The Marvel Comics vs. DC Comics rivalry is almost as old as the comic medium itself. But now that we’ve entered the era of blockbuster superhero movies making billions of dollars in the networked world of 21st century social media, there is quite a lot at stake in the social strategies of these ostensible comic book companies’ movie studios. So who’s winning the social media battle between Marvel and DC? Well, I could be magnanimous and say that each side has its strengths and weaknesses and other even-handed things like that, but it wouldn’t be the truth. Marvel is winning. Because it’s the one having the most fun.
It is important to know that, when it comes to comic book and superhero movies, the PR efforts of movie studios are as much about reassuring fans that they understand and will protect the characters as much as it is about promoting films. Comic book readers can be fickle (and I would know, I am one), and it can break a fan’s heart, and more importantly create a lot of bad buzz, when they see a studio ‘missing the point’ of the characters that they know and love. So, what is Marvel doing right?…
