DC vs. Marvel...Because It's Almost Required For Blogs Now

It used to be common practice that, for the sake of my reviews, I would try to pick up a equal amount of titles from the Big Two (or as close to it as possible because, let's face it, some books just suck no matter who published them) and a couple of fringe titles from IDW, Image, etc. Lately, in my weekly trip to the comic shop, I've noticed that my stack includes more Marvel and (gradually) less DC as time goes on. Why? I know I've been pretty rough on the New 52 reboot (there has GOT to be a statute of limitations on how long something can go on and still be called "New"), but there are some gems in the continuity that deserve consideration. So, what is it that could possibly annoy me so much about DC that I would grow so disinterested?

Oh, wait. I know. It's probably this.

Honestly....what the entire fuck, man? Don't get me wrong. Fold-out splash pages are not a new phenomenon in comics, but folding out/upward like this just feels (and reads) like a huge hassle. Also, you can't see it in this picture, but it's attached to what feels like glossy printer paper, suggesting that you can pull it off and use it as a poster if you're delicate enough. This isn't exactly a new occurrence in comics, either, but the problem comes when you've put dialogue on the page that is potentially a poster. Then it becomes tantamount to tearing a page out a book like Moby Dick or Interview with the Vampire, no matter how inconsequential the words on it are.

Then there's this.....

I shit you not...the WHOLE book was like this. This is, on no level whatsoever, fun or convenient to read. It's not just the fact that this particular issue was virtually unreadable plotwise. It's the fact that you have to hold it sideways like a toddler's board book. It doesn't add anything to the experience the the story itself offers. There isn't some grand pay off at the end to reading it this way. It's a "just because" solution to the DC problem when the REAL solution is "or we could just write a better book" which, in turn, creates The Other DC Problem: DC Comics is that guy you know that will do ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING to lose weight except diet and exercise.

Then, I took a good look at the Marvel NOW initiative and how they're handling the concept of "soft reboots" where they don't necessarily start all over, but bring characters to a point where, ideally, anyone (walking in cold from the movie theater) can jump right in and find themselves a new favorite character or see what's new with an old one. While you can go back and read past story arc if you're feeling particularly scholarly, the idea is that you don't HAVE to. There's actually a "quiet as kept" genius to this. I mean, no matter how thorough your reboot of a title or universe is, it's inevitable that it's going to start to grow cobwebs after a certain amount of time. Therefore, you just bring in new creative teams from time to time and offer fresh eyes to an existing situation. You pull in new readers, take the existing audience's temperature to see what characters might do well on the big screen, and basically put out monthy/biweekly promotions for movies already in the pipeline. And you Haven't Completely Alienated Your Existing Fanbase Like DC.

And so, once again, Marvel wins the race while DC trips over their own shoelaces.

SIDENOTE: If you haven't picked up Marvel's Point One Special issue, find that immediately. The Silver Surfer trying to grow hair is worth the price of admission alone.