There probably isn’t a form of entertainment in America more misunderstood than comic books. In the 80’s, writers such as Alan Moore and Frank Miller created intelligent, revisionist versions of Daredevil, Batman, and Swamp Thing, but every newspaper still couldn’t resist “Wham! Zap! Pow! Comics Aren’t Just For Kids” type headlines about this “new” interest from those above the age of 12.
While Miller and Moore deserve heaps for credit for rejuvenating a stagnant art form, it still wasn’t clear that there was a huge subculture going on outside of men in tights dealed with damaged psyches while duking it out with over the top villains.
Independent filmmaking is probably responsiblity for introducing a lot of people to the wide variety of underground and independent comic book publishing. Films such as CRUMB, GHOST WORLD, AMERICAN SPLENDOR (and even Hollywood efforts ROAD TO PERDITION and FROM HELL) are good examples of the scope of the different stories going on in the alternative comic book world.
The New York Times Magazine ran an article this past Sunday on the current wave of comic book creators such as Adrian Tomine, Chester Brown, and Art Speigelman. The writer even goes so far as to predict that the graphic novel form will one day replace novels. I wouldn’t quite agree with that statement, but I do think that the artform is hitting an exciting new peak.
An excellent read, even for the uninitiated. And no men in long underwear, just stories about:
A young girl growing up in Iran and her family’s suffering following the 1979 Islamic revolution
Two punkish high-school girls trying to cling to friendship even as the onset of sex and adult responsibility seems to drive them apart.
A sad-sack 36-year-old Chicagoan who is briefly reunited with a father he has never seen before.
Variety reports that Robert Rodriguez’s departure from the Directors Guild of America to co-direct the hard-boiled comic book SIN CITY with creator Frank Miller has jeopardized him being about to helm A PRINCESS OF MARS because of Paramount’s agreement to employ only DGA directors. Rodriguez is refusing to back down because of his passion for SIN CITY and for working with Frank Miller, who apparently has refused anyone rights to his comic book unless he is signed on as co-director.
The DGA gives waivers for co-directors, though rarely. According to the DGA Associate National Executive Director Warren Adler (per DGA’s website) “it is a difficult waiver to get for directing feature films and dramatic television. It must be proven that the two can direct as a unit. They arent permitted to divide up the work but must function together on everything. Most of the waivers have went to siblings like Andy and Larry Wachowski (THE MATRIX trilogy), Bobby and Peter Farrelly (DUMB AND DUMBER, THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY) and Albert and Allen Hughes (MENACE II SOCIETY, FROM HELL).
Its understandable the need for the DGA to protect a very important credit. Just look at how the screenwriter’s credit has been weakened with every first-time Hollywood hack claiming “A film by” on movie posters. Regardless, it seems a bit ridiculous that filmmakers can’t break up or share directing responsibilities in a way they deem fit for a project. The DGA co-director credit should be revised to allow unique directing collaborations and cases such as SIN CITY where Frank Miller just wants some control over his creation and Rodriguez is happy to oblige.
There’s a fascinating inteview in the AV Club of this week’s Onion with Dave Sim, the controversial creator of Cerebus, a comic book that he has been self-publishing for the past 25 years. What started out as a parody of Conan the Barbarian grew into long, intricate storylines involving a character who, as The Onion interview states, is “a foul-tempered anthropomorphic aardvark, who has been a mercenary warrior, a politician, a religious leader and scholar, a revolutionary, a professional sports player, a bartender, and a comic-book fanboy, among many other roles.”
Sim would probably make an amazing subject for a documentary as he went from being known for creating a brilliant series of graphic novels to what some have deemed a mysognist with some very extreme views on affirmative action, a woman’s role in our society, and politics. He used the later issues of the comic to write long essays on his extreme anti-feminist and anti-leftist views. Andrew Rilstone’s website has a Dave Watch where he covers the comic, the man, and has some interesting commentary on Dave’s controversial essays.
Onion interview is here.
Andrew Rilston’s website about Dave Sim and Cerebus is here.
Syndicate this site