Read comics for very long and you're bound to be asked that age-old question - are you a Marvel person or a DC person? I don't particularly care for that binary mentality (especially because the Marvel vs. DC debate ignores the existence of the countless other publishers in the game), but I can't deny that I've always gravitated toward Marvel's heroes first and foremost. It was the X-Men (both in comic book and animated form) who sparked my original transition from casual superhero fan to full-fledged comic book geek in the early '90s. And when I returned to the fold after a long absence, books like Ultimate Spider-Man and New X-Men were as responsible as anything for reigniting my love of comics. Even as I've gained a love and appreciation of the many non-superhero comics the medium has to offer, Marvel has always been a crucial part of this hobby.

Art by Phil Jimenez

That's why it's so strange to come to terms with the fact that my interest in Marvel's comic book output is at a 15-year low these days. There are still current Marvel books I enjoy (All-New Wolverine and Vision being the two standouts), but my overall enthusiasm for the company and its general direction is sorely lacking in 2016. It's hard not to look back on the past 12 months and feel that Marvel peaked with Secret Wars. And on the flip side, I currently find myself more excited for the future of DC than I have in years. One company is losing me even as the other one is hooking me all over again. The balance of power is shifting.With Marvel, there's a sense of diminishing returns when it comes to the company's perpetual cycle of big relaunches followed by major event crossovers followed by big relaunches. Recent monthly sales reports seem to bear this out, with many current Marvel titles selling lower and dropping faster than their 2015 equivalents. There are a number of trends to be gleaned from these sales figures, but speaking solely from my own perspective as a reader, I don't feel enthused about the state of the All-New, All-Different Marvel Universe in the same way I did the original Marvel NOW in 2012 or the Heroic Age-era Marvel in 2010 or the post-Avengers Disassembled Marvel in 2005. The fact that this year's post-Civil War II relaunch is simply recycling the "Marvel NOW" name does nothing to decrease the "been there, done that" sensation.Relaunch apathy aside, Marvel has a larger problem when it comes to the state of its major franchises. Of the four main pillars of the Marvel Universe (Spider-Man, Avengers, X-Men and Fantastic Four), only the first is in a particularly strong place right now. Both the Avengers and X-Men books seem to be undergoing similar post-Secret Wars identity crises, while the Fantastic Four franchise, for all intents and purposes, doesn't exist anymore. The clear sense of purpose and editorial direction that in years past propelled Marvel's heroes from Civil War to Secret Invasion to Dark Reign is no longer apparent. That's to say nothing of Marvel ongoing talent problem. They have yet to really recover from the loss of so many key creators over the past couple years (Matt Fraction, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Jonathan Hickman, Rick Remender and now Kieron Gillen). I honestly wonder how Marvel would cope if Jason Aaron or Brian Michael Bendis decided to follow their peers and focus entirely on creator-owned projects.Even as Marvel grapples with these persistent problems, DC is currently on the upswing. Granted, DC really had nowhere to go but up with the way so many of their core franchises have stalled in the past year. But I certainly didn't expect to be so immediately and completely taken with the new Rebirth status quo. DC Universe Rebirth #1 wasn't just a great swan song for Geoff Johns, it was a love letter to everything the DC Universe was and is still capable of being. That one issue seems to have reinvigorated the DCU in a way last year's DC You relaunch failed to do. I've read every DC Rebirth title published to date, and there hasn't been one stinker in the bunch. And it's not just the big guns like Superman and Batman that are capturing my attention. I point to Green Arrow as the first major success story of DC Rebirth. Before DC Rebirth, Green Arrow wasn't a comic I gave much thought to. Now it ranks as one of DC's best. That's despite the fact that the new Green Arrow series has the same writer as the old one. Right off the bat, Rebirth is bringing out the best in DC's creators in a way that the old status quo wasn't.You can point to many mistakes made during the course of the New 52, but I think Rebirth is proving that the most fundamental of them was the the elimination of so much vital history and so many defining character relationships. Barry Allen is a better character now that he has Wally West back in his life. Oliver Queen and Dinah Lance are stronger together than they were apart. With DC Universe Rebirth #1, Geoff Johns took a long, hard look at what the New 52 lacked, acknowledged those shortcomings with frank honesty and set the wheels in motion to restore the DCU to what it once was. That crucial sense of history and legacy is back. It's fitting that DC Universe Rebirth #1 culminated with Barry reaching into the Speed Force and rescuing his long-lost friend. It's an apt metaphor for the way Johns and the other DC Rebirth writers have extended a welcoming hand to alienated and disenfranchised readers.Obviously, we're still less than a month into DC Rebirth, and there's no guarantee the current track record will hold as more books debut and creators get deeper into their new stories. But even after a few short weeks I'm optimistic about the future of DC in a way I haven't been in a long time. I just wish I could feel the same level of enthusiasm for Marvel's comic book lineup right now. I wish I felt the same way about Marvel's comic book universe right now that I do the Marvel Cinematic Universe.However, the takeaway from DC Rebirth is that positive change can happen, and it can happen quickly. Maybe there are lessons to be gleaned from DC Rebirth's success. Just as DC took a long, critical look at itself and set about restoring what was lost, so too should Marvel reevaluate its current direction. I know I'm not the only Marvel lover who misses that old spark.

"Between the Panels" is a bi-weekly column from Jesse Schedeen that focuses on the world of comics. You can see more of his thoughts on comics and pop culture by following @jschedeen on Twitter , or Kicksplode on MyIGN