Marvel vs DC: The story so far…
On January 3rd I opened a can of worms in an attempt to find out who the internet loved more; Marvel or DC.
So far it’s hard to tell. There’s a lot of love for Marvel out there, but Batman is messing up the argument for a lot of people. Here’s a (continually updating) run down of the battle so far:
I’m a Marvel…
Me (obviously!)
Kai at The List
…and I’m a DC
Aiden at Cut the Crap Movie Reviews
JT at JT Film Review
Perching precariously on the fence…
Andy at Fandango Groovers
Darren at The Movie Blog
I know there are more posts in the pipeline so let me know if you’re writing and I’ll get you linked. There have been some great comments on all the posts so far, so thanks for getting involved.
Meanwhile, I’m going to add a poll to this post to see if we can sort it out once and for all.
Jan 29th: Crap. I’m losing my own argument. Where are all my Marvel buddies?!
April 14th: Scores are now tied!
May 31st: A new submission from Darren, but the scores are still tied.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 8 so far )I’m a Marvel
It’s a big year for comic book geeks. Marvel are gearing up for the big finale with the release of Thor and Captain America ready for The Avengers in 2012. Meanwhile, DC have got to find a way to follow up on The Dark Knight and convince me that Ryan Reynolds can get away with defecting to play The Green Lantern.
To celebrate the exciting times ahead, and as a mini celebration of my blog’s second birthday, I think a meme is in order. If I have your email address you’ve probably had a message, if you’re feeling ignored then show me what I’m missing by getting involved!
You’ve probably all seen these videos, sending up the MAC/PC adverts with a debate about who is making better movies. I propose we see how many comic book geeks and movie nerds we can get to join the debate to find out who really is the better franchise once and for all.
Rules:
- Title your post either I’m a Marvel or I’m a DC
- Give up to 5 reasons why, roughly styled in the opposition format (to get what I mean read mine below)
- Tag as many other bloggers as you can and let the arguments begin!
If you’re going to play along let me know, I’ll link all the posts on the blog and tally up the results to see who the bloggers (the people whose opinions matter most of course ;)) think is the ultimate comic book universe.
Right then, my turn.
I’m a Marvel. (I know, you’re all shocked aren’t you?)
Marvel characters manage to look cool in Lycra. Or style themselves in big shiny metal suits.. DC characters wear their pants on the outside.
Marvel have an almost infinite universe of cool characters. The whole world of the X Men could keep me happy for a lifetime without opening up the Avengers. DC basically have Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman The Flash and Green Lantern, who don’t really compare.
Marvel specialises in the flawed hero; Wolverine, Iron Man, even Spiderman has an EMO phase. DC, with the exception of Batman, is a collection of goody goodies, and Bruce Wayne doesn’t really hold a candle to Tony Stark in the playboy-off.
When it comes to movies, DC aren’t even in the same league. Marvel has at least 8 franchises out there, the majority of which include some pretty wicked films (even tha bad ones have redeeming features). DC has Superman and Batman, both of which have their weak points (Superman Returns…ouch) and is only just starting to think about digging into the rest of that pile of comics in the corner.
And finally…Marvel have Wolverine. DC have Aquaman.
I rest my case.
Marvel-ous!
*groan* I know, terrible title, but it’s Sunday.
As part of a weekly ritual with two good friends, I watched Iron Man last night. The latest offering in the Marvel comic-to-film cascade, its a pretty good film with some funny lines and a good plot, even if the Science behind that electromagnet is fatally flawed. Robert Downey Jr is great in the role, as sort of anti-hero come vigilante activist and Gwenyth Paltrow is also good. I’m always disappointed that she comes across as much nicer in films than she is in real life.
The special effects are also great, especially the aerial scenes, making me slightly re-think my Oscar prediction. It dawned on me last night that Iron Man is basically Marvel’s version of the DC Batman, making it all the more interesting that they’re up against eachother.
Although Iron Man is great, you’ll notice I’m not putting it in the films to see before you die category, mainly because I’m not going to force you to watch it as soon as I find out you haven’t. But I will strongly recommend it. I’m also really looking forward to The Avengers. With Samuel L Jackson as Nick Fury it’s got to be good, but unfortunately there’s a bit of a long wait.
When compared with the other Marvel films out there, Iron Man doesn’t quite come top but its close. I’d argue that the X-Men films (if we give some lee-way to the dodgier third installment) are the best, closely followed by Spiderman. After that, I think I’d put Iron Man on and equal footing with the Fantastic Four, if not slightly above. Bottom of the pile is Daredevil, a film which had the potential (and the casting) to be brilliant but somehow just didn’t make it. It’s about half an hour too short for anything to develop properly, which is disappointing since Daredevil is one of Stan Lee’s best creations.
I think the Marvel comic films are some of the best blockbusters out there, and defintiely what you need on a dreary night. I’m yet to see them all (Blade for example has passed me by) but I reckon they’re holding a pretty good standard so far, which in the sea of different directors, is a testemant to Lee’s characters.
The Stories That Really Mattered 