Slugfest

August 1, 2017
A smart, blow-by-blow narrative of the sometimes-friendly, often bitter rivalry between corporate comic-book behemoths.When Superman debuted in 1938, no one could have predicted that he and his underwear-on-the-outside brethren would eventually come to dominate the entertainment landscape. Journalist Tucker (co-author: Duke Sucks: A Completely Evenhanded, Unbiased Investigation into the Most Evil Team on Planet Earth, 2012) makes a compelling case that the rise of the superhero in popular culture is perhaps best understood by exploring the evolution of the two companies that created and proliferated those heroes: DC Comics, the upright and staid publishers of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, and Marvel Comics, the hipper, edgier purveyors of Spider-Man, the Avengers, and the X-Men. The author provides an essential primer on how these companies' comics evolved from four-color funny books for kids to complicated, carefully curated content aimed at an aging comics cognoscenti to intellectual property laboratories for multinational entertainment conglomerates. Comic-book fans will revel in the minutiae of Tucker's account, from stories of artists using pen names in the early days of the rivalry to collect a paycheck from both sides without incurring the wrath of their primary employer to alleged acts of spying in the wake of both companies simultaneously publishing stories of startling similarity (on multiple occasions, no less). Comics neophytes will undoubtedly get lost in the voluminous list of creators cited throughout the book and be astonished by the lack of business acumen displayed by various editorial regimes. However, even they will be able to appreciate the salacious significance of DC's secret overtures to Stan Lee at the height of his Marvel fame and the way in which each company's corporate culture, not to mention the machinations of their parent companies and investors, contributed to the current state of superhero ubiquity--even as the comic publishing industry itself dwindles. A wild haymaker for the masses, perhaps, but a knockout read for capes-and-cowls aficionados.

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October 23, 2017
Pop culture writer Tucker (The Osbournes Unf**king Authorized) delivers a well-written and entertaining look at the decades-long battle between the two titans of the comic book business, Marvel and DC. Tucker knows his history, and he starts with an excellent overview of how DC was “the undisputed leader in the spandex game” from its 1938 introduction of Superman until Marvel brought out the Fantastic Four in 1961. This helped the upstart company “establish itself as the edgier, hipper alternative to stodgy old DC.” Throughout, Tucker easily discusses both artistic and commercial issues, describing in detail how Marvel’s “new approach to storytelling” emphasizing realism “still provides the template today that has made superheroes a multi-billion, multi-media cash cow” and examining the myriad ways the two companies have spent years “clawing for market share and trying to kneecap each other in ways both above board and below.” Older comics fans will delight in Tucker’s astute telling of how Marvel kingpins Stan Lee and Jack Kirby spent the 1960s eclipsing their DC rivals, and newer fans will be fascinated by Tucker’s in-depth description of how DC’s gamble on grittier work such as Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns produced “what is perhaps the most fertile period in the company’s—and the industry’s—history.” This is an excellent history for comic book fans.

November 1, 2017

This work about comics publishers DC and Marvel by entertainment journalist Tucker is a must-read for comics fans, but keep in mind that many readers might not agree with what the author has to say. Tucker goes through the history of both companies, one at the top for a period of time, and then the other jumps ahead. His main point comes across: both companies need each other in order for comic books to survive. Tucker establishes a personality for the two companies. DC is stuffy, bureaucratic, by-the-numbers, and Marvel edgy, punkish, and with a take-no-prisoners approach. Currently, thanks to the success both companies have in Hollywood, they are more similar in their organization. Tucker states in the beginning that he is a neutral party, though his tendency to elevate DC's mistakes while downplaying Marvel's is questionable. Comic books have been around for decades, and as Tucker states, they will be here for years to come--let the rivalry continue. VERDICT A great read for anyone interested in the history of two companies that have had a massive impact on pop culture. Recommended for fans of comics, rivalries, and Blake J. Harris's Console Wars.--Ryan Claringbole, Wisconsin Dept. of Pub. Instruction, Madison

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