Chapter 60: The Current State of Comics

Marvel is currently enjoying a comfortable existence. Although no successful comic-based films have emerged yet, their comic books far outshine DC’s. If it weren’t for DC's powerful backing, Marvel would have easily dominated. Stan Lee’s imagination is evidently more expansive, and the Avengers are a much more coherent team than the Justice League.

Most importantly, the Marvel Universe is already taking shape, while DC is still tinkering with parallel universes. DC’s cosmology is chaotic; the Avengers’ intellectual property can be expanded indefinitely, whereas the Justice League faces considerable difficulty. There are issues with the portrayal of villains, too. Marvel’s antagonists are truly distinctive—Hydra, Magneto, Thanos, and Loki all come with rich backstories and well-developed personalities.

By contrast, DC’s villains are rather weak, relying on tropes reminiscent of Ultraman: a few blows and the big boss is dispatched, necessitating constant clashes between Superman and Batman. Internal strife within the Justice League? It’s not impossible, but where is the thrill for the audience? It’s hard to fathom. Marvel clearly borrowed from DC—though not blatantly, it’s undeniable that the Avengers followed in the wake of the Justice League.

Acquiring Marvel? William White can’t afford it—Marvel is the industry leader. Although it’s not the golden age of comics, buying Marvel is out of the question. Comic adaptations may not rival DC in film, but their books utterly surpass DC. Acquiring DC is also difficult; unless Warner Brothers are willing to sell, it’s simply impossible.

William White’s comic ambitions don’t target America. Ever since Fredric Wertham’s harmful comic theory took hold, the American comic market has been in decline. This old man became the arch-enemy of comic fans worldwide, condemning nearly every comic in existence. It’s baffling—what drove him to target comics so relentlessly?

This controversy hit DC hardest. Wonder Woman was ludicrously categorized as part of a certain orientation, while Batman and Robin were seen as overly passionate. In short, if you judge through prejudiced eyes, nothing is reasonable.

Batman and Robin don’t seem problematic—how did they get interpreted as a couple? That’s quite a stretch. Wonder Woman has a boyfriend—so how is she classified as anything else? One must admit the experts’ influence was devastating: the turmoil of 1954 sent seventy percent of comic companies straight to oblivion.

Of course, in that era, anything outside conventional norms was considered heretical and needed to be eradicated. Children read the comics, but parents controlled the purse strings. Faced with such accusations, comic companies’ retaliation was feeble—parents’ choices were painfully obvious.

The golden age of comics ended, and it’s difficult to judge whether that was good or bad. Without this upheaval, many comic characters might never have existed. The downside is clear: countless comic companies vanished, including some with excellent works, lost forever to history.

Comics now require strict censorship; though not as extreme as in the fifties, the restrictions still hamper growth. The hotter a comic gets, the stricter the scrutiny. Creating comics isn’t just about pleasing readers—they must also be lofty and virtuous, with anything deemed morally questionable barred from sale.

The American CCA wields enormous power—a product of various compromises. In the era of harmful comic theory, baseless charges were everywhere. Without veterans like Stan Lee, American comics would have been utterly doomed.

William White has a detailed plan for comics, ensuring he won’t be subject to CCA control. In a world ruled entirely by capital, he doesn’t trust the integrity of certain forces. If you flop, no one cares; but if your comic explodes in popularity, all sorts of interests will swarm to tear you apart.

Right now, William White doesn’t even have the qualifications to spar with these giants. Without offering something in exchange, DC’s comic tragedy is still fresh. Don’t be fooled by America’s constant antitrust talk—it’s all just a pretext.

Why is no one concerned about Microsoft’s monopoly? Just look at Bill Gates’ shareholding ratio. As long as you behave, they’re not interested in your company; but you must surrender profits, or face a forced breakup.

This is the rule regardless of who you are—Qualcomm, Google, Facebook, Microsoft—do any founders hold controlling stakes? Not one. Not even foreign enterprises are exempt—Toshiba nearly went bankrupt from penalties, Alstom was directly split up, with several executives arrested.

Even Chinese companies face the same fate. If you don’t cooperate, you’ll be targeted. Otherwise, do you really think their hegemony is just empty talk?

William White’s ultimate goal is to acquire Marvel and DC, but this is impossible in the short term. Marvel is thriving—it’s not an easy target. DC’s valuation is low, and William White could buy it, but its backing is formidable, and film adaptation rights would be fraught with complications.

Superman and Batman are untouchable—they’re cash cows, especially Superman, whose intellectual property has nearly been run into the ground. Hollywood’s shortsightedness is clear: as long as an IP is profitable, studios will keep rehashing it. If it doesn’t flop, they’ll continue exploiting it.

Without Superman and Batman, the Justice League is like Marvel without Iron Man and Captain America. In the short term, it’s no big deal; the Justice League isn’t moving to the big screen anytime soon. But in the long run, it’s a huge issue—unless you plan to abandon the Justice League’s future altogether.

As for Marvel, it’s imperative not to wait until it self-destructs before acquiring it. Spider-Man gone, the Fantastic Four gone, X-Men gone—a sumptuous feast fractured by their own mismanagement.

What? You say Spider-Man has returned? Well, that’s good news, but isn’t it rather abrupt? Suddenly one character reappears, then another. Foreshadowing isn’t unacceptable, but without proper arrangement, it’s unsatisfactory.

The Avengers should wrap up with the fourth film. The last installment left audiences speechless—so many characters appeared without coherent explanations. If you’re unfamiliar with the comics, it’s hard to tell who’s who.

Some suggest merging Marvel and DC, but William White disagrees. The overlap between their characters is substantial; occasional Easter eggs are fine, but combining them outright is inadvisable.

DC’s cosmology is a mess—far less clear than Marvel’s. If the opportunity arises to acquire both companies, William White would definitely design a complete comic universe.

For now, it’s too early to entertain such thoughts. Marvel hasn’t embarked on its self-destructive journey yet. It’s baffling—when the company was sold, it was worth less than a hundred million dollars.

How could a company with thousands of comic characters be sold off like junk? The buyer turned out to be a fool, dismantling Marvel into fragments. If you told me he was a DC plant, I wouldn’t be surprised—he’s the epitome of self-sabotage without limits.