Comic Books 101

by Chris Ryall

  In 2005, the Fantastic Four finally received the big-budget, big-screen release it deserved, and it resulted in a film that deserved to be much, much better. Fantastic Four takes much of the simple charm of the characters and their origin and needlessly mucks it up. The film is almost uniformly miscast, with the exception of Ben Grimm (Michael Chiklis) and Johnny Storm (Chris Evans). Though the two have a playful energy, even the mighty Thing can only carry so much of a bad load. At least FF creator Stan Lee gets in a good cameo as the team's ear-wiggling mailman, Willy Lumpkin.

  The 2007 sequel, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, doesn't necessarily improve upon the flaws of the first, but it has a modicum more charm. Whether this is because the film's now-jokey, all-ages tone is less jarring or because the CGI-constructed Silver Surfer actually adds some dramatic weight to the picture is for you to decide. It's not anywhere near the epic Fantastic Four movie the comic deserves, but at least it's short and not any more embarrassing than the first.

  GHOST RIDER

  For years, actor Nicolas Cage, an avowed comics fan, looked for the right movie to satisfy his comic book jones. He was attached to many projects that never materialized (Nic Cage as Superman? Disaster averted), but ended up in one that he shouldn't have: Ghost Rider (2007). After Cage waited so long for a comics movie, Ghost Rider stands as proof that the comics gods have a wicked sense of humor. Director Mark Steven Johnson somehow earned another crack at a Marvel comics movie after Daredevil and delivered on the public's low expectations. Cage's arch sense of humor — the few times his visage isn't buried under flaming special effects — helps redeem the movie in places, but overall, the movie is a muddled, largely plodding mess. Also, Peter Fonda appears as the demonic Mephisto, which is exactly as bad as it sounds.

  GHOST WORLD

  Terry Zwigoff's acclaimed 2001 film Ghost World is everything most comic-book movies are not. It's a quiet film, with nary a costume or special effect in sight. Based on indie cartoonist Daniel Clowes's blackly humorous graphic novel tale of two teenage disaffected teenage girls and the older recluse they torture and then come to understand, the film is a faithful, funny and touching adaptation.

  HELLBOY

  Guillermo del Toro did a masterful job adapting Mike Mignola's signature character in the 2004 release Hellboy. Starring Ron Perlman as the titular demonic monster-hunter, the movie manages to introduce audiences to the main character and establish a surprisingly touching romance between Perlman's Hellboy and Selma Blair's firestarter Liz Sherman, all while executing a rollicking action movie. Del Toro did a great job of capturing the mood, the heart and the look of Mike Mignola's stories while retaining his own uniquely ornate visual style. A fantastic movie, yet del Toro and Perlman managed to surpass it in its 2008 sequel, Hellboy II: The Golden Army.

  HOWARD THE DUCK

  One of the most legendary movie flops of all time, Howard the Duck ignores nearly everything that made the Marvel comic book a cultural sensation in the 1970s. Where as the comics are smart and satirical, the 1986 film is dull and mindless, with unfunny quip after unfunny quip out of Howard's rubbery beak. And therein lies the biggest problem of all: Howard himself. Whereas the comics allow the reader a certain suspension of disbelief regarding a talking duck in a world of men, on film there is no getting around the fact that you're looking at a tiny man in a duck suit — and not even a particularly good duck suit at that. We haven't seen this movie in twenty years, yet it's still irreparably burned into our brains.

  HULK

  Highly anticipated as Marvel's follow-up to the runaway successes of X-Men and Spider-Man, Ang Lee's 2003 film Hulk, though somewhat commercially successful, is widely viewed as a misfire. Almost a psychological drama disguised as a superhero movie, the film devotes far too much time to Bruce Banner's damaged childhood and the backstory of his father, played by Nick Nolte, and not nearly enough to what audiences had come to see: Bruce Banner changing into the Hulk and smashing stuff up.

  Complicating matters is that the Hulk, rendered on screen entirely by computer graphics, never quite seems real to the viewer, and he's not compelling enough a character to overlook his obvious fakiness. Compounded with a long running time and head-scratching climax that involves the Hulk fighting a cloud, the result is a whole lot of angry moviegoers. And you wouldn't like them when they're angry.

  Happily, the character was redeemed with Louis Leterrier's The Incredible Hulk (2008). With a standout cast including Ed Norton, Liv Tyler, William Hurt and Tim Roth, the film is an extremely entertaining mix of the comic books and the fondly remembered 1970s television series. As for the Hulk himself, he's much more lifelike than the previous version, and doesn't look digitally “dropped in” among his flesh-and-blood co-stars. He feels more like a real character on screen, and better able to convey emotion. This CGI Hulk also performs much better in the action scenes, which are far better executed here than in the last film, and also a lot more fun, with the army bringing out some slightly sci-fi-tinged weaponry against the Hulk, sonic cannons and the like. Norton is the perfect choice to play Bruce Banner, and he portrays both Banner's withdrawn intensity and tortured soul elegantly.

  Best of all, this film actually has an antagonist in Tim Roth's Abomination, and the resulting fight scene is a doozy, a super-slugfest reminiscent of the big Superman vs. General Zod fight in Superman II, only with much less comedy and played with a lot more brutality. Everything you'd want in a Hulk movie is here.

  IRON MAN

  Iron Man first got the feature treatment in 2007 with the direct-to-video DVD release The Invincible Iron Man, directed by Frank Paur. It's not a bad translation of the character, but it places far too much focus on one of Iron Man's villains, the Mandarin, considering he never actually shows up in the movie. There's also the inclusion of a father-son dynamic that winds up weakening Tony Stark's character, and far too much mystical mumbo-jumbo that doesn't fit the tone of what Iron Man is about.

  Fortunately, Jon Favreau's Iron Man (2008) does just about everything right. It's a great movie for everyone, whether you're a longtime Iron Man fan or someone who's never read a comic book. Much of the credit goes to Favreau, who knows how to get the best out of his actors — there's not a single scene that seems forced or doesn't ring true. Favreau clearly did his research, deftly weaving elements from four decades' worth of Iron Man comics into a film that feels more like Iron Man than any Iron Man comic we've ever read.

  As great as everything else in the movie is (and it is pretty great), this movie lives or dies by its star. If you don't believe in Tony Stark, then all of the high-tech SFX wizardry is just going to feel like a big video game. Robert Downey Jr.'s Stark is charismatic, charming, funny and conflicted, and you can't take your eyes off him. For the first time in one of these big-budget super-movies, you're not just counting the minutes until the protagonist climbs back into his superhero suit. Bravo.

  JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE NEW FRONTIER

  Darwyn Cooke's outstanding 2003 series DC: The New Frontier was adapted to a direct-to DVD feature Justice League: The New Frontier in 2008, with similarly outstanding results. Directed by Dave Bullock and scripted by animation vet Stan Berkowitz, it manages to retain most of the story's important sequences and even cleverly alludes to the material that had to be eliminated for space. Set in the late 1950s and early 1960s, New Frontier is Cooke's love letter to the Silver Age heroes of DC Comics, and Bullock and Berkowitz manage to keep every drop of that affection on the screen. Sensitive, subtle voice work from actors David Boreanaz, Kyle MacLachlan, Lucy Lawless and Miguel Ferrer completes the package.

  THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN

  If you've never read the astounding and brilliant comics by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill, you might not understand why fans were so unhappy with Stephen Norrington's 2003 film The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (sometimes called LXG). Other than the basic concept — translating the “superhero team” idea to famous literary characters — the two barely have any
thing in common. This makes some sense, though. Moore and O'Neill's dense, allusion-filled and deliberately paced masterpiece would be a hard sell for summer blockbuster audiences. The League film is a fun, fast-moving action-adventure gem, with Sean Connery chewing up the scenery as aging adventurer Allan Quatermain. The filmmakers do get extra points for achieving Kevin O'Neill's design concept for Mr. Hyde in live-action. Approach it with an open mind, and you'll be surprised how enjoyable it is.

  THE PHANTOM

  Criminally underseen by audiences and underrated by critics, The Phantom (1996) is not only a rollicking adventure flick in the tradition of the Indiana Jones movies, it's also a smart and loyal translation of Lee Falk's long-running newspaper-strip and comic-book character. Directed by Simon Wincer and scripted by Jeffrey Boam, The Phantom mixes 1930s-period style with some excellent stunt work in its engaging action sequences and an absolutely charming cast — Billy Zane as the Phantom, Patrick McGoohan as his ghostly father, Catherine Zeta-Jones as air pirate Sala and Treat Williams positively stealing the show as the heavy tycoon Xander Drax. It's also beautifully shot, with the jungles of Thailand filling in for the Phantom's fictional African homeland of Bangalla. One of the best movies nobody ever saw.

  THE PUNISHER

  Marvel's resident vigilante, the Punisher, has made his way to the big screen twice so far, with a bit more success the second time around. Dolph Lundgren plays Frank Castle in 1989's The Punisher, a low-budget B-movie co-starring Louis Gossett Jr. Short of the title and the character's name, there's not much to link the movie with the comics. Even the Punisher's skull T-shirt was considered “too comic-booky” by the producers.

  A more faithful translation hit theaters in 2004, starring Thomas Jane as the Punisher and John Travolta as mob boss Howard Saint. Directed by Jonathan Hensleigh, the film takes its cues from such Punisher stories as “Year One” and “Welcome Back, Frank,” and does a much better job of capturing the anarchic, vengeful spirit of the comics at their best.

  THE ROCKETEER

  It didn't take long for Dave Stevens's nostalgic adventure yarn The Rocketeer to gain the attention of Hollywood. Eventually, Disney turned the project over to Joe Johnston to direct, with Stevens attached as a producer. Johnston, a career visual effects guy, had only directed one film before this, the effects-heavy Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, but he delivered big-time, deftly handling the proper mix of action, comedy and drama that the project needed. The script by Danny Bilson and Paul De Meo (best known for the 1990 Flash CBS TV series) was also spot-on, retaining all of the charm of Stevens's original work while adding a more cohesive plot and a much-needed villain in the form of movie star and Nazi sympathizer Neville Sinclair (portrayed with aplomb by Timothy Dalton, doing his best Errol Flynn impression).

  In addition to a shining cast, the movie looks great and perfectly captures the period. The visual effects for the Rocketeer in flight are very good, especially for the pre-digital era of special effects in 1991. The air-show sequence, in which Cliff uses the rocket pack for the first time, to rescue Malcolm, is a near-perfect translation of the comic-book sequence.

  The Rocketeer costume is also a thing of beauty, exactly replicating Dave Stevens's design. Putting the final touch on things is James Horner's stirring score, a piece of music so satisfying that to this day it's still used as a temp score for all kinds of movie trailers. This is a fantastic, fun film, and it's a shame that practically no one saw it. Check out the DVD, and you won't be disappointed.

  SIN CITY

  Frank Miller's series of noir thrillers comes to life in garish, bloody black and white, thanks to Miller and his co-director Robert Rodriguez. The 2005 film opened to rave reviews and surprisingly good box office, thanks not only to the strength of the source material (slavishly followed by Rodriguez) but also to the film's singular look: stark, high-contrast black and white with flashes of brilliant color. Of course, it didn't hurt that Sin City also boasted an all-star cast. Bruce Willis, Clive Owen, Jessica Alba, Rosario Dawson and Mickey Rourke all did their part to bring Miller's cast of tough guys, dames and hoodlums to life. Another of the few note-perfect translations from comics to cinema.

  SPAWN

  So far, Spawn is the only one of the Image Comics characters to make it to the big screen. Todd McFarlane's Spawn hit theaters in 1997, starring Michael Jai White as the title character, John Leguizamo as the demonic Clown, and Martin Sheen as Jason Wynn, Spawn's former boss and the man behind his untimely demise. Directed by Mark A.Z. Dippé, the film is a fairly faithful adaptation of the original McFarlane comics. However, much like the comics themselves, the film hasn't aged well, and feels very much like a product of its time. All but forgotten against the more recent spate of high-profile comic-book blockbusters, Spawn is nevertheless notable for being one of the first films to adhere so faithfully to the look and feel of the comic-book source material.

  SPIDER-MAN

  After years and years of rumors, promises, cancellations and disappointment, Marvel's trademark character finally hit the silver screen in 2002, in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man, starring Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane Watson and Willem Dafoe as Norman Osborn/the Green Goblin. A longtime Spidey fan, Raimi understood that a good Spider-Man movie would combine a proper mixture of angst, action and laughs, along with a healthy dose of the classic Spidey motivation: guilt. The only missteps in the first Spider-Man film are the slightly overlong origin sequence and the decision to dress the Green Goblin in an uninspired armored suit and expressionless mask, instead of the outlandish and much creepier costume from the comics. With just a few makeup applications, Dafoe could have made a truly frightening Green Goblin straight out of the Ditko and Romita comic books.

  Director Raimi gets just about everything right in Spider-Man 2 (2004), with the returning Maguire and Dunst shining in their roles as the star-crossed lovers Pete and Mary Jane, and Alfred Molina pulling out one of the best supervillain performances yet as Doctor Octopus.

  Unfortunately, Spider-Man 3 (2007) didn't reach anywhere near those creative heights, despite the return of Raimi and pretty much the entire cast. For one thing, the movie tries to tell too many stories, juggling the arrival of Spider Man's alien black costume with the introduction of the Sandman, and the eventual birth of Venom, along with a romantic triangle involving Pete, Mary Jane and new love interest Gwen Stacy. Combine all that with too much ill-timed comedy and three separate musical sequences, and the end result is an unfocused disappointment, especially considering the extremely high quality of the previous two films. It's still an enjoyable movie, and certainly better than most comic-book movies, but when you compare it to the brilliance of its predecessors, you can't help feeling a little unsatisfied.

  SUPERGIRL

  An attempt to cash in on the success of the Christopher Reeve Superman films, Jeannot Szwarc's Supergirl (1984) is a prime example of how not to handle your franchise. To wit, if you can't convince your Superman to appear in your Superman spinoff film, then don't make it. Christopher Reeve's glaring absence really prevents the film from gaining any traction. After all, if Kara Zor-El really is Superman's cousin, why can't she get a visit from her famous blood relative, much less some help against Faye Dunaway's witch Selena? Though Marc McClure is brought in as Jimmy Olsen in an attempt to create some connection to the Superman films, and Helen Slater is appealing enough as Kara, without Superman, the film feels second-rate. A seriously hammy Peter O'Toole doesn't help matters, either.

  V FOR VENDETTA

  Alan Moore and David Lloyd's brilliant tale of alternate-future anarchy was successfully adapted by director James McTeigue in 2006. With a script written by the Wachowski brothers, much of Moore and Lloyd's work makes it to the screen intact, with the glaring exceptions of the Hollywood-style bombastic ending and the excision of Moore's brilliant monologue from the middle of the book. Natalie Portman does perhaps some of the best acting of her career as Evey, and the brutal and shocking sequence involving he
r detention and torture by the British government appears verbatim as it did in the comic, along with its shocking climax. It's not the book, but it's a fair enough approximation to be worth your time.

  X-MEN

  The big-budget blockbuster that cemented Marvel's place as King of the Comic-Book Movies, Bryan Singer's X-Men hit theaters in 2000, and received critical acclaim and box-office success with its well-balanced mix of action and social commentary. A cleverly chosen mix of established “serious” actors and unknowns fills out the cast, including Patrick Stewart as Professor Xavier, Ian McKellen as Magneto and Halle Berry as Storm. However, it was new discovery Hugh Jackman whom audiences fell in love with. His portrayal of Wolverine is universally acclaimed as just about perfect.

  Lightning struck again in 2003 with the release of X2, which reunited the cast and director Singer, and introduced Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler, in another very well-received performance. X2 sets both the X-Men and Magneto against anti-mutant military scientist William Stryker (played by Brian Cox), and wisely keeps the focus strongly on Jackman's Wolverine once more, for a sequel that manages to surpass its predecessor.

  And then it all went wrong. For the third movie, Brett Ratner took over as director and delivered a film, X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), that few can stand. Gone is any allegory or bit of symbolism, and in its place is a botched version of one of the most beloved X-Men comic runs of all time, “The Dark Phoenix Saga.” Ratner's film mashed that storyline with elements from a more recent X-Men story arc written by Joss Whedon and ended up neutering both tales. New characters fell off, old characters seem bored, and an overwhelming sense of chaos and indifference reign. The Godfather III of this particular film series.