Comments on: DC’s future

by: Karan Vir

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 17:25:14 +0000

I agree with Skye, Comics and Comic Book movies should have light and hope in the outcome but with the difference if u want to explore something unique do it in a different style but with the same message across

Thats why we have that goal in our comics that we make and our going to made into big block movies too.

K.v
Vimanika Comics
www.vimanika.com

by: Herr Mike

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 16:41:52 +0000

Now that dark = good, will we be seeing gimmick covers for these movies next?

by: gene phillips

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 13:03:03 +0000

“you’ll be shocked to discover the fascist symbolism of Star Wars!”

Old stuff.

DR FREDERIC WERTWINKLE: Hey, Rocky, watch me pull a fascist symbol out of a heroic text!

(And the proper response OUGHT to be–)

BUT THAT TRICK NEVER WORKS!

by: Torsten Adair

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 22:39:49 +0000

Ah, thanks for that, Rich. That was just off the top of my head…

For those who are interested in how modern American mythology works, go read Jewett and Lawrence’s “The Myth of the American Superhero”. Not only will you discover how “Little House on the Prairie” relates to “Unforgiven”, but you’ll be shocked to discover the fascist symbolism of Star Wars!

by: Joe Lawler

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 21:57:32 +0000

How come I got two spam linkbacks and Neil got none?

by: gene phillips

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 21:28:50 +0000

OK, Mister Literal-to-a-Fault:

“Both Marvel and Hollywood made good chunks o’change by portraying heroes who in some cases were light-hearted (IRON MAN) and heroes who alternated between light and dark (X-MEN, SPIDER-MAN).

Happy?

by: tommy raiko

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 18:55:23 +0000

“Marvel has only made one movie, Iron Man. Or does the latest Hulk movie count as a Marvel movie, too?

X-Men and Spider-Man movies were not made by Marvel.”

Still, there’s a point worth making in there someplace.

Yes, DARK KNIGHT is a record-breaking money maker, but it seems that Warner guy attributes that to its dark, brooding tone, rather than any number of other factors–at least some of which would be difficult to impossible to replicate in another movie (audeince curiousity about a popular actor’s final performance isn’t something you can count on for any movie you make.)

But if you chose to look at the broader category of successful movies-based-on-comic-books, you would take a look at Iron Man and Spider-Man and X-Men (regardless of what studio made them) and you would see a bunch of enviable successful money-makers. And I don’t think you could say that dark and brooding (is that the new “grim and gritty”) is necessarily the prevailing theme to those films. (And heck, SUPERMAN RETURNS did a lot of brooding and the Ang Lee HULK movie was plenty dark, and neither of those films seem to cry out for emulation…)

by: rich

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 17:36:32 +0000

Torsten Adair Says:
“Let me define the cliche of superhero movies (monocliche?: …”

You forgot one Torsten … In the past twenty years, there is the alarming trend where the hero and the villain (halfway through the film) must have a sit-down. The hero demands information, or promises the villain that he will be defeated. Villain makes glib remarks, angering hero, perhaps offers the hero a partnership. “We are alike, you and I.”

Before the movie’s conclusion, the hero and villain will have another meaningless conversation, meant to evoke all manner of irony, drama, pathos, etc.

Forget, DARK KNIGHT … it was a child’s movie, with little plot, overwrought angst, and maudlin speeches in place of dialogue. You’re better off renting DIRTY HARRY (1971) to see how a real police drama/action-adventure flick was done.

by: rich

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 17:25:24 +0000

“Creatively, he sees exploring the evil side to characters as the key to unlocking some of Warner Bros.’ DC properties. ‘We’re going to try to go dark to the extent that the characters allow it,’ he says. That goes for the company’s Superman franchise as well.”

Batman is evil?

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Tue, 26 Aug 2008 15:51:36 +0000

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by: Christopher Moonlight @ Moonlight Art Magazine

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:22:38 +0000

“And here we have the problem with Hollywood in a nutshell. “The Dark Knight” was a hit because it was so different from everything else (a dark and brooding superhero movie) so now they want EVERYTHING else to be just like it.”

As soon as I left the movie theater I knew this would be true. It’s what I am now calling “The Watchmen Effect”. Not to mention all the kids I’ve come across who think that the Joker is the guy to be like now. “That was so funny when he jammed that pencil in that guys eye.” Really! Let’s see how you feel if someone does that to you, or someone you love. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the movie, but we need to be a little more responsible about what we (and by we I mean Hollywood) portray as cool, in movies, while making the next ones.

by: Alan Coil

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:04:42 +0000

Marvel has only made one movie, Iron Man. Or does the latest Hulk movie count as a Marvel movie, too?

X-Men and Spider-Man movies were not made by Marvel.

by: gene phillips

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 13:11:45 +0000

This is especially funny since Marvel (whose track record so far is much better than DC’s) made a good chunk o’ change this same year with the light-hearted IRON MAN, and in previous years with properties that essayed a good balance of light and dark (X-MEN, SPIDER-MAN).

by: Tommy Raiko

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 12:36:33 +0000

“Come on! You JUST know EVERYBODY wants to see Superman’s eyes light up bright red and for him to say ‘Burn.’”

Didn’t that already happen in an episode of the Justice League cartoon that adapted that classic Moore/Gibbons Superman vs. Mongul story?

by: Skye

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 09:59:16 +0000

This is very awesome in a way you know?
We have a “Dark Knight”!
We have a “Watchmen”!
And now we have Frank Miller making movies!
This is like being in 1986 all over again!
Only, now, NOW it is on the IMAX!

I am genuinely interested to see if what happened with comics (at least superhero comics) in the 80s and 90s happens with the movies (at least with superhero movies).

Will movie moguls emulate the comic industry and take away the completely WRONG lessons from these movies in pursuit of JUST ONE MORE DOLLAR and subject us to dark, broody, super violent comic book movies with no light or hope anywhere?
I almost. ALMOST, kind of hope so!

Come on! You JUST know EVERYBODY wants to see Superman’s eyes light up bright red and for him to say “Burn.”

(AND! It’ll be a movie specifically without Alan Moore’s name on it!)

by: DjeD

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 09:35:30 +0000

Funny how they think ‘dark and brooding’ stands for ‘good’ and ‘mature’. Well, thanks God there is Marvel. I still think Iron Man was the better superhero movie as it mixed the fun and goofiness inherent to the genre with with some more serious notes. It had an passably intelligent script, great acting and solid film making.

by: Thomax Green

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 02:39:23 +0000

I personally worry about DC/Vertigo’s future. As a writer I have always wanted to work for them, but they except “no submissions” and so they will never know what I could do for them. As a fan that makes me very worried for their company. If they only take on new writers that they know personally or by already existing works they are limiting themselves in directions they can go with their stories. New ideas should never be left unexplored.

by: Torsten Adair

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 01:31:48 +0000

Let me define the cliche of superhero movies (monocliche?): The Superhero is gifted with talents which places the superhero above the general populace; the gift is tempered with tragedy or failure; the hero then confronts his own power and goods demons by battling his nemesis, which usually is a more powerful version of the superhero; a battle is fought, with the fate of the world in the balance; the superhero is victorious, few question the means to ends.
superman fighting his dark self? Happened in Superman II AND III. And you can’t get much darker than killing the POWERLESS last survivors of Krypton AND slipping Lois a rufi at the end of Superman II.
American cinema has many dark heroes. Redemption is another powerful storytelling tool. What hasn’t been seen on film is a buddy hero flick, where one is light and the other is dark.
Another strong theme is temptation…to take one’s good intentions and pave Hell. (Marvel could undercut Warner’s Justice League movie by producing the Squadron Supreme.)

by: Ken

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:13:48 +0000

They are going to introduce Superman again??? I think this character should be passing out his cards to the older crowd and saying “Thanks for the add!” to the younger people. Of all characters, does Superman really need an introduction?

“Hi, I have powers far beyond those of mortal men”

“you don’t say! Wow, I never heard of such a thing. Tell me more!”

“Yes, and my name is Clark and I grew up in Smallville, not that you ever heard of these things”

And everyone knows what Aquaman is about,

by: Adam

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 21:28:12 +0000

So in other words, Warners are about the make the same mistake the comics industry made back in the 80s after Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen.

This could be comedy gold!

by: Joe Lawler

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 21:06:40 +0000

Now they are going to put their winning lotto ticket in their pocket and throw their jeans in the wash and warp it to the point you can’t recognize it from any other balled up piece of soggy paper. ”

I think it’s more like they said “These numbers won once, so let’s use them again on a second ticket.”

by: Hervé St-Louis

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 20:36:02 +0000

The more I read, the less I’m interested in reading comics that are meant to support films…

by: Alan Coil

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 20:05:14 +0000

So not only is DC Comics going to go out of business soon, but they are gonna take Warner Bros. with them.

Atta boy, DiDio.

by: Bill Cunningham

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 18:50:09 +0000

Warners is equating “dark characters” with “fully-realized” characters.

Not the same thing at all.

by: dave roman

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 18:13:49 +0000

UGH. I wish people would stop equating “DARK” with the “good”

by: Charles Skaggs

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 18:07:14 +0000

Of course this is the plan, because what we all obviously want to see is a Dark Superman that uses his x-ray vision and super-hearing to keep constant surveillance on everyone, causes incalculable amounts of property damage in pursuit of criminals, and becomes a fugitive hunted by the Metropolis Police Department.

If you’ll excuse me, I’m off to watch the 1978 Richard Donner classic made by people who knew what the hell they were doing…

by: Jesse Post

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 17:59:25 +0000

I guess it’s official — superheroes are no longer for kids. At all.

Sigh.

by: Jason Green

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 17:39:51 +0000

Yeah, it seems they’ve completely missed the boat on this one. The Dark Knight wasn’t a big hit because of its brooding tone…it was a hit because it was a well-acted, well-written, well-directed film that stayed close to the tone of the source material. The same reason Marvel had big sucess with the Spider-Man, X-Men, and Iron Man movies. As a huge Superman fan, I have no interest whatsoever in seeing a “brooding” Superman film….that misses the appeal of the character entirely.

by: Brad

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 17:20:36 +0000

DK was a great Batman movie because the dynamic was a direct distillation of why it works so rewardingly in the comics — with a cool Joker who didn’t look like Nathan Lane. I thought Begins was good, but mostly because of its promise for a 2nd film. Same thing with Superman Returns, which was incredibly different (there’s that thar word again) because it allowed for the characters to change in drastic ways. To me, it held the promise of a truly interesting sequel. Oh well.

Lovely metaphor Neil.

-Brad