Hollywood is a cut-throat town. We get it. We've seen it explored in movie after movie, in TV show after TV show. It's a nasty place that can tear good people apart. And to be honest, I'm tired of hearing about it. Even worse is that in an effort to point out what a mean-spirited and crass business the movie industry is, Zimmerman offers up a mean-spirited, crass comic-book story.
Things are coming together nicely for Al Kraven and Timber. The perfect script falls into their laps, as do the perfect stars and director. Their movie is going to be made, but Al's running out of cash and they still need to address the issue of public relations. Meanwhile, under orders from their boss, movie producers the Rothsteins set out to destroy Kraven, financially, professional and physically.
McCrea's exaggerated style suits the more extreme characters that make up part of the supporting cast of this book. Mind you, the art seems, at times, as empty as the characters themselves, and I think it's due to some lacking backgrounds. Furthermore, none of the characters really grab the eye, save for the twisted, digusting ones, like the Rothsteins, and to a lesser extent, the Vulture.
The Vulture is tagging along... why exactly? And Al hangs at Scott Baio's house... for what reason? So much of this script seems completely random. Zimmerman drops real-life Hollywood names and faces all over the place, but sometimes, he creates doppelgangers. It's OK to trash Matthew McConaghey, but other entertainment-biz types are disguised as new characters? It all seems so random, and occasionally quite petty.
I pray no one picks this limited series up looking for a Spider-Man story, because they're not going to get it. Sticking the character's name on the book is some rather thin and poor marketing. Why risk disappointing a reader who may not be completely aware of the premise?
Zimmerman pulls back the curtain and exposes the ugly side of Hollywood. About screenwriters reselling rewrites, and talented artists who go unnoticed thanks to an indifferent public. Zimmerman tries to poke fun at Hollywood, but all he does is make the reader wince. The movies are an escape, and while we're well aware of the superficial, backstabbing nature of the town that gives rise to them, we don't need or want the reminder. This is material that is entertaining to people who work in or with Hollywood, not those of us in the real world.
