In 1992 DC comics decided to do a bold thing and shake up the comic book world in a big way. They decided to alter the course of one of their most beloved and flagship characters. They decided to kill the Man of Steel. Superman.
Over the course of seven comic book issues and five separate titles Superman (with the help of the Justice League of America) would do battle against an unstoppable force of evil which would soon be called Doomsday. This storyline made all types of headlines and broke all kinds of sales records and the graphic novel The Death of Superman reprinted it all in one volume for fans of the iconic character. The graphic novel would become one of the biggest selling graphic novels of all-time with over 14 reprints currently in release.
It took me almost twenty years before I bothered to pick up the story despite how famous the story is. I’m not a big fan of Superman and, in fact, I was actually glad when DC announced they were going to kill him off (but I always knew it would be short lived). He was never a character that interested me like Batman or Green Arrow or the Green Lantern Corps (a far superior group to the abysmal Justice League). The only reason I picked up the graphic novel now is because I was finally curious about what the fuss was about).
Although written and drawn by a multitude of artists, the storyline does read fairly well as one cohesive story. Although the creature known as Doomsday is a formidable foe, he lacks background and purpose that would truly make him a Superman villain in the way that The Joker is to Batman. The creature is a force of pure unstoppable evil and destruction which works throughout the seven issues of the story because he is revealed slowly in pieces as the story progresses (he starts out completely covered in costume in the first two issues of the story). If he had been fully revealed in the first issue the story wouldn’t have had the impact that it did,
The story’s worst aspect is that the whole story is seven issues of one of the longest fights in comic book history which in my opinion makes it feel as though they stretched out the story only so they could make more money by selling more issues. I believe the story could have been stronger if the entire story could have been limited to maybe four issues within the same comic title (although I am very aware that the “crossover” is used to boost sales among several titles at the same time).
Since we all know that Superman is no longer dead, the events depicted in this story didn’t have as profound affect on the title in the long run (although its events did make for many subsequent changes over all the Superman titles of the time). The story strived to be as profound as Batman’s Year One or A Death In The Family or even The Long Halloween but it suffers from the simple fact that there is no subtext to this story. It is simply a bare-bones, knock-down fist fight that goes on for seven issues that was marketed extremely well.
CITY GARDEN - "The Old Woman & The Park"
On the set of the short film "A Gift"
Showing posts with label super heroes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label super heroes. Show all posts
Friday, February 5, 2010
Sunday, April 12, 2009
WATCHMEN - An Epic in the Making!
Before viewing the epic comic book adaptation of Watchmen viewing must be aware of a few things before they can truly enjoy this film. First, is that director Zack Snyder has tried his best to present as faithful an adaptation to the material as he so well did with his last film 300, second - that this film was made for the fans of the graphic novel, three – that there are a lot of parallel stories and themes in the film (thus the almost 3 hour running time), and four – that this film is definitely not for children. If you understand these few things then you’re in for one of the best films of 2009.
Everyone who watches this film will compare it to last year’s mega-blockbuster The Dark Knight, but you must remember that The Dark Knight and the Batman franchise has over 35 years of stories to pull from not to mention all the television series, theatrical serials, and theatrical films, so, there is not a whole lot of originality when it comes to the Batman franchise. Instead, those films rely on the way they are presented and the assurance that all audiences no matter how great and wide know of the character in one form or another, whereas with Watchmen, it’s more of a cult and underground thing that’s been raped and pillaged over the years by other storytellers (just look at The Incredibles which is a watered-down version of this story made for children and families). Watchmen takes place in an alternate universe (i.e. V For Vendetta) that looks as if it is on the brink of World War III (which in the story it is). Needless to say, Watchmen is a film that many audiences just won’t be able to enjoy.
This is perfectly fine as it isn’t made for all audiences. I’m sure Snyder wants as many people to see his movie as possible but lets be honest, most audiences just aren’t going to want to think to enjoy the movie, which this film makes you do. The original 12 issue series by writer Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons was a complex history of an entire alternate world in which the murder of a former super hero sparks what can only be described as the events leading up to a possible World War III. There are multiple characters with multiple stories and flashbacks after flashbacks after flashbacks that left many readers needing to read the series several times just to be able to digest everything that the story had to offer. The film, with its running time of almost 3 hours, had a lot of ground to cover and Snyder does an excellent job of adapting the series to film and like his previous film 300 many of the images are lifted completely from the comic book itself.
I could go into details about the story but suffice it to say that no amount of words here will be able to give the film true justice. The film works on so many levels because of the dedication of not only Snyder but his cast and staff as well who try so hard to be faithful not only to the comic but to the vision of Moore and Gibbons’ creation. More then this alone is one reason why this film is such a vastly different animal then The Dark Knight.
The film has garnered lukewarm reviews but I see this film on par with that of the equally misunderstood sci-fi classic Blade Runner. That film was a box office disaster that could only be truly appreciated upon multiple viewings and I believe that with Watchmen the same thing can be said. Truth be known, I never finished reading the graphic novel and have thus gone back to it after having seen the film and I enjoy both equally well.
Everyone who watches this film will compare it to last year’s mega-blockbuster The Dark Knight, but you must remember that The Dark Knight and the Batman franchise has over 35 years of stories to pull from not to mention all the television series, theatrical serials, and theatrical films, so, there is not a whole lot of originality when it comes to the Batman franchise. Instead, those films rely on the way they are presented and the assurance that all audiences no matter how great and wide know of the character in one form or another, whereas with Watchmen, it’s more of a cult and underground thing that’s been raped and pillaged over the years by other storytellers (just look at The Incredibles which is a watered-down version of this story made for children and families). Watchmen takes place in an alternate universe (i.e. V For Vendetta) that looks as if it is on the brink of World War III (which in the story it is). Needless to say, Watchmen is a film that many audiences just won’t be able to enjoy.
This is perfectly fine as it isn’t made for all audiences. I’m sure Snyder wants as many people to see his movie as possible but lets be honest, most audiences just aren’t going to want to think to enjoy the movie, which this film makes you do. The original 12 issue series by writer Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons was a complex history of an entire alternate world in which the murder of a former super hero sparks what can only be described as the events leading up to a possible World War III. There are multiple characters with multiple stories and flashbacks after flashbacks after flashbacks that left many readers needing to read the series several times just to be able to digest everything that the story had to offer. The film, with its running time of almost 3 hours, had a lot of ground to cover and Snyder does an excellent job of adapting the series to film and like his previous film 300 many of the images are lifted completely from the comic book itself.
I could go into details about the story but suffice it to say that no amount of words here will be able to give the film true justice. The film works on so many levels because of the dedication of not only Snyder but his cast and staff as well who try so hard to be faithful not only to the comic but to the vision of Moore and Gibbons’ creation. More then this alone is one reason why this film is such a vastly different animal then The Dark Knight.
The film has garnered lukewarm reviews but I see this film on par with that of the equally misunderstood sci-fi classic Blade Runner. That film was a box office disaster that could only be truly appreciated upon multiple viewings and I believe that with Watchmen the same thing can be said. Truth be known, I never finished reading the graphic novel and have thus gone back to it after having seen the film and I enjoy both equally well.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Graphic Novel Review: MARVEL ZOMBIES: DEAD DAYS
GRAPHIC NOVEL REVIEW: MARVEL ZOMBIES: DEAD DAYS
The Marvel Universe has jumped on the band wagon in terms of how much our culture and times have made the zombie genre of horror a pop phenomena from the plethora of films (i.e. SHAUN OF THE DEAD, ZOMBIE DIARIES, 28 DAYS LATER, etc.) to animation (i.e. DEAD SPACE and RESIDENT EVIL: DEGENERATION) and now to comics (i.e. THE WALKING DEAD, WAKE THE DEAD, THE EVIL DEAD, and countless others, but it is Marvel’s alternate universe that has been over run by a zombie plague that has captured readers from all kinds.
I’ve never caught any of the Marvel Zombies series in their initial run waiting instead for the collected graphic novel. The first Marvel Zombies series was the first thing I’d read from Marvel comics in over twelve years (I hadn’t given up on the medium only become more immersed in Manga and what publishers IDW and Dark Horse where releasing) and boy did I pick the right time to come back. That first series made me an instant fan and I read the subsequent graphic novels MARVEL ZOMBIES 2 and ARMY OF DARKNESS VS. MARVEL ZOMBIES both of which made me want to know more about how this whole phenomena started. MARVEL ZOMBIES: DEAD DAYS is the collection of all the appearances of the Marvel Zombies leading up to the first MARVEL ZOMBIES stories including the prequel MARVEL ZOMBIES: DEAD DAYS (from which the collection gets it name).
In addition to the prequel DEAD DAYS this massive graphic novel collects the first story about the Marvel Zombies “Crossover” from ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #21-23, the continuation of the story ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #30-32 called “Frightful,” and the last part of this early trilogy “Good Eatin’” from BLACK PANTHER #28-30. That’s 10 big issues of Marvel Zombie goodness in one collected graphic novel. Old school Marvel readers (such as myself) may not care for the Ultimate line of Marvel titles seeing as though they are a retelling of the Marvel Universe for the newer generation. Although this was my very first experience with the Ultimate titles I wasn’t too put back as even though the Fantastic Four are a much different team now then when I was growing up the “characters” were true to whole they’ve always been which is a great testament to writer Mark Miller who wrote both “Crossover” and “Frightful.” In my opinion the story “Good Eatin’” felt like a third part in a trilogy which is big action but little story but since this story was in BLACK PANTHER this is to be expected. This can also be said of the prequel story “Dead Days,” which also works in parts but not as a whole which I presume is because writer Robert Kirkman only had the one issue to tell the story instead of several issues.
The artwork from all four stories is top notch (from pencilers Sean Phillips, Greg Land, Mitch Breitweiser, and Francis Portela) and the original covers are provided in the back of the book for those curious fans (such as myself) who wanted to know what painter Arthur Suydam concocted next. The graphic novel as a whole is a great addition to any collector’s bookshelf with stories that you will reread time and time again (I know I will).
The Marvel Universe has jumped on the band wagon in terms of how much our culture and times have made the zombie genre of horror a pop phenomena from the plethora of films (i.e. SHAUN OF THE DEAD, ZOMBIE DIARIES, 28 DAYS LATER, etc.) to animation (i.e. DEAD SPACE and RESIDENT EVIL: DEGENERATION) and now to comics (i.e. THE WALKING DEAD, WAKE THE DEAD, THE EVIL DEAD, and countless others, but it is Marvel’s alternate universe that has been over run by a zombie plague that has captured readers from all kinds.
I’ve never caught any of the Marvel Zombies series in their initial run waiting instead for the collected graphic novel. The first Marvel Zombies series was the first thing I’d read from Marvel comics in over twelve years (I hadn’t given up on the medium only become more immersed in Manga and what publishers IDW and Dark Horse where releasing) and boy did I pick the right time to come back. That first series made me an instant fan and I read the subsequent graphic novels MARVEL ZOMBIES 2 and ARMY OF DARKNESS VS. MARVEL ZOMBIES both of which made me want to know more about how this whole phenomena started. MARVEL ZOMBIES: DEAD DAYS is the collection of all the appearances of the Marvel Zombies leading up to the first MARVEL ZOMBIES stories including the prequel MARVEL ZOMBIES: DEAD DAYS (from which the collection gets it name).
In addition to the prequel DEAD DAYS this massive graphic novel collects the first story about the Marvel Zombies “Crossover” from ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #21-23, the continuation of the story ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #30-32 called “Frightful,” and the last part of this early trilogy “Good Eatin’” from BLACK PANTHER #28-30. That’s 10 big issues of Marvel Zombie goodness in one collected graphic novel. Old school Marvel readers (such as myself) may not care for the Ultimate line of Marvel titles seeing as though they are a retelling of the Marvel Universe for the newer generation. Although this was my very first experience with the Ultimate titles I wasn’t too put back as even though the Fantastic Four are a much different team now then when I was growing up the “characters” were true to whole they’ve always been which is a great testament to writer Mark Miller who wrote both “Crossover” and “Frightful.” In my opinion the story “Good Eatin’” felt like a third part in a trilogy which is big action but little story but since this story was in BLACK PANTHER this is to be expected. This can also be said of the prequel story “Dead Days,” which also works in parts but not as a whole which I presume is because writer Robert Kirkman only had the one issue to tell the story instead of several issues.
The artwork from all four stories is top notch (from pencilers Sean Phillips, Greg Land, Mitch Breitweiser, and Francis Portela) and the original covers are provided in the back of the book for those curious fans (such as myself) who wanted to know what painter Arthur Suydam concocted next. The graphic novel as a whole is a great addition to any collector’s bookshelf with stories that you will reread time and time again (I know I will).
Friday, October 10, 2008
Graphic Novel Review: HEROES Volume 1
This first volume of the Wildstorm/DC/NBC produced graphic novel based off the hit television series collects the first 34 “issues” of the on-line comic book in one gorgeous looking book. Whether purchasing the hardcover or paperback edition no true fan of the hit NBC television show should go without this collection of stories that help not only flesh out the main characters of the show but also many of the secondary characters as well.
Originally designed to co-inside with the weekly broadcast of episodes many of the stories contained within mirror many of the episodes in the show. Some of them work well such as issue #2, which focuses of Hiro, and issue #4, which focuses of Claire. Others don’t work quite as well, such as issue #7 (with Officer Parkman – the only issue that focuses on him) or issue #12 (with Peter Petrelli). Where the book really works is the multi-part stories spread throughout the book, the best being the ones featuring Hana Gitelman, who in the series played a small role but here in the comic book medium takes center stage. In the television series her character and back story is left mostly unexplored but in this first volume of the graphic novel series you get a huge look into how she became the woman that she is and what drives her to do the things that she does that leads to the last third of the events depicted in the actual television show itself. The book is worth getting on that note alone.
All the characters of the series both major and minor get at least one issue dedicated to them and with a plethora of writing and artistic talent on staff the book never gets boring or repetitive making for one very fast read. One of the highlights are the mock-covers of each issue which adds to the enjoyment and the presentation of the graphic novel.
This graphic novel is a hit and I hope they put as much care into volume two as they did into this one.
Originally designed to co-inside with the weekly broadcast of episodes many of the stories contained within mirror many of the episodes in the show. Some of them work well such as issue #2, which focuses of Hiro, and issue #4, which focuses of Claire. Others don’t work quite as well, such as issue #7 (with Officer Parkman – the only issue that focuses on him) or issue #12 (with Peter Petrelli). Where the book really works is the multi-part stories spread throughout the book, the best being the ones featuring Hana Gitelman, who in the series played a small role but here in the comic book medium takes center stage. In the television series her character and back story is left mostly unexplored but in this first volume of the graphic novel series you get a huge look into how she became the woman that she is and what drives her to do the things that she does that leads to the last third of the events depicted in the actual television show itself. The book is worth getting on that note alone.
All the characters of the series both major and minor get at least one issue dedicated to them and with a plethora of writing and artistic talent on staff the book never gets boring or repetitive making for one very fast read. One of the highlights are the mock-covers of each issue which adds to the enjoyment and the presentation of the graphic novel.
This graphic novel is a hit and I hope they put as much care into volume two as they did into this one.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
IRON MAN - Saved By Good Acting!
As much as I’d like to admit it, IRON MAN wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. It’s by no means one of the best super hero comic book films but it’s not as bad as lets say CATWOMAN or BARB WIRE. The story’s nothing new as it is an origin story (what else) of the iconic Marvel Comic hero. If you know anything about super heroes then you know that Iron Man is Marvel’s attempt at a Batman – the so-called rich guy who has a questionable path that leads him to spend his money for the good of all mankind by getting into a suit and dressing up like a bat…or tin can as the case may be here.
In fact, this film is so by the numbers that I could have told you every plot point before actually seeing the film, which is why I was so skeptical about seeing the film in the first place. The one thing that’s memorable in the entire film is Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark (which you have to call him since the appropriately named Iron Man doesn’t really make an appearance until the third act of the film). Downey is one of Hollywood’s few versatile actors who is at home in comedies (TWO GIRLS & A GUY), drama (GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK), horror (GOTHIKA), or action (KISS KISS BANG BANG or U.S. MARSHALS). The guy can do it all without skipping a beat and it shows in this film.
Few actors have been able to embody a super hero character as well as he does in this film. He’s so good that it’s a shame that all the other A-List actors (Terrance Howard, Gwenith Paltrow, or Jeff Bridges) in the film have so little to do other than look good for that impending sequel. The story is not very good, just good enough and the film is ultimately saved by Downey presence and the superb special visual effects on display which never look cartoony (like much of last year’s big summer films).
I’m sure that now that the “origin” story is out of the way the sequel will surpass this film in the same way that X2: X-MEN UNITED was a much better film then the first one.
In fact, this film is so by the numbers that I could have told you every plot point before actually seeing the film, which is why I was so skeptical about seeing the film in the first place. The one thing that’s memorable in the entire film is Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark (which you have to call him since the appropriately named Iron Man doesn’t really make an appearance until the third act of the film). Downey is one of Hollywood’s few versatile actors who is at home in comedies (TWO GIRLS & A GUY), drama (GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK), horror (GOTHIKA), or action (KISS KISS BANG BANG or U.S. MARSHALS). The guy can do it all without skipping a beat and it shows in this film.
Few actors have been able to embody a super hero character as well as he does in this film. He’s so good that it’s a shame that all the other A-List actors (Terrance Howard, Gwenith Paltrow, or Jeff Bridges) in the film have so little to do other than look good for that impending sequel. The story is not very good, just good enough and the film is ultimately saved by Downey presence and the superb special visual effects on display which never look cartoony (like much of last year’s big summer films).
I’m sure that now that the “origin” story is out of the way the sequel will surpass this film in the same way that X2: X-MEN UNITED was a much better film then the first one.
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