Why DC Comics ROCK

I know it's cool and fashionable to be a MARVEL fan and, let me get this straight, there are many MANY things I love about Marvel.

But this is a blog about DC Comics.

Right, where to begin? At the beginning.

First, there was SUPERMAN.

You cannot knock the guy in the cape. He started it all. The Man of Steel. The Big Blue. The Last Son of Krypton. He has it all. The suit, the cape, the x-ray vision and, most importantly, the MORAL CENTRE.

Superman DOES NOT KILL. I enjoyed the latest version, THE MAN OF STEEL but there was a mis-directed heart here. First look at the demolition of Metropolis. Look at the buildings wrecked. What was the body count? It would have been in the thousands, don't you think? The same applies to the AVENGERS movie. All of New York wrecked.

Neither movie makes any reference to the trauma and the devastation the supers have brought in on their cities.

Superman's respect for human life is what makes him great. It's what makes him, er... SUPER. There was a Grant Morrison interview on YouTube (which will be another blog) where he discusses heroes killing. He says they shouldn't do it for the most simple reasons: It's immoral and illegal. And heroes don't do it.

That applies DOUBLE for Superman. It may not be fashionable, in this 'modern' world of pragmatism where the good guys torture and the bad guys are YouTube sensations, but I think that's all the more reason for heroes to show what we are capable of, our best natures. Superman epitomises that.

Then there was BATMAN.

Do I even need to explain this guy? He's got the moves, the cave and the gadgets. If Superman is heart then Batman is the brains. While his origins are as grim as can be there's also a light in the centre of Batman's soul, his compassion, though well-hidden. He's got no reason to have it, he should be bitter and vindictive through and through but his soul is saved by the family he has, surrogates that replace what he lost. Alfred, Batgirl, the Robins. They're his family through and through and for all the lone avenger of the night he's been a mentor and inspiration to them and others.

Batman gives us our fantasy. With training, with dedication, with oodles of cash we could be just like him. Superman is beyond human (which allows him to reflect what it is to be human) but Bats is one of us. And he does have the best villain of all time, The one and only Joker. If Batman is iron-clad sanity, almost too rigid for its own good, then the Joker is pure chaos. Their dance is what makes the world go round.

And then we have Wonder Woman. Her star shines and dims but as a creation she is flawless, bringing in Greek Mythology into the world of comics and what were the Greek heroes but the superheroes of their age?

Well, that's just my opinion.

What do you think?