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.”
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
No comments:
Post a Comment