Remember how I used to do reviews of superhero movies on this site?  I stopped after “The Watchmen,” because to me that movie sort of cleared the decks and made anything else seem redundant. I loved Iron Man, but it is very unlikely I’ll see it while it’s in the theater, and I’ll probably wait and get it on Netflix.  I am very hyped about Kick-Ass, however. This just all goes to show that what I look for in a superhero movie is different from what others want.  For example, here are a few comparisons:

• Mystery Men vs. Bryan Singer’s Superman = Mystery men
• Iron Man vs. Spiderman I or II = Iron Man
• The Incredibles against the Fantastic Four movies = The Incredibles

Keep in mind, I have not yet seen (and may never see) Wolverine or Spider-Man III.  Yet, I wonder how cool a television show based on Planetary could be, or a big-assed movie based on the Authority?  I suspect I’ll be left wondering forever, though.

So, having said all this, here is my wholly subjective and probably irrelevant views on some of the movies I’ve seen in recent times:

• 50 Watt Fuse: The G.E. Smith story is interesting, but not a blockbuster.
• A Quantum of Solace: A+
• Aeon Flux: Not as bad you would expect.
• Almost Famous: Outstanding movie! Deserves all the praise it got.
• Black Snake Moan—Outstanding, provocative, just a damn good movie
• Boogie Nights: A+
• Casino Royale: A+
• Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young–Living with War: It’s hard seeing your heroes get old.
• Hancock: Meh… The cum scene was funnier back in the Pro.
• Inside Man: Universe, please give this misspent time back to me!
• It Might Get Loud—Yes! Yes! Yes! Let guitar geeks rejoice!
• Journey to the Center of the Earth: This stretched suspension of disbelief to beyond breaking!
• Lord of War: I was moved. A+
• My Super X-Girlfriend: Even the wonderful Uma Thurman can make a real stinker, it seems.
• Natural Born Killers: Well, this was an eye opener.
• Pan’s Labyrinth: I hated this movie.  Maybe it was brilliant, but I don’t care.
• Thank You For Smoking: I was educated. A+
• The Bourne movies: Excellent, excellent.
• The Illusionist: Very good movie.
• The Last Samurai: Very moving.  With Tom Cruise, I expected less.
• The Mothman Prophecies: I liked it a lot.
• The Prestige: There were some very enjoyable elements in this movie.
• The Secretary—Talk about provocative! Yikes!  But a great movie in any case.
• Ultraviolet: Unrealized, as if they ran out of money and had amateurs edit it.
• Windtalkers: Incredibly bleak.  Watch at your own risk.

Why should it matter what I think about these movies?  Well, if you dig Johnny Saturn, my movie preferences should go a long way in explaining what I like in making comics.  Beyond that, my opinions are no more or less valid that yours.

Scott.

I really like trade-paperbacks.  I do not like single issues, which now cost $2.99 to $3.99.  As far as I’m concerned, the economics are way against collecting the floppies.

Dick Grayson makes a fine Batman.  Is it really important to the franchise that Bruce Wayne returns?  Sure, I know it’s only a matter of time before he’s back, but does that make for a better story?

Norman Osborn is a fascinating character.  I love the way Brian Michael Bendis’ mind works, because the Dark Reign stuff makes for a compelling read.  This is one of those cases where the villain makes a lot more sense than the heroes, after all.  I love villain-centered stories, and I wish I had dreamed this up first.  Alas, I did not.

Digital comic distribution seems to have arrived.  As usual, the way was paved by the pirates and all their file sharing.  ComicsXP is my favorite of the new digital distributers, and you can watch an excellent presentation about it here.

Does comic coloring seem darker and more dingy than it used to appear?  Overall, I’m tempted to say “yes.”  It seems to me that the current technique in widest use, coloring from dark to light with lots of screen effects, is the cause.  Many of these colorists, very talented in their own right, seem to have forgotten the need for clarity and contrast.

In my opinion, Freddie E. William’s book “The DC Guide to Digitally Drawing Comics” is perhaps the most important book on cartooning written this decade.  I like “how to” books, but most of them cover the same time-tested material again and again.  William’s book is something new, a new way to cartoon.

I’ve been reading Ed Brubaker’s run on Captain America.  It’s easy to see why he won his Eisner’s.  Because of the rich supporting cast and super writing, the book has continued on for several years with the main character dead.  I haven’t read any of the Rebirth material yet, because it’s not collected into trades, but I have high expectations for that too.

So, the Black Widow is the new Captain America’s (James Buchanan Barnes) girlfriend.  Natasha has been around the bend a few times, also having had relations with Hercules, Daredevil, Hawkeye, and Iron Man.  There are probably others, but I just don’t remember them.  She doesn’t rank as the most sexually active Marvel character, though, because that seems to be a long-running contest between Tony Stark and Matt Murdock.  Those dudes get around!

I’ve got an interview coming up in the new ComicsXP magazine, available free at http://www.comicsxp.com.  This magazine has not been released yet, but the interview is by John Wilson, and some of my answers may surprise you.

After coming to the conclusion that I have no place to sit in and read in our house, I have taken it upon myself to remodel our guest bedroom into a hybrid bedroom/den.  I have idyllic visions of myself, sitting in my grandfather’s easy chair, drinking coffee or perhaps tea, and reading in a pleasant, well-lighted environment.  I’m only about halfway done clearing out the room, however, because I’ve managed to hurt myself several times working on it, and most recently I sprained my drawing hand.  I remain undaunted.

I have taken it upon myself to create a master Photoshop resource file on my computer, one that includes all the brushes, textures, tool presets, custom shapes, custom paths, filters and patterns that I’ve either collected or created myself.  This file also contains my photographic morgue, as well as Sketchup files I use regularly.  I backed this file up a few days ago, and it took two DVDs to hold it, and would have taken 9 CDs.  Yikes.

Lately, when I do watercolor, usually at the Indianapolis Art Center, I’ve foregone drawing the subject matter in pencil and gone straight to watercolor.  I’m so used to using a brush that this is not that difficult for me to sketch in color.  Yay me.

Over at the Webcomic Planet Collective forums, I’ve been given two sub forums to run, one on Photoshop, another on Sketchup.  These will be collections of resources, and advice, and initial reactions to these are positive.

Scott.

I know people who think that superheroes don’t lie, and that they would never fight other heroes.  It’s easy to see where they got this idea, because, outside of comics, superheroes are portrayed as one-diminsional, bright, optimistic do-gooders, sort of boy scouts in tights. They always do what’s right.  It’s never hard to decide what is right or wrong.  Good always wins over evil.  Good deeds never have unforeseen, bad consequences.

In comics it’s another story all-together.  Well before the “Watchmen” or “Dark Knight Returns” were published, comics had already shed much of its innocence and stories often pushed the accepted boundaries and dealt with drug abuse, alcoholism, pornography, addiction, and any other vice you can think of.  Most often these vices were dealt with tastefully, and moral conservatism won over depravity.  When heroes fought each other, it usually began with a cliché misunderstanding, a short inconclusive tussle, and then a congenial team-up to deal with the “real” problem.

I would argue that what ”Watchmen” and “Dark Knight Returns” brought to the comics scene was mental illness: the superhero as a sociopath, or psychopath, or some other such behavioral dysfunction.  For example, Batman has spent the last thirty years wound so tight and out of touch with his human emotions that he is regularly described as psychotic.

This war for the soul of the superhero is at the heart of Watchmen.  Dan/Nite Owl is a decent person, one unwilling to abandon his morals or dish out jackbooted oppression.  Comedian has completely surrendered to his dark philosophy of brutality, and he believes in stark, ugly “truths.”  Rorschach is a one-man judge, jury, and executioner.  Ozymandius exemplifies putting the ends before the means, and in service of his goals he has placed himself high above his fellow humans.

Dr. Manhattan is easier to nail down.  He belongs to the old archetype of the non-human who is more than human.  Pinnochio, the Vision from the Avengers, Data from Star Trek, and many others fit this role.  Dr. Manhattan believes that he is now divorced from humanity and their concerns, yet it is the tears of a woman (Silk Spectre) that change his mind and bring him back to earth one last time.  Still, it’s curious to note that for most members of this would-be human archetype, most aspire to become human, as if that were innately superior to their non-human status.  Not Dr. Manhattan.  We come away with the suspicion that he left for another galaxy and he would do well and good without his human traits.

The soundtrack to Watchmen is outstanding.  In addition to the original score for the movie, which is moody and a little threatening, there are old songs worked in to great effect, including Bob Dylan’s “Times They Are A-Changing,” Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” Simon and Garfunkels “Sounds of Silence,” and the Jimi Hendrix version of Dylan’s “All Along The Watchtower.”

Scott Kurtz of “PvP” labeled Watchmen as superhero porn.  I respectfully disagree.  Clearly, this movie is Superhero Noir, a dark, serious alley off the brightly lighted streets of traditional superhero fair.

It’s safe to say this movie isn’t for everyone.  If you expect that you are going to watch something like Superman returns, or Iron Man, or the Fantastic Four, you are going to be quite disappointed. Watchmen is darker even than Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. Don’t take your kids.  The teenagers that shared the theater with me seemed less than diverted, and they came and went often to get refreshments.

This last Saturday night, I watched the Incredible Hulk, the re-launch of the series starring Ed Norton as Bruce Banner, Liv Tyler as Betty Ross, William Hurt as General Thunderbolt Ross, and Tim Roth as the Abomination. It should also be noted that Tim Blake Nelson as Dr. Sterns was delightful, and he stole the few scenes he got.

This movie was smart, fast, and well done, and they did us the great service of simply glossing over the Hulk’s origin and diving right into the story. They also made a point of adapting the 1970’s television show as much as they did the comic, taking what worked from the small screen version of the franchise.

My disappointment with the Incredible Hulk is that its advertising campaign touted the movie as being “As Good As Iron Man.” Incredible Hulk was good, but it was not that good. Iron Man was one of the best superhero movies ever made, and Robert Downey Jr. was stellar as Anthony Stark. The Hulk was simply good.

The Incredible Hulk was all around much better than Ang Lee’s 2003 Hulk movie. This is easy to explain: The script was much better written on Incredible Hulk.

As far as special effects go, the Incredible Hulk looked stronger than the preceding Hulk; his muscles looked ‘ropier,’ as if painfully distended all the time. As far as the climactic battle between the Hulk and the Abomination, I was less than entertained. But, I will be the first to tell you that I probably wasn’t the target audience for this battle. Fans in their twenties and thirties, looking for the big payoff images that bring their characters to silver screen life, were probably all orgasmic in fanboy way over this spectacle.

I’ve had this conversation before, you see. Fanboys want their heroes to look cool, and if that means rubber gimp suits and vacuum fitted latex, fine. I’m all about the utility—I’d rather see a fully functional, usable suit or costume. But, that’s just me. That doesn’t apply to the Incredible Hulk so much. (Although I was impressed that Bruce Banner kept getting stretchy pants—the stretchier, the better! An important point if you don’t want the Hulk running around al fresco.)

So, do I give the Incredible Hulk a B+ or an A-? It’s a tough call. I’m opting for the B+.

Scott.

Benita (she’s the best!) got me the Iron Man DVD, so I’m going to watch that tonight. I’ll fill you in on all the extras included on the DVD later. 

Here’s a watercolor I did Sunday morning in the formal garden at the Indianopolis Art Center. It took about two hours, and it brought me great relaxation:

Hi, Folks:

This is my first episode of Super Tuesday, where I tackle superheroes in other media, not just comics.  This is a big topic, because we are subjected to superhero imagery on billboards, television, at the grocery, and just about everywhere else that features pop culture and marketing.  This week is more an overview of what I intend to cover.

Movies: With the power of Netflix, I intend to watch every superhero movie ever made.  Really.  Will this render me insane?  Well, the movie “Batman and Robin” could well do it, really.  There have been quite a few comic related movies I’ve missed over the years, such as Elektra, Punisher, Hulk, and Spider-Man III, so I’ve definitely got some catching up to do.  If you want to check my pulse for where I stand on comic movies, here’s a short top list of mine:

Live Action: Iron Man, Mystery Men

Animated: The Incredibles,  Batman: Mask of the Phantasm

Television: Heroes, M.A.N.T.I.S.

Video Games: I can’t comment, because I’ve never played a video game before.

Superhero Webcomics: This was a pretty hard list to gather, and I’m sure I’ve missed some, but these are the webcomics (besides Johnny Saturn) that actually feature superheroes:

Adventures of Dr. McNinja

Dasien

Evil Inc.

Gaming Guardian

Lightbringer

Local Heroes

Magellan

Mindmistress

Neighborhood Watch

Point Guardian

Shades

Sidechicks

Stealth

Superfogeys

Tales of the Zero Men

Union Der Helden

Unstoppable Comics

Vanguard

Webcomics can come and go pretty quickly, and it’s not always easy to find them, so this list should change often.  Of the above list, my current favorites are Sidechicks and Evil Inc., but that could change because I haven’t had the chance to read many of these yet.

See you next Tuesday for more!

Scott