By: NEIL KING
Columnist/Web Editor
Twitter: @Neilk34Neil Email: Neilk34@gmail.com
Who would win in an all out brawl if it was Marvel versus DC characters? Wolverine or Superman? Batman or Captain America? Wonder Woman or Storm? The X-Men or the Justice League of America? Green Arrow or Hawkeye? Nightcrawler or Spawn?
We will soon know.
In 1984 Marvel Comics almost bought the rights to the DC universe as Warner Brothers thought about shutting DC Comics down.
It would appear that Marvel, owned by the overflowing pockets of Disney, is trying to buy them again.
Only this time Marvel’s power grab is outright, and at a time when DC is doing fairly well.
After years of dominating the sales charts, the movie theaters and the merchandising realms, Marvel is ready to swallow up it’s only real competitor to the rumored tune of $61.6 billion.
This is horrible news for us nerds.
The same puerile arguments we’ve been having for all of our lives are coming to and end.
What will we talk about after Superman joins the Avengers’ roster?
What villains could possibly stand up to that kind of power in a way that would keep us reading?
Unfortunately Marvel is talking about doing just that.
Two different editors have come forward on condition of anonymity due to the high-profile nature of the purchase to confirm that, once the purchase is complete, Marvel Comics will finish out their current big project of “Secret Wars” and at the conclusion introduce the new age of comics where these two huge universes will collide.
So what this means for the future of comics is one thing, but the movies have become even a bigger deal to the casual fan.
We could be approaching a time when DC characters live in real cities like New York instead of fictional cities like Metropolis or Gotham.
Spider-man could steal Lois Lane away from Superman.
Everything we know about the fictional universes – whether we have loved and studied them for years or just come about to the world of caped crusaders – is coming to a crashing and devastating death and rebirth.
In short, we now know nothing about either of the worlds we love.
It was a nice ride, DC Comics, and we thank you for fighting this for the past 30 years.
Now the unique flavors of both worlds will be absorbed into another in a pot of blandness, and the only consolation to any of this tragic tale of complete and utter madness is that I got to help break the news at the Preface on the first day of April.