Even beyond its physical architecture, New York City provided a perfect setting for superheroic exploits. As a financial center, its concentration of wealth could act as a powerful magnet for bigger-than-life criminals. As a global city, it was ripe for international intrigue. And as a fashion mecca and a famously tolerant place, it established a social environment in which saviors of humankind dressed in flamboyant homemade costumes could go about their business.

I’ll agree that skyscrapers - - and rows and rows and rows of them - - are requisite for a super hero. Spider-Man wouldn’t really work in LA given that there’s really no concentrated downtown here for him to swing around in. The Flash could actually work well in LA, given how his super-speed would make for some fast (and exciting) navigation of the sprawl. Imagine Barry Allen having to book it from Malibu to Burbank to save Iris’ life and running into traffic on the 101 along the way - - now that would create some conflict.

Given that some of these characters have been around for seventy years, it’s easy to lose sight of the context of their creation and how the lives of their creators shaped their design. I recommend any serious fan check out the non-fiction book THE TEN-CENT PLAGUE, which details the origins of the industry and its struggle with censorship in the 50s. Among other points the book stresses is that the creators of all these characters were largely young New Yorkers who were the children of recent immigrants. Obviously, when they write a story about these fantastic characters that they’ve created, they’re going to set it in their own neighborhood.
 

-- Tom Pinchuk is the writer of UNIMAGINABLE for Arcana Comics and HYBRID BASTARDS! for Archaia Comics.   Watch out for the HYBRID BASTARDS! hardcover collection this March - - available for pre-order now on Amazon.com.

'Cause you americans are egomaniacs.

" @Azareus: "Cause you americans are egomaniacs."  ...and way cooler "

Any one else see the irony in the responses to Azareus? 
Does that proof hime right or was it intentional on the part of the responders? 
:P

It is funny that you don't see Spider-man in a Batman comic since Gotham city is in new york

And the crowd goes...

U! S! A!

U! S! A!

"And the crowd goes...

U! S! A!

U! S! A!

"

U! S! A!

U! S! A!

" @Tom Pinchuk: 
And the crowd goes...

U! S! A!

U! S! A!

  cuz it's the only thing they can spell!!! lol j/k "

" Any one else see the irony in the responses to Azareus? Does that proof hime right or was it intentional on the part of the responders? :P "

I'm suprised that all of the Marvel heroes don't run into each other at the same time, almost all of them are in NY.

 I can't remember who made the quote,but it said Metropolis was New York during the day and Gotham was New York at night. Tom don't feel bad about the Chicago/Gotham thing, I thought the same until I found out Jim Gordon transfered to Gotham from Chicago. 

This why I find it interesting that the hub of the Marvel Universe is in New York, but right now the event "seven years in the making" is in Oklahoma.

Ahem, Chicago is more Gotham then New York will ever be.

" It is funny that you don't see Spider-man in a Batman comic since Gotham city is in new york "

Deadpool used to be in San Fran.. but now all the super marvel pretentious self important bastards are going to New York.

The Travel Channel once did a documentary called 
"Marvel Superheroes guide to New York City"  It was really cool.
They went site seeing around New York and pointed out spots from Marvel Comics history like Peter's neighborhood, or Dr. Strange's apartment, the two bridges used for Gwen's death (since it was drawn as one and Stan called it the other), the newspaper used as a probable basis for the Daily Bugle, and the most likely building the Avenger's mansion was based on, as well as Hell's Kitchen, and so on.
I keep looking for the DVD, but they haven't made it for DVD yet.

Spidey in Brussels. 
 
That's like Fries with mayonaise. 
 
Or am I wrong ?

Most of the marvel ones where as simple as back in the day, the Marvel staff lived and worked in NY.
so thats what they we're looking out there window at and drawing. anyone reading Marvel, especially since Civil War knows that isnt the current state of affairs however and the characters are spread out over the US, and world even (just ask the X-Men).

Stan Lee put almost everybody in New York because he was from New York and living in there at the time, so it was really easy for him to plot out where everyone was. 
A lot of cool stuff from Marvel came from Stan's laziness. Alliterative names. Mutants. The Marvel Method.

Yeah...i always wonder about that.

Gotham reminds me of a bigger Providence, RI

@Bruce Vain 
 
You Queen were an English band? Right? :P

Well when you think about it...Spidey wouldn't do well anywhere else. Without a highly concentrated amount of crime,superheroes would just be flamboyant guys in tights. Also,where else are you gonna be aloud to wreck half the down and not get punished for it?! ;P

@Gregomasta said:

"Ahem, Chicago is more Gotham then New York will ever be. "

you dont see no heroes running around chicago man....   
if batman was to visit  marvel he would never call gotham chicago

as a dude from NYC, all my favorite dudes is from new york and or work in new york the most.
Deadpool- Canada, Sanfran, NOW New York , and he never leaves :) 
Spiderman- Queens, but he runs downtown manhattan, and occasionaly youll see him uptown.  
MoonKnight- chicago( nobody wants to stay there), but hes in new york now  
Daredevil- runs Manhattan ( hells kitchen or chelsea they call it now )
Scarlet spider
Venom- born in san fran but moved to NY where he was raised 
Captian america- NY,NY 
Punisher- Queens
Darkhawk- Queens

Nighthrasher- NY,NY 
Human torch - Long Island
Invisible Women - Long Island 
Iron Man- long Island
This list would keep going too :)

" I always figured most of Marvel's heroes were in NY because when they were created by Stan and some other writers, they only knew of New York City and not really about other towns. It was just familiar territory for them. And now, so many years later, I guess it's too late to have them relocated, with a few exceptions here or there. But I always figured that it was always because the creators were only familiar with NYC.   When I think of it, it's rather ridiculous that so many heroes are concentrated in one city. But I tend to suspend my disbelief on that matter and roll with it.  This is one aspect I credit DC with by spreading the heroes around. They're all in different locations handling their own threats.  "

Spidey in NYC???? Heeeeellllllllllllll noooo!
 
He lives in Japan!!!!
 

lmao@NY Vs Chicago thing happening in this thread.

To all who argue whether it's NYC or the Windy Cit: Here's a statement on the origin of Gotham. It's from wikipedia so it for you to decide its credibility.
 
Writer Bill Finger commented on the naming of the city and reasoning for changing Batman's locale from Manhattan to a fictional city: "Originally I was going to call Gotham City 'Civic City'. Then I tried Capital City, then Coast City. Then I flipped through the phone book and spotted the name 'Gotham Jewelers' and said, 'That's it', Gotham City. We didn't call it New York because we didn't want anybody in any city to identify with it." 
 
So Manhattan was the inspiration after all. I myself would want it to be Chicago. It's more dramatic that way. Hope Batman was real and around during Capone's days. Let's just see if Scarface would have been as powerful as he was.

"Sigh....Never any stories set in Australian cities. "

 
 Let's see how much of that is on the money.
 
Stan Lee, Bob Kane, Bill Finger and other comic creators and super guys were situated or had their business connections in New York City at the time. Marvel and DC, and various of their predecessor incarnations and company names, were located in New York City. Stan and Marvel relocated to and opened production offices in LA, I remember not long after the time of The Incredible Hulk television show success. After success with Universal it was a relationship they kept pretty well. Also, The West Coast Avengers started for much of this reason to have a West Coast presence. If The Great Lakes Avengers had been taken for more than an occasional entry, they might have been routine, too.
 
Much of the idea of New York City being a location was a carry from the pulp fiction publication trade, and books and printing, the growth of radio and the success of pulp characters, including Doc Savage and The Shadow.
 
Wonder Woman, from William Marston, was situated in the very real world of Washington, DC.
 
Dick Tracy, from Chester Gould, was situated in a definitely alternate Chicago.
 
Many comic characters were based in alternate versions of actual cities.
 
Gardner Fox would have Hawkman, his Thanagarian policeman, patrol in Midway City and St. Roch, Louisiana.
 
Central City, that greatest and grandest staple of comic cities, and Keystone City were the locations for Flash, also from Gardner Fox, and numerous other comic characters, including The Spirit, from Will Eisner. Central City would eventually become the St. Louis to the Kansas City of Keystone City. Central City, again, would be the name of the original location for The Fantastic Four and Mr. Fantastic / Reed Richards until that was changed to New York City, helping to initiate the great Marvel trend.
 
To separate Metropolis from Gotham City in the DC Universe, it was often suggested that Metropolis stood in for Chicago and Gotham City represented Boston.
 
As well, Captain Marvel, the SHAZAM version from Bill Parker, was based in Fawcett City.
  
Even other comic locations such as Smallville, Bigville, Midville, Kandor, Kryptonopolis, Champion City and Riverdale, and all the map, nonwithstanding, could be said to be drawn from actual locations.
 
There are no substitutes.
 
"Tolerance is the eternal virtue through which good conquers evil and truth vanquishes untruth." ~ J. Edgar Hoover
 
"New York City... nice town." ~ Allen Dulles

Gotham is what new york was called back in the day.