Comic Book Confidential (1988)

Director:

Ron Mann

Writers:

Charles Lippincott (writer)
Ron Mann (writer)

Release Date:

27 April 1989 (West Germany)

Genre:

Documentary | History

Plot:

A survey of the artistic history of the comic book medium and some of the major talents associated with it.

Plot Keywords:

Comic Book | Censorship | Art | Art History | Historical

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Lynda Barry	...	Herself
Charles Burns	...	Himself
Sue Coe	...	Herself
Robert Crumb	...	Himself (also archive footage)
Will Eisner	...	Himself
Al Feldstein	...	Himself
Shary Flenniken	...	Herself
William M. Gaines	...	Himself
Bill Griffith	...	Himself / Zippy the Pinhead
Jaime Hernández	...	Himself
Jack Kirby	...	Himself
Harvey Kurtzman	...	Himself
Stan Lee	...	Himself
Paul Mavrides	...	Himself
Frank Miller	...	Himself

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

Canada | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Australia:M | USA:Unrated | UK:15

Company:

Sphinx Productions

Movie Connections:

Featured in Fear in the Dark (1991) (TV)

Soundtrack:

BIG NOISE FROM WINNETKA

The best overview of the medium so far, but it needs refining.

When this film came out, it was a refreshing and enjoyable movie. It treats comics with some real respect and takes the time to explore the medium in some detail.

However, there are some flaws. Some of the talents interviewed do not work in comic books per se, but in comic STRIPS, a variant of the medium that has gotten much more respect over the years than comic books. However, that variant has it's own history and dicipline that is distinct from comic books and should not have been included. This is meaning no disrespect talents like Bill Griffith, but it's like having a film discussing the art and history of movies and having TV series producers interviewed. They are part of a related medium, but are really not relevant to the main subject of the film.

Otherwise, it does cover a fairly complete view of the form with giants like Jack Kirby, Stan Lee and Robert Crumb, although I would have liked to have seen talents like Alan Moore (Swamp Thing, Watchmen) or the Pini's (Elfquest) being interviewed. The animated sequences were a neat way to get the atmosphere of the comics in their different eras as well as the major characters. The footage of the pages from "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns" was particularly effective.

In short, if you need a quick overview of the comic book as a form of art, then this film is well worth your time.