Don and Randy turn their eye away from comics and toward the TV to take a sneak peek at The History Channel's new super-hero documentary.
Randy:
I don't know about the rest of you, but I see more than a little of the History Channel in my house. My wife is an addict, and our Tivo knows it, but while the documentaries on history are always well produced and executed, I've never been as intrigued as I was by the notion that the History Channel was going to tackle a bit of history that I find fascinating: that of comics.
Don:
Our thanks to Jennifer Mann at the History Channel for sending us preview copies of this documentary. I've seen similar documentaries in the past, but I was pleased to find there were a few new elements covered here, notably how comics addressed such issues as Sept.11, land mines and gun control. There's plenty for the longtime comics fan in this film, but I think the audience that will get the most out of it are newer readers and those who unaware of the background and social reflection that comics provide.
Comic Book Superheroes Unmasked
produced by The History Channel
featuring Jim Steranko, Kevin Smith, Will Eisner, Paul Levitz, Denny O'Neil, Michael Chabon, Stan Lee, Mike Richardson, Joe Quesada, Bradford White, Avi Arad, Frank Miller & Neil Gaiman
Randy:
As with most comic fans, I'm both leery and intrigued whenever a mainstream media outlet decides to do a feature on comics. The fear of "Biff! Bam! Pow! Comics aren't for kids anymore!" is always lurking. Fortunately, The History Channel has created a documentary that, while focused on the super-heroic genre in comics rather than looking at the medium as a whole, is intelligent, well-researched and perhaps most importantly accessible to the neophytes while remaining interesting to the comics hardcore. I was surprised to learn a few things in watching this documentary, such as a story that told of the quick turnaround/jam session that created the first Human Torch/Namor pairing.
Don:
For the most part, this documentary covers subject matter with which I was already quite familiar, but Randy's right, there are a few nuggets here and there that exposed me to some comics lore that I hadn't heard before. It's an ambitious project, but its greatest strength is how it focuses on the people behind super-hero comics, not just the characters themselves or the times that shaped their adventures. The importance of the contributions, not just the iconic results, is emphasized. For example, Jim Steranko's psychedelic influence on comics receives quite the spotlight. Of course, it probably didn't hurt that he served as a consultant on this documentary project.
Randy:
There is a definite "mainstream" feel to the documentary, as you may note from the familiar names who appear to talk about comics throughout. The producers have nabbed most of the faces that the public at large associated with comics, pop-culture crossover sensations like Kevin Smith, Neil Gaiman, Michael Chabon and Frank Miller. However, they have also picked up comics historian Jim Steranko, living legends Stan Lee and Will Eisner, long-time Batman writer/editor Denny O'Neil, current helmers of DC, Marvel and Dark Horse Paul Levitz, Joe Quesada and Mike Richardson and a comics historian who I wasn't previously familiar with named Bradford White. It's a good spread of talent and voice, and while I would have liked an even wider spread (would have been neat to see EW's Jeff Jensen, or Scott McCloud, or Brian Bendis, etc.) you certainly can't accuse the producers of not looking for a wide spectrum of opinions and experience.
Don:
It's no great coup to see Stan Lee in a comic-book documentary. He's in all of them, really, and he tells the same stories here that I've heard from him in past interviews. Randy's right... it would have been nice to see some other faces. Julius Schwartz is mentioned often, but doesn't appear, for example. But there are some newer faces. While Dark Horse's super-hero offerings fail to get mentioned, the soft-spoken publisher, Mike Richardson, offers some keen insight, as does Chabon, essentially an industry outsider who has insight into its origins.
Randy:
In terms of subject matter, this is purely about the genre more than the medium, although the focus does stay largely on super-heroes within the comics. The result is an approach that is intelligent but not overly academic, and which covers a remarkable amount of ground in its 1:34 (without commercials) running time. The first half hour or so covers largely the comics Golden Age through to the infamous Wertham hearings, and the next half-hour covers the Silver Age and its maturation into the Vietnam War-era modern age. Because the modern age has been so long in comparison to the well-defined Golden and Silver, the last half hour skips a fair amount of what seems like important events, but still hits most of the major moments. Claremont's X-Men, Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen, social issues making their way into comics, the deaths of Robin and Superman giving way to the speculation market, Sandman winning the World Fantasy Award, even the relatively recent homosexuality issues raised by The Authority are name-checked.
Don:
Ninety-four minutes is a longer running than most comic-book documentaries I've seen, but given the almost seven decades of history that's to be covered, it's still restrictive. Nevertheless, the filmmakers manage to cover a lot of territory, and limiting the scope to just super-heroes (though I take issue with the characterization of Gaiman's Sandman as a super-hero book) was a wise move. I hope, though, that a followup documentary comes to pass, touching upon the underground and independent/small-press comics movement, from the small pornographic spoofs of the 1940s to Crumb to Dave (Cerebus) Sim's appraching 300-issue achievement.
Randy:
There are a few glitches or things that struck me as strange, such as a weird focus on relatively obscure political comics like Batman: Seduction of the Gun and Batman: Death of Innocents, which is interesting from a comic insider view to see how comic outsiders might view these books. The same is true of the 9-11 reaction, which gets a few minutes of time and is credited with making comics more relevant, which seems a somewhat spurious leap considering that the more obvious reason is the increased attention from Hollywood. In addition, the focus is most definitely on DC and Marvel alone, leaving out the smaller super-hero publishers, although given time constraints that is certainly understandable.
Don:
I don't agree. I didn't see the filmmakers as saying that 9-11 made comics more relevant to a wider audience. I was something of a bookend. Super-heroes first arose in wartime and even took on the real-world political enemies of America, and I found that the 9-11 references showed how the creators and characters react differently today to a different kind of wartime. Furthermore, the landmine and gun-control references were an extension of that contrast. In 1941, Captain America lands a punch on Hitler's jaw, marking a symbolic victory for Allied forces. In the 1990s, Batman fails to save a little girl from an explosive demise. It marks the evolution of the storytelling within the genre.
Randy:
For the most part, the creators of this documentary seem to have a pretty firm grasp on the realities of comics both past and present, noting little details like the Robin who died being the second Robin (something most major news outlets missed at the time it happened) or talking about Wonder Woman's brief "I-Ching" era in the early 1970s. In some cases, I even felt like the writers and researchers of this documentary were more in touch with the core of these characters than some of their current comic-book creators, as the script has some very insightful things to say about the core of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman and how that core has changed with the times.
Don:
Actually, the timing of this documentary's television debut -- next Monday, June 23 -- is fortuitous for Matt Wagner and DC Comics, with their release this week of Trinity. Comic Book Superheroes Unmasked spotlights the iconic nature of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, and how they stand above even Marvel's most popular characters.
Randy:
On the technical side, of course, the documentary is polished and perfect, as you'd expect from the History Channel. Keith David's baritone makes an ideal narrator, the music is subdued and effective without being dry and boring and the variety of comic-book art, while perhaps not quite as varied as I would have liked, get some of the more effective visuals portrayed in comics. There are even some treats in the form of sketches of Captain America, Flash and Superman that I was surprised to see, given how far those characters go back.
Don:
David -- best known to genre fans as the voice behind the animated Spawn and Goliath from Disney's Gargoyles -- bring drama and respect to the material. The filmmakers have also added subtle but energetic special effects to the statis comic-book panels throughout the documentary.
Randy:
Make a date to watch, tape or Tivo this documentary if you're a super-hero fan. It shows a true understanding and appreciation of the genre, makes for an entertaining read, and makes me long for more of these documentaries, focused on the infinite aspects of the super-hero genre and the comic-book medium and industry besides that could make for such interesting subject matter.
Comic Book Superheroes Unmasked premieres on The History Channel at 9 PM/8 Central on Monday, June 23. To get an email reminder, purchase a DVD copy or see more information, visit
