I recently finished Reed Tucker’s Slugfest: Inside the Epic, 50-year Battle between Marvel and DC (affiliate link). While it should prove a worthwhile
read for many, it didn’t cover enough new ground to be a valuable resource to
me.
Tucker’s book covers the rise of DC
and Marvel and the ensuing rivalry between the two companies. It starts with
the rise of DC Comics through its flagship titles featuring Superman and
Batman, and then covers the emergence and rise of Marvel as a powerhouse in the
1960s. It features anecdotes about the stories each company published, how each
company viewed the other, and the ensuing tit-for-tat as each company tried to
best the other. The first half of the book primarily covers the rivalry as it
relates directly to comic books, but the second half covers the transition into
film and television.
For me, the book is at its best
when it’s covering the business of comics. I found the discussions about sales
figures and finances interesting, the quirky personnel stories intriguing, and
the cross-over negotiations fascinating. While a few potential legal disputes
were discussed, the book was light on legal topics—primarily because the two companies
have never sued each other. However, the book covers a lot of near-miss
disputes that I found interesting.
The book is written in an
easy-to-read, journalistic style. Tucker zips along covering highlights of
interactions between the two companies, and provides an excellent overview of
the history between the two companies. Some of his attempts at humor felt
forced and didn’t connect with me. Even so, it shouldn’t detract from most
people’s enjoyment of the book.
However, if you’ve followed comic book industry
magazines or blogs for a while, then most of this will be old news to you. Many
of the stories told in Slugfest were
also recently covered in Sean Howe’s Marvel Comics: The Untold Story (affiliate link), which is a longer, more detailed
book giving a detailed look at Marvel Comics.
Overall, the
book is a worthwhile read. It’s just better suited to people new to the comic
book world, or those who don’t know much about the companies behind the books.
