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Why were DC SA monsters so lame?

Started by rjpb,

80 posts in this topic

Kevin.J

Kevin.J

Posted
Posted

Dont get me wrong I love all the Marvel books as much as DC, but I think Rick Starr said it earlier, DC just had all the color where Marvel were bland and as a kid, it was the color that attracted me.

DC & Marvel both fantastic.......just different.

 

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The last book, MGA #37.

42 years ago when I was a kid ( 8 ) and first got given some comics, this book was among them and is a book that I will never get rid of, you can tell how many times I must have read it, the cover used to creep me out at that age.

 

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Hepcat

Hepcat

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Posted
...I think Rick Starr said it earlier, DC just had all the color where Marvel were bland and as a kid, it was the color that attracted me.

 

That's what did it for me as well as a kid during my comic buying years in the early sixties. I'd look at the Marvel covers on the stands, but it was the more colourful DC comics to which I'd always decide to allocate my very limited supply of quarters and dimes.

 

(shrug)

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RCheli

RCheli

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Posted

To me, DC was always trying to be cerebral instead of emotional. Their monsters were defeated by some scientific trickeration that required a several-page explanation. With the Atlas books, it was often some sort of unexpected event that drove the monster away, a dues ex machina.

 

Also, the art was so ridiculously clean and bright in the DC books. Atlas coloring was much, much darker.

 

I don't think they were lame. They were just... not as angry.

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Hepcat

Hepcat

Posted
Posted
To me, DC was always trying to be cerebral instead of emotional. Their monsters were defeated by some scientific trickeration that required a several-page explanation. With the Atlas books, it was often some sort of unexpected event that drove the monster away, a dues ex machina.

 

In general I'd agree,

 

:)

 

 

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Bronty

Bronty

Posted
Posted
To me, DC was always trying to be cerebral instead of emotional. Their monsters were defeated by some scientific trickeration that required a several-page explanation. With the Atlas books, it was often some sort of unexpected event that drove the monster away, a dues ex machina.

 

Also, the art was so ridiculously clean and bright in the DC books. Atlas coloring was much, much darker.

 

I don't think they were lame. They were just... not as angry.

 

That is such an excellent point. The fact that its almost always a scientific twist makes them in my eyes more sci fi than monster stories. If the monsters are sometimes "lame" I guess it's because they weren't truly monster stories, they were sci fi.

 

And the color palettes mentioned earlier are just part and parcel. As marvel wanted a darker mood they used darker colors and as DC wanted a brighter mood, they used brighter colors.

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adamstrange

adamstrange

Posted
Posted
To me, DC was always trying to be cerebral instead of emotional. Their monsters were defeated by some scientific trickeration that required a several-page explanation. With the Atlas books, it was often some sort of unexpected event that drove the monster away, a dues ex machina.

 

Also, the art was so ridiculously clean and bright in the DC books. Atlas coloring was much, much darker.

 

I don't think they were lame. They were just... not as angry.

 

That is such an excellent point. The fact that its almost always a scientific twist makes them in my eyes more sci fi than monster stories. If the monsters are sometimes "lame" I guess it's because they weren't truly monster stories, they were sci fi.

 

And the color palettes mentioned earlier are just part and parcel. As marvel wanted a darker mood they used darker colors and as DC wanted a brighter mood, they used brighter colors.

Jule Schwartz was a sci fan starting from when he was a kid. That did not rule out the use of a monsters but it wasn't what he was interested in putting out. Also, Lee had Kirby and I think encouraged him to draw what he did well and was selling which were the monsters.

 

I've heard from other collectors were kids in the 50s and early 60s and the coloring on the DC comics was a key factor in their choice of comics. I collect high grade post-code DC and Atlas and by far the more interesting and exciting color designs were those of DC.

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adamstrange

adamstrange

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I think Ross Andru came up with some fantastic monster covers --
+1

Kubert and Heath both contributed monsters in titles like Brave & Bold, Sea Devils and Star Spangled War Stories

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Hepcat

Hepcat

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I think Ross Andru came up with some fantastic monster covers -- Wonder Woman being one of DC best monster books!

 

I agree! If there's anything Wonder Woman likes more than being tied up, it's battling monster dinosaurs, a longstanding habit of hers she first developed as a teen:

 

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;)

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Prince Namor

Prince Namor

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Well I have to assume it was overreaction to the comics code implementation - after all, that had just happened. I think DC just wanted to portray itself as safe fun for kids at that time. Also, they were on top, so they were doing something right.

 

That's probably as spot on an assumption as we'll find!

 

Marvel/atlas monsters are far superior but a large part of that is jack Kirby and or Stan. Marvel had some lame ones too don't forget. The washing machine cover on strange tales 65? Or so is one of the all time lame ideas. Once Kirby took over their quality went up. And I think they were just trying harder. Marvel was fighting to save the company. DC was on top and had more to lose.

 

I can't find an example of a Marvel monster comic before Kirby came back to Marvel.

I CAN find examples of Kirby doing those type of monsters and aliens and giant robots (some with names like ULTIVAC) during his run on Challengers of the Unknown, but it looks like he brought those kind of ideas to Marvel with him.

 

Stan, of course, spiced some of them up with his unique way of presentation!

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Aman619

Aman619

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But weren't the monster stories a reaction to the Japanese and Hollywood monster movies that were every popular around then? All those Hbomb created radiation monster? Or are you saying Kirby created the monster genre ?

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Bronty

Bronty

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Well I have to assume it was overreaction to the comics code implementation - after all, that had just happened. I think DC just wanted to portray itself as safe fun for kids at that time. Also, they were on top, so they were doing something right.

 

That's probably as spot on an assumption as we'll find!

 

Marvel/atlas monsters are far superior but a large part of that is jack Kirby and or Stan. Marvel had some lame ones too don't forget. The washing machine cover on strange tales 65? Or so is one of the all time lame ideas. Once Kirby took over their quality went up. And I think they were just trying harder. Marvel was fighting to save the company. DC was on top and had more to lose.

 

I can't find an example of a Marvel monster comic before Kirby came back to Marvel.

I CAN find examples of Kirby doing those type of monsters and aliens and giant robots (some with names like ULTIVAC) during his run on Challengers of the Unknown, but it looks like he brought those kind of ideas to Marvel with him.

 

Stan, of course, spiced some of them up with his unique way of presentation!

 

I was just being loose with the term. I agree that there aren't any proper prehero "monster" comics pre-kirby.

 

 

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