All Star Comic Shop

By Marc Bowker

Comic books have been published in America for nearly 100 years, but they didn’t hit their stride until the 1940s when characters like Superman and Batman were introduced. Now, over 60 years later, comic book movies have become staples of the summer movie season. This year saw the release of “Spider-Man 3,” “Fantastic Four 2” and “Ghost Rider, “(all based on Marvel comic book characters). Plus, the surprise hit of 2007, the Spartan epic, “300,” was based on Frank Miller’s acclaimed 1998 comic book series. These four movies alone have made over $700 million for the bean counters in Hollywood. Not bad for characters that appear in $3 comic books each month.

2008 may be the best year so far for comic book movies, with Will Eisner’s (the father of the American graphic novel) “The Spirit” due in January, “Watchmen,” directed by 300’s Zack Snyder due in March, Robert Downey Jr. as “Iron Man,” Ed Norton as “The Incredible Hulk” and Christian Bale back as Batman facing off against Heath Ledger as The Joker in “The Dark Knight.”

Why have comic book movies become so big in the last decade? “Two reasons,” says Marc Bowker, owner of Alter Ego Comics, a comic book store in Lima, OH. “First, special effects technology has finally caught up with the imaginations of comic book artists.” The Spider-Man films are a perfect example of movies that could not have been done well without the advances in effects technology. (Want proof? Check out “The Chinese Web,” a Spider-Man TV movie made in the 1970s.) The second reason, according to Bowker, “Hollywood has run out of original ideas.” Most of the best films of the last 10 years have been based on existing material – novels, comic books, musicals, etc. Many comic book characters have 25-50 years worth of stories to choose from that would make excellent films.

Movie studios have taken over the biggest comic book convention in the world, The San Diego Comic Con, where they buy up the rights to comic book characters, big and small. The studios also use San Diego to make major casting announcements for comic-related movies and start building buzz around those films. At the 2007 San Diego Comic Con held in July, Zack Snyder was officially announced as the director of “Watchmen,” and key cast members were revealed. Warner Bros. also held a scavenger hunt to promote the 2008 release of the new Batman film, “The Dark Knight.”

The relationship between Hollywood and comic books shows no signs of ending anytime soon. There are dozens of movies based on comic books in active development, including non-super hero comics like Vertigo’s “Y: The Last Man,” and this fall’s “30 Day’s of Night.” As long as the comic book industry keeps creating memorable characters with great stories, Hollywood will be waiting to bring those stories to the big screen.

Sideshow Collectibles and Master Replicas

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By Bowe Packer

For people there are many different forms of reading material. These reading materials can be thought of as non-fictional and fictional forms of reading matter. In the fictional form comic books like Batman comics are a firm staple for people of different ages.

Batman was first introduced to the populace by Detective Comic in their book number 27. The character of Batman was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. As the latest crime fighter Batman was a huge success. For this reason DC comics released the Batman comics as a separate comic book title in 1940. Since that period Batman comics have remained a favorite.

Batman brings a sense of realness to the fantasy world of super heroes. Many folks can relate, on some level, the the character that batman portrays.

While the Batman comics have earned this crime fighter a place in the chronological record of fiction superheroes there have been many occasions where the character of Batman has been changed or revamped to fit in with the current trends and ideas. An example of this can be seen during the early historic period of the Batman comics.

As with everything else there is an evolution of the original character. While batman remains true to his origin, the overall theme of his world has changed.

As many of the comics of during the 1939 to 1949 period were depicted as pulp fiction the Batman of that period was granted many of the traits for that time. To make the character more realistic Batman Comics showed Batman battle his enemies as a vigilante using only his combat skills, his strength and his intellect.

Different from the other superheroes Batman was not granted any super powers or special abilities. He was portrayed as a man who was driven to fight crime in his way but one who still respects the laws of his home city of Gotham. In many of the Batman comics Batman is shown as a silent and grim crime fighter who battles his enemies by himself.

The mystery of Batman strikes the human populations curiosity. Who is this man? Why does he fight crime? Where does his passion come from? These are the fundamental questions that often times keeps us coming back.

To make batman’s character seem more human the creators of the series later added other characters to the Batman comics. For most of the history of Batman his sidekick Robin is shown fighting alongside of Batman.

Afterwards additions to the cast of the Batman comics are batgirl who is shown as Police Commissioner Gordon’s daughter Barbara, and batwoman. The various villains who appear in the Batman comics are also well known. The names of the Penguin, the Riddler, catwoman and even the Joker are ones that we recognize.

While many changes have been brought to the mysterious man, Batman comics are still comics that are read by many people. The various Batman movies that many of us have seen are a testament to the popularity of this superhero and the ever growing host of Batman fans.

So, when you are reading the next Batman or watching the next movie ask yourself, What intrigues you about this super hero…

Bowe has written dozens of articles for over 40 different websites including his Comics site. Visit his Comics site and learn about the fascinating world of comics for free.

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By Michael Russell

In this article we’re going to briefly comment on one of the longest running comics in history, Superman.

With the not so recent popularity of the hit TV series “Smallville” having celebrated its 100th episode with the killing off of Jonathan Kent, one can’t help but think about the entire Superman legacy, not just in comics but on TV and movies as well.

Superman started off as a comic hero. The character was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in 1933. Jerry Siegel was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1914 and was a big fan of science fiction. Shuster, who was born in 1914 in Toronto, Canada, moved to Cleveland where he met Siegel in school. The two became friends almost immediately and with similar interests, created the first Superman comic. Siegel was the writer with Shuster taking care of the artwork.

When they first submitted their idea for Superman there were no takers. Simply, nobody was interested in the idea. It wasn’t until the two of them got a job working for DC Comics that they finally got the publisher to take a chance on the Superman character.

It is interesting to note that the Superboy character, on which Smallville is based, actually came later in 1945. Here we got to see how Clark Kent grew up into a man and ultimately lost his father, the last big event in his life before he moved to Metropolis and took on the role of Superman.

Because of failing eyesight, Shuster only drew the character of Superman through 1947. At that time he and Siegel left DC Comics to work on another comic book, Funnyman, which never really took off. But it didn’t matter. Shuster’s name was forever etched in comic book history. He eventually died of heart failure in 1992.

Siegel’s story is an even sadder one. After leaving DC Comics in 1947, he was later told he could come back in the mid 1950’s under the condition that he denied being one of the creators of Superman. He agreed and came back to work at DC where he produced more Superman comics from 1959 to 1965. However, most of his original stories of the time period which included the Lex Luther story and the Death of Superman remain uncredited to him.

Over the years the powers that be at DC Comics have seen fit to redefine Superman’s powers and origin a number of times. There were periods of time where long time followers of the saga could no longer follow what was going on. The comic has become muddled and confusing with contradictions galore.

Gradually it became accepted by the public, reluctantly, that each decade of Superman was a different telling of the story with different origins and outcomes. This was an attempt to keep the character fresh and up to date with current technology. This is strongly evidenced by the Smallville series which is obviously taking place in modern times with all the current pop references in place. The comic book has also followed this course.

No doubt Superman will continue to evolve as the years go by. But as long as the character himself retains his basic concept of fighting for truth, justice and the American way, more likely than not, Superman will never die. Well, at least if he does he won’t stay dead.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Comic Books

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