Hypothetical Battle

[Aldin]

Originally Posted by jschild

Most everyone knows of Sherlock Holmes, but try finding in a group of 100 random people a significant number who has actually read the novels, yet they might say he is the epitome of a detective. Superman is much the same way - far fewer read him on a regular basis (because story quality tends to be far lower due to the difficulty of making a god interesting and relateable) than say the X-men (persecuted misfits) or Spider-Man (science geek). Their power level also makes them far more approachable - something that Marvel generally does a good job of, which is why, despite greater name recognition among all people, more people read Marvel than DC.

Sometimes I feel frustrated when we discuss things. Other than DC bashing I'm having a hard time figuring out what the purpose of your posts are in light of the conversation that was being had. The bolded items in your paragraph above are omniscient proclamations you have made which I do not believe you can prove and about which reasonable people might disagree.

You also seem to be making an argument that more popular things are inherently better than less popular things. Since I strongly doubt that is your position, why do sales figures for Marvel and DC necessarily have anything to do with the quality of their respective works?

~Aldin, trying to engage what you're saying but still having a hard time figuring out where you're coming from

[jschild]

You also seem to be making an argument that more popular things are inherently better than less popular things

No, but they are often more relatable, which is my point.

more people read Marvel than DC.

That one is easily provable...

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?i...5&page=article

The relevant part is

QUANTITY SHARE RETAIL SHARE
MARVEL COMICS 45.82% 40.81%
DC COMICS 31.67% 29.94%
DARK HORSE COMICS 5.05% 6.49%
IMAGE COMICS 3.32% 3.73%
IDW PUBLISHING 2.92% 3.08%
OTHERS 11.22% 15.95%

Marvel sells significantly more comics then DC and has done so for a long time.

Since I strongly doubt that is your position, why do sales figures for Marvel and DC necessarily have anything to do with the quality of their respective works?

This goes fully back to my point about the underlying flaw most DC's comic heroes have. They are just so powerful they make then harder to relate, because the challenges they often encounter in the comics ensure they are never really threatened. If Supes spent his entire time fighting Cosmic menaces it wouldn't be so bad. He spends the majority of the time on Earth in the comics however, and gimmicks are used constantly to put him at threat.

Then you have the silly weaknesses for other Uber Heroes, say Manhunter - fire....the guy can go toe to toe with Supes and even a small amount of fire can stop him? Yellow for Green Lanterns ring?

As others have stated, Spider-Man's long appeal has to do with how human he is. He isn't bullet proof, he does get hurt, without needing inexplicable weaknesses. He's poor, frustrated and a geek, just like most readers.

The X-men each generally have one power, often as much a curse as a blessing. They are hated and are outcasts, yet they still try to help those that would refuse to accept them as equals. Again, it's that whole element of understanding that allows us to relate to them that makes them such consistent sellers. Are they Icons or Archetypes like Supes? No, nor will they ever be. But while not every person knows them as well as Superman, comic book readers prefer them by far.

It's what drove many people from DC and to Marvel allowing it to take over DC in sales - Their hero's tended to be more flawed, more human, with problems we all can identify with more often than encountered in DC.

That's not to say they cannot be good, they are, Dark Knight Returns shows us that, Kingdom Come shows us that. It just seems to take more work to make them shine and thus, they shine less often.

[Aldin]

Well I should have clarified - the last three bolds were meant to be taken together - your statement that the reason Marvel sales were stronger is due to the relateable characters. You've done it again here:

Originally Posted by jschild

It's what drove many people from DC and to Marvel allowing it to take over DC in sales - Their hero's tended to be more flawed, more human, with problems we all can identify with more often than encountered in DC.

Me? I think more people like the Marvel storylines.

~Aldin, who suspects that different people read the same comics for different reasons