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Serial and Year: 1986.
As I sit down to pen these words, I find myself trying to remember the time that I first discovered the comic book super hero. Impossible. For some inexplicable reason, my identification with these characters seems to have always been there and probably always will.
While it can't be denied that real life heroes are an important influence on society, the impact of superheroes on nearly everyone's childhood is equally certain. Comic books, and the heroes they feature, have the ability, much as a good novel does, to ensnare the reader and plunge him into a realm of the imagination. They often feature a world where there are very clearly defined lines between good and evil. Certainly there is an ample supply of "good men corrupted by power," just as there is in reality-but in the comics, there is always someone (like Superman or Spiderman) with the power and integrity to rectify the matter. In the end, good always triumphs.
Over the past few years, motion pictures have featured a new variety of heroes-Rambo, Indiana Jones, Remo Williams, Commando. Then there's the continuing chronicle of the adventures of James Bond. Now, however, the tide seems to be changing again. It's time for 007 to move over, Rambo to give it up and Indiana Jones to turn in his hat and whip. The comic book superhero is making a cinematic come-back which threatens to eclipse all pretenders to the throne. Once again, they fuel the imagination of moviegoers around the world.
Comics are certainly not a new inspiration for filmmakers. The four color page has been the birthplace of film and television shows since the inception. They've filled film and television directors with an insatiable desire to grasp the magical qualitites of their favorite heroes and somehow translate them to the screen.
Although the classic animated adventures of Popeye are among the first such adaptations, the comic book superhero didn't really leave its mark on film until the arrival of the movie serials of the 1940s. It was the weekly cliffhangers which provided the first "flesh and blood" incarnations of these characters. Audiences were astounded when young Billy Batson shouted the magical "Shazam," and was instantly transformed into Captain Marvel. Kirk Alyn donning his famous red and blue Superman uniform and soaring through the air was greeted by gasps of shock.
Flash Gordon brought entranced movie audiences to the world of Mongo, while Batman, the dark avenger of the night, made the streets of Gotham City safe from crime. Filmgoers marvelled at the low budget (but at that time unprecedented) techniques which allowed Superman to stop moving cars, and other heroes to battle for the sake of democracy.
In the ensuing decade, both Superman and Flash Cordon made the leap to episodic television, later to be joined by Sheena, Queen of the Jungle and Buck Rogers. Of them, only Superman proved to be an indisputable hit, running for seven years. It's still in syndication today, nearly three decades after its original run. After that things slowed down until the mid 1960s when Tarzan, the Green Hornet and the campy Batman temporarily dominated network television. Batman beget both a short lived phenomenon and a motion picture. When these died the magic box was an empty void until the late 1970s.
Then-as if to make up for lost time-television presented a multitude of comic book heroes, including Wonder Woman (portrayed first by Cathy Lee Crosby and then, far more successfully, by Lynda Carter), The Incredible Hulk (starring Bill Bixby as Dr. Banner and Lou Ferrigno as the Hulk), Spiderman (featuring Nicholas Hammond as Peter Parker/Spiderman), Phil (The Twilight Zone) DeGuere's Dr. Strange and two tv movies of Captain America. Of course, tv also had its own comic book-like heroes (the Bionic Family, for example). It wouldn't be until 1978, and the release of Superman-The Movie, that audiences and filmmakers alike rediscovered the true potential and magic of comic heroes on film though then the genre would be redefined.
Audiences had become far more sophisticated than in the 50s. They would no longer accept low budget special effects, hokey sets and illfitting costumes. In their place was a multi-million dollar spectacular which allowed viewers to escape into the movie and relate to the heroics that unfolded on the screen. Ads for Superman proclaimed that you would believe that a man could fly and they were right.
A couple of years later, Robin Williams portrayed Popeye the Sailor Man in Robert Altman's marginally successful adaptation of the character, and Superman II was released to great effect, solidifying the legend of the Man of Steel. Hollywood's love affair with the superhero was once again assured. Unfortunately Superman III, released in 1983, was a critical disaster and only a moderate boxoffice success. It wasn't that audiences were bored, but rather that it simply wasn't a very good picture. Yet the film community viewed It as a lack of interest in superheroes. The point was further driven home by the disasterous response to the underrated Supergirl.
Michael (Death Wish) Winner will helm Captain America, a character he terms "Rambo in drag." Again, little is known except that it, too will feature an origin. Cannon is hoping to lure Marion Brando to play the Red Skull. In response to critics, the director has stated that this film's violence will be completely unlike that of the Death Wish series.
Howard the Duck! What can be said about a cigar toting, talking duck? Not much, except Donald he ain't. Lea (Back to the Future) Thompson stars in this William Hyuck directed-George Lucas produced film, which marks Lucas' first theatrical venture in the genre since 1983's Return of the Jedi.
Cannon has lured Christopher Reeve back into his red and blue tights for Superman IV with a "reasonable" $5 million salary, percentage points and complete script approval. The actor will co-create the story with screenwriters Larry Konner and Mark Rosenthal.
If any, or all, of these films are a success, there is little doubt that more productions will follow. We can almost certainly look forward to a deadly-serious version of Batman.
Superheroes on Film is designed to present a look at these cross-medium adaptations, past, present and future. We'll start our overview with Spider-Man and Superman, the two traditional of America's two main comic book companies. In the future, as with these, we'll look at characters via interviews, episode guides and overviews. This will hopefully be the most comprehensive coverage ever presented.
For now it's time to fasten your capes and secure your cowls. The comic book superheroes are here!
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