during the Silver Age of Comics, fans truly started to get into the different characters as well as were likewise discovering each other thanks to an influx of comic conventions that ranged from informal, diy events to larger, more organized affairs. marvel as well as DC were ending up being the two most powerful comic publishers as well as they kept fans hooked with a hold of characters, both new ones as well as older, however familiar ones. many fans started to question as well as envision what would occur if a few of these superheroes ever fought each other. would Hulk beat Superman? might Batman ever fight Thor? The Roku channel just recently released a mini-series called Slugfest: inside the legendary 50-Year battle between marvel as well as DC, which is based on the book of the exact same title, written by Reed Tucker. It looks at the history of both powerhouse comic publishers, however likewise at the rivalry that established between the two. One episode particularly looked at the history of Superman vs Spider-Man as well as exactly how a groundbreaking book about the two altered the method the comic book market catered to their fanbase. So let’s get into the Superman vs Spider-Man debate as well as what needed to occur for fans to lastly see two of their preferred superheroes go head-to-head.
How Is The history Of Superman Vs Spider-Man even a thing ?
picture via DC Comics as well as marvel Entertainment
Superman very first debuted in Action Comics #1 on April 18, 1938, making it the very first official comic books (not to mention one of the rarest around). He was one of the most prominent superheroes around, up until the debut of a marvel character who gets bitten by a radioactive spider, therefore turning him into a “spider man.” Spider-Man debuted in remarkable fantasy #15 in 1962. Marvel’s Stan Lee as well as Steve Ditko wished to produce a character that their teen visitors might associate to: go into uncomfortable Peter Parker, who [turned out to be] a significant hit. By the 1970s, Spider-Man surpassed Superman in popularity as well as sales, as well as probably had just as many fans as Superman did.
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The story of Superman vs Spider-Man begins in 1970, when there was a Comic Art Convention in new York, as well as one event featured a panel of editors from both marvel as well as DC. A young fan asked one of the most important concerns ever in the history of DC as well as marvel rivalry: “Hey, why don’t you guys do a comic where Superman satisfies Spider-Man?” According to mark Evanier, who was Jack Kirby’s assistant from 1969-1972, the panel laughed at the kid, stating it would never occur as well as basically calling him stupid. Stan Lee’s believing was similar, thinking, “Marvel’s sales are beating DC’s. We’re the hot young thing in town. Why should I want to team up with Superman?” In Slugfest, we hear a voiceover of Stan Lee stating that he got a ton of fan mail asking concerns like these. “We like Superman as well as we like Spider-Man. Wouldn’t it be excellent if they got together?” According to Slugfest, by the 1960s, most visitors might be split into two camps: DC Comics visitors as well as marvel Comics readers. Tucker writes:
“Fans got older. They began sticking with the pastime longer. Continuity ended up being more important. They began to acknowledge as well as comply with specific artists as well as writers. They ended up being more serious about brand loyalty. as well as particularly after Marvel’s superheroes burst onto the scene in 1961, fandom was cleaved into two camps. It ended up being tribal. progressively you were either a marvel or a DC reader, as well as much like today’s political campaigns, the two sides often discovered themselves at chances with one another. Arguments broke out on playgrounds as well as in lunch rooms. Each side championed its own team.
“The marvel fans dissed DC for its squeaky-clean picture as well as its conventional mindset. They knocked the business for being tired. The DC camp couldn’t comprehend exactly how anyone liked Marvel. It was all melodrama as well as overwrought emotion. as well as why the hell are these supposed heroes always fighting each other again?”
So the concept that Superman going against Spider-Man was out in the world, however the catalyst that got the sphere rolling was one David Obst, a literary agent. someday in 1976, he satisfied a couple of good friends as well as their kid, who liked both the guy of Steel as well as the new York’s web slinger. When the child asked Obst, “Who do you believe would win in a fight?” Obst had to pause as well as thought, “Hey, that’s really a excellent idea.” Eventually, Obst took matters into his own hands as well as talked to both Stan Lee as well as Howard Kaminsky, the head of Warner Books, which was a sibling business to DC Comics. Obst had already been working with Lee on some marvel books, so he decided to pitch the Superman vs Spider-Man concept to Kaminsky, who liked it. The publisher of DC Comics, Carmine Infantino, likewise believed the concept was good, particularly since he was always trying to one-up Lee as well as figured he might potentially grab some marvel visitors with the Superman-Spider-Man crossover.
What Was the Superman Vs Spider-Man story about as well as who ended up Winning?
picture via DC Comics as well as marvel Entertainment
The story of the guy of Steel pitted once again the web slinger was most likely the most difficult part of the entire process. Both Lee as well as Infantino had huge characters as well as wished to make sure their superhero was getting as equal treatment as the other: Superman’s name had to find before Spider-Man’s name in the title. If Superman got one hit in, Spider-Man likewise had to get a hit in. DC likewise desired more than half of the revenues since Superman “had higher distribution.” Also, the characters are philosophically different: DC’s characters are “clean, well-mannered boy scouts,” as well as Marvel’s heroes are “flawed as well as more human.” Superman’s power level is likewise far superior to Spider-Man’s. Obst stated he keeps in mind somebody saying, “Are you f*cking kidding me?! If Superman ever hit Spider-Man, he’d knock him past Jupiter.” Both Superman as well as Spider-Man are heroes, not villains, as well as neither DC nor marvel desired their character to find across as “bad” either.
Even the division of labor got complicated, with marvel providing the penciler as well as the colorist, as well as DC providing the writer, inker, as well as letterer. Carmine selected Gerry Conway to compose the story, a former marvel worker whom the publisher had poached earlier. “Carmine was a competitive guy, as well as he offered me the book since he
knew it would piss off Marvel. He wished to put a finger in their eye,” Conway recalled. Conway selected Ross Andru, the longtime penciler on The remarkable Spider-Man, which was likewise a middle finger to marvel since Andru would have to take time away from working on Spider-Man stories to total the DC/Marvel partnership instead.
picture via screengrab (Slugfest on The Roku Channel)
Conway’s story ended up being a story of Superman as well as Spider-Man versus DC’s Lex Luthor as well as Marvel’s physician Octopus. There is a fight between the two superheroes though, thanks to a misunderstanding. Both get some great hits in, however in the end, the fight ends in a draw, with both heroes getting the exact same number of large, full-page images. Of course, Carmine had to get one last hit on Lee in, stating that even after Superman as well as Spider-Man shake hands, Spider-Man has to have his hand crushed from the shake. Lee, who didn’t seem to want to prolong the partnership, relented. The setting was likewise neutral, with the satisfying as well as fight taking location in a crossover world that was house to both Superman’s Metropolis as well as Spider-Man’s new York City as well as one in which they are conscious of each other’s existence however have never met.
And Then, DC as well as marvel Lived happily ever After?
picture via screengrab (Slugfest on The Roku Channel)
Superman vs. The remarkable Spider-Man was promoted as “the battle of the century,” as well as released the very first week of January 1976. It was larger-sized than the common comic book as well as expense a whopping $2 (this was eight times the cost of a routine marvel comic book!). The opening page held two messages from Stan Lee as well as Carmine Infantino, which talked about the historic nature of the publication. The book ended up selling half a million copies as well as while it didn’t make rather as much money as really hoped for, it did show these two powerhouse comic publishers that they might work together as well as it lessened the hostilities between the two a bit. as well as that’s the history of Superman vs Spider-Man!
You can watch the entire Slugfest series on The Roku Channel. The specific episode on “Superman vs. Spiderman” can be watched here.
Who do you believe would win a Superman vs Spider-Man battle? Did the history of Superman vs Spider-Man make you have a higher appreciation for DC as well as marvel in addition to these two ageless superheroes? let us understand in the comments below!
Featured picture via DC Comics as well as marvel Entertainment