A Pile of Print in Your DVD Drive

I recently learned that a couple of years ago Gitcorp lost the license to produce its DVD-Rom collections of various Marvel comics. I immediately bought the company's collections of Fantastic Four, Silver Surfer and Iron Man comics, to join their Avengers and Spider-Man (on 11 CD-roms) collections on my shelf.

Each disc collects scans of every issue of the spotlighted series, from the first issue in the '60's to a mid-2000's cutoff date. That represents a huge pile of comics, all squeezed into a wafer-thin disk.

Marvel has put out other collections of these comics, in a variety of formats, from their deluxe hardcover Masterworks series to their inexpensive, phone-book-thick black and white Essentials series. But no format is as comprehensive or offers more bang-for-buck than this one (with the possible exception of Marvel's subscription Website, which offers scans for a set price).

Further, unlike the other reprints, these are taken directly from the original comics. And they are not all immaculate file copies; many plainly came from private collections, and were bought off the stands by actual kids. The first issue of FANTASTIC FOUR, for instance, features the name and address of its (once?) owner stamped on the splash page. Turn the page of another comic, and you'll find that the owner used a ballpoint pen to tick off issues he bought on a house-ad checklist of titles released that month. You'll find every ad, every letters page, every distributor's mark. If the particular copy of the issue scanned has off-register printing (i.e., the colors are printed outside the lines), that's what you get. Musty smell of old newsprint aside, it's the closest you'll get to poring through actual old comics without shelling out the multibucks it would take to accumulate them.

The downside of comprehensiveness is that when a title is published for over 40 years, there'll be a lot of mediocre work -- particularly since each title had a myriad of creators. (Probably the most sustained run of brilliance is the over 100 issues of FANTASTIC FOUR that Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created from 1961 to 1970.) But there's little risk; if a particular issue disappoints, the reader can close it with a mouseclick and pick up another one.

If you can find these online or in stores, I recommend picking them up while they're still available.

The Angrier Hulk Movie Gets, the Stronger Hulk Movie Gets

This morning was a Hollywood morning. We trundled off to Sunset Boulevard, parked behind the Arclight, had breakfast at the Groundwork Coffee store (where several folks who would not have been out of place in REPO MAN were plugging away on their laptops), browsed a bit in Amoeba Records, and then ambled over to the Cinerama Dome to watch THE INCREDIBLE HULK on the appropriately Hulk-sized screen



The Hulk has had one of the strangest commercial histories of any Marvel superhero. His debut in his own title was Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's follow up to the first modern Marvel superhero comic, the Fantastic Four; and his first series was an apparent fiasco. It lasted only six issues, and changed story approaches almost every issue. (At one point, Bruce Banner's teenage pal Rick Jones could control a zombie-like Hulk as if the Hulk were a robot). Yet rather than scuttling the concept, Lee kept him around in the former monster anthology comic TALES TO ASTONISH, and stuck him in other comics like THE AVENGERS (where he became an Avenger in issue one, and quit in issue two), SPIDER-MAN, and the FF. By the late sixties, Hulk had graduated to his own title again; and about ten years later, he'd become a household word due to the success of the Bill Bixby/Lou Ferrigno TV series.

That same stick-to-itiveness has marked the Jade Giant's adventures on the silver screen.

The 2003 HULK film by Ang Lee made a bit of money, but was overall disappointing critically and commercially. Some say it was because it was too arty when it should have been more smashy; but I think it was because it went in a dozen different directions at once and never settled into a straightforward narrative. (For instance, what was the Hulk's origin in the film? Was it the amphibian blood, the gamma bomb, his genes, or some combination?)

Notwithstanding, the fledgling Marvel Studios has followed up its smash hit IRON MAN film with a d0-over version of the Hulk that ignores the previous effort, and strikes out on its own.

[Mild spoiler warnings] This version, co-written by star Edward Norton (who gets no on-screen writing credit -- the result of a dispute that Marvel submitted to WGA) and directed by TRANSPORTER director Louis Leterrier, takes the essence of the Bixby/Ferrigno Hulk and then mixes in elements from the comics that the TV series nixed -- in particular, the dynamic between the fugitive Bruce Banner; General Ross, whose project resulted in Banner becoming the Hulk, and who has dedicated his life to capturing Banner; and Ross's daughter Betty, who loves the Hulk. (The movie origin -- wisely recapped quickly in the opening credits -- omits the above-ground gamma bomb test that gave Banner his powers in the comic book, basically because the U.S. doesn't do those tests anymore. And Ross's motive is no longer to catch the Hulk to contain his destructiveness; his goal is more sinister.)

Also imported into the story are Hulk adversary Emil Blonsky/Abomination (in the cold-war era, a spy who used Banner's equipment to turn himself into another gamma-ray monstrosity; here, a commando who, like many of the characters in the movie, is power-hungry), and such Marvel Universe background staples as SHIELD and the Super-Soldier Serum (which sets up a future Marvel
movie).

The result of this mix is a stronger movie than the Ang Lee version, mainly because of the more straightforward narrative and the more plentiful action scenes, not to mention the acting chops of folks like Norton, Tim Roth as Blonsky, William Hurt as General Ross, and Liv Tylor as Betty (when she's assertive rather than dewy-eyed).

But it's not as good as IRON MAN or the better parts of the SPIDER-MAN and X-MEN trilogies. One problem is the ill-fit between the scenes with Norton and Tyler, which explore the emotional impact of Banner's problems and his essential nature as a hero (which nature filters through to the Hulk, and makes him something better than a mindless rampaging monster from the Id); and the action sequences, which while fun to watch ultimately devolve into who can beat on whom better.

I'm not sure how the movie could have been improved; the limitations may be inherent in the Hulk's character, which may be why the formula for the Hulk's comic series has been changed so many times in the character's history.

Is the Hulk a smash? We'll see. What's the future for the movie series? Well, if there is any consistent rule in the Hulk stories, it's that the Hulk only keeps getting stronger.

More Movies to Make Mobs Marvel

Flush with success from IRON MAN's box-office barrage, Marvel Entertainment today announced Marvel Studios' 2010 and 2011 film slates:

April 30, 2010: The inevitable IRON MAN 2.

June 4, 2010 : THOR.

May 6, 2011 : CAPTAIN AMERICA.

And in July 2011, the movie Marvel cognescenti would expect following the release of flicks starring Iron Man, the Hulk, Thor, and Captain America: THE AVENGERS.



No word yet on the oddball project Marvel announced along with IRON MAN and THE HULK at the 2006 San Diego Comic-Con: ANT MAN.

Thanks to Superhero Hype.

Tony Stark is So Money

I am pleased to report that the IRON MAN movie lives up to its hype. It not only joins the ranks of the first two SPIDER-MAN and X-MEN movies as superior Marvel adaptations, it rates as the most Marvel-like of the movie adaptations so far.

It not only features superior performances from Robert Downey, Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, and an extremely disturbing Jeff Bridges (who uses his lovable-guy persona to nasty ends), but the scenes with Iron Man himself are delightful wish-fulfillment. Further, it features a 40-something hero who lives on the westside, and who spends his maiden flight soaring over the Santa Monica Pier and buzzing Sunset Boulevard. What more could I ask for?

That question was answered by the bit after the closing credits.

Jon Favreau (the first Marvel director who has already played a Marvel character -- he was Foggy Nelson in the DAREDEVIL flick -- and who plays a supporting character in this one, the dour "Happy" Hogan) has a wonderful feel for both the dramatic and the action bits. And it looks like the movie has benefited from beating all the other summer movies to the door.

All the Marvelous Movies

Yesterday's LA Times Calendar section featured this story by Geoff Boucher (the LA Times staff writer who handles all things comic-book-ish) about Marvel Studios.  

Folks may recall that a couple of years ago Marvel got tired of studios throughout Hollywood raking in the big bucks on adaptations of Marvel characters, while Marvel itself merely received a licensing fee.  It sought to seize the means of production; and secured half a billion in venture capital to start its own studio.  (Not to be confused with the animation studio Marvel had in the Eighties).  

Now, as the studio's first flick prepares to roll out in May, the paper looks at the studio's prospects.  

On the bad side, it's not a good time to be an independent studio, with New Line dessicating into a division of Warner Brothers.  Plus, other studios have the rights to such cash cows as Spider-Man (Sony), X-Men (Fox) Fantastic Four (Fox again), etc.   And although Marvel struck a deal with the WGA during the writers' strike, the strike still hurt the studio:  It promised its investors 10 movies in five years, but expects to put out only one movie next year.

 On the plus side, Marvel Studios has the rights to such characters as The Hulk (they apparently reverted after Ang Lee's version failed to set the world on fire), Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, and numerous minor characters.  

Further, the studio's May release, IRON MAN, looks to be spectacular.   It's got great buzz, helped along by fantastic trailers.  A hit first time out on plate would go a long way toward persuading  folks to make theirs Marvel.  'Nuff said. 

Captain America -- Dead Again

So Marvel has cannily managed to land on the front pages of newspapers around the country -- and incidently sell out of the latest issue of Captain America's comic -- by printing a story in which the Star-Spangled Avenger gets assassinated, a la Oswald, on the way to his arraignment.

One comics scholar reacted to the news by reprinting the Jim Steranko cover to the Captain America comic from 1968 in which The Living Legend of WWII was supposedly ventilated by bullets and killed -- complete with a funeral -- only to come roaring back (on a motorcycle filled with explosive fuel, no less) in the middle of a graveyard. That storyline only took one issue to bring Winghead back to life; I suspect this one will take months or years -- much like the storyline in the early '90's in which Superman was temporarily killed off.

As all long-time comics fans know, Superhero Heaven has a revolving door.

Since this is the Era of the Pundit, lots of editorials took this opportunity to crank out op-ed pieces on Cap, what he means to America (and what he has meant at various times in the past, his character shifting as the definition of patriotism shifts), and (invariably) why we need him more than ever. And radio shows have used the occasion to dust off the cheesy theme to the cheesy 1960's CA cartoon -- the one where comic panels were shown with a character's lips or leg moving to give the illusion of animation.

Will this create any new comic buyers (besides the ones who bought CA #25)? Maybe, but not likely in any numbers. The public is going to forget this; it probably already has. But sometimes comics marketing needs an adrenaline shot like this.

Highway to Hell

The image of a damned soul, clad in biker leathers, his skin flayed away and his skeleton streaming flames, defying the Devil and roaring down dusty highways on a hellfire motorcycle hits so many American archetypes of coolness that it's a wonder Marvel's Ghost Rider hasn't been turned into a movie before. Now, 35 years after the character's creation by editor Roy Thomas, writer Gary Friedrich, and artist Mike Ploog (depicted here in a photo taken last week, shaking hands with Amy while writer J.M. DeMatteis sits in the background), The Most Supernatural Superhero of All has torn his way into America's cinema houses. And the results are . . . mixed.
Writer/director Mark Steven Johnson's movie is at its best when it shamelessly plays off the mythic vibe of the character -- like the opening, set in the old west, all desolation and flatlands and heat lightning, while an electric guitar strikes blues chords on the soundtrack. And the scenes with Ghost Rider himself are simply splendid. Few comic adaptation movies (outside of Sam Raimi's Spider-Man films or Richard Donner's Superman film) have captured the over-the-top fire and beauty of comic-book mayhem like this film. When Ghost Rider burns his bike up the glossy side of a skyscraper, or smacks down fallen angel goons that have elemental powers, or hits his throttle and instantly bursts into flame, you know you're watching a particularly well-drawn comic come to life. And Sam Elliott (as a grizzled gravedigger with an eldritch past) and Peter Fonda (who played "Captain America" in EASY RIDER, and here plays Marvel's version of Satan) play their roles with just the right tone.

The rest of the movie is the problem. Nicholas Cage, as Johnny Blaze, with hair that looks like he borrowed it from GLADIATOR's Maximus, seems to have trouble figuring out how to play his brooding Evel Kneivel character whenever he isn't blazing. As for his love interest, I approve of the Marvel movies' trend of recasting white characters in the comics with actors from other races (here, the comic's extremely white Roxanne Simpson is played by Latina Eva Mendes); but alas, Ms. Mendes's perfomance falls flat. And while it's nice that the actress has a truly comic-book-like figure, did her reaction to every peril have to be showing off more cleavage?

Then there's the script. Apparently, Mr. Johnson's flair for recreating Ghost Rider's comic book visuals did not extend to snappy patter for the Spirit of Vengeance. When Ghost Rider initially faces off against his opponents, his first line -- uttered in a terrific, sepulchre growl that seems carved out of smoking brimstone -- is, "Yer goin' down!" Yeah, yeah, there's a double entendre there, since he's trying to send the blackguards back to the nether regions -- but come on.

Also [mild spoiler] the story has one of those plot tropes I could never understand: When the bad guy is demanding the magical Maguffin that will make him all-powerful, and the good guys have it in there grasp -- why do they always give it to him?! Yes, the hero always has some plan to defeat the souped-up baddie; but wouldn't it be easier to just defeat him before he becomes all-powerful?

Anyway, I doubt this film will win bouquets from critics; but it's essentially critic proof. It's a flaming skeleton on a motorcycle. Pyrotechnics look great on film. So do skeletons. So do motorcycles. Put 'em all together, and you should have a moneymaker.

The cover above is copyrighted by Marvel Enterprises (or whoever the parent company is now); and the still is from Columbia Pictures.

Satan Speaks Like the Sub-Mariner

Marvel's "Essential" series is a terrific set of phone-book-sized paperback collections of various series, reprinted in black and white on cheap paper, with the result that a 500 plus page reprint goes for $16.99. One of the most recent volumes features the 1970's adventures of the Satan siblings: Daimon Hellstrom, Son of Satan, and his sis Satana. Yes, Satan was a Marvel Comics character. (In the 80's, the Reagan era, Marvel got cold feet and announced that this guy was a demon "posing" as Satan; but in these comics he's portrayed as the one and only, Prince of Lies, Morning Star, Nick Scratch, Mephistopheles, etc.) The back story goes that back in the fifties a woman fell for a handsome guy, albeit with pointed ears and arched eyebrows (no, not Leonard Nimoy), married him, and bore him a son and a daughter. Only later did she learn that she was -- dum dum dum -- The Bride of Satan! The site of her hub in all his infernalness drove her instantly insane. Meanwhile, Satan split with the little girl, and the son grew up and studied to be a priest. He eventually discovered his mother's diary and found out he was -- dum dum dum -- The Son of Satan! As with many children of divorces, he had severe father issues, and vowed to oppose Ol' Scratch. This being the mid-seventies, he took up the profession of exorcism, for which he'd wear a "ceremonial garb" of tight pants and a cloak. No shirt. (What an incentive to keep fit. Don't want that Satanic Six-Pack to sag.)

When Satan appeared in the comic, Marvel didn't exactly get subtle. He manifested either as a muscular sillhouette covered with flame lines, a la the Human Torch, or as a muscular bald guy with a bald head and horns. Oh, and he wore a Speedo made of flames. (Sounds like an oath -- "Satan's Flaming Speedo!" Or a comic book title -- "The Savage Speedo of Satan!")

What was most amusing to me was that Marvel's version of Satan tended to talk like another one of its arrogant monarch characters -- Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner. Thus, Satan has lines like, "No more do you face sniveling demons -- you face SATAN, THE MASTER, PRINCE OF HELL, LORD OF DARKNESS -- you face your DOOM!"

SOS had a long run in Marvel Spotlight, and then was given his own series, which lasted only eight issues. He did better than his sis Satana (who couldn't quite go around bare-chested, but compensated by wearing a leotard with front cut-outs, in the manner that J-Lo would make famous 30 years later), who appeared in a few scattered stories in various places, did bad stuff, developed daddy issues too, and died heroically.

I suspect part of the problem with these characters' long-term prospects was the lack of merchandising opportunity -- not much market for Hellmobiles, or Son of Satan Underoos. (Though I believe Daimon did have a Slurpee cup to himself.) The stories did, however, feature some nice artwork by veterans like Gene Colan, John Romita and Sal Buscema; and stories by such then up and coming writers as Chris Claremont, Gerry Conway, and Steve Gerber.

Robert Downey Jr. = Shellhead

Marvel Comics character Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, may have started out as essentially Howard Hughes with a Clark Gable face; but newly-formed studio Marvel Entertainment may have made an inspired choice for the upcoming Iron Man movie by casting Robert Downey Jr. as ol' Shellhead. (Comics fans may recall Stan Lee's fondness for coming up with nicknames for his characters that included the word "head" -- e.g., Webhead (Spider-Man), Winghead (Captain America), Hornhead (Daredevil). For some reason, though, he never called Thor "Godhead" . . . .)

Stark's original weakness was a piece of shrapnel lodged close to his heart, requiring him to wear his chest armor/iron lung 24 hours a day (fortunately, it could be recharged from wall sockets or car cigarette lighters -- no joke). Eventually, the shrapnel was removed; so to find a new problem for the Golden Avenger, Marvel turned to substance abuse. Beset by stress he couldn't do away with by punching something, Stark turned to the bottle; and he's occasionally relapsed into it since. Substance abuse is definitely something Downey knows about.

The recreation of the "Demon in a Bottle" cover is copyright by Marvel. Downey's picture is probably copyrighted by someone, but I don't know who.