Secret Origin: The Story of DC Comics

I was a comic book kid, from Marvel to DC to obscure companies I can't remember the name of, I was one of those kids who grew up with these superhero tales and have watched them evolve over the years.

Secret Origin is a feature length documentary that looks back on DC's storied past from humble beginnings to the monster it has become today.

It looks at the fluctuations in comic book popularity, the trends that molded it and the every increasing popularity of it's most popular characters such as Superman, Batman & Wonder Woman.

This is a fantastic little documentary that I would say is a must for comic book fans and one of those films that may well prove enlightening even to those who aren't.

Personally I think it was a bit short, it was as if it were taking you on a tour of a wondrous place but repeatedly shooeing you into the next room before you were done. Another 30-60 minutes would have done wonders to really tell the story properly.

Well constructed full of great interviews and background nuggets that I found very entertaining, good job.

The Good:

Ryan Reynolds narration

Very insightful stuff

The Bad:

Too short

Things I Learnt From This Documentary:

Watchmen was inspired by Tory Thatcher Britain

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.

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.

The documentary should be mandatory viewing for those interested in the art of super heroes. The story of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and many others are examined here with plenty of commentary by experts, artists, writers and historians. The art of cartooning illustration is truly under-appreciated. This documentary addresses it as a serious subject. They include rare footage and stills of the pioneers and interviews with those who made it all possible.

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.