DC and Marvel Comics

Marvel Comics

Martin Goodman founded the company later known as Marvel Comics under the name Timely Publications in 1939. The first publication Marvel comics #1 was a great success, with it and a second printing the following month, it sold nearly 900,000 copies. The he companies first true editer Joe Simon teamed up with Jack Kirby to create the first patriotically themed superheroes Captin America. This proved to be a hit, with sales of nearly 1 million copies. Goodman hired his wife's cousin Stanly Lieber as a general office assistant in 1939 when Simon left the company Goodman made Lieber-now writing pseudonymously as Stan Lee-interim editer. Lee is a key figure in the company writing many famous comics such as, Daredevil, Fantastic Four, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Thor and X-Men. Marvel over the years has created over 200 superheroes and has 42 films based on Marvel    Comics.

DC 

DC was founded in 1934/35. The founder was Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson. His National Allied Publications debuted with The Big Comic magazine #1 in February 1935. The companies second title New Comics #1 evolved into the title Adventure Comics, which continued through issue #503 in 1983 becoming one of the longest running comic book series. The third title Detective Comics was a sensation with the introduction of Batman in issue #27, but by then Wheeler Nicholson was dead. In 1938 Detective Comics launched a fourth title  Action Comics, the premier of which introduced Superman. There have been 115 DC superheroes and from 1951-2013 29 DC based films.

Differences between DC and Marvel

The main difference between DC and marvel comics is that Marvel characters are likely to come from relatively ordinary backgrounds than DC characters. Also DC is more fantasy based that Marvel as places such as Gotham are not real whereas in Marvel's comics lots of things are based in New York. Another difference is that Marvel on average makes more money for films than DC. Marvel has generated 47% more in the domestic box office than DC. Lastly Marvel comics have more mainstream superheroes who have been given their own film, however DC often depend on Superman and Batman.