This is, to my eyes, a non-issue.
First of all, while DC Comics and Marvel Comics are the 'Big Two' of
the comic industry, they're not the only games in town. There are
plenty of folks who cotton to the other publishers, who don't love those
properties any less. And of course, when I discuss comics, unless
otherwise specified, I'm pretty much confining myself to the discussion
of superhero comics, with perhaps a splash of fantasy/sci-fi thrown in.
For the purposes of this
blog, then, I'd just like it understood that I am neither dismissing nor
criticizing other publishers or genres, but rather focusing on the traditional superhero
mainstream.
Part of me would like to say that I don't understand the invective, the
antagonism, the bitterness, etc., but that's not true. I do understand where it comes from, but that doesn't make it acceptable, or even sane. It's neither helpful nor logical. Of course the
two companies are, and have been, rivals and competitors, but for many, many years, it
was a friendly rivalry (including annual baseball games), with much of
the talent being shared between the two companies...Jack Kirby, Steve
Ditko, Frank Miller, etc. have all done work for both houses, and hell,
even Stan Lee did a stint re-imaging the major DC heroes (which was a
fun and underestimated project, by the way.) Lee used to refer to DC as
the 'Distinguished Competition', and classic comics are rife with
allusions to the other's universes. Take a look at concepts like the
Squadron Supreme, the Praetorian Guard, the Champions of Angor, the
Extremists, etc, and you'll see clear homages back and forth. And of
course, there were cross-overs, including my personal favorite (and the
source of several of the images in this post), the DC vs. Marvel/Marvel vs.
DC/Amalgam showdown of the mid-'90s.
All
that changed about a dozen years ago, and under the tenor of the newer
editors at the Big Two, the
climate of friendly rivalry started to turn petty and nasty, with
potshots made in print and in public, and some very unpleasant
developments, culminating in Marvel's repeated offers to reward comic
retailers for destroying some of DC's books. And this was mostly before
the big movie explosion...now that both companies have their properties
rolling out on the big screen, the comics rivalry has spilled into a
broader pop-culture one, with people actively rooting for or against the
Avengers or Justice League characters. Lately, it feels
like the intellectual wasteland known as the internet has turned both
sides into squabbling occupants of a soiled sandbox. It's not uncommon to hear phrases like "It's not a competition because they've got nothing to compete with", and things like that, from people who are - well, let's be honest - morons.
I'm not going to get into the whys and wherefores of all this, but
ultimately, I think it comes down to two things - an 'us vs. them'
mentality, and sales. The sales aspect is easy
to explain - whip up your own fans' loyalty and vilify the other guy so
that they vociferously support your product. Makes sense, even if it
feels a little smarmy. But the fans that lap this up - doing what a
suit tells them to do, hating that which is 'other', appealing to their
basic tribal instincts and playing to innate insecurities and fear of
inferiority, making bizarrely ignorant or incorrect allegations,
participating in smear campaigns - you know who those fans remind me of?
That's right: Donald Trump's supporters.
While comic book loyalties are about as far as you can get from issues as important as race relations,
immigration, foreign policy, or economic divides, the underlying logic
is the same: build up the 'us' at the expense of the 'them'. It
happens all the time, in politics, religion, localities - hell, look at
the irrationality of sports fans. ("These overpaid athletes in the
employ of my city's franchise threw a little ball better than the
overpaid athletes in your city, so therefore I'm better and you suck".)
It's a weird kind of tribal herd mentality, and as we see almost daily
in the media, it's a problem that's become a pandemic over the last
decade. So in that respect, it's not hard to understand how something
as trivial as comic book fandom could become so toxic. (See also: Star Wars vs. Star Trek)
It's hard not to get sucked in sometimes, and I freely admit that I
can be defensive, especially when I feel like someone's taking potshots
at something I care about. But the whole idea that you have to be
'for' or 'against, or to have to pick a side is ridiculous.
As anyone who knows me even a little can attest, Batman is my thing.
He always has been, going back to childhood, so I've always gravitated
to his world, which has meant a greater familiarity with the DC
Universe. But I've loved Spider-Man for almost as long - anyone else
remember looking forward to those segments on the Electric Company, a
billion years ago? - and I never made a distinction as a child that one
belonged to one side or the other. Similarly, I love Superman's world,
and that of the X-Men. So I've grown up reading as much on one side of
the fence as I have on the other, and that interest has spread across
the two yards, with the JLA, the Avengers, Green Lantern, Captain
America, etc.
If push comes to shove, yes, I'd
have to say I love the DC Universe more...it's more 'home' to me, but
that in no way diminishes the Marvel Universe. In terms of the
big picture, DC's more of where I'm from, whereas Marvel's been more of
an education...think of it as loving the place where you live, but
having a favorite vacation destination in which you get to spend a lot
of time. There are parts of each I'm not as gung-ho about; for example,
I've never been particularly passionate about the Legion of
Super-Heroes or the Fantastic Four, but both places have their selling
points. DC's a world of mythology and gods and monsters, and Marvel's a
world of intimate realities and personal gravity. I love them both.
That applies to the adaptations as well. The Dark Knight is probably
the best superhero movie ever made; the Avengers is probably the most
fun. I've had a lot of frustrations with both sides, as I'd kind of
like a middle ground, and there's a kind of irony to my irritation with
the franchises: I want the Marvel movies to stop being frivolous, and I want the DC movies to have more fun with themselves.
This is, surprisingly, a flip from the traditional tenor of their respective comics.
I run hot and cold on
projects from both sides of the fence, and I find myself completely
flummoxed by people who will love only one companies' properties and run
the other side down. The impetus for this whole blog has been the
weird streak of negativity directed toward the upcoming Batman v
Superman, as though a certain contingent is determined to see it fail,
regardless of its quality. Despite this, I remain very excited. (And deeply
suspicious of anyone who says to me anything along the lines of "Hey,
you know that thing you really love? I think it sucks. I hope it
bombs. Just sayin'.") There's a part of me that wants to identify what
sports team these people like best just so I can root against them, but
that would be futile and rather undignified.
At the end
of the day, I can't really control what people are going to do or think,
though I admit I'd dearly love to Force-Lightning many of them. (Or Vulcan nerve-grip them?) The best I can do
is reject the wholesale negativity outright, and not
participate. I'll be there opening nights for Batman V Superman, X-Men
Apocalypse, Suicide Squad and Captain America: Civil War. And you know
what else? I'm also going to go see Ninja Turtles 2 and the
Ghostbusters reboot, despite anyone else's scorn. Why? Because I
want to. Because I find stuff like this fun. I have plenty of 'adult'
interests. I watch all the Oscar contenders, I read Russian novels and
Shakespeare, so I have no problem indulging myself on the cape &
tights category.
Because it's positive,
and uplifting, and fun. They're 'my' guys and gals, DC *AND* Marvel.
So if anyone tells you one or the other sucks, or is worthless, or they
hope one tanks...
...ask them how the Trump rally went.
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