Dark Knight Returns: Part One

Warner Premiere has done some really great adaptations of the DC Superheroes over the past few years. Their treatment of New Frontiers and Batman: Year One immediately come to mind. Then again, DC had a bit of the upperhand on Marvel in the 1990's. They were releasing the Batman Animated Series while Marvel was trying to pass off terribly animated versions of both Spider-Man and The X-Men.

However, that cannot really be said anymore since Marvel has for the most part caught up with DC in both the animation and big-budget movie game. Aside, from Superhero Squad. In the case of the Summer Blockbusters, Marvel may have very well surpassed DC with hits like Iron Man, the Avengers and the recent Emo-mazing Spider-Man movie.

Although DC has had tremendous success with the Christopher Nolan Batman Trilogy, movies like Green Lantern and the previous Brandon Routh Superman endeavor proved to be less than successful. However, their hoping to have success by hitting the reboot buttom on the next Superman movie sans Routh. Which was something they should have done in the first place instead of just making a continuation of the Christopher Reeves movies.

Time will tell.

With that said, I still feel DC has one up on Marvel at least as far as animated films are concerned. And the trailer for their upcoming (and I'm sure highly anticipated) animated movie based on Frank Miller's classic Dark Knight Returns looks like it's going to be another good one for them. After watching the trailer, I can't wait to check it out. Check it out for yourself below:

MTV Shows

Batman: Year One

DC/Warner Premier's latest animated movie Batman: Year One was not half bad. My only nit-picky complaint was that I wished they kept the animation flat like the original David Mazzucchelli artwork instead of trying to flesh it out with shadows.

Otherwise it wasn't a bad adaptation of probably one of the best Batman stories to come out of the past 25 to 30 years. Maybe even better than some of the Batman films that have come out in that time too.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the story. It was written by Frank Miller in Batman issues #404 to #407 in 1987 and it recounted the beginning of both Bruce Wayne as the Batman and Jim Gordon first arriving in Gotham City.

Even though Batman is first learning the ropes, this ISN'T the "I'm doing this untilt he world doesn't need me" angst ridden, emotional and looking for closure Batman from the Christian Bale films.

Bruce Waybe makes it quite clear in this tale that he is not looking for closure. He wants to be Batman. You get a sense he's not looking to avenge his parents death. He becomes Batman because he wants to protect the streets so no one has to go through what he went through and give them the protector he never had as a kid.

He doesn't become Batman out of guilt. He wants to be Batman.

Another thing is they don't overdo the Batman voice for starters. A touch growly but nothing like the over-the-top incoherent guttural snarling Christan Bale attempts.

When he's talking to Alfred he isn't doing the voice. He's talking in his normal voice.

With that said, the cast in this one does a decent job. The bright spot in the cast is Bryan Cranston of both Breaking Bad and Malcolm in the Middle fame as the voice Lt. James Gordon. He sounds like a Jim Gordon who could probably kick your ass without breaking a sweat.

Batman: Year One is well worth checking out. I liked it better than both Under the Red Hood and Superman/Batman: Public Enemies. I was actually disappointed by Public Enemies while I thought Red Hood wasn't bad. But this one blows both out of the water.

Not a perfect adaptation of the comic, but then again I don't think there ever will be a perfect adaptation. Still, I enjoyed it.

The Spirit

Probably two of my favorite non-DC or Marvel mystery men were Lee Falk's The Phantom and Will Eisner's The Spirit. Although, I suppose now both characters have been published in DC or Marvel in some form or another. Although, at times, not nearly as well done as the original. But it never is.

I'm really thrilled to be seeing the Spirit finally get the theatrical treatment. I love how they've given it that very Film Noir treatement of Sin City. It should be noted that Frank Miller is directing this film who also created Sin City and directed the film.

I was first introduced to the character and it's creator Will Eisner back in 1989 when I was given a copy of The Smithsonian Book of Comic Book Comics. Which I still have in my collection to this very day. The story that stood out was The Story of Gerhard Shnobble. What caught my attention was Will Eisner's artwork. After looking at both the artwork on the first Superman and first Batman stories, this was a huge departure from a lot of the comic art that was out at the time.

It was good!! It was stylish. I was pretty much into only cartoony sort of characters at the time, and what I really liked was the fact he seemed to blend a somewhat more realistic comic book style with a slightly cartoony look the characters.

At the time I was beginning to become disenchanted with cartoon characters and I wanted to do something more. In 1989 Tim Burton's Batman had just hit the theaters and besides that film I had started really becoming interested in comic books through two sources.

1.) A tattered copy of How To Draw Comics the Marvel Way given to me by my friend Jason Burtchell.

2.) My friend Michael Goodrow's comic book collection. At that point, I had never in my life seen a cedar chest full of comic books.

For me, the Spirit was a happy medium between my cartoony style and this new found appreciation for gritty comic book characters.

I also couldn't help thinking at the time "This would make a really great movie". I might have told a friend who fancied himself a filmmaker I thought this would make a grat film only to get scoffed by him tell me he thought the character was stupid and would not make a good film.

Hmmm? Let's see now. 19 years one kick ass looking film from one kick ass writer/director later WHO WAS RIGHT BITCH???

Sure, I really can't claim victory just yet. I haven't seen the film. But I'm really impressed with the way it looks. Honestly, it's a lot better than what I would have had in mind for the character.

What I like is it's different from the Batman and Iron Man films. Not saying anything bad about either of those films. They're great films and deserve the praise they have been given. I just like it when you have so many films like this coming out because it gives something for everyone.

And I can't wait to see a film that has been, in this once young and eager comic book fan's opinion, years in the making.

And for those of you who fancy yourselves well versed in all things comics, graphic novels and sequential art. Before you have anything derrogatory to say about anyone who suddenly comes to like the Spirit just because the only thing they know about the character is the movie SHUT UP!!

Don't act so high and mighty about it just because they don't know what Will Eisner was doing on August the 15th 1946 when inked panel four on page one and what sandwich he ate for lunch that day and every line of the working script he may or may not have been working on doing the story. Or haven't read a Spirit comic book a day in their life.

JUST SHUT UP!!

If that's their introduction to the Spirit and they only thing they know about the character, then so what?? It's a movie. It's meant to be enjoyed by everyone. Know-it-all's and novices alike.

So there!!