The Russo Bros. Are Developing a Docu-Series About the Rivalry Between MARVEL and DC
Marvel movie directors Anthony and Joe Russo are developing a new docu-series for the upcoming streaming service Quibi called Slugfest. It will focus on the decades-long rivalry between Marvel and DC.
The series is based on Reed Tucker’s book, Slugfest: Inside the Epic, 50-Year Battle between Marvel and DC. The story chronicles “the growth of comic books as a new American art form, following the rise of the two companies that went on to become comics-publishing and Hollywood powerhouses.”
According to Variety, “producers promise that Slugfest will bring to light little-known stories from the history of both Marvel and DC, including interviews with creators of the best-known superhero characters in the world. Among the show’s retrospective dives will be the history behind the bone-crushing handshake between Superman and Spider-man in the first official Marvel-DC crossover comic in the ’70s.”
For a little more insight on the series, here’s a description from the book:
THEY ARE THE TWO TITANS OF THE COMIC BOOK INDUSTRY--the Coke and Pepsi of superheroes--and for more than 50 years, Marvel and DC have been locked in an epic battle for spandex supremacy. At stake is not just sales, but cultural relevancy and the hearts of millions of fans.
To many partisans, Marvel is now on top. But for much of the early 20th century, it was DC that was the undisputed leader, having launched the American superhero genre with the 1938 publication of Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel's Superman strip. DC's titles sold millions of copies every year, and its iconic characters were familiar to nearly everyone in America. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman--DC had them all.
And then in 1961, an upstart company came out of nowhere to smack mighty DC in the chops. With the publication of Fantastic Four #1, Marvel changed the way superheroes stories were done. Writer-editor Stan Lee, artists Jack Kirby, and the talented Marvel bullpen subsequently unleashed a string of dazzling new creations, including the Avengers, Hulk, Spider-Man, the X-Men, and Iron Man.
Marvel's rise forever split fandom into two opposing tribes. Suddenly the most telling question you could ask a superhero lover became "Marvel or DC?"
Slugfest, the first book to chronicle the history of this epic rivalry into a single, in-depth narrative, is the story of the greatest corporate rivalry never told. Complete with interviews with the major names in the industry, Slugfest reveals the arsenal of schemes the two companies have employed in their attempts to outmaneuver the competition, whether it be stealing ideas, poaching employees, planting spies, or launching price wars. The feud has never completely disappeared, and it simmers on a low boil to this day. With DC and Marvel characters becoming global icons worth billions, if anything, the stakes are higher now than ever before.
Slugfest will be directed by Don Argott and Sheena M. Joyce, directors of the award-winning documentaries Believer and Framing John DeLorean. This is certainly an interesting series that I’d be interested in watching at some point. It’s sure to be filled with all kinds of fascinating and interesting stories!