Spy vs. Spy is a silent comic strip created by Antonio Prohias and published in Mad Magazine from 1961 to this day. In the strip, two spies known only as White and Black, are constantly in a battle of deception to steal the other side’s secret plans while at the same time setting up intricate traps to kill each other. Just when it seems that one of them will be falling into a lethal death trap the other one lay out, the trap is ingeniously backfired by the first, and the other spy is comically killed while the first spy escapes with a mischievous smile and doing the v sign with both hands. In a few occasions, a third, female spy known as Lady in Grey is involved, and always ends up besting both Black and White, mostly due to them being helplessly in love with her.
Prohias, whose name appears in every strip in Morse code, and who fled from Cuba just before Castro took over the free press, considered himself a spy of sorts, and drew the cartoon as a satire of the Cold War and a criticism of its pointlessness. By 1990, health complications impeded his work on the strip, and other editors of MAD took over the task. Prohias passed away on February 24, 1998. Spy vs. Spy is possibly the longest running feature in MAD magazine, and the hilarious battles of wit between Black and White are still ongoing in the pages of the satirical magazine.
4. Pepsi vs. Coke
The two biggest cola brands in the world, Coca-Cola and Pepsi, have almost always been in direct competition, as they have both risen to global fame and have come to be hugely popular in all corners of the world. The immense popularity of both carbonated beverages has led to many a battle for the preference of the public in what has come to be known as the Cola Wars. What began as a struggle to strive in the American soft drink market, within a century became a global battle for cola domination in almost every nation of the world. During most part of the 20th century, both beverages rose to fame almost shoulder to shoulder, with no apparent winner.
But the ‘conflict’ escalated when Pepsi unveiled its “Pepsi Challenge”, where people were given a taste test of two unlabeled cola cans, and most of them turned out to prefer the can containing Pepsi. As a response, Coca Cola concocted a new formula for their beverage and released it as the “New Coke”. This new Coke was quite unpopular among the public, and Coca Cola quickly returned to its old formula, calling it “Coca Cola Classic”. After this, both companies have undertaken fierce advertising campaigns aimed mostly at a teenage audience, trying to one-up their rival in the global cola market through catchy slogans, different flavors and spin-offs, and celebrity spokespersons. Although Coca Cola dominates the market overall, Pepsi still possesses several bastions of popularity around the world, and is hot on the heels of its rival of this 100-year+ conflict.
3. Star Wars vs. Star Trek
If you want the ultimate conflict within the almighty geek populace, spanning several decades of shaping and reshaping pop culture as we know it, and bringing war to space and cyberspace alike, yet with no apparent winner to be found, then you need to look no further than the “Star Wars vs. Star Trek” debate. Each of these powerful franchises have defined the genre of Science Fiction across the media industry through TV shows, major feature films, spin-off books, video games, conventions, and toys. As a result, seemingly endless battalions of die-hard fans of each franchise have taken it to themselves to defend their obsessions by lashing out against their sci-fi counterparts at conventions and internet chat rooms.
Although both franchises have several similarities which roughly unite them within the Science Fiction genre, such as laying out an entire galaxy teeming with alien species ready to battle each other in outer space with cool spaceships and other futuristic technologies, they can also be considered completely different and opposing when it comes to thematic undertones and philosophies, among many other things that fans are able to rant incessantly about. No matter how many words are posted in message boards about the subject, no matter how many fanfiction crossover stories may be written; this battle for the supremacy of sci-fi may never see a true resolution.
2. Microsoft vs. Apple
The impact of the advent of computers onto the modern world is undeniable. And on the forefront of this revolution were two particular businesses which started small, but dreamt big, and became the most important computer corporations in the world. By the early 80′s, Apple Computer, founded by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, was already enjoying success from its innovative series of “Apple” computers, while Microsoft, founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, was just releasing its first operating system (or OS). But after getting a contract with IBM, Microsoft released its DOS series of operating systems and experienced a rise in the industry as it began to dominate the market through DOS and several software products aimed for businesses. Apple acknowledged the presence of Microsoft, and in 1984 launched a major advertising campaign for its new Macintosh computer. The success of the Macintosh was limited, and Microsoft on the other hand kept on the rise with its several forays into the computing market, and especially its new Windows series. By 1993 Microsoft already dominated the market while the Apple industry started to struggle. During the 90′s Apple was on such a slump that it had to cut deals with both IBM and Microsoft to release joint products in an attempt to recover. Microsoft and its Windows OS series became synonymous with Personal Computers, while Apple became the less popular alternative.
By the turn of the new millennium Apple experienced a revival of its brand through the introduction of the iMac and other products sharing a new, fresh, streamlined style of computers. But it wasn’t until the release of the iPod that Apple was back again on top of the world. The huge success of the iPod popularized the new Apple style, and the iMac computers would rise in popularity as a result. Nowadays, Apple’s ‘fresh’ and ‘young’ style has come to directly antagonize the more ‘traditional’ style of Microsoft, as depicted by the ‘Mac vs. PC’ series of ads. Although Microsoft still dominates the PC industry, Apple has an undeniable influence over modern electronics through the iPod and its more recent iPhone, which have once again made Apple a worthy contender against the Microsoft empire.
1. Cats vs. Dogs
Although they are not predator and prey, dogs and cats could nevertheless be considered the most famous “natural enemies” on the planet. Since the dawn of civilization, both canines and felines have held a place of privilege within the cities and homes of mankind; and as such, they have inevitably come to face each other in an ultimate battle for man’s fondness.
This rivalry becomes more intense when we consider that they have seemingly opposing traits (even if this is true mostly as a stereotype): one is sly and cunning, while the other is brawny and brash; one acts like a loner who demands man’s attentions, and the other glows with friendliness towards its master. Whatever your predilection, dogs and cats will continue to resent each other as long as there are human homes to contest and back alleys to claim.
