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