Our Favorite Comic Book Movies - Part 3

Dick Tracy

How about that ol' Dick Tracy? Warren Beatty's 1990 opus had a police lineup of top flight Hollywood talent on display. Of course, I can't tell you who these actors were ... they were mostly rendered unrecognizable under thick layers of prosthetic makeup. The last time I saw that many adults sporting that many latex prosthetics, I was at a venue best not identified in a G-rated newsletter.

Anyway, it was fun to see the source from which Bob Kane pilfered his idea of a bizarre rouge's gallery for Batman. Did I say pilfer? I believe we call that a homage in comics these days.

Dell and Harvey Comics were more direct. Their reprints of original Chester Gould strips powered the Tracy comic book's robust sales for years.

The Tracy film featured a performance of Stephen Sondheim's marvelous “Sooner or Later” by Madonna. Maddie is no torch-singing cabaret chanteuse. Gee willikers, she always struck me as a dance music artist who needed lots of glitzy studio production to craft memorable pop records. And singing Sondheim is not a task best left to posers. She simply didn't have the pipes for this kind of work. Few do. No Peggy Lee, is she. But there Madonna was, reprising the number at the Academy Awards and, weak voice and all, delivered a perfectly sizzling performance of the song, hotter than bacon frying in the Sahara.

And the Oscar went to ... Stephen Sondheim, that very night.

So Dick Tracy is my favorite comic book movie tonight, this very minute of Eastern Standard Time. Why not? Seems like reason enough for me right now.

Ask me again tomorrow, boys and girls, and I may wax wistfully about Batman (1989) or the magnificent Catwoman (2004). Or even Congo Bill (1948)!

Or maybe not.

Michael McFadden, EC & Charlton Specialist

Akira

In the summer of 1989, I picked up Katshiro Otomo's Akira #9, published in America by Marvel's Epic imprint while on vacation. It was the first non-superhero comic I ever bought (Not true! When I was 5, I picked up A-Team #1, but stay with me.) It was definitely the first foreign comic book I ever saw up to this point.

I read that book to pieces (literally). It was so incredible that it broke my head in half. I was hooked by the issue's fragment of this incredibly sophisticated sci-fi drama and I wanted more. Unfortunately, it was going to be a few years before I moved to a town large enough to support a comic book shop. Until then, this issue was my only door into a wider world of comics.

Then a friend of mine showed me a VHS he bought while he was on vacation. It was Akira, the motion picture.

The movie broke my head in half — again. We played that thing until the tape broke. Akira introduced me (and many others) to Japanese manga and anime in a big way and stoked my curiosity to explore independent, non-superhero-related comics created domestically and abroad.

Akira is an amazing piece of cinema and it's my favorite comic book movie.

Kent Bonifield, CGC Grader

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

This movie really resonated with me when I was a sophomore in high school. There was an underlying theme of teenage alienation that leads to finding acceptance in a gang which leads to a city-wide crime wave. It had some amazing and brutal fight scenes that were fast-paced and well choreographed. It was a little bit Oliver Twist and a little bit Seven Samurai. It was about four discarded brothers dealing with their own questions of self-worth, angst, winning, losing and ultimately coming to together to overcome adversity and growing up a (very) little in the process.

Of course I am talking about the 1990 live-action drama, comedy and slug-fest that was the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! There were so many aspects of this movie that I really loved: a talking rat, Leo and Raph’s relationship, Casey Jones, the Shredder, the retreat, the battle for NYC, the pizza! I saw this movie multiple times while it was in the theater with my friends, and it was the first VHS I ever got. At one point I could quote the movie almost verbatim.

Not much more I can say about this movie except, "COWABUNGA, DUDE!"

Paul Litch, Primary Grader, Restoration Detection Specialist

Flash Gordon

There have been several fantastic films in the last decade that could qualify as my favorite comic book–related movie. I remember the first X-Men movie completely blew me away the first four times or so I saw it. And of course Christopher Nolan’s Batman films are quite spectacular as well. But until they've had some time to ferment into real classics, I’m going to dig a little deeper.

That being said, I elect Mike Hodges’ campy classic Flash Gordon from 1980. I was seven years old when this movie came out and I think my dad took me to see it at least two or three times. Now, as an adult, I recognize the sacrifices he made for me. But in all honesty, it’s really not that bad of a film.

First off, you have an entire soundtrack written and performed by Queen. Not their finest hour mind you, but come on — it’s still Queen! Then you have the unmatched acting talent of Max von Sydow, a member of (the great) Ingmar Bergman’s stock company, who is simply spot-on as Ming the Merciless. And I believe other established actors like Timothy Dalton, Peter Wyngarde and Topol give this production a bit more credibility as well. Add to that the supreme beauty that is Ornella Muti, who portrays Ming’s daughter Princess Aura, and you have a certified cult classic. Well, in my DVD collection anyway. [Photo features Max von Sydow (as Ming) and Ornella Muti (as Princess Aura)]

Dave Couillou, Finalizer, Magazine Specialist

Missed Part 2 of this series? Click here.

Don't miss the final article in this series, coming in April.