JAMES GUNN, SUPERMAN, AND THE STAGNATION OF THE VINTAGE DC MARKET

POSTER FOR GUNN’S SUPERMAN

The vintage DC comic market isn’t dead, but it feels like it’s stuck in neutral. Every few years DC reinvents its storytelling, and while that keeps things fresh for new audiences, it also weakens the thread that connects today’s stories to the classics that built these characters. For collectors, those connections matter. Vintage comics aren’t just old paper—they’re the foundation of a legacy that’s carried Superman, Batman, and the rest through decades. When that foundation is constantly reshaped, it’s harder for new fans to see why those early stories still matter.

There will always be a place for the wholesomeness of Golden Age Superman saving a runaway train or the goofy fun of Silver Age Batman fighting alien gorillas. That charm is timeless, and it’s why those books continue to be collected. But for the market to grow—not just hold steady—modern stories need to acknowledge those roots more directly. Without that link, the classics risk becoming artifacts rather than part of an ongoing, living story.

Maybe I’m the only person who feels this way about paying direct homage to those original stories. Then again, you’re here reading this, so maybe I’m not completely yelling into the void. Or maybe you just enjoy watching me do it. Either way, thanks for indulging me.

GUNN & CORWENSET ON SET

For context, here’s a quick recap of Superman based on my 11:30 drive-in viewing with a staticy radio cutting in and out: it’s the first film in the rebooted DC Universe, with David Corenswet giving a warm, grounded take on Superman, Rachel Brosnahan as a sharp, self-assured Lois Lane, and Nicholas Hoult as a cold, calculating Lex Luthor. The film skips the Krypton origin and throws audiences right into a world where heroes like Guy Gardner’s Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, Mister Terrific, and even Metamorpho already exist. There’s a kaiju battle in Metropolis, Krypto steals scenes, and the action has that mix of humor and spectacle James Gunn is known for. It was exciting to see these characters on screen, but I couldn’t help wishing the movie leaned a little harder into the spirit of the original stories rather than remixing them into something entirely new.

Reviews have praised Gunn for striking a balance between irreverence and seriousness, and Vanity Fair called it a film that “takes the right lessons” from Superman’s history. And to be fair, Gunn’s take is entertaining—it’s fun, heartfelt, and a welcome shift from the overly heavy Snyder era. But I still wish the movie’s nods to the past felt more like a bridge and less like a wink. Lightness isn’t the same as paying homage, and while Gunn’s version works on its own, it doesn’t always feel connected to the decades of stories that made Superman who he is.

The difference became clear to me because I’d seen Fantastic Four just thirty minutes before Superman. Marvel’s film built itself directly from the comics—visually, thematically, even in how the characters related to one another. Watching it, you could feel the DNA of the original stories in every frame. That’s the kind of storytelling that makes old books come alive again. DC, by comparison, seems to keep reinventing instead of building, and that’s what keeps the vintage side of things feeling disconnected.

James Gunn’s Superman is a fun movie and a solid start to the new DC Universe. It’s entertaining and full of moments fans will love, but I wish it had taken a route that paid more direct homage to the source material. That kind of connection doesn’t just strengthen the films—it strengthens the legacy of the comics themselves.

I know DC doesn’t have a financial stake in how vintage back issues sell—those books left their revenue stream decades ago—but creatively, I think they owe it to their own history to treat it like something to build on, not something to constantly rewrite.

If DC can find that balance, the vintage market has room to thrive again. Respect the source, reward the legacy, and tell new stories without erasing the old ones. Until that happens, the vintage DC market will remain steady, loved for its charm and nostalgia but never truly soaring again. The movie? Sure, it was fine. But when my grandkids ask where I stood during the summer blockbuster battle of 2025, I’ll tell them I was the guy yelling at the clouds about back issues while everyone else was buying popcorn.

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