# Marvel writer's flaws versus DC writer's flaws **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 20, 2003, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marvel-writers-flaws-versus-dc-writers-flaws/196499 "2003-08-20T18:20:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marvel-writers-flaws-versus-dc-writers-flaws/196499/1 "2003-08-20T18:20:19Z")
Comparison of flaws Not sure how to explain this so I’m going to use and example instead. You can use any comic company, too. Marvel: Character’s power levels vary significantly from week to week. one issue Rogue is shot by and ordinary gun and is severely wounded. The next she is punched part the moon and comes back in the same fight. This is particularly true of magic using characters, who may have vastly different abilities from week to week. DC: Characters power never varies - its just ludicrously high. Examples include Batman, where the old “Batman wins - if he’s prepared” has a tendency to get taken to insane heights. It may be a joke, but not by much. Likewise Superman, who brings new meaning to the word “Invincible”, and who is only kept interesting because he simply forgets to use half his awesome powers. Let’s not even mention Golden Age Flash and J’on J’onzz. ---
**Author:** ![New\_Improved\_Scott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f17d59/32.png) [@New\_Improved\_Scott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/New_Improved_Scott)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marvel-writers-flaws-versus-dc-writers-flaws/196499/2 "2003-08-20T23:07:29Z")
I would personally put the onus on the editors for letting that slide. They are the ones responsable for continuity. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marvel-writers-flaws-versus-dc-writers-flaws/196499/3 "2003-08-21T00:01:21Z")
As recently as 1980, the difference between the companies was that DC had the great characters and Marvel had the great writers. With the passage of time, the major Marvel characters have become as established as the DC ones, and all the writers for both companies are freelancers. There’s not much distinction between the companies, and both of them are spending too much time grooming properties for Hollywood. ---
**Author:** ![Vlad\_Dracul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/50afbb/32.png) [@Vlad\_Dracul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vlad_Dracul)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marvel-writers-flaws-versus-dc-writers-flaws/196499/4 "2003-08-21T03:34:15Z")
Well, here’s one for Marvel, anyway: Marvel’s whole “rampant anti-mutant bigotry” thing seems pretty forced, in a world where most super-powered people are beloved and idolized. We’re expected to believe that crowds of people cheer the Thing and beg him for autographs, but curse and hurl rotten fruit at Jean Grey? Normal Citizen: “Gee, thanks for saving my life, Good-Looking Super-Powered Person… but before I say anything else, let me ask you… did you OBTAIN your powers, or were you born this way?” GLSPP: “Born this way. Why do you ask?” Normal Citizen: “EEEEK! Monster!! Get your stinkin’ paws offa me, you damn dirty MUTANT!” Seriously, the whole bunch of them could apparently solve their problem just by making up fake origin stories! ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marvel-writers-flaws-versus-dc-writers-flaws/196499/5 "2003-08-21T06:05:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Vlad Dracul \* > We’re expected to believe that crowds of people cheer the Thing and beg him for autographs, but curse and hurl rotten fruit at Jean Grey? Nah, even the non-mutant Marvel heroes have been pelted with fruit (literally and figuratively) at one time or another. The Thing regularly gets people running away from him in revulsion, IIRC, and the Fantastic Four were evicted out of their apartment in an early Stan-n-Jack story, IIRC. Hell, being pelted by an ungrateful public was a _major_ problem for Spider-Man… ---
**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marvel-writers-flaws-versus-dc-writers-flaws/196499/6 "2003-08-21T06:22:27Z")
On power levels: are you kidding? Superman is the most inconsistent character ever. One moment he is diverting the course of entire asteroids, the next he’s struggling to lift a mere rock. I agree: Marvel’s obsession with the Mutant thing just… it’s doesn’t work all that great. It actually works better in the movies, where the few mutants just now appearing are the only major difference from our world. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marvel-writers-flaws-versus-dc-writers-flaws/196499/7 "2003-08-21T06:32:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Apos \* > \*\*On power levels: are you kidding? Superman is the most inconsistent character ever. One moment he is diverting the course of entire asteroids, the next he’s struggling to lift a mere rock. > \*\* Hmmm… say, what color was this rock? ---
**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marvel-writers-flaws-versus-dc-writers-flaws/196499/8 "2003-08-21T07:09:34Z")
Rock color. I should have said boulder. ---
**Author:** ![transitionality](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5e925/32.png) [@transitionality](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/transitionality)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marvel-writers-flaws-versus-dc-writers-flaws/196499/9 "2003-08-21T08:22:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Vlad Dracul \* > **Normal Citizen: "Gee, thanks for saving my life, Good-Looking Super-Powered Person… but before I say anything else, let me ask you… did you OBTAIN your powers, or were you born this way?"** It doesn’t seem all that unreasonable to me. “Are you a tanned white person, or a black person?” for instance. Bigotry has a self-consistent logic to it. ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marvel-writers-flaws-versus-dc-writers-flaws/196499/10 "2003-08-21T09:24:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by transitionality \* > \*\*It doesn’t seem all that unreasonable to me. > > “Are you a tanned white person, or a black person?” for instance. > > Bigotry has a self-consistent logic to it. \*\* Still… “you’ve save the world 4 billion times, but you’re a mutant: die mutant scum!” ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marvel-writers-flaws-versus-dc-writers-flaws/196499/11 "2003-08-21T11:27:08Z")
> [@](#): > > Still… “you’ve save the world 4 billion times, but you’re a mutant: die mutant scum!” Mutant heroes have almost always been less in the limelight, though, and their sworld-saving adventures rarely get publicized so much as the other supers. On the other hand, that storyline is more or less ended as an active role, anyway. And it worked very well and was an interesting idea, something that hadn’t really been tried before. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marvel-writers-flaws-versus-dc-writers-flaws/196499/12 "2003-08-21T13:59:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Silentgoldfish \* > \*\*Still… “you’ve save the world 4 billion times, but you’re a mutant: die mutant scum!” \*\* I don’t know. What about, “I love you for winning the Heisman trophy for my alma mater, but I don’t want you marrying my daughter.” ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marvel-writers-flaws-versus-dc-writers-flaws/196499/13 "2003-08-21T18:01:02Z")
In the Marvelverse, the X-men (and mutants in general) seem to almost occupy their own pocket universe compared to Captain America and the Avengers. Keeping that in mind - and ignoring the occasional crossovers - anti-mutant hysteria makes a hell of a lot of sense, especially when you consider most of the X-adventures aren’t quite as prominent as a Fantastic Four escapade. I think that’s why it works so well in the movies, actually… the story of the X-men is isolated from that of other super-beings. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marvel-writers-flaws-versus-dc-writers-flaws/196499/14 "2003-08-21T18:22:47Z")
I was hoping that when they launched Ultimate X-Men, it would be completly removed from the “universe” of Ultimate Spiderman. But to the original topic, I think it is certainly editorial. There is no such thing as a “Marvel Writer” or a “DC Writer.” They switch companies all the time. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marvel-writers-flaws-versus-dc-writers-flaws/196499/15 "2003-08-21T18:53:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Apos \* > \*\*Rock color. I should have said boulder. \*\* You sure this wasn’t a _green_ boulder? ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marvel-writers-flaws-versus-dc-writers-flaws/196499/16 "2003-08-21T21:12:25Z")
Actually, Marvel and DC are currently signing all the writers they can to exclusive contracts. This is only over the last year or so, but the days of big-name freelancers may be limited. Brian Michael Bendis is really the only A-list writer exclusive to Marvel. Kevin Smith and J. Michael Straczynski are too, but they have commitments to their other media projects and as such, their books often run late or come out sporadically. DC, on the other hand, has Warren Ellis, Geoff Johns, Judd Winick, Ed Brubaker, and I believe they just signed Greg Rucka, Grant Morrison, and Mark Waid to exclusive contracts. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marvel-writers-flaws-versus-dc-writers-flaws/196499/17 "2003-08-21T22:26:11Z")
DC comics include oridary people, & the heroes try to meet their needs. _i.e._–Batman saves bag lady from sadistic hoods, Superman gets schoolbus off railroad tracks, heroes respond to natural disasters in _JLA_, et al. Heroes try to evac regular folks from battle zone. Marvel comics all but omit normal people, or portray them as anti-mutant bigots. Heroes enter conflicts with vast cosmic beings, but the needs of the people they are supposedly protecting are glossed over. Heroes do not try to evac normal people, as conflicts always take place in abandoned building or mysteriously deserted Downtown New York streets (as if!). This exentds to the art–DC artists add faces to people in crowds, Marvel often makes them a faceless mass. There are, of course, some minor exceptions, butr as a broad rule of thumb, this is true. DC heroes are Public Defenders, Marvel’s come across as celebrities. ---
**Author:** ![New\_Improved\_Scott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f17d59/32.png) [@New\_Improved\_Scott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/New_Improved_Scott)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marvel-writers-flaws-versus-dc-writers-flaws/196499/18 "2003-08-21T22:51:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SPOOFE \* > \*\*In the Marvelverse, the X-men (and mutants in general) seem to almost occupy their own pocket universe compared to Captain America and the Avengers. Keeping that in mind - and ignoring the occasional crossovers - anti-mutant hysteria makes a hell of a lot of sense, especially when you consider most of the X-adventures aren’t quite as prominent as a Fantastic Four escapade. > > I think that’s why it works so well in the movies, actually… the story of the X-men is isolated from that of other super-beings. \*\* Actually, recent Avengers books have touched on anti-mutant hysteria in dealing with it’s members Justice and Firestar. They dealt with it differntly than the X-Men did, by talking to the press and having advisors and spin doctors and such, but it wasn’t ignored by the writers… ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2003, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marvel-writers-flaws-versus-dc-writers-flaws/196499/19 "2003-08-22T00:24:23Z")
…I seem to recall hearing it noted that Marvel superheroes are often more evenly matched with Marvel supervillains, in contrast to most DC superheroes. ---
**Author:** ![New\_Improved\_Scott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f17d59/32.png) [@New\_Improved\_Scott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/New_Improved_Scott)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2003, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marvel-writers-flaws-versus-dc-writers-flaws/196499/20 "2003-08-22T02:08:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ranchoth \* > \*\*…I seem to recall hearing it noted that Marvel superheroes are often more evenly matched with Marvel supervillains, in contrast to most DC superheroes. \*\* I would say that’s fairly acurate. The villains are more of a mirror to the heroes in Marvel. Recent Amazing Spider-man books have brought this up as well. Spider-Man fights the Lizard, the Scorpion, the Rhino, The Tarantula. All fairly even matches. Batman fights the Penguin, the Riddler, the Joker, the Ventriloquist. Not a whole lot of challenge here, methinks. The X-Men fight Magneto and the Brotherhood, Juggernaut, the Hellfire Club. Pretty good matches. The Titans fight Brother Blood, Trigon, Deathstroke. The Titans have them outgunned. The Avengers tangle with Ultron, Kang, Immortus. The Avengers waste there time with these guys. Superman dances with Lex Luthor, the Parasite, Metallo, and Doomsday. The lame-o meter on these guys is way too high. So, a few Marvelites are stuch with lamers, but the DCU is full of them. Too bad too. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marvel-writers-flaws-versus-dc-writers-flaws/196499.md?page=2)