Opinion: The comic conflict

By Ryah Klima / Opinion Editor

In today’s times, there are many opinion-based disputes. If someone gets asked, “Does pineapple belong on pizza?” It’ll be met with a plethora of answers, and if the right people disagree, a heated discussion can break out. Of course, these conversations are typically playful in nature, and rarely lead to genuine arguments. It’s simply a difference in opinion and nothing needs to be proven to resolve the discussion. No fact or basis is necessary to prove one side or the other.  

Recently, I saw a comment on an Instagram post from DC Comics that had an interesting comment. Someone claimed that DC Studios doesn’t have any honor because they use James Gunn as a director after his work with Marvel. Why is that such a negative? I think that James Gunn is a phenomenal director for the genre of superhero films. He shouldn’t have to stick to one publishing company given his skill set and ability.  

Marvel and DC are just two publishers who work with the same material: superheroes. So why are people so divided over this? Each respective group brings iconic heroes to the tables. The writing for Batman wouldn’t be the same with Marvel, just like the writing for Iron Man wouldn’t be the same from DC. If you’re a fan of superheroes, you should be able to appreciate all superheroes, not just ones from the publishing company you prefer. Marvel and DC have even written crossover comics in the past, at least thirty-five times, according to the fan-run DC database. 

I honestly think part of my stance on this subject comes from my childhood. Growing up, I was under the assumption that all superheroes were Marvel, and my favorite superhero overall, for most of my life, has been Spider-Man. In fact, if you ask me who my favorite superhero is, I’ll still probably say Spider-Man. I still liked DC heroes like Superman, and Batman, and my favorite cartoon was Teen Titans on Cartoon Network. I simply couldn’t differentiate between Marvel and DC, and my parents never split it up either, so I grew up liking all superheroes, from all companies.  

Ultimately, when it comes down to it, I can find positives for both Marvel and DC. I’ve found that when it comes down to actual comics, I tend to prefer DC. I like their art style and storytelling, and I feel like they venture more into the nitty-gritty, sometimes darker parts of vigilantism. For example, the entire Gotham War storyline is an example pf phenomenal writing, and I think it speaks more to adult comic enjoyers, rather than kids. It’s more mature in content, and it’s action packed to the brim. 

Now, that’s not to say I’ve got anything against Marvel comics. I can enjoy those as well. However, I have come to love the live action film and television that comes with Marvel. Gems such as Daredevil, WandaVision and most recently, Echo hold a special place in my heart. My favorite superhero movies are the Spider-Verse films from 2018 and 2023.  

At the end of the day, superheroes are superheroes, and that’s my stance on the ‘comic conflict’.