First - Disclaimer: As a lot of folks know I buy/read waaaay too many comics. My weekly pull list is...embarrassing. So I enjoy things from both companies.

You know, that's been Marvel's big PR push for years and I think it works in that a lot of folks believe it but I don't think it's as cut and dried as that.

Marvel has Spidey who is flawed - seeks to espouse responsibility and often screws it up somehow...and, of course, there's Hank Pym...you can maybe toss in Namor (does general crankiness due to superiority complex count as flawed? Someone ask Pax )...and not so much as you think in other ways.

Yes, the X-Men "angst" but, really, most of their angst is more soap-opera than flawed ("I'm Scott Summers - I am angsting because I'm the respected leader of my people and have an ongoing love triangle between my gorgeous yet witchy redhead sometimes dead wife - who also loves Wolverine because it creates pathos - and the dropdead beautiful blonde ice queen who's turning over a better leaf because of my examples....how terrible is my life?").

The Fantastic Four? Okay, they squabble like a family...and not much else in the flaw section beyond standard people.

Captain America? Next.

Thor? Next.

They don't really have any more flawed characters than DC - who has been doing it for more than just the last few years as seen back in the 70's with the heavy work done on Green Arrow and GL. Green Arrow is a loud-mouthed womanizer who constanty screws up the best things in his life because he can't keep his opinions quiet or his arrow in its' quiver. Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) is basically Tom Cruise from "Top Gun" (or most of his other movies from that era) - cocky and flashy to the point it alienates others. Hawkman has the "angst" of the eternal resurrection love-loss cycle (as long as we're counting X-Men angst I figure his counts) plus he's hot-headed and violent and imperious. Speaking of imperious, you have Aquaman who had his son killed decades ago (RL) which led to a rocky - and eventually "over until recently" - marriage and his split loyalties.

Basically, for each "flawed character" in one company you can come up with examples in the other company. Heck, some are easy...

Daredevil? He's blind...but Dr Mid-Nite had that going on long before to Matt.

Vision? See Red Tornado or Cyborg (who, admittedly, is more recent but also works as analogy of the Thing and he is also used to discuss parapalegics/handicaps more than I see in Marvel).

Honestly, I believe it's a myth that one company or another has a monopoly on "flawed and realistic" -or- "overpowered and unrelatable"...because they both do it pretty darn equally and have been so for decades now.

Being 40. Happy Birthday, Thawmus!

According to the Monkey word translator, I think that Stan was trying to say:

"I don't particularly care for Morrison's inane portrayal of man's inhumanity to man. I'd rather type all of Shakespeare's complete works by typing on this here typewriter with the rest of my monkey crew for eternity. And could I please have a cup of Earl Grey tea with jam and poo-flinging on the side, please?"

Ugh, looks like I'll be picking up an issue of Green Arrow now.

Another book I found to be a waste of time. Have you guys checked out the IDW Transformers stuff? It was a nerdgasm on paper. The continuing storyline was great and then somehow they made the leap to "All Hail Megatron" which I think I missed. That story has been good as well. Very character driven as well as nostalgic. The spotlights are fun, too. Not all of them are amazing, but they're fun reads. The Kup one is phenominal. It's got to be my #1 favorite single issue story in a long long time.

How do you go from Transmet to Preacher?

Preacher has real human characters.

Transmet stars a cartoon.

Religion and politics. Two of Stan's favorite things.

I think the "flawed and real" argument is a sweeping generalization that you could easily find exceptions to. Heck, even my relatively recent exposure to DC has shown me that. I was a Marvel only person for something like 17 years.

*scratches butt*

Dude, I loved Winick's run on GA. Check it out.

I say again, UGH!

How does playing D&D help at a collections firm?

First, I'm a bit shocked that you know what Stan's alley looks like, and what are you doing with Stan's back? I think he needs it.

Alcoholic Tony Stark?

Not!

Reminds me of a recent line from "Superhero Squad" when Tony and Falcon first encounter Nebula...

Iron Man: Hi. This is Falcon. He lives with a bird. I'm Iron Man - rich, single and a lot of fun at parties.

Three things I am not.

The real broad generalization for why characters like Superman, Wonder Woman, and the rest of the Magnificent Seven (Minus Batman) don't get the... respect?... that Marvel gets is, I believe, because their villains suck. Superhero comics books are defined by there villains, and aside from Luthor - who is a character who is technically always the underdog - they have no impressive rogue's gallery.

Obviously, this is in the past, DC has upped it in the past decade... but yeah, weak antagonists.