The Great Debate
Marvel versus DC, of course.
I'm a member of the Merry Marvel Marching Society myself.
DC Comics have always seemed very staid and boring to me, the characters being essentially as nuanced as Greek gods. DC's gotten better in recent years, and I pick up a number of their books each week as a result, but I tend to gravitate toward the fringes of their stable rather than The Big Three of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman.
Marvel, on the other hand, is like Days of Our Lives in capes.
I recently reread the first 100 issues of Fantastic Four and was struck by how fresh and exciting it was, even after close to 50 years. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby didn't crank out icons; they made their characters seem like real people, even when finding themselves in very unreal situations. The movies can't quite capture the impact of original comics in that regard; there simply isn't enough time for the subplots and chicanery.
Marvel's begun releasing their back catalog on DVD for their major characters: Spider-Man, the FF, X-Men, and most recently The Avengers. I've torn through most of The Avengers DVD since purchasing it a week ago; it's yet another reminder of how interesting Marvel Comics really was, especially back in the 60s and 70s. I've read many of these stories in a variety of other formats, yet Stan the Man and Co. still manage to suck me in.
Captain America's my absolute favorite, even though he was handled for much of his history by squishy Lefty writers who always wanted to make him more Winter Soldier than Super-Soldier. One day Cap will get scripted by somebody who pulled the lever for Ronald Reagan and all will be right in my world.
WordGirl would probably be just fine if she never saw another comic (or comic convention, for that matter), but when it comes to old school entertainment, Make Mine Marvel!
(Except for the 3 dozen or so X-books; don't much care for those).
I'm a member of the Merry Marvel Marching Society myself.
DC Comics have always seemed very staid and boring to me, the characters being essentially as nuanced as Greek gods. DC's gotten better in recent years, and I pick up a number of their books each week as a result, but I tend to gravitate toward the fringes of their stable rather than The Big Three of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman.
Marvel, on the other hand, is like Days of Our Lives in capes.
I recently reread the first 100 issues of Fantastic Four and was struck by how fresh and exciting it was, even after close to 50 years. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby didn't crank out icons; they made their characters seem like real people, even when finding themselves in very unreal situations. The movies can't quite capture the impact of original comics in that regard; there simply isn't enough time for the subplots and chicanery.
Marvel's begun releasing their back catalog on DVD for their major characters: Spider-Man, the FF, X-Men, and most recently The Avengers. I've torn through most of The Avengers DVD since purchasing it a week ago; it's yet another reminder of how interesting Marvel Comics really was, especially back in the 60s and 70s. I've read many of these stories in a variety of other formats, yet Stan the Man and Co. still manage to suck me in.
Captain America's my absolute favorite, even though he was handled for much of his history by squishy Lefty writers who always wanted to make him more Winter Soldier than Super-Soldier. One day Cap will get scripted by somebody who pulled the lever for Ronald Reagan and all will be right in my world.
WordGirl would probably be just fine if she never saw another comic (or comic convention, for that matter), but when it comes to old school entertainment, Make Mine Marvel!
(Except for the 3 dozen or so X-books; don't much care for those).
posted by Teflon at 6:36 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
Ever hear of or remember "Blackhawk" comicc from about mid-fifties? Memory banks are stirring here. Grandpa's drugstore was a mecca for kids 6-60 in his small Nebraska town. Distributors' policies were you keep the unsold issues, just send back the covers for accounting purposes...leaving TONS of comics to be devoured over his soda fountain cherry cokes and chocolate sodas after school. The new issues went on the racks, and were available to all to scan with their cokes, but the insiders knew where the classics were stashed in the old sidewall drawers with porcelain knobs that read "Linament," "Analgesics," etc.
When Grandpa closed the store after fifty years, the town kids presented him an award for being their best friend, or words to that effect. Next door was a movie theater converted from a feed store, planks over crates for seating, that showed the best old time silent movies with organ music sound tracks added, as I recall. Farmers would drive to town on their tractors. towing the family on a wagon padded with hay and blankets, to go to the movie shows. The drugstore soda fountain was a popular place at intermission and after the shows. I was the 9 year old soda-jerk.
Welcome back, LT.
The original Blackhawk comics have been collected in a DC Archives edition. I really enjoyed it, although as I understand it DC may not be releasing any more, perhaps due to the un-P.C. character of Hop Sing.
Of course, they're still cranking out The Spirit Archives, so maybe the suits will come through in the end for Blackhawk too.
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