I reached out to several writers and artists from DC Comics to get their take on Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Their reactions were mostly positive, at least from those who actually saw the movie. A surprising amount of artists are abstaining from it altogether.

Bill Messner-Loebs (Writer/Artist: on Wonder Woman, Flash, Justice League)

"All the mainstream reporters, even as they mention the huge box office opening, can't keep from saying how much the critics hated it. Every Science Fiction or Superhero movie gets the same treatment, until success and age scrubs away the stain of popularity."

Jerry Ordway (Writer/Artist: Adventures of Superman, Power of Shazam!, Justice Society of America)

"I really enjoyed the movie, with some reservations. I was not salivating to see Batman and Superman fight, but I feel like the filmmakers addressed the reasons for Bruce Wayne's hatred of Superman pretty well. Also, I understand that they are not making movies like this for my age bracket, but rather for younger people used to video game playing and graphics. But liked it, and went to see it a second time in an IMAX theater, where it looked and sounded even better."

Art Thibert (Artist: Adventures of Superman, The Flash, Trinity)

"Wonder Woman . . . WOW!"

Jon Bogdanove (Artist: Superman-The Man of Steel)

"Ben Affleck is a wonderful Batman. Best yet, I think. Gal Godot is fantastic as Wonder Woman! I can't wait to see her solo movie!"

Norm Breyfogle (Artist: Batman, Detective Comics)

"I saw BvS tonight. From the little I've read of others' reviews of the film, I'm happy to say that my expectations of disagreeing with most of those negative critics have come true. Although Man of Steel was rotten at its core in terms of Superman's relationships to his fathers, the negative depiction of Krypton, the mass deaths of Metropolis citizens because Superman failed to save them, and especially Jonathan Kent's extremely horrible character writing, I am happy to say that none of those problems existed in BvS, and because this was largely a Batman film, the dark tone suited his character in the storyline quite well. In fact, this was probably the most authentic Batman we've yet had in live action! Ben Affleck is my favorite Batman yet, and his relationship with Alfred, the designs of the Batcave and the Batmobile, were superior.

The fact that Batman sometimes killed people with guns bothered me a bit, but I have to admit that it suited the dark tone and vicious nature of the world as depicted in the film.

I thought Superman was handled very well, and his love affair with Lois Lane definitely softened and humanized his character. And, without the horribly misguided scenes with Jonathan Kent in MOS, there was really nothing to dislike about Superman in this movie; he seemed right in character to me.

Seeing Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman all facing off against Doomsday was a real treat… Especially for a big Batman fan like me, it was great to see him holding his own against these massively powerful beings.

This was many times better than MOS, and it may be my favorite superhero movie made yet to date. It grabbed me from the first scene on. Very moody and darkly enchanting.

So, commence the angry raving, spitting, hair pulling, and gnashing of teeth! LOL"

Denis Rodier (Artist: Action Comics, Detective Comics Rodierstudios.com)

"I adore the people I've worked with and my days working on the Superman series are the most cherished. I never stopped working in comics, but haven't drawn a superhero since leaving the book. Will I go see the movie? Probably not.

"It's just that I love the medium, not any specific genre. After so many years doing superheroes comics, one needs to move on, expand the horizons."

Jamal Yaseem Igle (Artist: Supergirl, Firestorm, Molly Danger)

"I've decided to pass on seeing Batman v Superman. There are many reasons for this, many of them really personal to me.

"The first being Zack Snyder, the director and the "architect' of the new slate of DC comics films. Like many comic book fans I became familiar with him with Frank Miller's 300. I saw a visual style that impressed me and waited with breathless anticipation for his adaptation of one of my favorite series, Watchmen. However, that anticipation went to hesitation as i sat in the theater and saw what I considered missteps in pacing and narrative. Then I saw his follow up to Watchmen, Sucker Punch, which was what I'd felt had just happened to my soul watching it.

"When it was announced he was going to be filming Man of Steel, I was hesitant again. Superman is one of my favorite characters. he was the character that got me interested in comics in the first place and as a former Superman artist as well, I have a connection to the character few can claim. I wanted to be open minded, but every piece of news coming from the production didn't make me feel better, it only exasperated my dread. Coincidentally, before the movie premiered I had run into Michael Shannon, (who played General Zod) at O'hare airport with his family. I didn't bother him, though because I know what it's like to be in civilian mode. I finally decided to see Man of Steel after it had been in the theaters for several weeks, dodging spoilers like Neo in The Matrix dodging bullets in slow mo. I wanted to go in with no preconceived notions, which admittedly was hard. The movie was dour, there was no sense of levity. It turned Clark Kent into a petty, petulant man child who needed to be goaded into action. Then once in action, the lack of concern for the citizens around him as he battled other Kryptonians was unsettling. By the time we got to the "incident", I'd been so disappointed with the entire affair I was just ready for it to be over. And then it happened. And it made me realize that Zach Snyder had no interest in Superman as a character. His character had the trappings, but his personality (if you could call it that) made it hard for you to empathize with him.

"Snyder lost my trust, as a movie fan. Outside of pretty visuals, his sense of storytelling is horrendous. His characters come off as hollow and self serving. The fact that he tries to justify characters like Superman and Batman being able to kill as "grounded" is an anathema to everything I know and understand as a comics fan. I have no problem with the aesthetic they're using for a film like Suicide Squad because it fits those characters, but for the flagships of the DC Universe, I don't think it works. It's not evolution, it's blatant mismanagement. I won't support that.

"More importantly, it makes it difficult for me to want to take my daughter to a DC Comics film. My most prominent memory as a 5 year old is my grandfather taking me to see Christopher Reeve in Superman and the fact that I can't take my eight year old to a Superman movie disappoints me on a level I have trouble reconciling. So, I have no plans on seeing it at any point, in fact. I may never see it, and I'm okay with that."

What did YOU think of the film? Let us know in the comments.