Comic Book Journal

In my previous post I anticipated the comic book event the release of The Dark Knight, see my post at http://www.comicbookjournal.net/death-of-the-joker/ for the prequel to this post. I finally viewed the film and it far surpassed my expectations of not just a comic book movie, but a movie in general. I was relieved to see that Legendary Films did apparently little to edit Heath Ledger’s final finished performance, and it was a masterpiece for a finale. Ledger steals the show so to speak as his Joker far surpasses even that of Jack Nicholson. Go see this movie! It will change the way you see comic book movies, and even Batman as well. My only complaint with the film is it is a tad long, but I think Chris Nolan intentionally left action sequences linger to display the new technology he had to work with, especially the introduction into an imax camera for some extended scenes. July was an exciting month in the comics world with the release of the Dark Knight, an expanded trailer for Watchmen in 2009, Comic Con, and of course, some exciting solicitations for August and September. I’ll have part two of my July wrap up tomorrow posted and hopefully some in-depth convention announcement coverage and even perhaps some reviews. Who has time to read anymore? Smile, Why so serious?!

Hancock has now made over 66 million dollars and is currently #1 in box office ratings.
Hancock is hot, but more importantly now than ever, superheros are hot now too. This is a time when fandom should be proud of as hollywood producers now eagerly search the pages of graphic novels and hunt through stacks of comic books for the newest blockbuster. I, along with everyone else it seems went to see Hancock and yes, the hype is correct. It is a different kind of movie. This superhero is definitely not approved by the comics code authority. All in all, without giving away any spoilers the plot was alright, despite it’s quirkiness, and Will Smith’s solid performance. I just didn’t take too much away from Hancock. I think I was watching another movie when I saw people literally give this movie a standing ovation after the credits. Frankly, I didn’t take much away from the film. Sure, there were a few guffaw moments, but I guess I just don’t like crude humor. Even with a PG-13 rating, I don’t think hardly any of the material or the language was age-appropriate. The fact is the language, detracted and distracted me from the film. And the “twist” with Charlize Theron was not surprising, it was predictable. I don’t think she actually acted in the movie, I think they just took leftover shots from Aeon Flux and re-edited them into the picture. All in all I’d give Hancock a six out of ten. It was a good waste of time, but nothing oscar-worthy.

Also, I’ve decided to extend my contest on the best way to recycle comics. While Kingsmoothie had some great ideas, I don’t think I feel right sending a box with my return address on it to a guy who turns things into lampshades or tabletops. It’s a little too serial killerish for me there fella. Anyway I’ll run it until the end of July. Look for more reviews to follow.