Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by Dave (A) on November 11, 2003 at 13:35:08

In Reply to: Why is that so shocking? posted by Audiophilander on November 11, 2003 at 10:54:25:

Ahhh, Audiophilander... your opinion is always a breath of fresh air in these turgid film climes. (That's a compliment by the way).

In the United States, the comic book (or graphic novel as I prefer to call it) is a lot like the bicycle -- something that most people consider to be strictly for kids. Yet the bicycle remains one of the leading forms of personal transportation outside the USA. And so it goes with the graphic novel.... it just don't get no respect, even though it is a unique medium with an integral mix of the written word combined with illustrations, one enhancing the other. Sure, many comic books are geared to adolescent males, but you can point to television shows, movies, radio programs, etc that also target the same audience.

Putting aside graphic novels that are geared towards adults (for example, Frank Miller's "Dark Knight" series in which Batman is a 50 year old alchoholic living in guilt and pain) the simple fact is that many of the comic book characters created 40 and even 50 years ago have an enduring appeal that reaches millions of readers across many generations. Hollywood has known this for years and only recently has begun celebrating comic book characters with big budget films that have met great commercial and critical success. Even so, most of the darker or more adult comic book themes and characters have been ignored, something that I hope changes soon.

BTW, of all the comic book movies that have come out in the last 20 years, my favorite is "Daredevil" (for many reasons I won't go into, mostly to avoid the juvinile "Ben Afleck" BS that goes with this territory) followed closely by the vastly underappreciated "Captain America" starring Matt Salinger. I don't think Captain America was released in the US but it is remarkably faithful the the 50's version of the Marvel comic (complete with visuals that reflect Jack Kirby's artwork) as well as including a tragic love story and a warning about the dangers of facism in modern society.