Cleveland Cavaliers Vs. The Golden State Warriors: A Comics History

This year’s NBA Finals features the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors. The Cavs and the Warriors are similar in a lot of ways: they both rely heavily on 3-point shots, have rookie coaches, are built around a MVP caliber player, and haven’t won a championship in many years (or in Cleveland’s case, ever.) But, both teams also share another, albeit, geekier similarity: they both are based in cities with deep links to comics.

Instead of running through the different basketball reasons why the Cavs or the Warriors will win the Larry O’Brien trophy, let’s try to determine whether Cleveland or Golden State would win based on their comics connections.

The Case for Cleveland

Comics Industry History
The origin story of comic’s greatest hero starts in Cleveland, OH. Superman, the first modern superhero, was created in Cleveland, OH by schoolmates Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Original drafts of the first Superman stories were set in Cleveland. After they sold Superman to DC, Siegel and Shuster changed mentions of Cleveland in their stories to the fictional city of Metropolis, but Action Comics #2 still states that Clark Kent was an employee of a Cleveland newspaper.

But Siegel and Shuster weren’t the only great comics creators to reside in Cleveland. The city was also the birthplace to modern superhero writers Brian Bendis, Brian Azzarello, and Marc Andreyko. Underground comix legends Harvey Pekar and Robert Crumb also lived in Cleveland for a time and modern comix artist Derf Backderf is still a resident of the area. Bill Watterson, creator of the groundbreaking and beloved comics strip Calvin and Hobbes, also hangs his hat in the Cleveland area.

Comic Book Crossovers

As for Cleveland’s role in fictional comic stories….well, the city hasn’t housed many comics, superheroes or otherwise. Howard the Duck lived in Cleveland during his first comic series, but he’s about the only superhero character to step foot in the city. Torso, an early crime comic written and drawn by Brian Bendis, is also set in Cleveland and recounts the city’s grizzly string of Torso Murders.

Hollywood Appeal

Cleveland’s has hosted the production of several popular superhero movies, including the Avengers and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Cleveland was also a secondary filming site for Spider-Man 3, but that might hurt the city’s case instead of help it.

The Case for San Francisco

Comics Industry History

Golden State plays in Oakland, CA, part of the San Francisco Bay metropolitan area.San Francisco has its own deep ties to the comic industry. Comics’ underground movement began in San Francisco in the late 1960s when Robert Crumb moved to San Francisco and published the influential Zap Comix anthology while living there. Another famed comic creator from San Francisco is Raina Telgemeier, whose graphic novels regularly top the New York Times Bestsellers’ list.

Several important comic related businesses are also based in San Francisco. The San Francisco Comic Book Company, the first true comic book store in the United States, opened its doors in 1967. Last Gasp, a comics publisher that published many important underground comix, and Viz Media, which publishes the English translations of popular manga like Dragon Ball and Naruto, are also based in the Bay Area. The Cartoon Art Museum is also located in the city and regularly features exhibits featuring comics artwork.

Comic Book Crossover

San Francisco really gains an edge on Cleveland, however, with the number of superheroes it’s housed over the years. The X-Men, Teen Titans, and Zatana all operated out of San Francisco at some point in time in their careers. The city is also the current home of Daredevil, who moved to San Francisco after losing his law license in New York. Both Marvel and DC have also utilized Alcatraz as a prison for super powered criminals several times.

Hollywood Appeal

Looking at comic book movies, the X-Men and Magneto fought a climactic final battle in San Francisco during X-Men: The Last Stand, although the scenes weren’t actually filmed in the city. The city was also the site of principal photography for Marvel’s upcoming Ant-Man film.

The Verdict

Cleveland has the edge on comics history, creators and impact on movies, while the Bay Area wins the comic continuity battle and the publishers who make their home there. However, I’m picking Cleveland, mainly because it’s the birthplace of Superman. Cavs in 6. And no, this wasn’t at influenced by the fact that I’m a diehard Cleveland sports fan.