DC Universe Animated Original Movies

[GeorgeC]

http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/ ... /index.htm

"* Warner Home Video has announced a Nov. 9 release for Secret Origin: The Story of DC Comics, a documentary that takes viewers behind the scenes of the company with unprecedented access to the Warner Bros. and DC Comics archives. Narrated by Green Lantern star Ryan Reynolds, Secret Origin: The Story of DC Comics will be available on DVD for $24.99, as well as On Demand and for download.
Secret Origin: The Story of DC Comics is written and directed by Mac Carter. "

*****************

Big pass from me...

Unless a documentary is about something or someone I'm passionately interested in, I have no use for them. I see tons of these on Discovery Networks and truTV all the time!

Excepting Comic Book Confidential, most comic book industry/history documentaries I've seen are lacking... They're just disappointing and seem to beam out as a "look at what a great job we're doing now!" PR campaign. They just ring false and hardly cover anyone but Stan Lee and the usual suspects (Frank Miller, Will Eisner, maybe a mention of Siegel and Shuster, Steve Ditko, Bob Kane, etc.).

I've read multiple comic industry history books, "tell-alls," and several biographies and autobiographies about the big industry players and founders. For someone who hasn't read those books, it's probably worth a look at but only as a primer for DC. There's a seamy side to this industry that no authorized documentary is going to cover because of "access reasons." Book publishing (in general) and comic book companies were founded with mob money. No documentary is going to tell you about that or how most creators were cheated out of royalties and other contractual agreements.

Might be worth a rental but probably not worth buying until it's on sale for a deep discount...

We're NOT in a golden age for comic books... won't be unless tablet PC's can pick up the slack and actually show substantial profit.

The comic book movies (and TV series) sure aren't doing a darn thing for periodical sales in general...

[Randall]

The doc disc will also be included in the Batman Beyond complete series set coming out this fall, which could be another way of getting it if someone already was attempted on that big box.

I'm actually reading Men of Tomorrow right now... a good read and very enlightening! I thought the author did a nice job of tying in politics, the rise of the mob, Prohibition, and the shady side of publishing (and smuggling) to create the history of the comic book.

[GeorgeC]

Men of Tomorrow has probably the best history of the founding of the American comic book industry. The sad thing is that it's about the only comprehensive history of comic books written by an insider. Most of these books are written by people who are journalists or fans who have no connections to the industry besides what they read in magazines.

The book's author, Gerard Jones, co-authored another comic book history book called The Comic Book Heroes. It talks mainly about superhero comics from Superman onward.

I thought about getting Men of Tomorrow at one point in time but I passed on it...
(The book is still easy to get and worth it, used or not... A lot of libraries have it which is where I borrowed it. Excellent read!)

One story in the book is wrong...

Jerry Siegel's father wasn't shot by a robber. He died of a heart attack.

The updated trade paperback (correction of original post) version of MOT also has the sad story of Jerry Siegel's son from his first marriage. That marriage didn't end well and his son had mixed feelings for the elder Siegel. He's dead now like his father but he had a bittersweet life.



EDIT: Post updated for corrections and new notations.

[Ben]

As a casual comics fan, who hasn't seen bumper-to-bumper histories of the big publishers, I was actually more than a bit interested in this when it was announced. I liked the Story Of Superman doc (Singer contributions apart) and another one on superheroes on general that was out in the early 2000s, so if I get a chance to see this, I'll do it. The whole National Periodicals phase interests me most, which is what I hope they focus on, rather than just being, like George says, a "hey, look what great work we're doing now" thing, or an extended teaser to bring Green Lantern into the public eye (ironic, seeing that if anything this standalone doc will mostly be picked up by the geeks that already know)!

[GeorgeC]

Ben,

I'll be very disappointed if the eventual live-action Green Lantern DVD/Blu ray (of the film or its animated counterpart) doesn't have an interview with Martin Nodell or one of his sons.

Martin Nodell was the creator of Alan Scott, the original Green Lantern in 1940. He passed away about 4 years ago but he has two sons. I met one of them, Spencer, twice at comic book conventions in Chicago and Orlando. Very good guy and someone with first-hand knowledge that's well worth interviewing. I hope someone does it! If I had the time and inclination, I'd be half-tempted to track him down and interview himself now that I have a decent HD camcorder and equipment to do this. It's very easy to rig up a green or blue screen (green in this case -- gotta keep with the GL theme!) and then do something in Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere to put in a neat background behind the interview subject.

This is a mini-doc I want to see in the near-future.

The comic book industry in the US was built on more than 2 or 3 people. As much as I like Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, they weren't the only two people who created anything. Also, Siegel and Shuster were far from the only two guys who ever got cheated out of money and credit.

ON THAT NOTE, Nodell had a happier ending than most Golden Age creators, too. He settled with DC for an undisclosed amount of money and did not complain about his treatment in public. He was a good PR guy for them and a treasure to talk to. He was also one of the comic book creators drawn into Kingdom Come by Alex Ross, too!

[Randall]

I met Nodell a couple of times in Orlando, along with Shelley Moldoff. Mrs. Moldoff didn't seem to have much use for Mr. Nodell, so there seemed to be a history there. But I did get both gents to sign my copy of All Star Archives Vol. 1! (I also have a Moldoff original Batman painting above my desk--- I wish I'd bought one from Nodell too.)

The copy of Men of Tomorrow that I just got is the updated paperback (caught your correction!), bought used at a great bookstore in Corpus Christi. I prefer hardcovers generally, but knew that the pb was updated.

[GeorgeC]

Regardless of how Moldoff feels, I hope Nodell gets a mention in the eventual home video release of Green Lantern.

I don't think I saw much about him (or Alan Scott) for that matter in the recent GL animated film.

To tell the truth, I'm getting just a wee bit antsy about the live-action film. They apparently finished principal photography on it and are advancing more into effects and all that nice boring stuff that generally doesn't get awards coverage on TV!

It's not so much the finish that worries me, it's Ryan Reynolds. Would not have been my choice for GL at any rate... He's been linked to mainly lame, dopey romantic comedies and such. Let's just say Hollywood generally isn't suffering from an overdose of testerone nowadays.

Reynolds is joined to the hip with the documentary coming out in November. He's doing the narration for it.

[GeorgeC]

The Superman/Shazam BD actually DID come with a slipcase...

However, it seems to me that this was a Wal-Mart exclusive. Also, exclusive to Wal-Mart was a Digital Copy DVD that was NOT available on the BD that I bought from Best Buy.

I was at Best Buy the day the Superman/Shazam BD and DVD's released. Believe me, I looked at all the copies and saw the same thing -- no slip covers.

A few days later, I'm looking at the video department in Wal-Mart and I notice that Wal-Mart has copies of the OVA BD with digital copy AND a slipcover!

Nothing I could do by that point... I had already opened my Best Buy copy and frankly I wasn't sorry not to get either the Digital Copy and slip cover this time.



I felt the main feature was a bit better than many people gave it credit for being. Perhaps a bit long, yes, but not terribly overlong. Animation I felt was solid. Nice treatment of Captain Marvel! Character definitely deserves greater recognition and treatment than he gets from DC nowadays. What's happened to the character in the past 20 years in comics is fairly sad...

It was also nice to see bonus episodes sourced from various DCUA series. Very appropriate choices! My favorites had to be "The Clash" from JLU and The Spectre episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold. That one was appropriately eerie and just diabolical. You can count on the classic Spectre being brutal and macabrely humorous in the way he deals with criminals... This really is the best way to introduce more people to different characters. Not everyone is going to buy all the TV sets but the episodes really do flesh out the basics of the assorted characters.

[Randall]

Our screeners are always the actual retail versions, and Shazam was sent with no slipcover, so you're likely right about the Wal*Mart exclusive. I'm betting the slipcover makes mention of the Digital Copy, but that it is missing on the actual BD cover, if it's the same as the wider retail cover. No big loss, though; it's not the first DCU movie to not get a slipcover, since they started without them.

I didn't find the Shazam story overlong, there was just too little in the surprise department. It was exactly what one would expect, with little ingenuity to the storytelling. Mostly, there's fighting. Still, I liked it enough to give it a 7/10.

My favortie Supes/Cap story is the DC Comics Presents one from about 30 years ago, which had the whole Marvel family and even Hoppy The Marvel Bunny!!! I also have that big Supes/Shazam tabloid, but Gerry Conway's comic writing is too hackneyed. The JLA/JSA/Fawcett team-up from the 1970s is neat, though not well written.

Another complaint I didn't mention in the article is that the depiction of Cap for years now has gotten away from the original idea of a boy becoming transformed into a man, intellectually as well as physically. Billy and Cap were distinct people, and they referred to each as such. Since at least the Giffen JLI days, he's been portrayed as a child's mind in an adult's body, with no switch taking place personality-wise.

Did you read the Mike Kunkel Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam series? I thought it was wonderful. Too bad he could only manage a half-dozen issues. Great cartooning going on in there. (I haven't read Jeff Smith's take yet; it's in my read pile.)

Agreed on the greatness of the bonus eps. They make the disc worthwhile by themselves if one doesn't have them.

[Randall]

I looked through Kidd's Shazam book last night at the bookstore. I almost snapped it up, too, but I have to pace my purchases in the wake on buying the Taschen DC book. (BTW, the book has shipped earlier than expected and I'll have it in a few days.)

It's Kidd's usual overly busy design, but there's lots of cool stuff on display in there. I did really like the die-cut ligthning bolt cover. I'll defitnely be picking this one up early in the new year.

[GeorgeC]

I haven't read Kunkel's Captain Marvel series... I just stopped reading monthlies years ago.

The closest I've seen to a classic Captain Marvel is Jeff Smith's retelling of the Monster Society. The problems I had with his series was a) it was a bit short, too compressed and b) I didn't care for how he made Mary Marvel almost a toddler. Other than that, his Marvel is the closest to the original -- basically a dual personality being with Cap influenced by Billy a lot. Smith went so far to define Marvel as almost a genie and I think I agree with him there.

Other DC handlings of Captain Marvel got too far from the original. Ordway changed too much for the sake of making Captain Marvel "cooler" for comic book fans who enjoy the nihilistic, violent comics too much. Ordway's Marvel just wasn't that much fun. Better than what DC's done with the characters recently, though. I didn't care for Evil Mary let alone the Black (Adam) Marvel family, either!

[GeorgeC]

http://video.comicbookresources.com/mov ... s-trailer/

Trailer's up at this link.

Sounds better than the previous Green Lantern animated movie.

It's six interlocking stories... Sort of like Gotham Knights but at least some people won't get headaches. The art style is the same all the way through -- it's not like AniMatrix or Gotham Knights were different directors and studios did shorts in their own unique art styles.

Looks interesting but it's obvious to me that although it's keyed to release with the live-action film this really isn't the same continuity.

Shoulda brought in Nathan Fillion to do Hal's voice in the first place! He's pretty much what I imagined Hal Jordan would sound like.

[GeorgeC]

All-Star Superman is the best Superman film I've seen in my lifetime. Maybe even better than Superman: The Movie in encapsulating all that's great about the Superman character. When written by the right hands, Superman inspires, challenges us to do what's right, to actually care about what's going on around us, and to examine the truths in our lives. In short, he's the world's greatest hero.

For the better part of forty years, a Dark Knight has eclipsed Superman in popularity and there are those that say Batman represents a more realistic, down-to-Earth character. Sure... if you buy that a billionaire can construct a world-class laboratory in caverns beneath his mansion without arousing suspicion or leaving behind piles of traceable receipts... and that he somehow manages to build this laboratory with only the aid of a post-middle aged butler... If you can accept that said-man is brilliant in multiple fields of engineering, mathematical sciences and biology, and somehow has time in his schedule to exercise and maintain a physique at the peak of human perfection. Right... that's more realistic than Superman!

Superman, by contrast, is a character of the light. The comparisons to the Christ and Moses stories are apt as Superman arrives on Earth and is charged by both his Kryptonian and Earthling fathers to set examples for and lead humanity out of darkness. Batman, on the other hand, struggles to maintain order in one overwraught city at the cost of instilling fear in both the villainy and citizenry of his domain. Standard operating time for Batman is the dead of night.

It's very difficult for most writers to tell a good Superman since the majority of those who write for and about comics are cynical to the core. Batman is far easier for most to write as a consequence. McDuffie has managed what has increasingly become a superhuman achievement -- writing both a good Superman story and a human one at the same time.

I've read the original comics that the animated All-Star Superman was based on. At the time, I thought to myself, "Good, but somewhat overrrated." The late Dwayne McDuffie, scripter of the movie, has taken the best parts of the limited series it was based on and distilled them into a film adaptation that's arguably much better than what it was based on. McDuffie has tweaked and changed some of the subplots to suit the film's end but has kept and magnified the main focus of the story -- a man near the physical end of his existence who's forced to admit who he is to the love of his life. At its heart, All-Star Superman is a love story. That will keep away those who are only interested in fights but opens up the film to a far greater audience than if it were based on standard monthly superhero fare.

I won't give any other secrets and twists of the story to those who have not read the original comics the film was based on. I will say that the film has moments that parallel what I felt during the best parts of Superman: The Movie -- majesty, emotion, and humanity. Like that first Christopher Reeve film directed by Richard Donner, I doubt this is a film I'll become jaded by as time goes on. It can only get better as it's dissected over time and challenge other films in the genre to realize even half its excellence. It's far superior to most other animated superhero efforts and is perhaps the finest, most realized version of Superman in both animation and film, period.

To the credit of the film's director, Sam Liu, and the rest of the animation staff, the film looks lush. It's better-crafted and better-looking than recent predecessors in the DC animated home video releases. It's a fine example of limited animation done on small budget... and frankly I'm not so sure $80million or more and full-animation would have made it better. It has a fine distillation of the original comic series' artist designs but is also its own creature. The visual representations of Superman/Clark Kent, Luthor, and Lois Lane are perhaps the best they've been in a long time.

The score for the film is also excellent and features the best Superman music since the mid-1990s animated series. It's a score that I wouldn't mind adding to my small collection of Superman music... right next to John Williams' Superman: The Movie score, arguably the premiere superhero music. Its only serious rival for music par excellence in recent years is the score to Justice League: The New Frontier.

The voice casting for the film is excellent although most who see the film will likely only be familiar with the names of Christina Hendricks (Lois Lane) and Ed Asner (Perry White). Both James Denton (Superman) and Anthony LaPaglia (Lex Luthor) give outstanding performances as the iconic characters locked in their decades-long feud -- a feud powered by Luthor's insatiable appetite to be recognized as the most intelligent man on Earth and his fear that Superman diminishes mankind and may one day prove to be its downfall. As the film unfolds, LaPaglia arguably gives the best performance of Luthor by any actor in history and unveils the sad story of a man who could have been the most acclaimed and accomplished mind in history if only he had puts his talents to the service of others besides himself. A hero is defined by his archnemesis, and, to LaPaglia and McDuffie's credit, they unfold what is one of the defining stories of Luthor as well as Superman and Lois Lane. Luthor, for once in a long time, seems like a credible human character instead of a caricature.

As stated earlier, this film is primarily about the end days of the romance between Lois Lane and Superman/Clark Kent. To their credit, both Hendricks and Denton do a fine job as both characters and are convincing as characters in love. Although I found Hendricks to sound easily 20 years younger than her chronological age, it works to the benefit of her portrayal of Lois Lane. Her Lois is all we expect Lois Lane to be -- sexy, smart, ambitious, and a bit cynical without the crust Dana Delany gave to her otherwise delightful acting as Lois Lane. While I don't find Denton to be the iconic voice of Superman (I still think it's Bud Collyer), his effort was admirable and services the story well.

Besides all the artistic merits of the film, All-Star Superman on Blu ray has the best assembled disc-set yet from Warner Home Video. Instead of three discs as is usual with most Blu ray + DVD + Digital Copy sets, the DVD and Digital Copy editions of the film are on a single hybrid DVD so the set saves an extra 5" platter. The Blu ray is the most compact, full featured edition of the film out on home video with all the bells expected for a Blu ray/contemporary DVD -- plus the extra animated TV episodes that some fans appreciate for their context and relation to the main feature. Others find the same TV episodes needless replication of what they already have in home video libraries. I've always appreciated the related TV series episodes for context and doing away with the need to search through the proper TV sets to find said-episodes.

I can say no more without revealing critical plot points and secrets of this movie. I'll just repeat what I said that the beginning: All-Star Superman is the best Superman film I've seen in my lifetime.

[Randall]

Wow, nice review, George! Remember, the offer's still open to write reviews for the main page!

All-Star Superman is the best Superman film I've seen in my lifetime.

Okay, now I'm really excited to see this. My review copy will be here any day now. I plan to force my wife to watch it with me--- she loves the Reeeve movies too, and I hope to share All-Star with her as well.

(Okay, I just spoke to her... she's in!)

Nothing can beat Superman: The Movie for an actor's portrayal of Superman. But I realize that All-Star encompasses more of the overall legend, with all the comic book wackiness included. Sigh. Hearing all this praise for the film just makes me all the more sad that McDuffie passed away so young.

I've read the original comics that the animated All-Star Superman was based on. At the time, I thought to myself, "Good, but somewhat overrated.

Kind of my reaction, too. I think I was put off by the whole "last days" thing; but Morrison is one of my favorite writers (despite his many faults, he's got crazy imagination). I love how he embraces the Silver Age style and updates it.

Can't wait to see this!

[Ben]

Wow. I mean...really...WOW!

New Frontier and Crisis apart, I really haven't been that hyper to catch the DCUA movies (after the awful Doomsday, which I do realize was a set back from the start). But that you not only obviously enjoyed the film to a vast degree but also felt strongly enough to find the time to write your lengthy, in-depth appraisal...well, it's obvious that All-Star Superman is something special indeedy.

I can't wait to read Rand's take, now, and to see the film at some point soon.