What effect do movies have on the comics they adapt–and vice versa?

Poor Steve Gerber...

 If somebody had told teenage me that Marvel Comics would be entering a renaissance of quality entertainment production within my lifetime, I would have scoffed and I would have been justified.

The film and TV adaptations up to that point were unremarkable. The Spider-Man television show was pretty bad, and the bizarre version of Spidey on The Electric Company was befuddling. The rarely screened Dr. Strange is so for a very good reason, and while The Incredible Hulk television show was actually quite good for a season, it rapidly devolved to pure schlock. The mask-less Captain America made-for-TV movies make the 1990 straight-to-video film seem like a masterpiece and while I have a certain affection for both Howard the Duck and the so-bad-it's-almost-good Dolph Lundgren version of The Punisher, I am not so much a fanboy that I don't recognize them as, well, awful.

Almost ten years later, it seemed like they were getting the hang of things, and starting in 1998, the track record was much better. Blade was a lot of fun (as was Blade II). Bryan Singer's X-Men seemed to draw from the best of the Chris Claremont scripts and perfectly set up the characters for the Grant Morrison comic run that would follow. Sam Raimi's Spider-Man remains one of the best comic book adaptations to date.

But there were also incredibly misguided versions of Daredevil and Hulk, a piss-poor reboot of The Punisher, a superfluous spin-off for Elektra, a Man-Thing dud, fairly worthless Fantastic Four films, Ghost Rider and three part-threes that mangled the formula by way of Blade, X-Men, and Spider-Man, which is a shame considering how great the second films in each of those series were.

The First Marvel Studios release

And along came Iron Man.

The first Marvel Studios production was a perfect coup of brilliant casting and smart writing, and set the stage for an emerging Marvel Universe that could bring future intellectual properties together in a thoughtfully planned continuity. Instead of producing comic book movies, they produced great movies based on comic books and the effect on the medium that inspired them was astounding. The Iron Man comic book written by Matt Fraction and illustrated by Salvador Larocca shot straight to number one on newsstands and comic shop racks. Marvel Comics finally got to experience legitimate buzz as the zeitgeist embraced their product–primarily because it was a good one. As succesful as the Spider-Man movies had been, the carryover was more pronounced via licensed product than the comics themselves, which saw only a slight boost. It's been said that miscommunication between the Sony studio and Marvel Comics left a chasm that the marketing departments in the publishing wing couldn't fill. This wasn't much of an issue with the X-men titles because they had long been the most successful monthly books, and there were so damn many of them that overall sales remained high across multiple sku's. With Iron Man, it was Marvel calling the shots in-house and rather than alienate comic creators, the folks working on the monthly title were brought into the creative process with the entertainment company execs and a long term plan was hatched based around multiple flagpole titles in a series of platform releases.

The rest, as they say, is history. Avengers is one of the most successful films in history, and even a lackluster Hulk reboot didn't hurt the brand. Thor captured a huge female audience, and Captain America followed suit. The formula works, and it pays dividends back into the source. Avengers comic books and the many spin-offs have usurped the mutant throne, and the writing on the monthly titles that have been adapted as films have won awards for the writers and artists. The heightened profile of the story lines adapted have led to repackaged releases of those stories, and a sharp increase not only in the value of the comic books, but also the original comic art from the series that were adapted. Added desirability is reserved for original art pages that are panel-literal in their translation from comic book board to movie screen. 

Here are a few examples of those literal examples.

First up: Thor.

THOR (2009)
by J. Michael Straczynski & Olivier Coipel
Issue #10, Page 9: Splash Page
Balder Confronts Thor in the Throne Room
Graphite and ink on board
Signed by Olivier Coipel
17" x 11" $1,500.00

The Olivier Coipel page on the left shows Balder entering the Asguardian Throne Room, with Thor seated as the ruler of the Norse gods. The right image shows the movie version of Thor (as portrayed by Chris Hemsworth) entering the same room, but with Odin (Anthony Hopkins) atop the great steps. This shows how the art direction of the comic has been adapted for a new medium, and while elements of J. Michael Straczynski's story arc were preserved in the two Thor films thus far, they haven't quite caught up to where the comic book is now. Dr. Doom was an important character in JMS' run on the title following his prior scripting duties on Fantastic Four, but FF and all supporting characters are currently licensed to 20th Century Fox, who also currently control the X-Men franchise. With character rights tied up at several other studios, Marvel has to accommodate the best they can. Notice I didn't say "improvise," as it seems everything has been painstakingly thought out.

THE INVINCIBLE IRON MAN (2008)
by Matt Fraction & Salvador Larroca
Issue #18, Page 22: Splash
First Appearance of The Iron Patriot
Graphite and ink on board
Signed by Salvador Larroca
11" x 17" $1,200.00

In this Iron Man panel comparison, you've got the first printed appearance of The Iron Patriot below a screen grab from Iron Man 3. In the comic series, Spider-Man villain Norman Osbourne dons the Iron patriot suit in a plot that crossed from Brian Michael Bendis back over to Matt Fraction. Since the Spider-Man universe is currently licensed to Sony, an alternate backstory had to be written for the Iron Patriot of the 3rd Iron Man film. Since Bendis is the architect of the Marvel continuity, he was central to the conversations at Marvel Studios and an excellent replacement story entered the script for the film. The armor design is identical, and both the comic and the film are top notch.

CAPTAIN AMERICA (2008)
by Ed Brubaker, Steve Epting & Jackson "Butch" Guice
Issue #33, page 23: Origin of Bucky as New Cap
(Featuring Tony Stark & Black Widow)
Graphite and ink on board
Signed by Steve Epting
11" x 17" $1,000.00

 Very recently, Captain America: The Winter Soldier hit theaters, and so far it is perhaps my favorite of the Marvel films. Much more so than the first film (Captain America: The First Avenger) the sequel captured the intrigue that epitomizes Ed Brubaker's take on the character. America's Cold War secrets come home to roost in spectacular fashion, and The Winter Soldier is brought in to the Marvel movie universe. As anyone who reads this column should be aware (spoiler alert) Bucky Barnes is the Winter Soldier and following the death of Steve Rogers assumes the identity of Captain America. In the panel comparison, I found it interesting that the origin given in the film for The Winter Soldier borrows visually from that same character's origin as Captain America in the comics. The Death of Captain America series by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting is as intelligent as it is heartbreaking, and it seems that Brubaker is well versed in the literature of alternative historians like Peter Levenda and Joseph P. Farrell, as his Hydra organization seems heavily based on the Odessa file post-war Nazi conspiracy and the ratlines that pop-up on History Channel programming from time to time.

NEW X MEN (2001)
by Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely & Tim Townsend
Issue #114, Page 23: E is for Extinction
Sentinel Reveal Splash Page
Graphite and ink on board
Signed by Grant Morrison
11" x 17" $2,400.00

While X-Men: Days of Future Past is not yet released, the key art depicting Sentinels is everywhere already. This side-by-side comparison shows how much has been kept the same and how much has been changed from the Frank Quitely version of Sentinels from the Grant Morrison run on New X-Men. The panel on the right is the last page of their first issue together, and is the first appearance of a sentinel in that continuity.  The new movie is based primarily on the two issue story of the same name penned by Chris Claremont and drawn by John Byrne and Terry Austin as published in Uncanny X-Men #141 & 142 back in 1981. This has been a perennial favorite among comic fans since it was brand new, and has both set and disrupted multiple marvel universe continuities over the years. But just as the first Bryan Singer foray into mutant movies set the stage for the work  of Grant Morrison, this latest film seems to borrow a bit from the latter's X for Extinction storyline as well.

POWERS (2010)
by Brian Michael Bendis & Michael Avon Oeming
Issue #3, Page 32-33: Double Page Splash
Detective Walker Car Crash
Graphite and ink on board
11" x 17" (x 2) $1,200.00

The best part of all of this is that each of the original art pages referenced in this article are still available for sale, and have the added provenance of being reprinted in omnibus format, as well as in the Pop Sequentialism Exhibition catalog (also still available–signed, even!). Each page represents pivotal moments not just in print but immortalized in film. I've kept the pricing consistent with each artist's current page rates, which allows new collectors and investors to get into the hobby affordably–and with important pieces. Another page to keep in mind is this great Powers splash page (right), which has been revived as a live-action television series after a false start a few years ago. On March 19, 2014, it was announced that Powers would become the first original television series on the PlayStation Network, to stream exclusively on PlayStation consoles. The Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming series could very well be the next Walking Dead.

For more info and more original comic book art, go to: www.popsequentialism.com

A Radical Strategy for Critical Times

The filmmakers behind THE MATRIX and V FOR VENDETTA have teamed with the German art house director of RUN LOLA RUN and PERFUME to independently finance a project that is so hard to classify they've released a five and a half minute trailer AND a two and a half minute directors' introduction to help market it. The film is called CLOUD ATLAS, and it's based on David Mitchell's Bookman Prize winning novel of the same name.

This is the first film from the Wachowskis since 2008's SPEED RACER, a campy and possibly unfairly maligned adaptation of Tatsuo Yoshida's popular anime series. Because of the diminishing returns on their films since MATRIX RELOADED and the indisputably noncommercial plot flow of Mitchell's book, the creators of one of the most popular and profitable sci-fi franchises of all time were refused backing by every studio who would take a meeting with them. As the filmmakers explain in their video introduction to the trailer, practically everything about the project was met with suspicion: studio bosses shook their heads at the idea of three directors at the helm; marketing directors shrugged at the concept of multiple actors of varying racial heritage cast in the same roles; sales execs fretted a script that combined not just one or two genres, but seemingly all genres.

Risky? Sure. But it's not like they entered these meetings with nothing.

For one, they had a script endorsed by the novelist of an award winning best seller. They also had a dream cast of Oscar winners, nominees, and established box office champs including Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Sturgess, Hugh Grant, Susan Sarandon, Jim Broadbent, and Hugo Weaving.
Still, no backing.

Emboldened to persevere, the filmmakers scraped together one hundred million dollars in independent funding and convinced Warner Brothers to agree to a partial distribution deal for the finished film. At the time of this writing, CLOUD ATLAS is set to open in 20 countries in the space between October 26th and March 22nd, and the success or failure of this film will cause shock waves in the front offices of Hollywood for years to come. I, for one, hope it succeeds.





Aside from the track record established by Terrence Malick's successful TREE OF LIFE, there are other dream projects that became wildly profitable when the filmmaker's vision met at the intersection of popular opinion and critical acclaim. Francis Ford Coppola's APOCALYPSE NOW springs to mind. But there are many high quality films that challenged the accepted norms of cinema only to be met with crickets, so to speak. Darren Aronofsky's THE FOUNTAIN is only among the most recent examples of a highly concepted, richly acted and lavishly produced metaphysical epic to fail at the box office, despite all it had going for it. Even Ridley Scott's BLADERUNNER was considered a flop in its day.

But it would be nice if the audience for this film actually showed up opening night to see it, because a sold box office performance would send a message to the powers that be that sci-fi fandom wants thought-provoking material. How are we going to escape bad sequels and hastily written scripts if we keep rewarding the studios that produce them with box office dollars? They'll certainly not get the message if we don't show up for the good films. The only thing that studio bosses understand is formula. The purchase, production and marketing budgets are dictated by projections, and projections are based on recent track records of comparable titles. I say we make their jobs more difficult by staying away from formulaic fodder and supporting originality. Maybe that will compel them to consider quality an asset. How's that for radical?

Dark Knight's Rise Interrupted by Real-Life Bane

Last night one of the most anticipated sequels in film history opened. Along with millions of other Batfans, I attended a midnight premier screening of The Dark Knight Rises in a packed theater. It was a night filled with anticipation, excitement and optimism for the final chapter in the most critically acclaimed comic book movie trilogy of all time.

At 12:39 AM in Aurora, Colorado, a PhD neuroscience student burst into theater 9 of the Century 16 movie complex with two canisters of smoking explosives and a hailstorm of bullets followed. By the time he was in police custody, ten innocent people were dead on the scene, two more died at hospitals and fifty (or more) others were wounded. In a scene that could have been pulled from the script, a lone wolf's inhumane act of terrorism will forever be linked to the film being watched at the time of his attack. All screenings at the theater have been cancelled through August 1.

My thoughts are with the victims and their families, but also with comic fans who are likely to suffer a sort of guilt by association. This morning on my way to work, I heard talk radio pundits call for the banning of cosplay at movie premieres. It's been less than 12 hours since the terrible event took place, so not much is known about the gunman Aurora police identified as 24 year old James Holmes –except that he was dressed in "full ballistic gear," including a vest, a helmet, a gas mask, and other body armor, and as such probably looked like an enthusiastic comic book fan. How he made it through the parking lot with a shotgun, an assault rifle and a handgun will likely become apparent in the days that follow as security camera footage surfaces. Holmes was taken alive (relatively rare for a spree shooter), so his own testimony may prove illuminating as the case against him proceeds. Inevitably, his mode of dress and modus operandi will be compared to Bane,  the villain of The Dark Knight Rises. Which is all well and fine as long as he doesn't become the poster child for "crazy comic fans."

To me, his appearance and actions bear much more in common with the Guy Fawkes inspired anarchist from V for Vendetta, but thus far without the political rage.


It's probably not so much an incident of coincidence as a mere question of opportunity that this attack happened one week after ComiCon, but I'm sure mainstream media will pick up on that, too, when they realize the shooter is from San Diego.

There can be no greater shame than the loss of innocent lives, but it is a shame nonetheless that Christopher Nolan has made such an incredible film with as intricate a plot as has ever been conceived for the live action counterparts of characters with sequential art origins, and it will be overshadowed by the malicious actions of a lone nut. The Dark Knight Rises is an undeniable masterpiece that combines elements of its first two predecessors to close out the best three movies about a costumed crime fighter that will likely ever be made in succession. Tom Hardy might get an Oscar nomination. An incredible feat when considering that he performs beneath a mask for the entire film. Anyone worried about the Catwoman screen treatment in Nolan's hyper realistic Gotham can relax; the costume works. Anne Hathaway's performance is nuanced, layered and believable. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who has been so good in so many films, finally gives a star-making performance. The high notes in this film are very high, and while there is nothing on par with Heath Ledger's Joker, the threat is bigger, the journey is longer, and the outcome more satisfying.

Do yourself a favor and get to the theater this weekend before you read or hear something that will hamper your enjoyment. I'm going to wait a couple weeks before I dig into the plot, so you needn't worry about spoilers from me until then. As the smoke clears in Colorado, we'd all do well to remember that it's always darkest before the light. And The Dark Knight Rises is a film that has plenty of both. In many ways, viewing this film could be a crucial first step in overcoming the tragedy that befell its debut.

Does Spider-Man Fall Short of Amazing?

Yesterday being a holiday (happy belated Independence Day!), and therefore most of my favorite comic shops being closed, I didn't have a chance to pick up Len Wein & Jae Lee's OZYMANDIAS #1, so I'll have to review that tomorrow.

But the big comic book news this past week was the release of Marvel Studios reboot of The Amazing Spider-Man.

This new franchise starring Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker/Spidey and Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy sticks pretty close to Brian Michael Bendis' ULTIMATE SPIDERMAN origin and boasts an impressive supporting cast of Oscar® and Emmy® winners & nominees (Martin Sheen, Sally Field, Dennis Leary), so it's hard to pinpoint exactly what it was that fell flat. A reboot so close to the last film in the first series is certain to leave a bit of been-there-and-done-that, and people unfamiliar with the last decade of the comics may find the new origin a bit too contemporary, but the real problem for me was the overall predictability of the film.

Garfield has the right physique for the lanky Spiderman and this is perhaps the only film to truly capture the talkative, wisecracking hero of the comic book, but as Peter Parker, there was a slight disconnect. The awkward high school interactions between Parker and Stacy are believable, but something in Garfield's performance as Peter lacks believability. There is no guilt-ridden anguish as there was in Toby Maguire's performance, which made the daydreaming Parker a far more likable guy than this new brooding version. And while Martin Sheen is a fine actor, this film didn't seem to know what to do with him –or with Sally Field, for that matter. Sam Raimi's handling of the characters in his first two Spiderman films carried the care to attention of a lifetime fan. His experience in directing actors to award-worthy performances and his cross-genre gift at mixing action, comedy and drama matched perfectly with the tone of his films. Raimi's first Spider-man movie didn't feel like a mere set-up for more films, and though the tank had run out of gas by the third installment, the first two films are masterpieces of comic book cinema.

Marc Webb  has almost no film making experience and it shows. His 500 Days of Summer and The Office episodes he directed help to reveal his gift for capturing awkwardness (which may have been the sell point for Marvel execs seeking a post-Twilight emo audience), but was no help in setting the pace of a blockbuster Hollywood movie. The film looks great and some of the POV shots really do give audiences the sense of being inside the costume at times. In fact, all of the action sequences were quite well done, but there was no sense of urgency to them. When an injured Spidey miscalculates a ledge and he tumbles off a rooftop, the long pause before his imminent return via crane was accompanied by zero gasps. The audience had seen this before and knew that the threat was non-existent. The whole film had a going-through-the-motions feel to it.

It could be said that a superhero movie needs a great villain to truly succeed and The Lizard seems like a third string sequel villain at best –not the guy that helps relaunch a franchise. This is not to say that Rhys Ifans gives a poor performance; he was fine. He's just not the Green Goblin. By choosing Gwen Stacy instead of Mary Jane Watson as love interest it's clear there are plot reasons that necessitate withholding the goblin until later, but where Christopher Nolan succeeded in saving The Joker for the second Batman film, The Lizard is no Ra's Al Ghul. Consequently, even the tried and true tricks fail here: Marvel Studios has made the post credit roll sequence a staple to which audiences look forward, but the bonus scene we are given in The Amazing Spider-man is confusing and lack-luster. Norman Osbourne's name gets dropped like panties on prom night all through this movie but where does it go? Nowhere. Since the first franchise is so fresh in everyone's memory, the big reveal turns out to be something we already knew, compounding the staleness of delivery with ho-hum fanfare. Regardless of these and other problems, it was a box office hit and plans for at least two more sequels are in the works.

Since I've mentioned the excellent work of Christopher Nolan, I have an excuse to share a fan art teaser poster for The Dark Knight Rises (special thanks to Messenjahmatt). Follow that link for a full page of fan-produced posters. The countdown continues...