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22 December 2023
Hey there! Time for another thrilling installment of Reading Between The Panels! This month, I’ve got three little items I want to talk about, all of them involving my favorite things (other than poontang): movies and comics. Two of these bad boys come out this month: Hellboy and The Punisher. The other, Dawn Of The Dead, in theatres now, strikes a topic I would like to address: horror in comics.
Hellboy (Sony Pictures) is based off of the popular cult series of the same title from Dark Horse Comics. Starring Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, and Karel Rodern, this film looks to be one of the truest and most amazing comic book adaptation films yet. Just from what I’ve seen of the commercials and trailers, the story, effects, and makeup look amazing. I would wager that all of this is due, for the most part, to the involvement of Mike Mignola (Hellboy’s writer/artist/creator) being heavily involved in the project. (Although he only seems to get a "design consultant" credit.)
I’ve only read the first two volumes of the comic. ("But J-Mil," you say, "Hellboy has been around for, like, ten years, and all of your friends told you to pick it up and read it numerous times. What’s wrong with you?" Leave me alone! I just hadn’t gotten around to it until now, you jerks.) Within those first two volumes-- "Seed of Destruction" and "Wake the Devil"-- lie the beginning of Hellboy’s origin, the sinister plot to bring about the end of the world by an out-of-time madman (I won’t spoil it for you by telling you who it is), and a crapload of crazy creatures and monsters. Mignola’s art was revolutionary at the time of Hellboy’s first run. Nobody in comics was using the graphic qualities combined with thin line work like Mignola was. Now it seems like half the industry is trying to. Mignola creates mood like no other. The trades have all been recently re-released to capitalize on the movie, and there’s no shortage of them. So if you want to check out the comic before or after you see the film, visit your local comic shop, or buy the books online.
Next is a movie that, out of all the staff here at tastes like chicken, only I would be willing to front actual money to go see it. The Punisher (Artisan Entertainment) has the potential to be a real stinker. Everyone is seemingly already jaded against it because of their memories of the horrible movie with Dolph Lundgren from 1989. I have hope, however. The source material they are using is Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon’s "Welcome Back, Frank" storyline from a 2000 miniseries. This series re-established The Punisher as the callous, cold, smart, methodical killer Frank Castle was always intended to be.
(Aside: In the few years prior to this series, The Punisher had become a joke. In his previous incarnation, Frank had died and become an "avenger for Heaven" in order to atone for his sins, and be able to rejoin his family in the afterlife. He took orders from a bunch of asshole angels, and didn’t even use real guns. The weapons he used fired some kind of beam that destroyed evil, but didn’t kill anybody.)
While not sticking to the actual story, writer/director John Hensleigh uses many of the same characters, the extreme weaponry (in the comic, Frank was using flamethrowers and even polar bears as weapons), and the intensity of the situations Frank finds himself in. I, like many others, was also dubious about the casting of Thomas Jane in the lead role. Seeing him in other films, I didn’t think he had the build or look to pull off the part. However, after seeing numerous TV spots and trailers for the film, Jane seems to be able to capture the attitude of the character, as well as the look.
I like what I’ve seen so far, but it’s still a risky venture. There are a lot of people looking for it to suck. As long as they avoid a few key mistakes, I think the film stands to do well:
1. Portray Frank Castle correctly. After the murder of his family, Castle reverts to his expansive military training as instinct, emotionless and unforgiving. Don’t soften him too much.
2. Keep it interesting. While The Punisher is very stoic and emotionless, he is also very sadistic to those who are truly evil. When The Punisher kills someone who really has it coming, it needs to be creative and fitting.
3. Believability is key. The Punisher doesn’t have superpowers; he uses real weaponry, he kills real people. If the viewer is going to be drawn into this story, he or she needs to believe it.
Third, and finally, I want to switch gears and talk about a movie I recently saw: Dawn Of The Dead. I’m a zombie horror freak, and I loved the original. I only hoped that the remake could be half as good. I was pleasantly surprised when I left the theater, not to mention a little creeped out. This new breed of vicious running zombies is something I’m not sure I can handle. I mean, if old stumbling zombies ever really appeared roaming the Earth, I think I could at least stand a chance. But those runners? Man, I don’t know.
That’s off topic, however. Watching that movie got me thinking: I have yet to find a good comic book that portrays horror well. Never have I read a comic that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand, or incites me to move a little faster as I turn off the lights in the living room and proceed to bed in the dark. Granted, only about 20% of horror movies ever genuinely give me that sensation, but some do. All horror comics I’ve seen either come off as just campy or very violent.
I posted this thought on a message board, and someone replied to me that, being adults, we’re a little too sophisticated to be seduced simply by flat images and words, whereas movies have visuals, motion, and music to help convey the mood. Even in books, our imaginations are left to do most of the work when creating the scene from the written word. Does this mean that a truly terrifying horror comic book cannot be made? I sure as hell hope not. I think that it’s a genre that needs to be explored and manipulated much more. From both writing and illustrating standpoints, methods should be developed to make readers feel that the monster behind the door could reach out and grab them on the shoulder at any second.
If any of you reading this have any suggestions for me, or have any other comments, please email me with them. I hope you enjoy the movies I mentioned here today, and I hope you enjoy their source material even more. Meet me again here next month for a fresh perspective on comics!
Hellboy (Sony Pictures) is based off of the popular cult series of the same title from Dark Horse Comics. Starring Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, and Karel Rodern, this film looks to be one of the truest and most amazing comic book adaptation films yet. Just from what I’ve seen of the commercials and trailers, the story, effects, and makeup look amazing. I would wager that all of this is due, for the most part, to the involvement of Mike Mignola (Hellboy’s writer/artist/creator) being heavily involved in the project. (Although he only seems to get a "design consultant" credit.)
I’ve only read the first two volumes of the comic. ("But J-Mil," you say, "Hellboy has been around for, like, ten years, and all of your friends told you to pick it up and read it numerous times. What’s wrong with you?" Leave me alone! I just hadn’t gotten around to it until now, you jerks.) Within those first two volumes-- "Seed of Destruction" and "Wake the Devil"-- lie the beginning of Hellboy’s origin, the sinister plot to bring about the end of the world by an out-of-time madman (I won’t spoil it for you by telling you who it is), and a crapload of crazy creatures and monsters. Mignola’s art was revolutionary at the time of Hellboy’s first run. Nobody in comics was using the graphic qualities combined with thin line work like Mignola was. Now it seems like half the industry is trying to. Mignola creates mood like no other. The trades have all been recently re-released to capitalize on the movie, and there’s no shortage of them. So if you want to check out the comic before or after you see the film, visit your local comic shop, or buy the books online.
Next is a movie that, out of all the staff here at tastes like chicken, only I would be willing to front actual money to go see it. The Punisher (Artisan Entertainment) has the potential to be a real stinker. Everyone is seemingly already jaded against it because of their memories of the horrible movie with Dolph Lundgren from 1989. I have hope, however. The source material they are using is Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon’s "Welcome Back, Frank" storyline from a 2000 miniseries. This series re-established The Punisher as the callous, cold, smart, methodical killer Frank Castle was always intended to be.
(Aside: In the few years prior to this series, The Punisher had become a joke. In his previous incarnation, Frank had died and become an "avenger for Heaven" in order to atone for his sins, and be able to rejoin his family in the afterlife. He took orders from a bunch of asshole angels, and didn’t even use real guns. The weapons he used fired some kind of beam that destroyed evil, but didn’t kill anybody.)
While not sticking to the actual story, writer/director John Hensleigh uses many of the same characters, the extreme weaponry (in the comic, Frank was using flamethrowers and even polar bears as weapons), and the intensity of the situations Frank finds himself in. I, like many others, was also dubious about the casting of Thomas Jane in the lead role. Seeing him in other films, I didn’t think he had the build or look to pull off the part. However, after seeing numerous TV spots and trailers for the film, Jane seems to be able to capture the attitude of the character, as well as the look.
I like what I’ve seen so far, but it’s still a risky venture. There are a lot of people looking for it to suck. As long as they avoid a few key mistakes, I think the film stands to do well:
1. Portray Frank Castle correctly. After the murder of his family, Castle reverts to his expansive military training as instinct, emotionless and unforgiving. Don’t soften him too much.
2. Keep it interesting. While The Punisher is very stoic and emotionless, he is also very sadistic to those who are truly evil. When The Punisher kills someone who really has it coming, it needs to be creative and fitting.
3. Believability is key. The Punisher doesn’t have superpowers; he uses real weaponry, he kills real people. If the viewer is going to be drawn into this story, he or she needs to believe it.
Third, and finally, I want to switch gears and talk about a movie I recently saw: Dawn Of The Dead. I’m a zombie horror freak, and I loved the original. I only hoped that the remake could be half as good. I was pleasantly surprised when I left the theater, not to mention a little creeped out. This new breed of vicious running zombies is something I’m not sure I can handle. I mean, if old stumbling zombies ever really appeared roaming the Earth, I think I could at least stand a chance. But those runners? Man, I don’t know.
That’s off topic, however. Watching that movie got me thinking: I have yet to find a good comic book that portrays horror well. Never have I read a comic that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand, or incites me to move a little faster as I turn off the lights in the living room and proceed to bed in the dark. Granted, only about 20% of horror movies ever genuinely give me that sensation, but some do. All horror comics I’ve seen either come off as just campy or very violent.
I posted this thought on a message board, and someone replied to me that, being adults, we’re a little too sophisticated to be seduced simply by flat images and words, whereas movies have visuals, motion, and music to help convey the mood. Even in books, our imaginations are left to do most of the work when creating the scene from the written word. Does this mean that a truly terrifying horror comic book cannot be made? I sure as hell hope not. I think that it’s a genre that needs to be explored and manipulated much more. From both writing and illustrating standpoints, methods should be developed to make readers feel that the monster behind the door could reach out and grab them on the shoulder at any second.
If any of you reading this have any suggestions for me, or have any other comments, please email me with them. I hope you enjoy the movies I mentioned here today, and I hope you enjoy their source material even more. Meet me again here next month for a fresh perspective on comics!
artid
2192
Old Image
6_8_panels.jpg
issue
vol 6 - issue 08 (apr 2004)
section
entertainmental