Yeah I agree with that. I think Spiderman is the exception to the rule.
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I think the iconography matters. I you went to most places around the world with the S shield, Bat symbol, or Spider-Man logo on your chest and point to it and ask “what is this?” I think more people will know the iconography of Superman or Batman over Spider-Man.
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True, but if was just Spider-Man’s face, I think he would be just as recognized.
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I think he’d be decently recognized in that scenario but I’m not convinced Superman and Batman wouldn’t have greater recognition by close to if not over 10% or more.
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Okay, I’m off to Europe to find out. I’ll be back!
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Have fun, be safe, be sure to pack a spare mask or two.
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I love both dc and marvel, I’ve never really had to choose one over the other. However , I got my first 4 comics in 92”, shadow of the bat #1-4, and since then, Whenever I want a more serious, movie type vibe/story I go DC 10/10 times.
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I’ve never really committed to one or the other. I love some things about each, and each does things now and then that drive me up the wall. Every time I’m enjoying a series from one, something happens to chase me away.
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Well at first I was conflicted because despite being a major Titans fan I was actually really into The Authority, Stormwatch and WildC.A.T.S.
It wasn’t until I found out that Image comics sold certain comics to DC and created The Wildstorm branch, that I completely sold my soul to DC.
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Good job, Jim Lee!
“Do you think we can take ‘em? I think we can take ‘em.” “You always think we can take ‘em.”
Technically always—technically never.
My relationship w/ DC has never been “exclusive”, per se. There was a period where Vertigo was the center of my comic book cosmos, tho; but I always have and probably always will read indy comics (FantaGraphics, Slave Labor, etc). Some of my all-time favorites have some from Image, too, and a tiny piece of 
will always belong to the X-Men…but DC has been there every step of the way.
I guess what I’m saying is, we have…an opennn… marriage…?? 
Yeah. Let’s go w/ that! 
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I am one who likes characters from both Universes. This is also a sort of blind post, where I have yet to read the entire thread. Other than comics, and eliminating all the movies, that leaves what one could find on television, usually of the animated variety, but not to exclude “the live action”.
Now while I do like both, I seem to lean toward DC. Of Marvel, I was always drawn to Spider-Man and Hulk. I first walked into a comic book shop in high school, mid 80s. Before that, other than whatever random book i happened on, there was what I was watching on television: the Superfriends, Spider-Man '66, Batman '66, The Incredible Hulk.
My superhero appetite(s) were mostly sated with what I could get on television. With total disregard to when, on the Marvel side, Ultimate Spider-Man was pretty good. I like both Avengers, Assemble! & Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Secret Warriors has some promise. And DC was not lacking: the entire TimmVerse from BTAS to Beyond, Justice League: Action is quite simply delicious. AND! I am going to throw in Static Shock because it filled a need when I decided to watch it.
I could get into the animated films, and i have found plenty from both. I get that for some, for whatever reason, they are one or the other only, rabidly and steadfast. Sometimes the better discussions come from the diehard talking about their other.
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I do read a bit from other publishers outside of DC like Image/Top Cow, Dynamite, Alterna Comics, Marvel, and many others. However, when I find my way back to a DC book, as many others have mentioned - especially @jgj-usmc - DC has a way of feeling like home. I grew up watching Super Friends and playing with my Kenner’s Super Powers DC action figures. By the time I was actually introduced to Fantastic Four and Spider-Man via a few VHS’ of late 60s and early 70s cartoons it was already too late for me. (I do think it was cool to see FF fight Magneto in those old cartoons) Then X-Men came on TV. I was all in on X-Men but would always prefer Superman or Batman cartoons if I had to choose. To this day, I am still not a big Spidey fan or Marvel fan in general. I have my favorites like FF, X-Men, and Daredevil.
I am into the history of things and while Marvel has a deep history, DC blows it out of the water. Oddly, one of the things I love about Top Cow books like Witchblade or The Darkness is the limited history and is the feeling that I can read most of the books.
Back to my preference of DC, the art work has a vibe that I cannot find elsewhere. There is definitely a Marvel and DC way to drawing and I prefer the DC style. There is something about a nicely drawn Perez Wonder Woman. I often find a sense of hope in many DC stories as well. While Marvel is more based in reality by using NYC as the focal point, more times than not I find DC stories to fit better in my personal narrative or reality. No, I don’t mean that I believe there is a guy in a blue suit flying around but I am able to associate myself more with the supporting cast. As others have mentioned, the DC roster is deep and that doesn’t stop at heroes. Think of characters like Jimmy Olsen or Iris West or Alfred. These are all people I have found to be relatable. As @DeSade-acolyte has mentioned the world building, I have to agree 100%.
Oof, didn’t mean to type as much as I did. I just hope it makes sense to others.
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Poly amorous relationships for the win!!! 
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J M Dematteis had over 15 different words I didn’t know in this Captain America VS The Red Skull collection of issues that I picked up and borrowed from my library. I am 14 btw. JM is an English teacher and he went to Louisville Galaxy Con last NOV but wasn’t around him
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I just feel more challenged/invested in DC and Vertigo books. DC also has a lot of hidden gems beyond Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman in terms of superheroes. Oh, and they have some of the most iconic/coolest supervillains around. I also like the fact that each hero is assigned their own city to protect.
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I think it was in the early 90s.
I mean, I had always watched a balance of both on TV when I was a Kid. Batman 66 was on every day after school Super Friends and the New Adventures of Batman were on Saturday Mornings. Somewhere around all that there was the Incredible Hulk, the classic Spiderman Cartoon and rerun 60s marvel comics cartoons.
In the 80’s I really shifted away from Superheroes for the most part. I mean, I finished off Super Friends but at the same time I was getting into Dukes of Hazard, Knight Rider, The A-Team, Voyagers, etc etc… I still read comics but they were mostly based off of the movies and TV shows I watched as a kid. (a lot of them happened to be done by Marvel.
In the Late 80s when I became a Trekkie, Well, Star Trek was being published by DC and then Jason Todd was killed and the 89 Batman movie was coming out. A year later, and I was moving to Long Island that had a comic shop called Flashpoint. The flash was premiering on TV and DC was redoing The Who’s Who series in a loose-leaf format. Then Superman revealed his id…No wait, that’s wrong…Clark Kent revealed his dual identity as Superman to Lois Lane! That pretty much all kept me firmly in DC’s camp. I still enjoyed a few Marvel side books here and there. (But they were few and far between)
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Comics can be a great way to build vocabulary. I found both the Kirby/Lee Thor run and Kiby’s 4th works to do this well, as the are such spectacle.
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I’ve noticed myself moving further away from DC. Their current series (outside of Batman Beyond and basketful of heads) have been average at best. Batman has been picking up, but justice league has fallen off, detective took a dive after 1000 nightwing is garbage. I love DC and it’s characters but currently marvel is dominating New Comics.