Comic Book Superheroes Unmasked (2003) (TV)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Steve Kroopnick

Writer:

James Grant Goldin (writer)

Release Date:

July 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary

Plot:

A history of superheroes in comic books, from the first appearance of Superman in the 1930s to today's morally-conflicted, violent anti-heroes.

Plot Keywords:

Comic Book | Marvel Comics | Censorship | Anti Hero | Superhero

Cast

Peta Wilson	...	Host
Denny O'Neil	...	Himself
Jim Steranko	...	Himself
Michael Chabon	...	Himself
Will Eisner	...	Himself
Mike Richardson	...	Himself
Kevin Smith	...	Himself
Frank Miller	...	Himself
Bradford Wright	...	Himself
Paul Levitz	...	Himself
Stan Lee	...	Himself
Joe Quesada	...	Himself
Avi Arad	...	Himself
Neil Gaiman	...	Himself
Keith David	...	Narrator (voice)

Runtime:

Denmark:90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:G

Company:

Triage Entertainment

Movie Connections:

References Batman (1989)

Interesting, relevant, and quite cool.

The documentary traces comic book history from Superman in the 1930s to the 21st century movie craze. It covers well-known mainstream figures like Batman, Wonder Woman, Spiderman, and the X-Men, but also characters and series known only amongst fans, such as the Watchmen and the Sandman. This is not some expose of each hero's powers and whether they could beat the Death Star in a fight, either; it's a presentation of comic books as a literary form and an industry, of its impact on culture, and culture's impact on it. In other words, it's surprisingly good stuff.

It looks good, too. I loved the graphics applied to the pages of the comics, the way the camera would sway and tilt over the static images the way a reader's eyes might. Meanwhile, Keith David has this voice and tone that sets the sharp and super-cool feel of the show perfectly.