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Post by The Cheat on Sept 2, 2015 15:37:27 GMT -5
Superman for me. I could never take Batman seriously. We're told he's just a normal guy, then nearly every issue has him doing impossible things that not even a 'peak human' could do (you try grabbing a rope while falling from a roof and carrying someone, see if your arm stays in it's socket). With Superman, the suspension of belief was paraded loud and clear up front.
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Post by wildfire2099 on Sept 2, 2015 15:52:53 GMT -5
I'm pretty sure I own more Superman comics than Batman comics... there's probably a reason for that  Seriously, while I like the rogues and supporting characters of Batman more, Superman is just SPECIAL. I don't think I could explain it without sounding silly... if you don't get it, you probably voted for Batman |
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Sept 2, 2015 18:47:13 GMT -5
Gotta go with Superman, just because I prefer the ideals he represents. I like my superheroes super and heroic. I'm still not 100% sure where I'll land on this one, myself, but there's a good chance I'll go with Superman and that this will be the gist of my rationale as well. |
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Post by dupersuper on Sept 2, 2015 19:39:57 GMT -5
My vote shall surprise no one...
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Post by Icctrombone on Sept 2, 2015 21:10:37 GMT -5
Superman by a wide margin. Batman has had his moments but he just comes off like a really damaged person.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 2, 2015 21:12:54 GMT -5
Batman. Love his supporting cast. Love his villains. Love the Batcave, the Batmobile, all his "wonderful toys".
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Post by hondobrode on Sept 2, 2015 22:35:31 GMT -5
These two characters are the epitome of the Light and Darkness; Superman the light, representing The Right Thing and Batman representing The End Justifies the Means.
Superman is sci-fi
Batman is crime noir
Weighing the two, I can't say which I like more, but, Superman gets my vote for a few reasons that are stronger for him than Batman.
1. Superman is unique. He's the Greatest Superhero of all time and the template for countless characters, however, when another character tries, no one else holds up to the same idea.
Clark grew up in Kansas with good morals and an honesty of character wanting to do the best he can for people.
I too grew up with similar values in Iowa, not that differently from Superboy's Smallville.
Despite extreme circumstances, Superman does the right thing and sets the best example of what we should all strive to be.
2. Supporting cast
While I like both, I feel closer to Superman's cast : Lois, Jimmy, Cat Grant, Ma and Pa Kent, Perry, Supergirl, Superboy, Professor Hamilton, Lex, Bizarro, Brainiac, Jor-El, Lara, plus, the inspiration for the Legion.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 3, 2015 1:36:19 GMT -5
I much prefer Batman. But I can see the Golden Age appeal of Superman. It's just something that I don't think fits as well with what DC is doing these days (by "these days" I mean my entire life). I think Superman might be better suited today as a period piece like a Dynamite pulp. Perpetually taking place circa 1940. Same with movies. Want to make a hit Superman movie? Set it in a Road To Perdition backdrop.
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Post by Paste Pot Paul on Sept 3, 2015 3:10:00 GMT -5
I havent liked Batman since the late 80s or so(in comics that is, quite like the movies) as he is just so danged perfect...master of ALL Kung Fu, master gymnast, master detective, master of every dang thing.
The talk of him being an everyman you could aspire to may have held true through to the 60s or 70s, heck maybe even up to the 90s, but then Bane happened and all hope of ever being like Batman was lost forever. At least he WAS fallible, look at those great Adams issues from the 70s, he got beat up quite often, even goons could overpower him. Now though, he has a plan...for every conceivable thing.
I wanted to be Captain America anyway...
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Post by batlaw on Sept 3, 2015 3:58:27 GMT -5
Batman. Has always been one of my favorite characters and my #1 favorite since I was probably 10-12'ish? Superman was always a close second and at times as a kid I struggled with who was favorite... Batman, superman, capt. America or capt. Marvel? Since then my favorites list came to include punisher and daredevil as well.
Batman just ultimately resonates with me the most and he's remained the most consistently cool and interesting and versatile. Sadly, superman isn't IMO. And hes currently unrecognizable and unreadable to me. But he'll always be my #2.
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Confessor
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Post by Confessor on Sept 3, 2015 6:58:59 GMT -5
I voted "Superman".
I like both characters and, along with Jonah Hex, they're really the only DC characters I'm interested in (I'm much more of a Marvel guy). I think if you'd have asked me in the late '80s or early '90s, I'd have said Batman, but Supes was my favourite of the two as a kid and has been my favourite out of the two since my mid-20s.
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Sept 3, 2015 8:02:02 GMT -5
Okay, here goes....
I love Batman for the wrong reasons. I was never particularly attracted to the dark knight aspect; that whole grim and gritty thing that's been with us since Frank Miller, and I honestly can't sit through an episode of the supremely light-hearted West/Ward TV show without pulling my hair out as an adult either. Yes, I really like the Bruce Timm animated series (and especially Mask of the Phantasm), but none of those things are what make me love Batman. For me (as many of you already know), it was always about Robin. My father wasn't really present in my life as a kid. My parents remained married until I was 9, but my dad left for work before I woke up and got home only shortly before bedtime, exhausted and not looking to interact on most nights, so the bond between Batman and Robin was everything to me, whether I was watching them on Super Friends, coloring in their licensed coloring books, or playing with their Super Powers action figures. That isn't who Batman is anymore, and he hasn't been that way for forty years now, so while the rest of America loves Batman more than ever, I love him less. Still awesome, but not as awesome as he was.
But Superman -- ever since the 1940s, he's stood for the best in all of us. The very idea that he has so many powers that it's nearly impossible to list them all, yet used them with such restraint and so sparingly, usually more eager to use words to fight instead of fists...I don't know. As a kid, I didn't learn much about God from my parents, so whenever I did think of him/her, I think I was pretty much thinking of Superman -- impossibly powerful, but kind, gentle, and wanting us to live to the highest of ideals.
Add to that growing up on the Christopher Reeves Superman films, getting into comics during the Jurgens/Ordway "Triangle Era", and getting interested in girls, relationships, and my future just as Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman was hitting the air, and I guess his ideal has always been there for me to follow.
That's the thing about both Superman and Batman. They are bigger than comics or licensed merchandise. They have transitioned into American mythology,but whereas Superman's myth about living up to one's ideals still continues today, Batman's myth about being the ultimate father (responsible, driven, all-knowing, compassionate and fun) has been completely altered to become a much simpler revenge tragedy of sorts.
So I'm going with Superman, but if Batman could still be light-hearted and fun loving today (even while having a darkness at his core), it might still be a toss-up for me.
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Post by foxley on Sept 3, 2015 8:05:37 GMT -5
Superman, by a lot. His stories have always been about making adult decisions and doing the right thing. Batman (especially lately) is about holding onto your childhood tramau. Honestly, I see Batman's current greater-than-Superman popularity as a symptom of first world coddled baby "My Pain is SO IMPORTANT" syndrome. (And, conversely, since Superman acts like a grown-up they think that they can't possibly relate to him.) I've never seen Doctor Phil, but for some reason I blame Doctor Phil. A grown-up? Superman?? The character spent the entire Silver Age using his godlike powers and abilities to play puerile practical jokes on the people who were supposed to be his best friends! |
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Post by DE Sinclair on Sept 3, 2015 9:08:51 GMT -5
Superman, by a lot. His stories have always been about making adult decisions and doing the right thing. Batman (especially lately) is about holding onto your childhood tramau. Honestly, I see Batman's current greater-than-Superman popularity as a symptom of first world coddled baby "My Pain is SO IMPORTANT" syndrome. (And, conversely, since Superman acts like a grown-up they think that they can't possibly relate to him.) I've never seen Doctor Phil, but for some reason I blame Doctor Phil. A grown-up? Superman?? The character spent the entire Silver Age using his godlike powers and abilities to play puerile practical jokes on the people who were supposed to be his best friends! Many of those "puerile practical jokes" were extremely cruel as well. |
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Post by DE Sinclair on Sept 3, 2015 9:11:48 GMT -5
I like both Superman & Batman for many of the reasons listed in this thread. I also dislike them both for many of the reasons people have cited. As a result it's probably a coin-flip between the two of them.
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