Summary
Marvel or DC: Who is superior? Twin brothers Jon and Joe debate the answer through film reviews and mathematical fight simulations. New episode every Tuesday. Subscribe on your favorite podcast app!
A Tomatometer-approved publication.
About the Show
DC or Marvel?
This question has been one of the greatest debates among fans for over 75 years, when characters such as Superman and Captain America first debuted in comics. It has gone largely unsettled since then, but twin brothers seek to end that once and for all through their podcast: Dynamic Duel.
Duel Episodes
In the show, Jonathan (Johnny DC) and Joseph (Marvelous Joe) discuss a matchup between two comparable characters from each fictional universe. The winner is determined through a probabilistic model known the Monte Carlo simulation. The simulation randomizes each character's statistics along a normal distribution and compares the numbers to simulate 1000 duels. In the end, a percentage of wins for each character is calculated, and the one with the most victories is declared the champion.
Review Episodes
Besides their duel episodes, the brothers review recent (and not-so-recent) films and binge-able television series based on Marvel and DC comics. They break down how the big-and-small-screen adaptations compare to the source material, as well as give their thoughts on the plot. Jon and Joe rate the film or show on a five-star scale.
About the Hosts
Jonathan and Joseph Garcia were born and raised in Denver, home of one of the nation's largest comic book retailers: Mile High Comics. Their mother was as a librarian when they were children and once brought them home a book titled Marvel: Five Fabulous Decades of the World's Greatest Comics.
Through the book, they became immersed in the world of Marvel superheroes and developed an appreciation for the characters and stories. At age 12, Jonathan discovered DC Comics through a neighbor, and decided to forego Marvel and read up on the world of Superman and Batman – due in part to Jonathan's effort to differentiate himself from his twin brother.
A sibling rivalry was established then that goes on to this day, where the brothers would often pass the time together by debating the outcomes of battles between the fictional comic book characters. With the emergence of DC Films in 2016, the twins knew that DC was starting a shared film universe that could rival Marvel's already impressive movie lineup.
On their 30th birthday, the twins decided they would start a podcast based on the conversations they were already having on a consistent basis, where they would debate the outcomes of Marvel vs. DC matchups and discuss the latest comic book movie news.
Fact Sheet
- Launch Date: January 2016
- Country of Origin: United States
- Spoken Language: English
- Intended Audience: Adults
- Number of Downloads: 15k+ monthly
Mentions in the Media
- Discover Pods Podcast Spotlight: Dynamic Duel: DC vs Marvel
- Ten of the Best Nerdtastic Denver Podcasts
- Top 35 Superhero Movies & TV Shows Podcasts You Must Follow in 2021
- Gain: How Jon and Joe launched and promote Dynamic Duel
- Debate The Superiority Between Marvel & DC
- 10 Best DC Comics Podcasts to Listen to After Wonder Woman 1984
- Superhero Podcast Review: Dynamic Duel
- The Best Podcasts For Sci-Fi And Fantasy Lovers
- New Theory Identifies A Possible Opening For The X-Men To Join The MCU
Tips On Starting Your Own Podcast
We never consulted any outside resources in the production of the show, and had to learn a lot of lessons the hard way as we went along. Hopefully these tips help others who are thinking of creating their own show or are just starting out. (Of course, not all of these lessons will apply to every podcast.)
- Just because you enjoy discussing a subject, doesn't mean you're ready to start a podcast.
Starting out with the harshest truth. But this is what we used to believe. Ever since we were children, we could have discussions for hours on end about our topic, and we thought that meant we were 90% there. The truth is, although most conversational podcasts appear to be a candid chat amongst friends, a "normal conversation" plays out and feels much differently than a "podcast conversation" as you're recording. You slowly develop a sort of on-air personality that better suits the needs of your audience. - Edit, edit, edit.
This is what we wish we did more of in the beginning. Our show's early stuff was full packed full of stutters, "ums", "ahs", and "likes". If you don't have strong public speaking skills, your show is potentially going to have this problem as well. The conversationalist podcasts you listen to that don't have a lot of speech disfluency are either created by exceptional speakers, or they're heavily edited. Our show is the latter, and we've learned enough editing skills to ensure the episodes move along at a nice clip. Uncut, our recordings are about 2 hours long. Tightened up, they end around the 40-minute to 1-hour mark. - Podcast with a purpose.
This is more of a personal preference, but make sure your show actually has a purpose. People have come to us asking to listen to their show, and nothing will make us turn it off faster than "a show about nothing, just two friends discussing whatever they want!" Find a niche, a theme, a subject. Teach us something, or be unlike anything else out there. Not that there's anything wrong with recording your friendly conversations for posterity, but these shows have a much harder time finding an interested audience, and holding our attention. - It's a huge time investment.
This will vary among shows, but one of the most common reasons we've seen podcasts fail is because of the amount of time required to put into a quality production. It certainly took more time than we initially thought it would. We were surprised to learn that the actual recording of the show is the quickest part of the process. Between planning, outlining, researching, writing, recording, editing, uploading, promoting and engaging, it all quickly becomes a second job. Except you aren't getting paid (or paid little). We estimate we spend 15-20 hours a week each on our podcast. Make sure your schedule and family can accommodate that. - YouTube sucks to post to, but it's worth it.
We think it's common knowledge that YouTube commenters are the worst. We've literally gotten comments like "You guys talk too much" on our episodes. But posting your show to YouTube is a great way to promote your podcast, and if your show's length isn't too long, it's also a great way to get it transcribed for FREE. Download the transcription file, post the text to your site, and reap the SEO benefits. That brings us to the next point. - Get a website.
For the longest time, we didn't think a website was necessary. When directing people to listen to the show, we'd just say, "Go wherever you listen to your podcasts." But not only can a website direct your listeners to their app of choice, it provides them with a visual feel of your show that can help with the listening experience. A site also helps your audience learn more about you and opens your show up to potential PR, advertising and other marketing opportunities you wouldn't have otherwise. - Audio cues/jingles/drops are helpful.
One of your greatest challenges as a podcaster will be to hold your listeners' attention throughout the course of your show's runtime. Dropping audio cues throughout your episode, such as short jingles between segments, is a great way to snap your audience's attention back to the show at hand, as well as organize your episode's content. You'll deliver a better received show and listeners will appreciate it. - Release episodes consistently.
Whatever your release schedule is, stick to it and be as consistent – to the minute – as possible. We've found that releasing an episode even an hour late makes a noticeable difference in our analytics for weeks due to a variety of factors. For example, perhaps a late upload means the East Coast commuters don't get their chance to listen to that week's episode, continue living their life, and forget about your show forever. Don't run that risk. Make sure you're there for your audience when they expect you to be. - Reach out to podcast streaming sites.
When it comes to marketing your podcast, literally try everything. Not everything sticks, but one of our most successful tactics is to regularly reach out to the dozens and dozens of podcast streaming sites to see if they would be up for featuring our podcast on their app/site. You won't always be successful, but sometimes all it takes is one yes on their behalf to see a significant and lasting boost in your numbers. - Soundproofing makes a big difference.
Our early episodes had that ever-present room tone in the background. But no more! You don't have to stick foam over your entire recording space, but definitely pad the wall behind you, as well as any side points on the wall where the sound ricochets from your mouth to your microphone and your co-host's microphone (you can find these points easily with a small mirror). Upgrading your equipment is usually the best way to improve your audio quality, but even seemingly small touches like a towel over a loud vent (don't burn your house down or anything, use common sense) will make a noticeable difference.
Hope this helps a few of you out there!
