Hope you don’t mind if I reblog, ‘cause what you’ve said is really true. I have a follower on here that blogs only about the Bat rogues. Meanwhile, I’ve been reading superhero comics for 6 years and have only read maybe one or two stories about them. I find that the DC universe is, in general, a lot less connected than the Marvel universe– not just with regards to the cinematic experience, but also the comics one. This is due to two reasons, I think:
(1) The superheroes are developed on their own terms. Someone on this website once said that “Marvel is known for its teams, whereas DC is known for its superheroes.” I find this to be a rather accurate assessment. Sure, you have The Justice League, The Teen Titans, but team-up books aside, the reader isn’t (usually!) required to follow Batman’s gothamite adventures to get a sense of what’s going on with the Justice League. Gotham has its own history, its own “niche” (if the word may be applied here) of cast members, plotlines et cetera.
This makes sense when you consider the history of DC Comics comics in general: many of the characters, including “The Trinity” (Bat, Supes, WW) were originally conceived independent of each other. Many of the creators (such as William Moulton Marston) never had a hand in their later team-up romps, circa 1960s. THEN, you have an array of characters inherited from other comic book companies: Fawcett Publications, Quality Comics, etc. Marvel, for comparison, has a much less convoluted relationship to intellectual property…
You could say Marvel was about teaming up from the beginning. Stan Lee practically kicked off the Marvel universe with a team-up: The Fantastic Four.
(2) The nature of DC continuity, period. Due to the sheer number of times the DC universe has rebooted itself, “canon” is a loose term. TVTropes even coined a word based off this: Running the Asylum (clearly a reference to Bat-canon). There’s pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths canon, post-Crisis, the New 52, and various alternate earths to keep track of. Is Jason Todd an ex-trapeze artist with a circus background, or a crowbar kid off the streets? Answers may vary according to how old the demographic is, because there are multiple incarnations for single characters.
Marvel’s (main) 616 verse has, for the most part, maintained one uncut narrative from conception (60s!) to the present day; reading volumes 1, 2, and 3 of The Avengers is therefore mandatory because events that happened throughout the 60s to the 90s are still canon. Most DC fans are into post-Crisis continuity, with only the hardcore Comics Historians digging into past continuities (there’s a lot!) – the “canon” of which has mostly become moot. Zack Snyder’s Superman is VERY DIFFERENT from the Superman of The Silver Age.
Is there a right way to relating comic continuity? Not really, I’d say. Marvel has a unique problem on their hands, now, because (a) technological advancement has rendered quite a few plot holes in the resolution of ‘past’ storylines, and (b) supposing aging is a thing, these characters are overstaying their welcome. Realistically, Magneto should be dead; they’ve de-aged him at least once. Plus: how long can we have a Holocaust survival as a character? Political origins have ‘aged’ characters in other ways. Hank Pym’s a normal human with no age-resistant abilities like Natasha or Wolverine, but the Cold War was nonetheless essential to his origin.
Some DC fans like to police continuity. This is why I don’t. Reboots are not to be feared.
Sorry OP were getting quite off topic from your original post, but @freddyfreeman has some very interesting and accurate thoughts!
Its true Marvel is much more accessible, but I personally love digging through DCs weirder history. I think its why DC has held my interest for so many years; theres the research part in addition to the consuming the actual media part and the looking at fanworks part. I find something interesting in every contuinity 🙂
i maintain that jason todd is the sort of person who says “fuck” in normal conversation about eighty times a day, but put him in a situation that you’d think would inspire swearing and suddenly he’s all “gosh golly gee”
Hi, Clair. I’d like to come in and talk with you. Would that be all right?
This is the Batman we need to see more often. The one who remembers what it was like to be a scared child, one who knows how to handle situations delicately.
One of the reason why I love batman so much. He is portrayed as a very careful and guarded man. But he is probably the most human out of anyone. It’s why he is the knight that gotham deserves.
Re: that last panel –
Batman, when he’s written correctly, is an extremely compassionate person.
I always feel the need to reblog this because it’s definitely something I feel was lost in the Nolan films.
We need this Batman. This is the Batman we need.
This Batman got lost in the fake geek boy fantasy of the violent vigilante 😦
Batman is your worst nightmare until he runs into a small child.
No but that’s the best part and that’s the part that the Nolan films left out!
Batman is your worst nightmare on BEHALF OF that small child.
When it comes right down to it, the entire Batman story is about someone who was robbed of their innocence as a child and WANTS TO MAKE SURE THAT NOBODY GOES THROUGH WHAT HE DID. Part of that includes taken down the bad guys but part of that also includes making sure that people are okay.
That’s whu he’s so empathetic.
That’s also why there are so many morally grey characters in Batman. (Or at least, there SHOULD be, when written well.) Because he knows that it’s not just about beating people up.
It’s about saving people.
Even the ones who have done harm.
Batman IS one of the most empathetic heroes out there and that’s why he’ll always be my favorite.
That’s also why the Nolan films didn’t sit right with me. They tried so hard to be dark and gritty and philosophical that they stripped away the atmosphere and the themes that made Batman so great.
Also I know that I mention this once a week but Batman: The Animated Series did a fantastic job at this, on top of everything else!
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