For my latest Nexus Graphica column over at SF Site, I provided a survey of live action movies/ TV shows derived from comic books.
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| Not that long ago, live action movies based on comics were a scarcity. As a kid in the 70s, a few made-for-TV movies based on Marvel properties littered the airwaves. Spider-man, Hulk, Dr. Strange, and Captain America all enjoy varying degrees of success. Not to be outdone, DC supplied the highly popular Wonder Woman series. Buck Rogers even staged a comeback. These films and series produced in the days before cable and digital effects, all looked inferior even to the current dismal crop of Saturday night originals airing on SyFy. |
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| During the early 80s, horror, science fiction, and action films dominated my film existence with only one notable comic book movie. Wes Craven, best-known at that point for the schlockfests The Last House on the Left and The Hills Have Eyes, brought the cult classic Swamp Thing to the big screen. My then 14-year-old self walked away from Swamp Thing (1982) with only one lasting memory: a nearly topless Adrienne Barbeau. I’ve managed to see the movie several times since and though not terrible, in terms of quality, the film lags far behind the extraordinary Superman. |
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| Tank Girl (1995) stopped my obsession. I realized about half through this wretched movie, that I didn’t even like the comic, so why was I there? I swore to be more judicious in my choices. |
My history continues up until the present day. Check the entire piece at SF Site.