Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. We are tonight’s entertainment. -Joker

Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, the owner of the then National Allied Publications, the man responsible for one of the greatest contributions to the youth of all generations- DC Comics was one of the most creative persons in terms of action comics and adventure stories to step on this planet. He launched a nearly bankrupt company into one of the biggest comic empires in the entire world.

DC Comics- a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Entertainment is one of the largest and most successful American comic houses. The origins of its name lie behind Nicholson’s third comic title (and last as an independent owner of NAP) - Detective Comics of which the first issue released in March 1937. The series became not only sensational but also one of the most famous of all because of the introduction of one of the most awesome and even more awesome superhero of all time- the one and only, Batman. The ultra-rich playboy of Gotham, orphaned in his childhood, Bruce Wayne decided to don the cape and mask and become a symbol that every criminal feared, a symbol that represented his own fear which he wanted to instill into the hearts of Gotham’s enemies- the Bat symbol. They say a hero is defined by his villains, and no hero has a rogues gallery like Batman; the most famous of all being the Joker- a psychotic criminal who is very accurately described as ‘someone who wants to watch the world burn’ in the movie The Dark Knight by Bruce Wayne’s butler Alfred Pennyworth- a powerful and important character in the Batman series.

“Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No! Its superman.” Probably the most famous lines in the history of superhero comics. With his God like powers and lady-killing looks, the mysterious son of Krypton who had no sense of fashion (c’mon, who wears their red underwear over blue tights?) and had sunlight for breakfast was revered by many DC fans as the most powerful superhero of all time.He is considered to be the purest, most selfless and incorruptible superhero of all. Matched against the Marvel character Hulk, who is said to have an indestructible body and is strength personified, in the DC vs. Marvel limited edition series, Superman won by popular vote but the debate still continues heavily among fans of the characters over which character is stronger. But not all people believe that superman is the embodiment of truth and loyalty. Some say that he has commitment issues and was a manipulative jerk for knocking up Lois Lane and leaving her and their child (who apparently inherited his powers) to fend for themselves against the mercies of the cruel world that we live in. Some fan theories also say that Superman was secretly gay and was ashamed of coming out which is why he left Lois Lane.

Agreed that superman is all powerful, hot and god-like but enough with the movie reboots. DC has taken the superman franchise and tried to hammer it into the audience’s brains again and again and has miserably failed. The same storyline has been repeated so many times (and in a horribly depressing manner of Lois Lane pining for Superman whilehe’s busy saving the world) that the audience has started getting tired of the first ever created superhero. Now the Batman movies are simply awesome. With his high tech gadgets, the super amazing BatSuit, inventive mind, playboy attributes and truck loads of money, Batman has captured the minds of all generations. No other hero has generated the level of awesomeness that the dark knight has. Even his villains are so unique, so dangerous and so damn good. Heath Ledger in his role of The Joker in The Dark Knight is considered to be the best performance by any villain in all of cinematic history. His gruesome scars, his habit of playing with his victims before killing them, his famous dialogue, “Why so serious?” All describe the madness, the villainous nature and the insanity within. No one can forget the conversation between the caped crusader and the make-up maniac- “This is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object.” Sad that Heath Ledger died of drug abuse shortly before his highly acclaimed role of the craziest but most awesome criminal ever, won him the Oscar for the best supporting actor.

DC is also credited for creating one of the most powerful superhero teams- The Justice League which consists of Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Aqua man, Hawkeye and the Flash. Interestingly, all these characters were introduced before 1950 and their popularity reached such heights that even today, the demand for their movies, action figures, clothing and even footwear never goes down.

The unique thing about DC is that it does not follow the convention of heroes being the main character of the comic. The villains are equally intense, equally important and sometimes even garner more fan following. Characters like Doomsday- Superman’s nemesis, Ra’s Al Ghul- Batman’s mentor and the head of the League of Assassins, Bane- the all-powerful, ‘Venom’ charged assassin have a certain appeal that make them integral to the DC Universe. 

DC Comics has been running successful TV shows like ‘Arrow’ and ‘The Flash’ since the past year and has garnered massive fan following. DC also plans to release its latest movie ‘Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice’ in March and ‘Suicide Squad’ in August next year. With its market share dipping since 1961 due to the emergence of Marvel, DC is going all guns blazing to win its fans back. But I feel that the actual reason behind DC’s downfall is the extremely slow buildup of all its movies and TV shows in which the character is busy fighting off his inner demons and hence his/her job of saving the world is hindered. It was this human aspect of the inhuman superheroes that won the hearts of the audience but its overuse by DC has led to a decrease fan following of the comic house. In spite of having awesome storylines and intense characters that leave an impact on the audience, DC has failed many times to regain its top position in the comic industry.

There is always a story behind a DC comic, a story of good over evil no matter the obstacles. A story of the good inside everyone, the good that can make even the most ordinary of people extraordinary.

“A hero can be anyone.
Even a man doing something as simple
and reassuring as putting a coat
around a little boy’s shoulder
to let him know
that the world hadn’t ended.”

-Batman

-Anurag Bagga  

BATTLE OF THE AWESOMES

Hey readers. This week, I’ll be following a topic that has half the world (including me) on its toes and in a constant mind tormenting confusion- which one of the fabulous and ever awesome comic giants is even more awesome than the other- Marvel or DC? This ‘Battle of the Awesomes’ has been raging on since the past 80 years and is unlikely to be ever put to a rest by the huge fan following that both these powerhouses enjoy.

The two comic houses began as National Publication Alliance (DC) and Timely Comics (Marvel) and have undergone several changes through these long years to provide to the young generations a sense of adventure, an adrenaline rush, an outburst of imagination and action by creating a universe (actually two) of fantastic superheroes and super villains fighting it out on the battlefield of our planet. Be it Superman vs. Lex Luthor or Spiderman vs. Green Goblin, both these comic powerhouses have created characters that have captured the minds of millions.

The first ‘superhero’ to be created between the two was Batman. It was introduced to the world in Issue #27 of the Detective Comics released by DC- the origins of the name of the comic house being in that series. It took the world by a storm. The sheer awesomeness of Batman with his BatSuit and his high-tech gadgets including the famous BatMobile which was a result of his vast fortune, inventive brain and of course the death of his parents as a child captivated the audience’s minds and opened the doors to the world of action comics. Marvel although late to the superhero department with its fantastic Four series in 1961, shook the comic world and threatened to topple DC from its long-held number one position in the comics industry. By that time, DC had already introduced various heroes like Flash, Green Lantern and other members of the Justice League and Marvel was only piggybacking on its success. Looks like it worked; Marvel in 2013 held a 33.50% share in the comics market as compared to DC Comic’s 30.33% and it has been so for the past 10 years. As for the art of telling stories to the world, Marvel has certainly done a better job and is sure to do the same in the upcoming future.

DC has given us characters like Batman and Superman that have a certain class, a sense of power, an ethereal quality imbibed in them that portray strength and composure which kind of makes me respect and fear these characters at the same time. All these characters have a dark side to them which they are constantly battling on the inside, apart from the evil lurking in the outside world. This makes the audience believe them to be more human in spite of the super-human powers that they possess. But this characteristic of these heroes has been stretched beyond the comfort zone of the audience by DC and I think that it is this reason why people now find characters slightly boring and mentally disturbed (yes, I feel that these guys are always battling their inner demons and I’ve had enough with their everlasting bipolar nature bordering on mental instability). Marvel on the other hand focuses more on the cool and awesomeness quotient of the characters and provides a light but intense character that not only fights with the monsters raging inside but also dishes it out to the villains that dare cast an evil eye on the home that we call planet Earth. I believe that this is the reason that people like to watch more of the awesomeness of Tony Stark in the iron suit than the ever depressed Superman lusting after Lois Lane.

The iconic cover of DC Versus Marvel
Limited Edition Issue

It is not like the topic of Marvel vs. DC has not been discussed before. In fact the debate became so popular that Marvel and DC collaborated to create a limited edition series know as DC vs. Marvel Comics (issues #2–3 titled Marvel Comics vs. DC) in which heroes of their respective universes battled it out in a series of duels and the losing universe would cease to exist. There were 11 primary battles in which 5 were decided on the basis of a fan vote. Although the final outcome on the basis of the vote was 3-2 in favor of Marvel comics, the actual storyline does not show as one side being victorious. As a final effort to avoid annihilation of any of the universes, the ‘Spectre’ and ‘The Living Tribunal’ stepped in to mitigate the fight between the ‘brothers’ and created a new universe known as the Amalgam Universe which consisted of merged versions of heroes from both universes like Dark Claw (a merged form of Batman and Wolverine). With the help of Captain America and Batman, the two characters that were different from their respective universes’ companions, an inter-dimensional character know as Access restored balance to the two universes.

Both Marvel and DC have a line of upcoming movies but as recent ones like Marvel Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers 2 have shown, it looks like Marvel will again hit the box office jackpot and leave DC trailing in the dust. With movies like Captain America: Civil War, Ant-Man, Avengers: Infinity War series as a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe which also consists of the very successful TV series ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’, Marvel is sure to take the world by a storm. But it is not like DC will keep quiet. With Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad which are to be released in March and August next year respectively, already grabbing eyeballs, DC is sure to make a major impact on the world of comics and give Marvel Studios a run for its money.  

Both Marvel and DC have given to us some exceptional characters- heroes and villains alike that have not only kept small children playing in their imaginative world but have shown to all generations the action induced rush that the world of comics holds. One can be a fan of either of the two giants and ditch the other but the fact remains; both DC and Marvel are the reason why today’s generation is hooked onto comics and the world of action because those books, those movies are a world of their own and open the window to the most important of all- a world where creativity knows no bounds, where nothing is impossible, where no dream is too big and no dreamer too small. It is the world of imagination.

­-Anurag Bagga

How To Write Slam Poetry

To write is to express with subtlety, and Slam Poetry is an excellent way to speak your heart out effectively, and writers are always admired portals like StoryMirror are hall of fame for writers. The question that we all face is, can I also write? and if I can then how to write? Well it is not a steep climbing task as we all take it to be, it is as easy as writing a letter to your loved one and reading it out to the same person. All you need is just a pen, some time, and of course your mind to work upon it. All you need to do is sit down, relax and write it all out whatever you feel like without worrying over rhymes, meters or any rule of such sorts. It should be a point to remember that slam poetry is not just about writing but also about reading it out loud and enactment of expressions.  You can start with following steps and write whenever you feel like, hopefully you can become a good slam poet someday.

To begin with you can sit at a calm place and think. You are free to think about anything that matters to you or anything for which you possess genuine emotions or attachment, trust me it is easier than writing your exams as you are free to write whatever suits your mind. It can be a past event that had an impact on you or a person that influenced you in some way or may be a place where you have been or you wish to go to. Decide a subject and it will act as a centre to your poem and after this you can brainstorm about rest of the aspects or attributes of the subject of your choice. Keep in mind that your work must be original.

Start your pen with the first thing that comes to your mind about your subject, and so on. Try describing the progress or the different aspects of your subject. Write as much as you can and as long as you feel like. Try using more of a communication language, and make sure you nail the words nicely, not to sound great but to tell your listeners what you wish to convey. Write it to be rhythmic and passionate.You must not exceed three minutes limit of performing so write accordingly.

Read your own work again and again and practice it in front of mirror. Try reading it as loud as you can and try fitting it to the time frame. Remember to enact your words using your hands and body, you can also include sign language as part of your performance so it would be nice if you know a little about sign language. And putting your feelings into words while you say would always help. You can check out poetry slam videos on YouTube or maybe attend a session for first hand experience

Now as you have practiced and have become self satisfactory you may turn to your friends to have your first audience. They will tell you your mistakes there itself and will not mind them anyway. So practice is the key to success and Slam Poetry is the key to an amazing experience of expression.

Those who have not written anything ever should begin today with a pen paper and their mind at work, nothing much is required no expensive instruments or anything of that sort, just you and your poetry can let the world know what you wish to say or to convey.