Skip to content

SLUGFEST: INSIDE THE EPIC 50 YEAR BATTLE BETWEEN MARVEL AND DC

Written By:

Robin Pierce
slugfest

Every comic book reader worth his salt is well aware of the rivalry between the stalwart giants of the industry, DC and Marvel. Over the years, the battle of the giants has seemed to be more a good-natured publicity stunt to sell publications than any real skulduggery.

It’s often been said that Marvel was sort of created by DC when, during a friendly Saturday morning golf game, the publishers of the two companies openly discussed what was selling well for DC which was a new title, The Justice League of America. Stan Lee was ordered to create a superhero team in response, thus history was made.

Was it really that friendly and downright cosy?

Not according to the extensive research of author Reed Tucker, it wasn’t.

The reality of the battle that has raged for over fifty years between the primary coloured publishing behemoths plays out as a duplicitous game of industrial espionage and double-dealing in a desperate struggle to achieve and maintain the top dog status of the multibillion dollar industry.

It seems that from the very start, in 1961, when DC strode the comic book world like a Titan, they were a stale, corporate entity who failed to see that the young upstart company that consisted of one man and a small handful of artists were a real threat to their decades of superiority. They didn’t understand Marvel’s teen appeal.

Stan Lee has always been portrayed to the public as a genial nice guy with a cool rapport with his readership and an instinctive grasp of what they want to read. DC on the other hand liked to play it safe for kids. After all, they published Superman. Nothing needed to change. Right?

Wrong.

Tucker weaves a tale that includes controversies going back to the sixties when DC introduced a team of oddball outsiders named The Doom Patrol who were led by a wheelchair bound genius. Only to find that almost simultaneously, Marvel premiered The X-Men…. A team of oddball outsiders led by a wheelchair bound genius. In the seventies, DC published the first appearance of Swamp Thing, only to have Marvel debut Man Thing – practically identical in all aspects. Coincidence? Tucker puts forth a convincing case of insider knowledge.

From industry agreed price raising to sneakily cutting the prices the following month without telling the competition, to the battle for the rights to Captain Marvel and the current ongoing battle to outdo each other on the big screen, this is a stunning knockout story sometimes as epic and credibility stretching as the adventures of the super powered individuals whose tales publishing companies tell.

SLUGFEST: INSIDE THE EPIC 50 YEAR BATTLE BETWEEN MARVEL AND DC / AUTHOR: REED TUCKER / PUBLISHER: DA CAPO PRESS / RELEASE DATE: 3RD OCTOBER


Robin Pierce

You May Also Like...

chinese remake of anaconda drops trailer

ANACONDA Trailer Grants First Look At Remake Of 1997 Horror Flick

Three sequels and a spinoff-crossover film wasn’t enough for the 1997 creature feature Anaconda, which not only has a new movie in development, but is getting a Chinese remake! From
Read More
black widow star scarlett johansson in talks to lead new universal jurassic world film

Scarlett Johansson In Talks To Join JURASSIC WORLD Film

Another MCU star appears to be taking up the reins for Universal’s new Jurassic World movie: two-time Oscar nominee Scarlett Johansson is reportedly in talks to lead the franchise that
Read More

Exclusive Reveal! Titan Comics to Deliver Prehistoric Hysterics in First 2 DUMB DINOS Collection

Titan Comics have exclusively revealed to STARBURST that they’re gearing up to publish the first-ever collection of the hilarious cult digital comic strip 2 Dumb Dinos, and we’re not the
Read More

New Dates For Lovecraftian Key of Dreams

Key of Dreams has announced new spaces for its titular immersive luxury horror event. The critically acclaimed company is known for its overnight experiences that dunk you into a strange
Read More

FAB Café to Host Free Film Screening of New Indie Comedy SECRETS OF A WALLABY BOY

We’re well known for our championing of truly independent filmmakers here at STARBURST, so it’s doubly exciting to be writing about one of our own! After joining the crew in
Read More
colin farrell returns as oswald cobblepot in the penguin series trailer

Colin Farrell Returns In THE PENGUIN Trailer

Colin Farrell returns as Gotham City’s answer to Tony Soprano in the first trailer for Max series The Penguin, which spins out of the world of the 2022 DC film
Read More