Why prefer DC over marvel?

[Sutekh]

Legacy.

The history of the DCU hooked me as a kid.
I learned to read with Amazing Spider-Man, but I fell in love with JSA and their adventures during WWII.
Hitler with the Spear of Destiny trying to unmask Batman.... CLASSIC.

I loved that, and it's hardly a surprise that some of my favorite teams (the Justice Society and the Legion) are set in the past or future, far from the shared continuity of the 'present day.'

My favorite Justice Society scenes include one where a Valkyrie attempts to assassinate the president, and the Atom jumps in the way and blocks the blast. Everyone thinks he's dead and he rises, only hurt, and says, 'Don't you know Mr. President? You can't split an atom!' Even all those years ago, I recognized the fun use of irony there (since you *can* split an atom, but nobody in the room but the President knew that, at the time, as they were still building the bomb in secret). It's probably the first time I laughed out loud at something in a comic book, and it totally hooked me.

[Buried Alien]

It bugs me that when people think of DC and Marvel, they only seem to think of the super-heroes--and maybe, just maybe, some of the supernatural characters. DC and Marvel have both had lots of other kinds of comics and concepts. They deserve to be celebrated for that.

Even so, SHOWCASE # 4 is remembered for being the first appearance of the Silver Age Flash...not the first appearance of Fireman Farrell.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Jim Kelly]

Even so, SHOWCASE # 4 is remembered for being the first appearance of the Silver Age Flash...not the first appearance of Fireman Farrell.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

SHOWCASE had a round table of editors. The idea being that each DC editor would get a chance to pitch a new series in the try-out title. Mort Weisinger being the senior editor (although I don’t know why he got that position over the others) got the first crack with Firefighters featuring Fireman Farrell in the debut issue (March-April 1956) on sale January 5th, 1956.

The artwork was by the illustrious John Prentice who did a number of suspense and crime comics for DC and Prize in the 1950s. Prentice left the comic book field to take over the Rip Kirby comic strip when the legendary Alex Raymond passed away in 1956.

The most interesting thing about this first issue is that Weisinger assigned all the stories to Arnold Drake who was an untried talent at DC. Before that, he had worked at St. John in the early 1950s--including on the digest-sized IT RHYMES WITH LUST, with Matt Baker doing the art, what some call the first “graphic novel.”

But Drake hadn’t worked at DC. He was however a neighbour of Bob Kane and presumably Kane hired him as a ghost writer for Batman--the first such story being “The Return of Mister Future” in BATMAN No. 98 (March 1956)--on sale January 19th, only two weeks after SHOWCASE No. 1.

Of course, Arnold Drake would go on to create the Doom Patrol and he also was the long time writer on Space Ranger (for TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED), plus CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN, THE ADVENTURES OF BOB HOPE, THE ADVENTURES OF JERRY LEWIS, Stanley and His Monster (in FOX AND THE CROW) and DOBIE GILLIS. Later in the 1970s, he would write for PHANTOM STRANGER, as well as the DC war anthologies.

I think we are all glad that Fireman Farrell opened the door for Arnold.

[married guy]

SHOWCASE had a round table of editors. The idea being that each DC editor would get a chance to pitch a new series in the try-out title. Mort Weisinger being the senior editor (although I don’t know why he got that position over the others) got the first crack with Firefighters featuring Fireman Farrell in the debut issue (March-April 1956) on sale January 5th, 1956.

The artwork was by the illustrious John Prentice who did a number of suspense and crime comics for DC and Prize in the 1950s. Prentice left the comic book field to take over the Rip Kirby comic strip when the legendary Alex Raymond passed away in 1956.

The most interesting thing about this first issue is that Weisinger assigned all the stories to Arnold Drake who was an untried talent at DC. Before that, he had worked at St. John in the early 1950s--including on the digest-sized IT RHYMES WITH LUST, with Matt Baker doing the art, what some call the first “graphic novel.”

But Drake hadn’t worked at DC. He was however a neighbour of Bob Kane and presumably Kane hired him as a ghost writer for Batman--the first such story being “The Return of Mister Future” in BATMAN No. 98 (March 1956)--on sale January 19th, only two weeks after SHOWCASE No. 1.

Of course, Arnold Drake would go on to create the Doom Patrol and he also was the long time writer on Space Ranger (for TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED), plus CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN, THE ADVENTURES OF BOB HOPE, THE ADVENTURES OF JERRY LEWIS, Stanley and His Monster (in FOX AND THE CROW) and DOBIE GILLIS. Later in the 1970s, he would write for PHANTOM STRANGER, as well as the DC war anthologies.

I think we are all glad that Fireman Farrell opened the door for Arnold.

I didn't know ANY of that!
Thanks for the history lesson!

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

Mostly the characters and stories being told and how they are telling them.

Right now Im fond of the seperate imprints ie The Wild Storm, Sandman Universe and Vertigo.

[Jim Kelly]

Look at that lettering on the SHOWCASE house-ad. That's all done by hand--no computers, no set type--by Ira Schnapp. So great.

[silly]

Look at that lettering on the SHOWCASE house-ad. That's all done by hand--no computers, no set type--by Ira Schnapp. So great.

That is amazing. It's surprising how much we take for granted the things we enjoy today.

[Golden Ager]

The primary reason I like DC more than Marvel is that DC published more than superheroes for much longer and to better effect than Marvel ever did after about 1969. Sheldon Mayer’s humor comics, Joe Kubert’s war comics, and Berni Wrightson’s horror comics (to pick three examples at random) are some of the best non-hero cartooning ever, and although I may not care much for most of Vertigo’s actual product, the philosophy behind the imprint as a whole is, at least through the 90s, relatively admirable. But I care more about comics qua comics than about closely following the minute iterations of corporate IP, so I haven’t been a big fan of either company for quite some time.

[Ascended]

I like both companies, but I was indoctrinated into DC at a much earlier age by the Super Friends cartoon. And when I got into comics, it was the Death of Superman that did it. So I had a bias from the start. But there have been times over the years when my pull list was more Marvel than DC (and times it was almost neither or almost all DC....)

Generally, I feel that there's no real difference between the two companies anymore. Marvel hasn't been "the world outside your window" for a long time. Both characters have dynamic, multifaceted characters that run in both the "real people with real issues" vein and the "living myth archetypes" vein. I mean, look at the opening arcs for Aaron's Avengers and Snyder's Justice League......now look at what their second arcs are about......now try to tell me that these companies are vastly different.

I do think DC leans more on its "modern day mythology" elements than Marvel does and I do really love that scale and mindset though.

[chongjasmine]

As for me, I used to love marvel more, being introduced to it by my dad.
But currently, I prefer DC comics.
Marvel heroes seem selfish, while DC heroes are more heroic.
I just prefer more heroic heroes.

[Ascended]

Marvel heroes seem selfish, while DC heroes are more heroic.
I just prefer more heroic heroes.

I do agree that Marvel seems heavy on the "conflicted/screwed-up/damaged/broken/deeply flawed hero" side of things than DC does. I mean, both companies have very archetypal heroes (Marvel has Thor, Steve Rogers, etc) and broken ones (DC has Red Hood, Arrow, etc) but Marvel doesn't really have a ton of heroes who are just straight-up good people doing good work because it's good to do, and it does lead to a view of the overall MU as being dirtier and less noble.

[chongjasmine]

DC also has more female lead heroes than Marvel.

[silly]

My main reason would have to be DC has Green Lantern, Superman, Batman, the whole Justice League.

[The Darknight Detective]

Even so, SHOWCASE # 4 is remembered for being the first appearance of the Silver Age Flash...not the first appearance of Fireman Farrell.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

If he had more of a push from DC, he would have sold more comics than Superman and Batman combined!!!

[silly]

I remember a time when all the gimmick covers and events was just too much for me.

DC also came pretty close a number of times, but something kept me co.ing back to DC. The heroes I guess.