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mapleavenue77

Name: Mark Stewart

Bio: I returned to collecting comics in August 2009. I had been a reader and collector up until 1995, but it was the chance purchase of the comics edition of "Philosophy Today" that returned me to our magnificent medium. Now I collect Silver and Bronze Age: Fantastic Four, Silver Surfer, Thor, Avengers, Batman, Detective Comics and Action Comics, along with Modern Age: Wolverine, X-Men, Action Comics, and DC crossover titles like '52'. I try to stay current with the happenings of both the DC and Marvel universes and I'm not ashamed to admit that I'll sometimes read TPBs from the local library.   I've also recently started a blog on comics. The address is listed below.Jack Kirby remains my favourite artist and I'll buy anything of his I can get my hands on.  www.whatevergodstherebe.blogspot.com

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Reviews
mapleavenue77's Recent Comments
April 24, 2012 10:28 am I went back to my copies of the early original Darkhawk run (1-15) this past summer. It was quite fun and I really enjoyed reading them again. I won't need to buy this trade, but it I'm glad to see it's finally out. I agree that he was an underappreciated and underrated character then -- as I do now. Cheers.
December 6, 2011 12:42 pm Sounds like a proxy battle between Disney and NewsCorp!
September 8, 2011 3:14 pm I hope someone 'egged' his house! But seriously, this is a great lettercol find. I'm always looking for good letters and sometimes even blog about them. They truly are windows into a different time.
February 17, 2011 1:06 pm Good work.

And thank you for not using the "Requiem for a Dream" soundtrack.
January 17, 2011 4:17 pm But -- HOLD!!! There be none in Asgard or Midgard whose marketing knowledge doth surpass that of MARVEL! Nay, even Odin himself hath not thought of such wisdom so as to take back the greatest name in lore -- JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY!  

August 19, 2010 1:19 pm   I’ve only recently returned to reading and collecting comics from a nearly 20 year hiatus. In the late 80s and early 90s my “superhero” continuum was Marvel’s. Basically, I followed the universe that best marketed to my angst-ridden interests. Wolverine and the X-Men were my favourites, but I also liked Spidey, Hulk, DD and Alpha Flight.  Batman and the occasional Superman were my only DC exceptions, and that’s probably due to the Batman movies and the hype around the “Death of Superman”.

When I started reading and collecting last year it was, again, mostly Marvel. Not X-Men so much as Marvel Cosmic going back to the Silver Age.  However, when I chanced upon an inexpensive bin copy of Countdown to Infinite Crisis, I bought it and really, really enjoyed what I read. This took me the wider DC universe and I've since enjoyed (to varying degrees) back issues of Action Comics, Batman, Green Lantern and cross-overs like Infinite Crisis, 52, Villains United, New Frontier, etc. I’m still a little behind with the larger DC meta-narrative (Identity Crisis and 52 would have been impossible without the DC wiki) but so far, so good.

So, all in all, I have to say that both companies are very good and have lots to offer the fan of sequential art. Some people above have mentioned how DC is prone to god-like characters while Marvel is better at producing flawed heroes. To an extent, I agree with this assessment and I’ve always appreciated the angst of a Marvel character like Silver Surfer or Wolverine. However, it is also sometimes just FUN to watch too immortals (Black Adam v. Superman) kick the proverbial crap out of each other!

Being primarily a Silver and Bronze Age collector, I'm still more inclined to go with Marvel. Superman, Batman or World’s Finest in the 60s can’t hold a candle to FF, Thor or the Avengers. But now-a-days I'll continue to pick up TPBs, GNs and back issues from both Universes and will always believe that healthy competition between the two companies only makes our medium more interesting.