* Five-page previews hit the Internet today for a pair of highly-anticipated-by-me Grant Morrison comics: DC mega-event Final Crisis and the “Batman: R.I.P.” storyline in Batman. The former comes complete with a sketchbook page of artist J.G. Jones’s interpretation of the villain Darkseid, while the latter boasts the best opening page ever:
* Apparently there’s some concern that Speed Racer will be a giant flop. Considering that that my uncle went to the world premiere a few days ago and told me how much he loved it (“a movie version of Mario Kart“) and a friend of mine emailed me yesterday about how great it was and I still didn’t realize it was coming out this weekend, this concern is probably warranted. Anyway, Jason at My New Plaid Pants brings this up because he didn’t like Iron Man (which I still haven’t seen) and can’t understand why that movie was so much more anticipated than Speed Racer. In a world run by Jason this would be different, but a billionaire playboy who builds a suit of armor and blows up terrorists with is probably just a bit more fundamentally appealing to most people than day-glo Christina Ricci outfits. (I say why choose?)
* I disagree with Jon Hastings about Batman Begins–real quick: directorial anonymity is not a virtue, there’s nothing “sophisticated” about the film’s absurd take on justice vs. revenge, and in terms of the Tim Burton Batman‘s supposed Joker weak spot, I think the difference between Nicholson as Jack Napier and Nicholson as the Joker is night and day–he goes from this slick buttoned-up sociopath to this wild, camp, let-it-all-hang-out grand guignol comedian. Plus all the praise Jon heaps on the Burton Batman in terms of its superior pacing, action choreography, design and so on is dead on. All that being said, his new post on visual poetry (or the lack thereof) in superhero films basically nails why I like the first Burton Batman so much and remain so unimpressed with, say, the Spider-Man movies (except for the third!): They’ve just got no panache! As Jon puts it, their action and spectacle is strictly in the summer-blockbuster idiom; take away the costumes and origins and they could easily be secret agents, pirates, archaeologists, soldiers, cops, space swashbucklers, whoever. The uniqueness of superhero comics’ native fantastical action is lost, with very few exceptions.
* Finally, for fans of irreverent summaries of Thor’s appeal as a character, I offer you this passage from Tom Spurgeon’s review of The Essential Thor Vol. 3:
The panels where Thor is not punching people so hard their light source changes are stuffed to the brim with either a) cool-looking Kirbyana almost always in the form of monsters and machinery, b) Volstagg, a fat coward who can bench press a bus, providing J. Wellington Wimpy-style comedy relief, or c) Thor screaming at someone about how awesome he is in preparation of punching them so hard their light source changes.
I friggin’ loved SPEED RACER, and I was not exactly optimistic going in.
That said, it’s going to get killed by the critics. It’s just too out there, too unapologetically for kids.
Best Speed Racer review so far is Anthony Lane’s:
“There�s something about the ululating crowds who line the action in color-coordinated rows; the desperate skirting of ordinary feelings in favor of the trumped-up variety; the confidence in technology as a spectacle in itself; and, above all, the sense of master manipulators posing as champions of the little people. What does that remind you of? You could call it entertainment, and use it to wow your children for a couple of hours. To me, it felt like Pop fascism, and I would keep them well away.”
Ululating crowds make me feel nice, but then I think of Hitler and I’m sad.
That’s hilarious!
“What does that remind you of?” The fucking NAZIS, that’s who, Tony!
I was going to say “Reminds me of American Bandstand”, but that would perhaps not fully honor the earnest dignity of the rant.
Oh man, can we please put Anthony Lane to sleep now?
Heil, Speed Racer, Heil!
There’s something about the ululating crowds who line the action in color-coordinated rows; the desperate skirting of ordinary feelings in favor of the trumped-up variety; the confidence in technology as a spectacle in itself; and, above all, the sense…