The Superhero Marathon’s Best of 2009

I should have done this years ago – ah well better late than never. Here’s the first (and perhaps) annual Superhero marathon awards banquet. Unlike 2008, the year 2009 was not rife with superhero flicks. Soooo, that made my job pretty easy!

Best Live Action Film
Watchmen
While you can't swing a dead Comedian without hitting a fanboy who will cry foul, Zack Snyder created a faithful adaptation, which also took successful liberties (especially with the ending). A technical and thematic marvel, the directors cut improves the narrative. Highlighted by several top notched performances (Patrick Wilson, Jeffrey Dean Morgan)

Best Animated Film
Wonder Woman
Though it's to Warner's shame that it can’t get a live action film on the big screen, they at least managed to release a superb animated feature, the best direct to disc since "Batman: Mystery of the Bat Woman". While the Wolverine story in Hulk Vs. was a kick and Green Lantern a high-octane blast… WW told an overall tighter story and displayed superb character designs by director Lauren Montgomery. I liked the lean, crisp animation and there was solid voice work, most notably by the guys - Fillion, Molina and Oliver Platt. Wonder Woman was a funny, violent, romantic and robust adventure.

Best Original (Not based on a comic)
Push
The comic book actually came after the movie. While not perfect, this complicated 'X-Men meets Heroes meets Firestarter' tale always held my interest. I liked the washed out indie look of the picture - the performances and story drew me in and I enjoyed the labyrinthine twist and turns the film took on rout to its satisfying finish.

Best Made for TV Movie
Ben 10: Alien Swarm
I didn’t have many (any?) options on this category, but no matter as Ben 10s teen-geared adventure was all kinds of action packed fun.

Best Actor
Jackie Earle Haley, Rorschach "Watchmen"
Perfect casting, Haley nails this broken soul, who sees things in black and white and never compromises. The pulp detective narration spoken through raspy growl… that frantic snarl when he screams at cops to give him back his face --- the mix of anguish, resignation and loss as he demands that Manhattan do what he must at the end… all of it packed a wallop.

Best Actress
Dakota Fanning, Cassie "Push"
As a child actress Dakota was one of the most dependable these past few years. How would she do as she approached adult hood? We get a taste of that here - and she proves to be memorable. She gives a shaded performance as Cassie. A snarky teen who comes off tough, but also has her confidence rattled by an older watcher who's better than she is. The scene when the villain confronts her was especially effective.

Best Voice Acting
Nathan Fillion. Steve Trevor "Wonder Woman"
You could just hand this over to Kevin Conroy (Batman) or Mark Hamill (Joker) on any given year. But this time out I was won over by a new kid on the block - Nathan Fillion as Airman Steve Trevor was a hoot. That smooth, 'devil-may-care' delivery was spot on. He really brought this character to life more so than he's been in previous incarnations.

Best Fight
Hulk vs.
Wolverine segment (all of them). Ultra violent and well choreographed.

Best Original Score
Guy Michaelmore Hulk vs. Wolverine
Nothing stood out as spectacular. I tried to find something from the live action features, but I wound up going with this, primarily for the violin heavy sections. They kind of had a Phillip Glass vibe to them.

Best DVD discovery (Movies that didn’t get a wide US theatrical release)
Special
This film made its début at Sundance in 2006, and then toured festivals and comic cons across the globe. But it wasn't available to most of us until its 2009 DVD release. This frequently funny and often brutal and sad tale is buoyed by top-notch acting, especially Michael Rapaport as the nobody who suddenly becomes a somebody -a superhero (or so he believes)- after taking part in a test for a new drug.

Best Quotes (Original or adapted)
* "Granted, it's probably not as intimidating as having a gun, or bone-claws or the fingernails of a bag-lady... Manicure?" – Wade Wilson, Deadpool, talking about his sword in "Wolverine"

* "Now go, unleash hell" – Wonder Woman to little girl after showing her how to sword fight in animated "Wonder Woman"

* "None of you seem to understand. I'm not locked up in here with you. You're locked up in here with me!" - Rorschach to prisoners in "Watchmen"

* After Chris Bradley tells Creed in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" that he's not afraid of dying, Victor Creed responds, "How do you know? You've never tried it before."

The Movies That America Forgot

The Superhero marathon was quite an eye opener. I never realized how expansive the landscape was for these films, and making all of these new discoveries was half the fun. On the other hand, the bummer is all of the movies I haven’t been able to view and review. Either because they haven’t been released on DVD in the United States, or that there have never been English subtitles added to international releases. I find my want list expanding everyday. A few titles I’m searching for…

Night Falcon was a movie released in the Thailand in 2004, and is about a girl who blames the titular hero for the death of her boyfriend. She realizes her mistake, becomes Falcon Girl and teams up with Night Falcon and Falcon Woman to bring down the villain Iron Mask and his cohorts. Not much is known about NF, it seems to have had a decent budget but must not have left much of a mark at the box office. I’d love to see it, if I could get my hands on a subtitled copy.

Falcon is just one of many from around the globe that have eluded me. One Country that loves their superheroes as much as we in the States do, is the Philippines. Captain Barbell and Darna are 2 capes whose film series go back to the 1950s… so far I’ve only been able to find 1 subtitled film for each. There’s also the purple and gold attired Fantastic Man (2003), a young gal named Super B and a host of others that comprise a list that stretches to infinity and… well you know.

From Mexico there is the 1969 comedy The Barefoot Eagle, which is the directorial debut of Alfonso Arau (best known for his portrayal of El Guapo in “The Three Amigos”). Filmed mostly with a hand held camera - it features gangsters, masked wrestlers and a pogo stick inspector who fights crime during his time off. I'd also like to get a hold of the popular Kaliman: The Incredible Man, which everyone from Netflix to Blockbuster says they have, but they don’t. What they really have is Kaliman’s inferior second movie… In the Sinister World of Humanon. The 2nd movie was bad, but stupid enough to enjoy for a laugh. But it’s the first that is supposedly pretty decent.

I’ve had better luck with Italy, though I still can’t locate the sequel to “Kriminal”, and I’ve been frustrated in my efforts to track down a copy of The Three Fantastic Supermen in Tokyo (1967). This is the 2nd movie in the series, and while none of the other sequels I’ve seen have matched the original. I’d still like to see this one (I’ve found it, but not in English). I’m also very curious about a movie released in 1979, called Super Andy, which is about Superman’s ugly brother. I don’t know if it has any merit, but that line alone is enough to pique my interest.

And those titles only scratch the surface. I haven’t even talked Turkey! So the quest continues and I keep my eyes open for anything that’ll pop up with English language dubs or subs.

Come on Falcon Girl, we need you in America... TODAY!

DVD buys this week.

Franklyn
A blind buy, as I couldn’t find it for rent anywhere. This British release was listed at the “Superhero Lives” website, but it’s not a traditional crime fighter flick. It’s a unique and challenging motion picture and it could take another viewing before I completely understand it all. Even then some aspects of the story may forever escape me.

It’s about parallel worlds: One, contemporary London, which is filled with several sad, lost people (a father searching for his son, a tortured artist, a hopeless romantic who hungers for love). The other, an alternate world called Meanwhile City, where a masked detective (Ryan Phillippe) hunts a fanatic who he believes killed a young girl that was under his protection. In this world it is mandatory to choose a religion. Clerics act as cops and the detective (a bit Rorschach like) is an outlaw as its only atheist. (I dig how every one is greeted with a “Your God bless you”)

It’s a movie that makes you work, needs you to work with it and concentrate as these seemingly random stories gradually converge into one. It won’t be for conventional tastes but I loved it. It’s difficult to give away too much of the plot without spoiling it, but it touches upon fantasy and faith, what is or isn't real (I believe that's ultimately up for you to decide). Though I eventually figured out where the story was going, it was so fresh and original that I didn’t want to play the 'Ellery Queen' game, and simply sat back and let the film play out. On a second viewing I did more exploration, focusing in on the details and the way the various threads tied together.

Director/screenwriter Gerald McMorrow makes an ambitious feature debut. Though Franklyn doesn't have a huge budget, the film looks sharp. The costumes and sets are memorable. The score is piano based and wasn't wonderful, but neither did it detract. Though the characters aren't warm and cuddly, the acting was all above board, especially Bernard Hill as Esser. Eva Green (Casino Royale) also stars and plays 2 different roles.

I believe most reviews were cool to the film. Some found it too confusing; others couldn't get into the (mostly) unlikable characters. A few tore apart the logic -- but I tend to be a more visceral viewer. I like character study and interplay; the philosophical and emotional aspects of a film are what's most important to me. “Franklyn” fit my film-mindset like a glove. I’m not sure if it belongs in my Superhero Marathon, though there are comic book elements. Never the less, this is probably the best ‘true’ blind buy I ever made.

Also, though not comic book related, it's worth mentioning...

North By Northwest 50th Anniversary Edition
I wonder how many more times I’ll buy this movie? ;) This version promises a new restore on Vista Vision "elements" – don’t know what that means and haven’t read any reviews from more knowledgeable folk - The previous restoration was pretty, and this one is equally beautiful, but the colors aren’t as bright/garish so it’s probably closer to how it originally looked.

There are 2 NEW extras. Both have today’s directors (among them del Toro and Scorsese) discussion Hitches style. Though very well done, it appears they only had rights to a handful of film and they don’t use the best examples. For example, discussing Alfred’s use of color without using Vertigo and Marnie as examples, doesn’t give full account of his genius. They also don’t make parallels to German Expressionism (Hitch would have used rear screen and Mattes regardless of what technology offered, because it was part of those expressionistic touches).

The other new extra explores the film. Very good too - the menu is funny as it places Hitch’s head among those on Rushmore.

Classic movie, brilliantly directed, sharply scripted, photographed with a unforgettable Bernard Herrmann score.


Lastly, I bought the Watchmen Ultimate Cut. For my thoughts and comparisons on it and the Directors Cut, check out The Superhero Marathon

George Tuska and Iron Man memories

Another part of my childhood is gone. George Tuska, who drew Iron Man off and on for over 10 years, Passed away at age 93 on October 15th, 2009.

Iron Man was my favorite Marvel character and of all the great talents associated with the title, the first name that pops into my mind when I think “Iron Man”, is George Tuska. Sadly, as writer Gerry Conway stated in an extra on the Iron Man DVD, George was one of the unsung heroes, his art was perceived as too cartoony, in a time when fans wanted Neal Adam’s style realism in their comics. I can remember all too well how upsetting it was when someone would knock his pencils in the letter pages. Or that talk around the comic shop held him in low esteem. I couldn’t understand why folks failed to appreciate the masterpieces he delivered on every page he illustrated.

The man was a fantastic storyteller; the panel’s dynamic and exciting. He was great at facial expression and known for dramatic poses. Tuska drew a lot of memorable issues and characters, but I was always partial to his take on the scarred Controller who powered himself by enslaving others. At my tender age, seeing those zombie like folks, their eyes blank, each with a controlling disc adhering to their foreheads… well heck, it freaked me out every bit as much as any Creature Feature that played late on Friday night. The Controller himself -bursting through rubble to tangle with my hero- was an imposing figure and a serious threat. Born from Tuska’s deft hand, their battles became the stuff of legend.

There would be times during Iron Man’s first 100 plus issues where George would take a break from the series. And the comic suffered greatly for the loss. There were a few decent artists, but all of them paled in comparison. George was Iron Man in my mind, no one came close to rendering the armored crime fighter the way he did. No one told a story with as much verve. In the years that have passed, great artists have come and gone but Tuska’s version never became a lesser entity in my eyes. To this day he remains one of the quintessential pencilers on the comic.

George only drew a few more times after the landmark 100th issue. I’ve read that Bill Mantlo didn’t care for George’s style –and while I liked Bill’s work- he made a big mistake taking Tuska off the book. Fortunately, it wouldn’t be long before fans would be happily ushered into a new golden age for Tony Stark. As creators David Michelinie, John Romita Jr. and Bob Layton took the title to amazing heights. But I will always have nothing but admiration for the skills of the talented Tuska.

Lastly: As a fan I dismayed that he wasn’t given more respect and delighted when respect was given. In Frank Miller’s film “The Spirit”, one of the paramedics is named Tuska (George worked for Spirit creator Will Eisner) That was sweetness to my ears –Jack Kirby earns references (see TVs Heroes) but for George to receive a nod was unexpected and welcome. Respect will also be given in an online magazine - Fans can look forward to a final word from the artist as George gave an interview to Advanced Iron for the 75th issue (No news on a likely release date). Chris, one of the gentlemen who conducted the interview had this to say... "George Tuska was the epitome of a professional illustrator. He was not only a consummate draftsman but was also a gifted story-teller. He told stories in a style that would become easily recognizable and oft imitated. George Tuska was the Iron Man artist for the Silver-Age and much of the Bronze-Age. His decade long, seldom-interrupted run should be cited as an exemplar to modern artists of what it means to work in monthly serial illustration."


Rest in piece Mr. Tuska and thank you for every line you drew, you brought a lot of happiness into my life and as one of your character’s –Midas- would say, “You sir were without a doubt… one of the best.”

It's a bird, it's a plane it's... Supergirl?

It’s no secret that I like comic book movies more than the comics these days. For example: I'm a huge Iron Man fan, but it’s The Iron Man film that got me back into the character. Watching it was the first time I’ve truly loved Iron Man since the days of Len Kaminski. Oh and BTW: Good idea there Marvel, dumping Kaminski, turning Tony into a murder and later a teenager. Comics lost it for me at that point. They weren’t fun; they didn’t deliver awe and wonder anymore.

Movies, well the movies were a blast. Sure some comic geeks can nitpick these things to the ruinations of the film (your choice) and sure, allowing a hack like Tim Story anywhere near one of your A-List franchises wasn’t one of Fox studio’s brightest ideas. Never the less, I love these things. Yes, I even dug X-3 and loved Spider-Man 3. And Ang Lee’s Hulk is one of my all time favorites. While on the printed page, the too convoluted events - Joe Q and Bendis, all were enough to put me on Prozac for life – the Movies were where the fun was.

Then along came Supergirl of all things. Specifically along came Sterling Gates to the pages of Supergirl. I’ve always liked Super-G – liked her better than Superman. Liked that silly movie (a guilty pleasure) and liked her in the animated JLU. But in comics no one seemed to know how to handle her (add to that all the different & confusing versions). That changed from Sterling’s first issue. Gates cleaned up the convoluted mess that was Kara’s personality and made this a thrilling adventure. Not only that but there’s superb character development and that’s even more important than action IMHO. Despite some interference from those damned “events” the comic world is so fond of, Sterling has managed to keep Supergirl focused and exciting. And artist Jamal Igle draws a pretty and expressive SG and tells a clear story. I actually can’t wait for it to show up each month. It’s not Fraction’s X-Men or Green Lantern and the Blackest Night I look forward too, it’s the continuing adventures of Kara.

It’s taking me back to younger days, when each month offered wonderfulness… Clairmont/Byrne’s X-Men, Moore’s Swamp Thing, Miller’s Daredevil, Ostrander’s Spectre. Oh and Doug Moench’s “Master of Kung Fu”. Great stories and artist Paul Gulacy has never been better (especially when he inked himself). All the film imagery - When Shang Chi ally James Larner showed up, looking like Brando from “Last Tango in Paris” I was in Heaven (I’m a Gigantor sized Brando fan).

Supergirl has brought back that level of excitement, and has reminded me what it’s like to really enjoy a comic book again. I salute you Sterling and Jamal.



JLU Kara... just cause...

Japanese Superheroes in film: The early years

Japan’s first televised superhero was the “Moonlight Mask” (first aired Feb, 24th 1958), described as a cross between Batman and the Lone Ranger. He rode a bike, wears a turban, a pair of cool shades and reminds me a bit of Marvel Comic’s “Moon Knight”. The series was cancelled a little over a year later after the death of a boy who tried to imitate Mask's dangerous stunt's (the movies would continue and the series would return 13 years later). The show would lead to others, like the popular live action Astro Boy (59-60) and not very popular National Kid (1959 – which strangely became highly popular in Brazil) And later Ultraman.

Preceding them all in 1957 was “Super Giant”, which became the first big screen superhero. Known as Starman in the United States… the American release, "Atomic Rulers of the World", combines those first two Super Giant mini movies (Supah Jaianto, 1957) & "Super Giant Continues" (Zoku Supah Jaianto,1956) which ran about 50 minutes) while editing out 19 minutes of footage and changing some plot lines.

A sad practice that would continue with the 2 part hour long Planet Prince films (Planet Prince (Yusei Oji) and Planet Prince: The Terrifying Spaceship (Yusei Oji: Kyofu no Uchusen) both originally released in 1959, merged into a single 90 min film titled Prince of Space for U.S. release). Though considering how the Prince of Space feels like it goes on forever - what with the heroic Prince constantly warning the Earth invading Phantom Dictator of Krankor that his weapons are useless against him, and that the Phantom and his chicken faced men continuing to blast away regardless of how ineffectual the effort is… I’m not sure my poor brain could handle another 30 minutes of that monotony.

The film doesn’t offer any back-story as to who this Prince guy really is, where he acquired the power of invulnerability or how a poorly paid bootblack could afford his own space ship? His main weapon is a wand that looks like a grill lighter and it shoots out a laser that stings and annoys his foes, rather than causing any real damage. Out of costume he's known as Ken and he has adopted 2 orphans, who are friends with the son of the scientist that developed the fuel coveted by the Phantom. The kids are a constant presence, in the thick of the action and often getting in the way

Earth's foes are pretty goofy looking. Beak nosed, with lil' TV antennas perched atop their heads. The filmmakers also leave nothing to the imagination in regards to their groinacolagical area, which is common in these films. I’ve read that in Japan they wanted their super powered men to be well represented (according to one source, in the "Super Giant" series they even stuffed the front of the heroes underoos with cotton!)

The evil Phantom cackles often and in the American translation, refers to those who oppose him as scum and he's intent on stealing a secret fuel formula. This results in the same back and forth pissing match between Prince and Phantom. The tedium was wearying and even when it gets to the big finish it’s taxing. In the final act, Prince flies almost all the way to Krankor, but heads back to Earth to blacken some boots after he is feebly attacked. Aliens on our planet then uncover his secret identity, which forces him to return to Krankor where he fights a lumpy giant and, after yet another of exchange of "Ha, Ha, Ha, haven’t you learned your weapons are useless against me!", the Prince does what he should have done straight out and blows up the invaders.

Despite the silly costumes, the doll that poses as a jumping Phantom and that the string holding up the toy ships are sometime visible, the movie looks good, the cinematography is crisp and there is a nice contrast between shadow and light. Director Eijirô Wakabayashi looks to have put some thought behind the camera angles, movement and framing (in one scene the Prince's ship is shown reflected in a puddle of water). Still, the most enjoyable way to sit through this repetitive action is while watching the MST3K version.

Another Japanese superhero skewered on MST3K was Iron-Sharp, called Space Chief in the U.S. in a film titled "Invasion of the Neptune Men". The original film was released in 1961 and starred a young Sonny Chiba (only 22 and with an ample amount of puffy hair). This was the only Iron-Sharp movie ever made and the guy is hardly a presence in his own flick (much like Batman, in Batman Returns). We see him battle a small squad of bullet headed Neptunian’s, in full view of a gang of shorts wearing children. He then quickly drives off in his sooped up space car and disappears for most of the movie. In his place we get his alter ego, a scientist who is working to stop the Neptune invasion by operating a giant electric invisible shield that blankets the city, and aiding Doctor Tanigawa with the Alpha-Electron rocket. The real focus of the film? Are those kids and their parade of tiny upsetting shorts (they are the source of much mirth in the MST3K riffing).

Although the camera work isn't as interesting, the costumes are better than those seen in "Prince of Space". It isn't as light in tone as the older film - the aliens might start off as merry pranksters, cause things to run backwards - but they quickly move on to blowing up a nuclear reactor, killing many. Neptune is also laboriously strung out. The final battle -supplemented by actual World War II stock footage- drags on and on and on and on. As Mike Nelson laments in the riffing, Iron-Sharp (Space Chief) keeps shooting down the same 3 ships, no matter how many he blows up there’s always 3 of them! I thought the damn invasion would never end!

One bummer is that the American version leaves out a reported off key Iron Sharp theme song sung by the kids at the end of the film. Man I'd have loved to have heard that thing, I bet it's a hoot.

And with that we come to the first Japanese superhero of the modern age... The Golden Bat (Ōgon Bat), who made his début sometime in the 1930s. He wouldn’t make it to the movies until 1966 and I’ve reviewed this feature in full, here The Golden Bat

Miss Fury - Trendsetter!

No, she's not the wife of Mr. Furious (thought I'd pay to see that movie), er, anyway…

I spoke about Sun Girl not long ago, but there are a host of forgotten female crime fighters in the comic-verse. Aside from die hards, historians and Alan Moore fans, who else has heard of the Purple Tigress or the original Miss Masque? And can you name the first female heroine?

The first known super powered female was a character named Fantomah. Created by Fletcher Hanks for Fiction House’s Jungle Comic #2 in February of 1940. Fantomah was an immortal Egyptian who could transform into a super powered skull faced creature whenever she needed to take on the forces of evil. A month later the first true costumed heroine was born, she was named The Woman in Red. Soon after the floodgates opened and fans were introduced to such figures like the Red Tornado (who wore a pot on her head to conceal her face and masqueraded as a man), At DC in 1940 Catwoman (then known simply as “the Cat”) made her debut in Batman #1 and a year later in 1941 Wonder Woman created a splash and became an iconic character. Squeezed in between those creations, in April of 1941, came a costumed heroine named Black Fury… later to be re christened Miss Fury and what was notable about her was that she was the first costumed crime fighter created, written and drawn by a woman.

Pure Imagination Publishing released the first 3 issues of Miss Fury in trade paperback form (the comics themselves were collections from the original Sunday newspaper strips) and I thought I’d share my impressions of the work: Out of costume her name was Marla Drake. A debutante who was heading out to masquerade ball wearing a suit made of black leopard skin (it was all she had, because she’d angrily torn off her original choice after receiving a call that someone else was wearing the costume she had planned wear). An Uncle sent the skin to her and it was once worn by an African witch doctor! (Hmm, I wonder how he looked wearing such a thing?) Anyway, Marla never made it to the ball because she crossed paths with a killer who she helped apprehend… and thus a legend was born. Sadly despite the fact that the incredibly popular strip ran for over 10 years the character and the creator have been largely forgotten.

June Tarpe Mills, went by the name Tarpe Mills because it was tough for women to get work or respect in the field back in the day and she felt readers might respond better if they thought a man was scripting a saga such as this. She created several characters before Fury, including Cat Man and a guy named Daredevil (Not the Matt Murdock version) but Fury was her most notable. Marla looked a lot like Mills (described as an Irish Beauty), and the similarities continue, as both creator and creation owned a cat named Peri Purr.

Mills art was solid but raw; her faces were well rendered and she had a strong fashion sense (she once worked as a fashion model) though the ink work was at times too heavy. She continued to improve over the years but sadly, some health issues (including arthritis) made it tough for her to keep deadlines and she resorted to hiring a less talented ghost to do the work at the end. Her stories relied on too many convenient happenstances and there are a few outlandish situations (as when her fiancé discovers and then tosses an explosive that just happens to blow up a car filled with the villains who created the device). Despite this, the tales are fast paced, exciting and held my interest from page to page.

Fury wasn’t a traditional crime fighter; in fact after one of her early adventures she buried her cat suit and vowed never to be troubled by it again. Somehow trouble always found her and gave her excuses to slip into her skintight costume - but she wasn’t happy about that one bit! Marla was -for the most part- a strong willed woman, self-assured and liberated at a time when it wasn’t trendy to be so, and perhaps this trait was modeled after the creator as well?

There was a large supporting cast: Fury was aided by her French maid Francince and a doorman at her Hotel who went by the name Cappy, In addition to that was the tough detective Dan Carey, who carried a secret crush on Marla Drake. Later on her stories would shift to political intrigue in Brazil where she would team up with Albino Joe, a favorite of the creator and one she would attempt to revisit later in life (there is an unfinished, unpublished Albino Joe story she was working on at the time of her death). Her main foes were the scheming Countess Erica Von Kapf and a one armed German with great strength and perseverance, Bruno Beitz.

Marla didn’t wear the black leopard skin suit very often, and I’ve read she put it on less and less as the years progressed. Though it was suggested that the suit enhanced her natural athletic abilities Throughout the book Marla Drake was known as the Black Fury, or Miss Black Fury, rarely Miss Fury. Not having read the other adventures I’m not sure when they dropped the word “Black” but the title was Miss Fury as seen in an early newspaper strip. I found it interesting to compare her to Catwoman, as Selina would later don skintight suits with ears, sometimes a tail. Fury once used that tail like a whip (Catwoman’s weapon of choice) and as Drake climbed up the side of buildings, lithe and sexy I couldn’t help but think of DCs playful thief and sometime anti-hero.

To sum things up - The strip entertained me, it was a real page-turner and I hope another collection finds its way to comic shops soon. (There were 8 collected issues in total; each issue was 50-plus pages long)

In 1952, after the cancellation of Miss Fury, Tarpe Mills retired from the industry, returning briefly by contributing a 7-page tale for Marvel’s “Our Love Story” published in 1971. She died in 1988 at the age of 73. Miss Fury and June Tarpe Mills should be better known. As a talented writer and artist and the first female to publish a popular costumed female hero, hers should be a name spoken with the same reverence as Jack Kirby or Will Eisner

I Watched the Watchmen

Note, I tried to keep the most important spoiler out of this review and in the footnote at the end.

I got the chance to see Watchmen earlier this week. A while ago, I made a somewhat doom’n’gloomy prediction a while back:

“My official prediction for Watchmen is that it will be visually awesome, but will be pretty shallow, stripping down too much of the story. We'll occasionally wonder if Zack Snyder really "gets" the story, or if he is adapting it more at face value as an action movie. I'm hugely excited about it, but I'm also pretty worried about the final product. I'll quote myself in a few weeks and see if I'm right or (hopefully) wrong.”

Fortunately, the film exceeded these expectations. It was not perfect by any means, but after one viewing I would say it's very good overall. As a standalone product, I felt it actually worked - it's impossible for me to tell for certain, but I don't think understanding the film really required knowledge of the graphic novel. It seemed like the film was structured well enough as a drama with a fair amount of action, giving the viewer enough information to understand the characters' motivations and actions. In that respect, I think the film generally succeeded.

It did have problems as an adaptation, however, though they weren't as significant as I had predicted above. Compared to the comic, the movie’s characters often lose some nuances in their representation. After the backstories and plot were compressed and edited, the film is almost like Cliff's Notes versions of the original story. After thinking about it, though, that really doesn't bother me too much - an adaptation can only use so much of the original material, and I think this one did a good job at providing viewers with the essentials of the characters. The same goes for the change in the ending - some nuances of the comic's ending are lost, but the film's ending captures much of the meaning and works well (or better, within the film*) on its own. Overall, I rarely got the feeling that Snyder didn’t “get” the original story; in the end, the changes seemed conscious on his part to alter it into something a bit more filmable.

Aside from the compression of the story, I think my main problems had to do with the dialogue and violence. Some of it is awkward because it’s too close to the written story – what works in a written, exaggeratedly noir-ish style doesn’t necessarily work in spoken words. Rorschach’s narration is the biggest problem here – some of the journal entries were already a bit much to take seriously, and they just sound more bizarre here. At other times, the dialogue is just clunky, or sounds like it’s been summarized from various points in the novel and thrown into the film. The violence is also a bit much – it’s a violent book, and I can handle violent films, but some of the scenes are so overboard as to be ludicrous. Do we really need people’s legs snapping or blood fountaining absurdly during the fight scenes?

Some of the acting was mixed - Laurie’s actress was easily the worst, and Veidt occasionally came across a bit flat. Dr. Manhattan was very well done in general – initially, I couldn’t stand his somewhat thin, higher-pitched voice, but eventually I came to think that it actually fit the character very well. Finally, Dan, the Comedian, and Rorschach were almost perfectly portrayed – the actors were spot-on aside from a few bad line reads and a few awkward growly-voiced moments for Rorschach.

Stylistically, I think the film was very well done. In addition to the scenes mentioned above, the direction of the action worked well, and the representation of period superhero costumes was awesome. I loved the earliest superhero costumes, which were straight out of old serials and TV shows. I also thought the updates to the main characters costumes worked pretty well in general – they’re more high-tech and modern-looking than the ones in the original story, but I think that works because they’re a conscious mirror of modern superhero films.

From another review: “No mere comic book could have properly captured the awesome spectacle of Dr. Manhattan unleashing hell on Vietnam to the strains of 'Ride of the Valkyrie,' or captured the pathos of a funeral for a man nobody loved, accompanied by 'The Sounds of Silence.' And the opening credits sequence (which has been rightfully praised elsewhere) is unique to the film, and a grand contribution to the canon.”

This states very well exactly how I feel about the high points of the film: at best, it uses its medium extremely well to show things that couldn’t be done in the written material. Overall, I think these great moments outweigh the problems in the film, and another example I’d add would be the first interlude on Mars. This section was possibly my favorite in the book, as it was almost a pause in the action that really laid out Manhattan’s character, his simultaneous incredible power and feeling of helplessness due to seeing his future actions played out already. The film simplifies some of this, but they managed to convey a lot of the material while adding some incredible visuals and music. I’d have to watch it again, but on first viewing, that struck me as about as an incredible scene. The return to Mars later in the film doesn’t succeed as well, mainly because it seems compressed too much (and because Manhattan, out of nowhere, says the completely obvious line about Laurie’s father for the benefit of the duller audience members). That second scene was adequate in the film, but the first made up for it to me.

Overall, as I’ve said, there were a lot of problems throughout the film. On the other hand, though, so much was done well, particularly using the film medium to do things that are difficult to get across in comics. I’ll need to watch it again to solidify my opinion and see how it holds up over more viewings, but I think 3 ½ out of 4 stars would be the rating: incredible and epic at parts, but enough flaws to keep the overall rating below the best of the best in superhero films.

SPOILERS IN THIS FOOTNOTE!!!

*I still have some issues with the original ending. Thematically, it's perfect, but I still feel it’s something of a stretch in its execution. If we can accept that Dr. Manhattan was given his powers through “SCIENCE,” almost everything else in the story follows naturally – the technology the characters use is mainly based on mechanical breakthroughs from knowledge gained from Manhattan. The construction of a giant telepathic space squid which is designed well enough to pass for a natural life form even after scientific analysis (which we have to assume would take place) is not that believable for me in the story. The implications of its use in the story’s themes are fantastic, but I just don’t feel it fits in that well with the rest of the story. The film has a simpler solution which I like better in some ways – it loses something thematically, but works better overall for me.

END SPOILERS!!!!

What ever happened to Sun Girl?

She was born in August of 1948 and back then she didn’t have a real name, but she did have a sunbeam ray gun and arch nemesis like Bokk the Beast and Peanuts McCoy. She was fast, acrobatic and proficient in several martial arts. She was a tough talker, willing to "Choke the life" out of an uncooperative thug and the comic implied that she was world famous, a respected hero… so whatever happened to her?

Her own series, drawn by the magnificent Ken Bald (writer unknown), lasted a mere 3 issues. She then made appearances in a couple issues of Marvel Mystery Comics, teaming up with Namora and Golden Girl. Then Captain America (#69 Nov 1948), Sub-Mariner (#29 Nov 1948) and filled in for Toro as the original Human Torch’s sidekick in his title from issue #32 to #35 (final issue March 1949)

And that was it, 7 months in the sun for this great heroine.

Roy Thomas, who was into nostalgia, recapped the original Torch’s origin in 1990 and in the final 2 issues of that mini series Sun Girl finally was given a name, Mary Mitchell. Sadly Roy turned her into Torch’s secretary, who had a crush on the hero and became Sun Girl to impress him. Boo!

Sun Girl was never given an origin in her original incarnation, Marvel never told us how she got to be who she was… she was just there. A veteran of the superheroing game, beloved by all right out of the gate. It would be very cool if Marvel would revisit the character (but show a lot more respect than Roy Thomas did). Celebrate her Golden Age adventures by giving us more.

For additional info on the "Mysterious Beauty" Sun Girl visit Jess Nevin’s page

Comic Book Movies Without Capes

When I started the Superhero marathon I focused on the capes, the crime fighters and the action adventurers and whatnot. Other comic book based outings were a mixed bag. I liked Road to Perdition, but didn’t care for 300 and loathed V For Vendetta and didn’t feel like reviewing them. So I zeroed in on the supers, the heroes. Because of that I missed out on adding notes on comic criminals like Diabolik or Kriminal, superb gritty violent drama’s such as Eastern Promises and a few that were just about average people and their average lives. So here’s my look at 3 of my favorite comic book movies without capes.

Ghost World
I saw this in a near empty theater in 2001. Directed by Terry Zwigoff and based on a graphic novel and screenplay by Daniel Clowes. Ghost World was about the misfits and outsiders that pepper the Earth, mainly 3 folks. Enid (Thora Birch) her friend Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson) and the lonely, record loving Seymour (Steve Buscemi) that Enid grows attached to. Seymour was not in the original comic, which was okay with me. Books are books, movies are movies. Sometimes changes fail, sometimes they improve (ala Jaws) and the relationship between the 3 works so well. The acting is a wonder across the board. Even Johansson, who has descended into awkward, wooden territory as an actress, shows promise here.

American Splendor
This was an odd one but so very good. Based on the life and works of comic book writer Harvey Pekar. The film is directed by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini, who are known for documentaries, and this movie has that feel to it. The two also share writing credit with Pekar and his wife, Joyce Brabner. As with Ghost World, the acting is top notch, Paul Giamatti is perfectly cranky and eccentric as Pekar and Hope Davis is very good as Joyce.

Persepolis
This was another in a long list of great films released in the U.S. in 2007. The work is 100% Marjane Satrapi. She wrote it, directed it (with Vincent Paronnaud) and the animation looks very much like the autobiographical graphic novel it’s based on. The movie tells the story of a young girl who lives during the Iranian Revolution. Satrapi’s kind of irritating in real life (she has an overwhelming personality as seen in the extras) but she has lived a colorful life and is quite talented in telling her tale.

If you are a fan of the medium, and enjoy the movie adaptations as much as I do (I don’t know why specifically, but I love seeing comic books come to life on the big screen) I’d recommend these 3 highly. Thora briefly wears a Batmask in Ghost World but other than that there’s not a costumed hero in the bunch. The only thing super about them are their stories, the acting and filmmaking.

Super Years - Super Movies

I remember looking at what 2008 had to offer for the comic book movie fan, and like the villains in many a flick, I was clasping and rubbing my hands and laughing in diabolic joy at the sight of it all.

There were a lot of highly anticipated remakes and new entries which might have had me too excited, what could live up to my anticipation?

Well not a lot did, in fact a lot of it was… well, good but not OMG AWESOME! Only 2 matched and exceeded the hype. Iron Man and The Dark Knight, both of which entered my top 10.

There was also one wonderful surprise.

Though I normally don’t read a lot of reviews, I suddenly felt compelled to read EVERTHING about the Punisher War Zone. Maybe I was trying to talk myself out of going. Then a strange thing happened. I sat down and got ready for the worst experience of my life when about mid way through I thought to myself, “Hey, something’s wrong here, I’m actually enjoying this stupid thing.” I don’t know if that will translate to the DVD when I watch it, or if my expectations were so low there was nothing but up from there. But I had a good time and currently have it ranked in the 30s.



2008 wasn’t bad. But it wasn’t the end all and be all nor was it the first great season in the sun. Before Hollywood threw its hat in the ring, Italy produced a lot of low budget but often entertaining productions. These cheesy Italian flicks offered comic book bliss from 67-68 with titles like Superargo, Danger Diabolik, Fantastic Aargoman, Kriminal and the 3 Fantastic Supermen. This would be the best run until 2004.

Ahh 2004… Now that was a great year.

At the top is the film that many still regard as the best superhero movie ever, Spider-Man 2. Though the Dark Knight challenges it, SM2 (with the first) still stands as the quintessential example of the Stan Lee era brought to life. Beyond that was Pixar’s incredible “The Incredibles” - an animated force that ranks as my favorite from the company.

Apart from those Top 10 entries is one that ranks in the teens, Hellboy. It might not be as splashy as the remake but I prefer its humanity, heart and the horror elements.

Far from our shores there were 2 released in Japan in 2004. Live action anime Cutie Honey is a kick and Zebraman was full of fun and warmth.

Course we couldn’t escape the year without a few stink bombs. The spastic Punisher with Thomas Jane, the amazingly cheesy, awfully directed (by screenwriter David Goyer) Blade Trinity and one of the very worst of the worst…Catwoman!



(2008 offered up duds like Superhero Movie! The inconsistent Jumper and the acid trip that was The Spirit – so nobody gets through a year unscathed. Even the Italians gave up “Avenger X” in the 60s)

How will 2009 stack up? It’s a bit lighter in the load pan. There are 2 highly anticipated films. First up is the Watchmen – For what it’s worth, Wesley Crusher rated it as the best comic book movie ever in his blog (under his real name Will Wheton) after he saw a sneak. And there’s Wolverine. Both at first blush, offer the best shots at breaking into my top 10 list (but it’s a tough crowd, so I’d be happy with teens or 20s)

Aside from the big 2 we’ll also get stuff like Kick-Ass (from the creator of “Wanted”) and Astro Boy (From Imagi studios, who produced TMNT).

The first comic book movie of the year, Push, has received mixed reviews. I stand on the side of those who liked it. I feel it got the new season off to a solid start. Other than the theatrical releases, Marvel has put out their best DTD (direct to disc) with Hulk Vs. and DC will soon have Wonder Woman on the shelves.

2010 and 11? Might be the new Marvel Age with its string of Avenger based films and the anticipated return of Spider-Man. DC will likely have at least the Green Lantern on the big screen.