Sunday, April 24, 2005

The Difference Between DC and Marvel

As we've previously discussed, yes, there are huge differences between DC and Marvel. People willfully refusing to see these differences is one of the Absorbascon's pet peeves. Pointing the differences out is one of our pastimes....

Let's turn on the TV for a moment, shall we?

In the last year, DC and Marvel superheroes have appeared on television commercials for various credit card companies. One company had an animated Superman appear with some comedian whose name intentionally escapes me; another had a panoply of live-action Marvel heroes appear with a no-named damsel in distress.

I hated the Superman commercial. The comedian, despite his loudly professed admiration for the character, did nothing but drag Superman down to his level of banal irksomeness in his fanboyish will-fulfillment of becoming Superman's pal. And yet...

When the comedian makes a purchase which a mugger steals, Superman stops the thief rather casually, and, although the merchandise is damaged in the pursuit, the comedian is relieved to learn that the credit card will cover replacing it. Crook captured, day saved, commerce protected.

Oh, but in the Marvel commercial! A woman, robbed, screams for help! Captain America, Spiderman, the Scarlet Witch, Storm, and some other folk swoosh on the scene, sky darkening, music swelling! "What's wrong, lady?" When they find out that she's not in any physical danger and has merely been robbed, they shake their heads, roll their eyes, and shuffle off, disgusted that she'd wasted their time. Geez, lady, your credit card will replace your stuff, why bother us? Well, maybe because you're superheroes and should go capture the thief who threatens the safety and stability of society, you self-centered dorks.

Can you IMAGINE a commercial where Superman, or any other DC hero, would just blow off the fact that someone had just been robbed?

I can't.

Ladies and gentlemen, another example of the difference between DC and Marvel.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I havent seen the Superman commercial, but the comedian was probably Jerry Seinfeld. During the nine seasons of his show, which bore the name "Seinfeld," there was some form of Superman in every episode.

naladahc said...

Imagine a commercial with The Authority.

Hate Filled Poster said...

Clap, clap, clap, clap!

Anonymous said...

What makes it all the more annoying is the attempt made by the Spidey voice-over actor to sound like Maguire. He's got the whiny nasal bit down, but the inflection ... particularly the sing-songy way he says "CHAR-ges" -- always makes me lunge for the remote.

Anonymous said...

That's just an example of how clueless outsiders can be about comics, nothing to do with the difference between Marvel and DC, most of which is in the minds of fanboys like Busiek anyway.

Spider-Man is the posterboy for "With Great Power comes Great Responsibilities"; no way he'd let any mugger get away if he can help it.

(The real difference between DC and Marvel: Legends vs. Ordinary People with Superpowers)

Martin Wisse

Anonymous said...

The Thor I remember would never blow off a purse snatching. Apparently I picked a good year to stop reading Marvels. Whatever year it was ... I think it started with a 19... I'm sorry, what was the question?

Cuthbert said...

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