Which is the bigger Bronze Age key in terms of value and historical significance: Superman v. Spider-Man or Superman v. Muhammad Ali? 1 1

[bronze johnny]

Battle of the Treasuries!

I remember growing up in the mid to late 1970s and seeing these treasuries advertised in their respective company’s comic books. Which is the bigger Bronze Age key in terms of value and historical significance?

Superman v. Amazing Spider-Man

or

Superman v. Muhammad Ali

Thanks for any insight!

john

 

[wormboy]

I love them both so much I can’t choose!

[jcjames]

 

Edited June 17, 2022 by jcjames

[Kripsys99]

My opinion: Superman vs. Muhammad Ali

Reality: Superman vs. Muhammad Ali

Better book: Superman vs. Muhammad Ali

Reality 20 years from now when no one remembers the athletic, cultural, and political importance of the incomparable Muhammad Ali: Superman vs. Spider-Man...hey wait, why is Spider-Man a white guy named Peter Parker? Where's Miles? Comics began the year Amazon launched comixology and those Marvel movies came out, didn't they?

 

Edited June 17, 2022 by Kripsys99

[thehumantorch]

I loved both but superman versus Spider-Man was a historic meeting of the two companies most popular characters.  And I love the cover

[Kripsys99]

On 6/17/2022 at 2:17 AM, thehumantorch said:

I loved both but superman versus Spider-Man was a historic meeting of the two companies most popular characters.  And I love the cover

Found the Joe Frazier fan!

[bronze johnny]

Just noting that the legendary Neal Adams’s role for these books. Neal’s legacy knows no bounds!

[Terry JSA]

Superman v. Muhammad Ali

It’s a singular piece of pop culture history that likely could never have been made at a different time or with a different fighter.

 

[OtherEric]

I agree firmly with the "Get them both" mindset, and I have them both.  I think Superman Vs. Muhammad Ali is the better of the two books... but Superman Vs. Spider-Man is the more historically significant. 

[Readcomix]

Supes vs Spidey; the Ali book is a lousy read and does not hold up. Wanted one forever, bothered to get one, read it, unloaded it. In short order. Not memorable content.
Yes, it’s pretty. Yes, Ali is/was singularly influential among athletes as well as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, of his game. But it’s a fading game, and real-life celebrity really does fade. And it’s a mediocre comic.

The iconic cover will keep it relevant as a collectible at some level as long as there’s fight fans, but Supes meeting Spidey is bigger for this hobby and has longer legs within it. 

[divad]

Ali was THE GREATEST. 

[Antman’s shorter brother]

Both are awesome comics. I like the Ali book much better. But, I voted for Superman vs Spider-Man as a Marvel & DC crossover was unthinkable back then.

[sfcityduck]

Clearly the Marvel DC crossover was the more significant book and was recognized as such at the time. There were articles about it. The Ali book was not any kind of first, any kind trailblazer, and didn’t have any lasting impact.  It’s also not as good read.

[bronze johnny]

On 6/19/2022 at 11:04 AM, sfcityduck said:

Clearly the Marvel DC crossover was the more significant book and was recognized as such at the time. There were articles about it. The Ali book was not any kind of first, any kind trailblazer, and didn’t have any lasting impact.  It’s also not as good read.

I’ve been going back and forth on these books but remember the debates we had as kids about Supes v. Spidey and who was better. What the Ali book has going for it is the work Neal Adams did in capturing the 1970s era of celebrity. Time has been kind to the Ali book thanks to Neal’s artistic achievement. In fact, I would argue that with the recent passing of Adams, the Ali book will go down as Neal’s greatest single volume work of art in time as we look back and evaluate the corpus of the greatest comic book artist of his generation. 

[shadroch]

On 6/19/2022 at 8:40 AM, bronze johnny said:

I’ve been going back and forth on these books but remember the debates we had as kids about Supes v. Spidey and who was better. What the Ali book has going for it is the work Neal Adams did in capturing the 1970s era of celebrity. Time has been kind to the Ali book thanks to Neal’s artistic achievement. In fact, I would argue that with the recent passing of Adams, the Ali book will go down as Neal’s greatest single volume work of art in time as we look back and evaluate the corpus of the greatest comic book artist of his generation. 

I'll have whatever he is imbibing in.  Make it a double.  Did you really spend a lot of time debating Supes vs Spiderman? 

 

[bronze johnny]

On 6/19/2022 at 11:56 AM, shadroch said:

I'll have whatever he is imbibing in.  Make it a double.  Did you really spend a lot of time debating Supes vs Spiderman? 

 

Were you ever an 8 year old? Or did you just skip childhood?

[shadroch]

i'm having a fantastic childhood, and I still wouldn't waste a moment debating Superman vs. Spiderman. We debated important things like Spalding vs. Pennsy Pinky or  Coke vs. Royal Crown.   Keds vs. PF. Flyers.  Daniel Boone vs. Davy Crockett.   Kirk vs. Saunders.

The important things.

[bronze johnny]

On 6/19/2022 at 12:10 PM, shadroch said:

i'm having a fantastic childhood, and I still wouldn't waste a moment debating Superman vs. Spiderman. We debated important things like Spalding vs. Pennsy Pinky or  Coke vs. Royal Crown.   Keds vs. PF. Flyers.  Daniel Boone vs. Davy Crockett.   Kirk vs. Saunders.

The important things.

Seems like you missed out on a lot because in my day as a kid it was Spalding v. Wilson; Coke v. Pepsi; Keds v. Pro-Keds v. Puma; Firebird v. Camaro; Star Trek v. Star Wars; Yankees v. Mets; Seaver or Ryan; Bradshaw v. Staubach;  Lee v. Levi; Big Mac v. Whopper; Kareem v. Wilt; Hull v. Howe; DiMaggio v. Mantle or Mantle v. Maya; Dairy Queen v. Baskin Robbins; Lee v. Norris; and Marvel v. DC - and within that topic were debates over which characters were better and who would win, and the limited times we saw that started with Supes v. Spidey. There’s much more we debated back in the day, especially when we’d hear and listen to our elders discussing and arguing over matters of the day. They were important to us as kids because we didn’t know any better as 8 year olds. There was one exception I guess. One who was omniscient who judges what was important for all of us…you of course

Edited June 19, 2022 by bronze johnny

[THE_BEYONDER]

Had both as a kid

 

Still have my Supes vs. Ali

 

Thought it was cool to see Superman get all bruised up 

[shadroch]

I didn't really care for either matchup.  While it was kool to see Clark and Lois interacting with the Marvel Universe, the plot sucked.  The best part of Supes vs. M.A. was Adams drawing celebrities in the crowd. How many of them are even remembered these days? Like everything DC was putting out in the mid-1970s, it didn't come close to expectations.  DC had been teasing a Superman vs. Captain Marvel for years since they started putting out Shazam.  They never did do it right. There is a reason late BA DC doesn't sell well. Most of it is garbage.