Most folks find comic books synonymous with superheroes. Considering how popular cinematic adaptations of Batman and Iron Man were this past year, it’s hard to separate the two. Many seem to forget that there was a time where the superhero genre was dormant in comics while other genres, such as horror comics from EC and adventuring comics (like those paid homage to in Watchmen’s comic-in-a-comic “Tales from the Black Freighter”), were more common to find in a long box than they are today.
One of the best comics being released today is far from a superhero book. Writer Ed Brubaker and illustrator Sean Phillips bring pulp crime to four-color glory in their book “Criminal.” The “Criminal” books have a structure similar to beloved crime comic series “Sin City.” One thing that sets “Criminal” apart from “Sin City” (aside from the fact that Sean Phillips can draw really well, unlike Frank Miller) is that they waste no time setting up the mythology of their universe.
In the first volume (Coward), we are already introduced to mainstays Gnarly, the bartender at seedy hangout The Undertow; nonsensical comic strip character Frank Kafka PI; and the notorious Lawless family. Each volume in the series explores a different corner of the same universe each time. Since we see the world through a different perspective each time, it would be great to have a different director for each volume to give it a different feel, like indie horror flick The Signal or the veteran helmed New York Stories.
Volume 3, The Dead and Dying, would be well-served by a director like John Singleton (who happens to write the introduction for this section), whose experience on a film like Shaft would help bring some life to the 70’s Blaxploitation feel of the volume.
The adaptation of Volume 4, Bad Night (which is my personal favorite), could use a director like Christopher Nolan who’s a seasoned veteran of the surreal neo-noir film -- very fitting for a story that has a comic strip creator getting advice from his main character.
And finally, these stories would translate well from page to screen. There’s no worry of failing to make the fantastic seem realistic on-screen. Each story is derived from common elements of crime stories -- revenge, heist, femme fatale -- but Brubaker brings enough innovation to bring a fresh and exciting voice to a genre where its always welcome.
4 comments:
it is proven that we don't need big name comic book icons to sell movies, (i.e.) R.E.D. , Wanted , V for Vendetta were all successful films. It's only when we flood the market and expect too much from the adaptation does it fail...Scott Pilgrim and Kick Ass (these movies were made FOR THE FAN). Unfort, most of these films wll be labeled "just another comic book movie" after shitty attempts like Daredevil and Elektra make it to the theatre. I would love more Noir themes and/or "real-life" situational adventures based upon comics.
oh and another thing...how's incognito? Im checkin out Criminal tonight on torrentz.
First, I wrote that awhile back, so things are a tad different today. I think Kick Ass can be labeled as a success as well, actually, but it did underperform a bit. However, it seems to be finding a pretty decent audience on video and Scott Pilgrim seems well on its way to doing so as well.
In the cases of Red and Wanted, I think the fact they were comic book movies came as more of an afterthought- I don't remember those facts being played up a whole lot as they came out. V for Vendetta would have been the same if it wasn't written by the prolific Alan Moore.
With Kick Ass and Scott Pilgrim, it was impossible to avoid what the source material was because the medium was such a heavy influence on each of those films.
I think that as creator owned series become more and more prominent in comic book retail, we'll have more films come out based on those where the fact they're based on comics is an afterthought. Crime books like Criminal or Scalped will definitely be able to stand on their own, and it's also easy to reach people who have preconceived notions about what a 'comic book movies' is because these are stories that stand on their own.
Incognito is fantastic, as is anything Brubaker does.
I'm a huge fan of "Criminal" too. Best comic book this last decade. I think Brubakers gritty microverse would make an even better TV series, with a new lead character every time, unfolding the story in the same, creeping pace as the book.
Post a Comment