DC vs Marvel as a kid 1 1

[▫️]

As a young child I was reading Richie Rich (Late 70’s) and then in the 80’s it was all about Marvel and DC.  My group of friends and I never once had the Marvel VS DC argument.  We would argue over who was the best character. But we all read and traded Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, X-Men, Hulk, Penthouse and Iron Man.

[marvelmaniac]

I was a Marvel fan, I only read DC if my friends had them.

As a kid in the 60's I was able to buy comics every week/month.

I received .25 cents allowance each week and could earn another .25 cents or so doing additional chores if the folks said OK to that.

I would ride my bike to the local pharmacy or 7-11 each week and buy what I wanted with my allowance...

Comics were .12 cents, baseball cards were .5 cents, slurpee's were .10 cents and of course if I was out with Mom and saw a new comic and had no money I would ask Mom...Pleeeeeease... X-Men #8 stands out in my mind.

[lizards2]

10 hours ago, KirbyJack said:

Wait.

I lied.

I bought DC’s “Plop” when I had the option. Still have a whole run, but mostly because there is virtually zero demand for it.

I sold my entire childhood Plop set to DavidTheDavid....., 

[1950's war comics]

10 hours ago, KirbyJack said:

Wait.

I lied.

I bought DC’s “Plop” when I had the option. Still have a whole run, but mostly because there is virtually zero demand for it.

I loved "Plop" also as a kid buying them off the stands.... i probably have the first 10 issues and then quit buying them , how many is the complete run ??

[lizards2]

24 minutes ago, 1950's war comics said:

11 hours ago, KirbyJack said:

Wait.

I lied.

I bought DC’s “Plop” when I had the option. Still have a whole run, but mostly because there is virtually zero demand for it.

I loved "Plop" also as a kid buying them off the stands.... i probably have the first 10 issues and then quit buying them , how many is the complete run ??

24

[Senormac]

24 minutes ago, lizards2 said:

49 minutes ago, 1950's war comics said:

11 hours ago, KirbyJack said:

Wait.

I lied.

I bought DC’s “Plop” when I had the option. Still have a whole run, but mostly because there is virtually zero demand for it.

I loved "Plop" also as a kid buying them off the stands.... i probably have the first 10 issues and then quit buying them , how many is the complete run ??

24

Wolverton  

Bill Gaines said he didn't like Wolvertons art.  He thought it was ugly  

 

[lizards2]

4 minutes ago, Senormac said:

Wolverton  

Bill Gaines said he didn't like Wolvertons art.  He thought it was ugly  

 

It's pretty unique - not for the faint of heart.

[Cat]

I was all Marvel, thanks to the X-Men cartoon, and my local library for having Marvel Masterworks. I became a loyal Marvel reader, as DC heroes were lame, right? Then I discovered Kyle Rayner, Wally West, and Connor Hawke, and began to appreciate what DC had to offer over my beloved X-Men and Fantastic Four. 

Edit: When I was much younger than that I'd bought (or my accurately, my mother had) Transformers and GIJOE comics when I saw them over the years, but I don't really count that, as it never lead anywhere else. 

Edited May 17, 2018 by Mecha_Fantastic

[ADAMANTIUM]

When I was little, the local grocery store was the main stop for comics and sometimes 7-11. But all that they seemed to carry was Marvel, so that is usually what I picked up. My Dad at the time had a thing with venom and carnage, with the names, and looks of them. He would say things like what is the world coming too and give me a lecture. He was born in 1940 and grew up with the likes of Superman and Batman. Anything less wholesome was unbiblical ha.

My dad, though I love him and respect his principles was a character himself. 

Anyway, I remember by the time they got to "Maximum Carnage", I knew better than to ask for that comic 

Edited May 17, 2018 by ADAMANTIUM

[Ken Aldred]

14 minutes ago, Mecha_Fantastic said:

I was all Marvel, thanks to the X-Men cartoon, and my local library for having Marvel Masterworks. I became a loyal Marvel reader, as DC heroes were lame, right? Then I discovered Kyle Rayner, Wally West, and Connor Hawke, and began to appreciate what DC had to offer over my beloved X-Men and Fantastic Four. 

By the early 80s I enjoyed both equally, as I’ve always liked a bit of variety, especially when linked up with the more quality indies of the time.  So, my tastes evolved in less than a decade from primarily DC to begin with to Marvel Zombie to a bit of everything.  

A memorable journey,

Edited May 17, 2018 by Ken Aldred

[FutureFlash]

I started with Marvel reading Transformers and GI Joe in the mid 80s buying some 3 packs at the grocery store. Soon afterward I started getting Marvel super hero stuff mostly X-Men, Spider-Man, Captain America, Avengers and Iron Man. Rest of the 80s I just dabbled with DC but never really got into anything, but I really liked the Last Days of the JSA. In the Early 90s I started reading Death of Superman, Knightfall and Emerald Twilight, and from then on I was more of a DC reader. Dropped out of comics in 99 and came back in 2014. Still more of a DC guy than Marvel.

[Senormac]

My first real comics were Gold Key.  Turok, Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge with occasional C&S thrown in there (which was my first exposure to continued story lines : dang you Mickey and Goofy) 

After that I went to DC. Mostly war books with a Batman every once in a while. Those 25 cent DC 52 pagers were awesome !! 

I connected to Marvel with their brand of war books in Sgt. Fury and got obsessed to acquire the whole storyline of # 93 - 98.  That run was my first continued next ish series.

Also around that time I read Conan 38 "Curse of the Werewoman"  cuz I was collecting the Marvel Value stamps which really got me to reading lots of different marvels that

I never would have bought otherwise. That Conan story hooked me and it was NOT continued !!  

Marvel or DC ?  Both 

 

[miraclemet]

I was a comic book kid from the 80s. Started in the Fall of '82 with Green Lantern, and GI Joe. They, and most DC and marvel stories by that point, had multi-part stories, and I tried to get the consecutive issues, but buying at the local Circle K each Sunday (got my $3 allowance after church, then we'd stop by the Circle K on the way home. I'd get 4-5 comics and a Charleston Chew.) didnt guarentee that they'd have the next issue, or it would still be there when I was there on Sunday. I didnt mind getting a " to be concluded in..." book, but I did HATE seeing something interesting that was a part 2, or the third issue of an interesting 6 issue miniseries.... cause I KNEW there was no way I was going to find the back issues cause there was no comic book shop to visit....

 

 

[Larryw7]

I was both a Batman fan and a Spider-Man fan, so in that respect I liked both companies. I was fascinated by the personality of the Marvel books, the Bullpen page, and Stan's Soapbox. I loved reprint titles from both companies, and was in my glory when DC was publishing the 100 Pagers, and Marvel had their Giant Size titles. I loved Ditko Spidey reprints, and Batman reprints from the forties.

I enjoyed Superman reprint books, but wasn't crazy about the newer stories. From Marvel I loved Captain America, Daredevil, Tomb of Dracula, The Avengers, and the 75 cent horror books. It took me awhile to warm up to the FF, but once I read the Treasury editions and the origin in Stan's Origins of Marvel Comics book, I was hooked.

So I guess I was more of a Marvel fan in a way, but Batman stood over all challengers, and I preferred GA DC reprints to the Marvel GA, and reprints played a big part in my comic reading. So I guess it was kind of a draw.

[shadroch]

Prior to 1974, I'd only buy an occasional comic and generally it would be the JLA as it had a lot of heroes and most stories were self contained.  That summer I started working and I was supposed to save $12 a week and have $3 spending money.  My parents actually thought comics encouraged reading so they agreed my comic purchases would not count for spending money. I had a slight reading disability when young and although it went away by third grade, my Mother always did whatever it took to keep us reading.  The weekly trip to the library was a big event

Comics were .20 cents so I could buy up to ten a week. This is when I started buying Marvels with their continued storylines.  It was tough when comics went to a quarter and I had to cut my purchases by 20%. DC publishing 50 and then 60 cent Giants didn't help my budget at all. I dropped most 100 page titles and as a result had money for some new books I hadn't picked up yet- Conan, MOKF, Swamp Thing. 

Years later, when I sold my original collection the buyer commented about many of the 100 page books being in so much worse shape. I explained I rarely picked up one of those the first week on the stands. They were last in my budgeting so sometime I'd grab one on a slow week but often skipped them entirely.

Edited May 17, 2018 by shadroch

[01TheDude]

I was probably destined to be a Marvel fan from the start. My cousin had a collection that seemed to be entirely made up of Marvel-- and they were incredible covers. He showed off the X-Men he had (probably all of them)-- though he did not let us look at them. I remember his collection was huge-- I'm sure he had all the amazing 1960s Marvel titles- but the X-Men stick out in my brain. I don't blame him for not wanting to hand a comic to a 4 year old kid. Never found out what happened to his collection-- hope he still has it.

Anyway-- he left a comic at our house once that I did get to read. It was ASM 77- the one with the cool cover with Spidey fighting the Lizard. It was not long after that the thing to do in the neighborhood was reading comics-- well when we weren't playing war or having dirt clod fights or playing football/baseball. I had no comics and they had stacks already. I recall buying my first multi-pack in 1975 that had FF 161, ASM 147, and Hulk 190. I started buying them when I could wherever I could.

Discovered the rack at 7-11 and would go there after I made my paper route collections (a mile and a half trip on my BMX bike)-- buying every title on the rack that was Marvel, a Superhero Slurpee and a ton of candy.  As I acquired more books, sometimes I would get a pile of mixed titles and there were some DC in there. Not sure if it was Marvel hype or something else but I thought all DC were boring at the time. In fact, one of my dad's friends traded me all his Marvels for my stack of DC at one point. I have no idea what was in my stack. I probably got the better of the deal.

I did have the full set of Omac which I held onto because of the Kirby factor. I also bought the Superman vs Spider-man treasury (still have it). Bought Black-Lightning 1 - kept that too. Then sports took over and I put the comics aside for 35 years. Upon returning to comics in 2014 (original collection still mostly intact), I found myself learning more about the DC world and softening up on the whole Marvel fan boy approach. With age comes maturity I suppose. Now I proudly have almost the entire Kirby 4th world stuff but have not gone as deep as collecting the enormous collection that is DC heroes. If I did go that route-- I think the Flash has the most interest for me. Though I do enjoy some of wackiness/"shock" of the DC covers.

Anyway--- as a kid, you can put me firmly in the Marvel camp. I have a ton more respect for DC though now.

Edited May 18, 2018 by 01TheDude
corrected the books in the multi-pack

[kav]

10 minutes ago, 01TheDude said:

I was probably destined to be a Marvel fan from the start. My cousin had a collection that seemed to be entirely made up of Marvel-- and they were incredible covers. He showed off the X-Men he had (probably all of them)-- though he did not let us look at them. I remember his collection was huge-- I'm sure he had all the amazing 1960s Marvel titles- but the X-Men stick out in my brain. I don't blame him for not wanting to hand a comic to a 4 year old kid. Never found out what happened to his collection-- hope he still has it.

Anyway-- he left a comic at our house once that I did get to read. It was ASM 77- the one with the cool cover with Spidey fighting the Lizard. It was not long after that the thing to do in the neighborhood was reading comics-- well when we weren't playing war or having dirt clod fights or playing football/baseball. I had no comics and they had stacks already. I recall buying my first multi-pack in 1975 that had FF 165, ASM 177, and Hulk 191. I started buying them when I could wherever I could.

Discovered the rack at 7-11 and would go there after I made my paper route collections (a mile and a half trip on my BMX bike)-- buying every title on the rack that was Marvel, a Superhero Slurpee and a ton of candy.  As I acquired more books, sometimes I would get a pile of mixed titles and there were some DC in there. Not sure if it was Marvel hype or something else but I thought all DC were boring at the time. In fact, one of my dad's friends traded me all his Marvels for my stack of DC at one point. I have no idea what was in my stack. I probably got the better of the deal.

I did have the full set of Omac which I held onto because of the Kirby factor. I also bought the Superman vs Spider-man treasury (still have it). Bought Black-Lightning 1 - kept that too. Then sports took over and I put the comics aside for 35 years. Upon returning to comics in 2014 (original collection still mostly intact), I found myself learning more about the DC world and softening up on the whole Marvel fan boy approach. With age comes maturity I suppose. Now I proudly have almost the entire Kirby 4th world stuff but have not gone as deep as collecting the enormous collection that is DC heroes. If I did go that route-- I think the Flash has the most interest for me. Though I do enjoy some of wackiness/"shock" of the DC covers.

Anyway--- as a kid, you can put me firmly in the Marvel camp. I have a ton more respect for DC though now.

get world's finest 141-172 and adventure 340-361 plus 365-369 and 332-333 .  those are the best of DC.

[Senormac]

10 hours ago, Ken Aldred said:

10 hours ago, Mecha_Fantastic said:

I was all Marvel, thanks to the X-Men cartoon, and my local library for having Marvel Masterworks. I became a loyal Marvel reader, as DC heroes were lame, right? Then I discovered Kyle Rayner, Wally West, and Connor Hawke, and began to appreciate what DC had to offer over my beloved X-Men and Fantastic Four. 

By the early 80s I enjoyed both equally, as I’ve always liked a bit of variety, especially when linked up with the more quality indies of the time.  So, my tastes evolved in less than a decade from primarily DC to begin with to Marvel Zombie to a bit of everything.  

A memorable journey,

I wonder about you P. and if you ever got indie books (during the great creative burst of the early 80's) ..... like Reid Fleming, or Flaming Carrot, or stuff in general from Eclipse Comics or the other 

independents that sprung up.  Did you guys over there even get Kitchen Sink ? 

[Ken Aldred]

6 hours ago, Senormac said:

I wonder about you P. and if you ever got indie books (during the great creative burst of the early 80's) ..... like Reid Fleming, or Flaming Carrot, or stuff in general from Eclipse Comics or the other 

independents that sprung up.  Did you guys over there even get Kitchen Sink ? 

By that stage, comic shops were all over the country and regular comic marts with new imports were held every month,  and so it was very easy then to get comics from all publishers.  I was only isolated in this respect until around mid 1979.

Reid Fleming and Flaming Carrot are two of my favourites. One of the first regular titles I bought was the Kitchen Sink Spirit magazine.

Edited May 18, 2018 by Ken Aldred

[makeminemarvel]

When I was 10 in 1976 our next door neighbor gave me a huge stack of his ASM's to read.  Probably issues 80-160 or so.  I was hooked.  Started buying off the rack and then a few months later I ordered an ASM subscription.  Still remember getting my first ish, #169.  Then added subscriptions to Avengers, Cap, Iron Man, Nova.  So while I bought a few DC off the rack (mainly Batman) it was almost exclusively Marvel for me, mainly from the comics the neighbor loaned me.  He had thousands of others as well.  He was a young air force officer and moved after a few years.  Still wonder what became of him and his collection!