like I'm always telling people, comics aint just for kids.

Ah, I forgot about The Punisher. He's awesome, but other than that, I can't say I'm very enthusiastic about their roster.

Plus, Thor isn't even a real god.

[SoccerDude28]

I really like both it's a tough call. On one hand, Spiderman has some of the neatest villains like Venom, Doc Oc, Scorpion, Carnage, and The Lizzard.
DC has batman who is one of the coolest superheroes ever, and I really like the Green Lantern's ring. Maybe I would give a small nudge to DC because in my mind, the Justice League > Xmen > The Avengers, but it's a very close call.

I just wish they could make a DC vs Marvel fighting Street Fighter 2 rip off.

Oh, and Blade's pretty cool. You know, once I examine their roster better, they're not bad, but they still have those stupid Cable, Deathlok (or whatever his name is), and DeathWreck characters who have no depth whatsoever. Give a character a metal body part, an assult rifle, stick 'em in the jungle and let mediocrity reign!

[stepurhan]

C'mon people. DC (as Vertigo) have a comic in which the central character is the prince of darkness himself. Lucifer. Of course, he quit hell (in the excellent but now finished DC series Sandman) and is very much keen on setting up his own separate plane of existece but he's still an incrediable character. Rather than just being evil in the wreaking havoc and destruction sense he is more self-interest taken to the nth degree. (He'll help you, but only as long as it furthers his own ends)

Marvellous stuff, and I haven't even covered John Constantine of Hellblazer (the real thing, not the insipid copy that Keanu Reeves did in the film)

[mag]

Originally Posted by SamNMax

You know, once I examine their roster better, they're not bad, but they still have those stupid Cable, Deathlok (or whatever his name is), and DeathWreck characters who have no depth whatsoever. Give a character a metal body part, an assult rifle, stick 'em in the jungle and let mediocrity reign!

How can a DC fan complain about a lack of character depth? The DC formula for creating new characters is basically to take any random word from the dictionary and add the word "man," "woman," "girl," or "boy" on to the end.

Originally Posted by SoccerDude28

I just wish they could make a DC vs Marvel fighting Street Fighter 2 rip off.

The would indeed be awesome.

mag

Originally Posted by mag

How can a DC fan complain about a lack of character depth? The DC formula for creating new characters is basically to take any random word from the dictionary and add the word "man," "woman," "girl," or "boy" on to the end.

Hell, I just like the frontmen. Martian Manhunter, Lobo, Batman, Green Arrow... pretty much the entire JLA and a few others. Other than Superman and company and Wonder Women and company.

[stepurhan]

Originally Posted by mag

How can a DC fan complain about a lack of character depth? The DC formula for creating new characters is basically to take any random word from the dictionary and add the word "man," "woman," "girl," or "boy" on to the end.

John Constantine - Hellblazer
Lucifer
Doom Patrol - with Rebus, Cliff Steele, Crazy Jane, Professor Caulder
Timothy Hunter, boy magician way in advance of Harry Potter

Nope, no "man, woman, girl or boy" in that lot.

I think both major publishers have been guilty of lacking originality at one time or another. I still think DC's gone further when it comes to pushing the envelope and making people think.

Love the Supergirl cartoon though.

stepurhan

P.S. Sandman. (Dang he has "man" in his name) A character of immense depth (and just look at his siblings) What had Marvel got to rival him?

[squarejawhero]

Spaceman Spiff could have them all in a fight anyday.

[stepurhan]

Originally Posted by squarejawhero

Spaceman Spiff could have them all in a fight anyday.

Well, Spaceman Spiff would have a tiger to back him up wouldn't he? A definite advantage in any fight.

[After a brisk nap]

If we're restricting ourselves to the purveyors of men and women in tights, I'd have to go with DC. As far as I can tell, Marvel produced nothing of any value whatsoever until they got Bendis to write all their comics.

Meanwhile, DC's Vertigo imprint, America's Best Comics, and Wildstorm (for Sleeper) put out titles that grown-ups can read in public without needing to feel embarrassed. They also do a halfway decent job of translating and publishing some of the classic European BD, like Bilal, Jodorowsky, and Schuiten.

Looking just a little further afield: Oni Press, Fantagraphics, Kitchen Sink Press, Humanoids... They all tend to publish stuff that is a bit more interesting than superhumans taking swings at each other.

[mag]

Originally Posted by stepurhan

John Constantine - Hellblazer
Lucifer
Doom Patrol - with Rebus, Cliff Steele, Crazy Jane, Professor Caulder
Timothy Hunter, boy magician way in advance of Harry Potter

Nope, no "man, woman, girl or boy" in that lot.

Doom Patrol? Please.

And while we're talking about DC titles, let's look at some of their other well-known characters:

Superman...booooring!
Wonder Woman...Wow. It's Superman, only with boobies.
The Flash
Green Lantern
Green Arrow
Martian Manhunter...weak!
Hawkman...ooooo, he's a hawk AND a man!
Aquaman...everybody's all-time favorite
Captain Marvel, the original Superman
The Atom
Blue Beetle...Where the **** do they come up with this stuff?
Captain Atom...I guess The Atom just wasn't enough.
Plastic Man...****ing PLASTIC Man!

Let's face it. DC pioneered the art of creating unoriginal characters. They have Batman, and the have a handful of other characters like V and Constantine that nobody really knows about. And that's about it.

The worst Marvel character still has way more personality than the worst DC character.

Originally Posted by stepurhan

Love the Supergirl cartoon though.

Here's one for the Marvel folks:



mag

[stepurhan]

Originally Posted by mag

Doom Patrol? Please.

I'd still rank the Grant Morrison era Doom Patrol against a lot of the stuff produced today. But that's just pesonal opinion. What era Doom Patrol have you read?

Let's face it. DC pioneered the art of creating unoriginal characters. They have Batman, and the have a handful of other characters like V and Constantine that nobody really knows about. And that's about it.

The worst Marvel character still has way more personality than the worst DC character.

I didn't realise we were evaluating the worst characters. I figured we'd be concentrating on the best. Like I said earlier I think both Marvel and DC have been guilty of producing unoriginal and uninspiring work. I still think that, when you consider the top end, DC comes out ahead.

Maybe as you say, the really good characters like Constantine no-one knows about (but I have hope that, amid the carnage that was the film version, some people might be inspired to find out what Constantine is really about) If we're measuring worth by popularity then sign me out now because I absolutely hate a lot of stuff that is "popular".

What I want is well-written stories with believable characters and DC/Vertigo gives me that whatever they may produce for the "popular" mass market. Nothing Marvel has produced has ever captivated me in the same way. I gave it a go (I have a complet set of Infinity Gauntlet comics and I do mean ALL the crossover comics0 but they just don't inspire me enough.

Originally Posted by mag

Superman...booooring!

Correct. He's a dumbass, too.

Wonder Woman...Wow. It's Superman, only with boobies.

Good role model for the kids.

The Flash

Hey, he was the first hero with super speed. He was original back in the day.

Green Lantern

k. Wanna tell why?

Green Arrow

k. Wanna tell why?

Martian Manhunter...weak!

Oh, now you're just being difficult. Easily one of the coolest heroes ever. Coolest powers, coolest appearence, cool backstory...

Hawkman...ooooo, he's a hawk AND a man!

Hm. Not a fan. Don't mind him, but I hate every "hawk" because of that bitch Hawkgirl.

Aquaman...everybody's all-time favorite

Correct. I don't mind him, though.

Captain Marvel, the original Superman

I always liked him. I can see why a lot of people don't, though.

The Atom

I liked him. You know, a smily does not represent an opinion.

Blue Beetle...Where the **** do they come up with this stuff?

lawl. He was great.

Captain Atom...I guess The Atom just wasn't enough.

Oh, god that was lazy writing. Agree.

Plastic Man...****ing PLASTIC Man!

So? He was a great character. Good personality and a really cool power.

You must have hated Dark Knight Strikes Again.

[After a brisk nap]

For this discussion to make even a little bit of sense, we have to take it as read that both companies produce 90% sludge.

Also, why focus on characters? It's not like the colors on the suit determine the quality of the comic. A character is only as good as the stories he/she appears in, and the writer who writes them (and, though in my opinion less importantly, the artist who illustrates them). Let's talk about which company has published the best stories.

If you're looking for good writing and believable characters, stepurhan, check out "Alias" (has nothing to do with the Jennifer Garner TV show) from Marvel. It launched their MAX imprint, essentially Marvel's equivalent to Vertigo. Written by Brian Michael Bendis, it's very similar in style to, and easily as good as, typical Vertigo series.

[em-deecee]

As a kid I bought Superman, Action, Batman, Legion of Superheros, & Superboy. I read Marvel comic such as X-men & Fantastic Four whenever I came across them (usually at a friend's house), but I didn't start buying Marvel until Spider-man, in about 1969 or 70. I read 'em regularly until 1979 & by that time it was the only comic I kept up with.

[lumi]

I gotta vote for Marvel because it doesn't get any cooler than Wolverine, Cable, and Apocolypse.

[Talas]

DC has Vertigo, almost all the few comics I own have that brand. I'll try to check some MAX titles, thanks Snarky.