Secret Origin: The Story of DC Comics

Not much married to facts. More about lore.

Example -- they claim the Fleishers didnt want to do Superman cartoons.

Fact is the series was one of the reason the Brothers had money issues. They Spent their own money on those shorts.

For the rest of it, there's nothing new and A LOT of this doc is poitical. Not much about "secret" origins.

Truth is DC had only a handful of characters (two really) that were really successful. Superan and Batman. The rest were no where near as good.

I am a big fan of DC comics. I love their characters. I love Superman, Batman,Wonder Woman,Green Lantern, etc. Now as a comic book fan, I am pleased with this and I can show this to people who are not comic book fans. I'm surrounded by people who are not comic book fans, who think Marvel is better than DC. Which pisses me off to no end. I'm not dissing Marvel, I just hate how the general public thinks of it.

With this we get the history of DC comics. Where it started with one title to franchises. We get to see how Superman and Batman became part of the pop culture. We see how comics evolved. We get to see how comic books came into other media such as movies and cartoons. I know a lot people have this complaint, but they skip over major events such Crisis on Infinite Earths and Zero Hour and the New Teen Titans comics were also a big part of DC comics history since it was one of the most popular comics of the 1980s.

Overall some things are not mentioned, but then again most comic book documentaries are like that. I could show this to people who aren't comic book fans or Marvel fanboys, is that without DC comics, we wouldn't have the first Superman movie, we wouldn't have Christopher Nolan's Batman films and without DC we wouldn't have companies such as Marvel,Image,Darkhorse and many more.

This is an excellent documentary for both comics fans and non-fans. It omitted mention of Crisis on Infinite Earths, which I feel is a milestone in DC's history, but perhaps this is too arcane for casual viewers. Otherwise, it is a thorough examination of the writers and artists who created some of the most famous characters in the world. Loaded with interviews of the creators and clips from movie and TV incarnations, the documentary shows the evolution of the company, the creators, and the characters. As an in-house production, it probably omits some of the less savory aspects of the company, but this is not an expose, after all. It is a celebration of an American art form.

As a self-serving look at the history of just one of the two major publishers in the comic industry, it shouldn't come as much surprise to hear that a few small liberties are taken with this short history lesson. The broader picture rings true, though, and the producers of this documentary clearly took great pains to ask the right questions of the right people. Long-term fans will be pleased to see appropriate representatives from every significant moment in the company's history in living color, though some of the more embattled personalities such as Alan Moore and Frank Miller only appear via ancient promotional videos. Fresh geeks who don't already know the story will see their horizons broadened by some of the pains and issues DC has confronted and endured over the years, while more seasoned readers will enjoy the refresher course and possibly even learn a thing or two themselves. Worth watching once, at least.

I for one have always been a big fan of comics especially the brand made by DC, my favorite is "Batman". And after watching this documentary "Secret Origin: The Story of DC Comics" one can respect and enjoy the companies start and history even more. As you see with the times and as each decade past DC changed the content of it's comics to fit the times more in a social, political, and demographic manner. The comics would become more dark and they would begin to have a graphic edge to them.

From the start as you watch this educational and informative film you will see how DC created the Super hero, using many of the early stories to fit the times of war and depression. Then you see how DC tied in with Warner Bros, and this would lead to broader appeals for Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman in the form of radio, TV, and big screen movies. As with each decade passed DC would shake things up changing stories in each comic to meet the ever changing times. The stories were more outspoken taking on political corruption as it was almost like that super heroes had to fight leaders and authority figures. Thru the 75 year history this lead to more writers and artist with an edge as they produced more modern and serious graphic novels.

As shown in the film comic books, and super heroes give us hope they are our dreams and escape from an ordinary way of life, as you feel that way and you even get that take during the film with interviews from well known historians, comic book inventors, and the film shows how comics and DC even though challenged impacted society, yet it's staying power is proved with TV, film and merchandise. Overall near excellent film that's informative and educational as you learn some stuff about DC that you may not have known. A must see for any comic book buff and history lover.