Comic Book Confidential (1988)

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

Director:

Ron Mann

Writers:

Charles Lippincott, Ron Mann

Stars:

Lynda Barry, Charles Burns, Sue Coe

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lynda Barry	...	Self
Charles Burns	...	Self
Sue Coe	...	Self
Robert Crumb	...	Self
Will Eisner	...	Self
Al Feldstein	...	Self
Shary Flenniken	...	Self
William M. Gaines	...	Self
Bill Griffith	...	Self / Zippy the Pinhead
Jaime Hernández	...	Self
Jack Kirby	...	Self
Harvey Kurtzman	...	Self
Stan Lee	...	Self
Paul Mavrides	...	Self
Frank Miller	...	Self

Storyline

In the 20th century, no artistic medium in North America with so much potential for creative expression has had a more turbulent history plagued with less respect than comic books. Through animated montages, readings and interviews, this film guides us through the history of the medium from the late 1930s and 1940s with the first explosion of popularity with the superheroes created by great talents like Jack Kirby and hitting its first artistic zenith with Will Eisner's "Spirit". It then shifts to the post war comics world with the rising popularity of crime and horror comics, especially those published by EC Comics under the editorship of William B. Gaines until it came crashing down the rise of censorship with the imposition of the Comics Code. In its wake of the devastation of the medium's creative freedom, we also explore EC's defiant survival with the creation of the singular "Mad Magazine" by Harvey Kurtzman. We then move to the resurgence of the superheroes in the late 1950's ...

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Plot Keywords:

comic book | art history | reference to wonder woman | comic book history | comic book writer | 

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Genres:

Documentary | History

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Certificate:

Unrated

Did You Know?

Crazy Credits

In the introductory credits the artists portrayed in the film are presented by a comic artist who is working on a comic page, filling the frames with the name and a typical comic character of each artist. When introductory credits are over and the page has just been finished, the comic artist makes such a clumsy move that his ink pot overturns loosing all its ink over the page.

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Alternate Versions

Available on CD-ROM with additional footage. Comic Book Confidential was re-released on CD-ROM in 1994. The video quality of the film is significantly degraded since the CD's storage capacity is very limited. The film's video resolution is 224x168. The CD also contains short FMV interviews with the film's director Ron Mann, sample pages from the comics mentioned in the film, artists index as well as further reading materials such as the biographies and publishing histories of the artists involved and the actual Comics Code in its entirety.

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Connections

References Leave It to Beaver (1957)

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Soundtracks

MARVEL SUPERHEROES (HAVE ARRIVED)
Courtesy of THE MARVEL ENTERTAINMENT GROUP INC.
Original Music: Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet, KEITH ELLIOTT and GERARD LECKEY, NICHOLAS STIRLING of STRANGE NURSERY,
Dr. John (Mac Rebennack)

User Reviews

Good film

I've read comics before, but i'm not an avid comic book reader, and until this film I had no idea of the great history behind comic books. This film is tailored to educate and entertain everyone from the most avid comic book readers to the people that know nothing about comics. The film did a fantastic job at going through the history of comics and hitting on all of the aspects of comic books and comic book writers. I do, however, wish there was more about women's involvement in comics. Comic Book Confidential is filled with great interviews from both well-known and not-so-well-known writers, and is filled with great insight into the rich history of comic books.

Details

Country:

Canada USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 April 1989 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

Comic Book Confidential CD-ROM

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sphinx Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color