Comic Book Confidential

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.

Comic Book Confidential, which is a (now) relatively obscure documentary on the history of 20th century comics up until its finished filming date (about 50+ years between the start of the 'Funnies' to the publication of The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller), is a film I look at on two levels: one is as a growing fan of comic books and graphic novels, who has known names like Stan Lee and Robert Crumb for years and is now knowing well names and works by the likes of Will Eisner, Harvey Pekar, Charles Burns and Jack Kirby better than ever, and wants to soak up as much knowledge as possible. The other is as a documentary informing on the varied and eclectic history of a very modern medium that can only grow. On both fronts the film reaches far from greatness, and in all actuality is incomplete. But I admired its ambition for a different approach with its transitions and showing what the comics were an evolving but "primitive art form", as Eisner says.

Ron Mann and his team basically gathered a rogue gallery of 'who's-who' of comic book writing legends (with the sad exception of a few, Bob Kane and especially Alan Moore, that add to it feeling short and incomplete though not just because of that), and covers how comics started in papers, spread to Superman and Batman, then the war, horror comics, the wretched "Comics Code", and the slow but eventual erosion through the start of Marvel comics and, more-so, the underground comic boom started by Robert Crumb and going on to more radical and crazy dimensions. While Mann may spend a little too much time with the underground folk (may being the big word, I dug it visually mostly), he gathers up a lot of useful and funny anecdotes- from Pekar about his embarrassing jazz radio station fiasco to one writer's troubles with doing an outrageous rip on Mickey Mouse.

The film tries, and usually succeeds, at engaging on its own serio-comic approach, with the panels of comics flashing by at a cool and concentrated pace, and some groovy tunes from Doo-Wop onto 80s New-Wave. It's biggest problem though, aside from a few notables not being included that, if only as a minor fan-boy, feels irksome, is that it's actually too short to fully dig into its well of possibilities. What's scratched here can suffice for die-hards and newcomers, the latter probably just bedazzled by the amount of underground product they've never heard of (some of it news to me and some, like Maus, that one means to check out but haven't yet for a reason or another). But there's probably a more ambitious documentary waiting to be made, one with more access or more money, maybe even on the level of a Ken Burns probe, that could be made on the subject either as a companion or update (bring in Warren Ellis!)

A well made look at the history of comics, it really ignores superhero stuff and focuses on underground and indie comics for the last half. It's clear they look at superhero stuff as artistically vapid (until the end with Frank Miller and DKR) which is a view I get, but there's still lots to find if you dig. Could have looked more at Jack Kirby's stuff, Gerber, Moore, etc. A nice primer, but overall a tad limited unless you really want to see semi obscure creators reading their stuff.

Really, my summary line sez it all.

This film does a valiant, necessary job: In its scant 80ish minutes, it gives a passable broad view of the evolution of the comic medium in the U.S.

Take it from me, if you grew up with comics in the 60s thru the 80s, this film covers an impressive array of the essential bases. One of the highlights, to me, is basking in Will Eisner's beautiful visionary mind.

And the other minds you see are lovely variations on that central theme.

Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful! Lovely production values, highlighting--just like comics! Fancy that!--the power of wild, middling production values coupled with untrammeled creativity to speak simple, direct truths that touch your heart and free your mind.

Check it out.

When this film came out, it was a refreshing and enjoyable movie. It treats comics with some real respect and takes the time to explore the medium in some detail.

However, there are some flaws. Some of the talents interviewed do not work in comic books per se, but in comic STRIPS, a variant of the medium that has gotten much more respect over the years than comic books. However, that variant has it's own history and dicipline that is distinct from comic books and should not have been included. This is meaning no disrespect talents like Bill Griffith, but it's like having a film discussing the art and history of movies and having TV series producers interviewed. They are part of a related medium, but are really not relevant to the main subject of the film.

Otherwise, it does cover a fairly complete view of the form with giants like Jack Kirby, Stan Lee and Robert Crumb, although I would have liked to have seen talents like Alan Moore (Swamp Thing, Watchmen) or the Pini's (Elfquest) being interviewed. The animated sequences were a neat way to get the atmosphere of the comics in their different eras as well as the major characters. The footage of the pages from "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns" was particularly effective.

In short, if you need a quick overview of the comic book as a form of art, then this film is well worth your time.