Another day at work preparing for the arrival of the Alex Ross exhibition. I have to admit, it's good fun to be going over such things as costume rentals, comic book history, and super hero press images to represent the show. I also have some cool news I hope to be sharing next week.
There is work in the exhibit from both major comic book publishers (DC and Marvel), and it has me wondering about any tensions between the two companies over the years. How funny then to hear this story on NPR on the way home about how the competition between both companies has extended to the silver screen. Well, I have always been a Marvel fan, but there was a time when their attempts at movie-making were disastrous. When the best you can come out with is 1986's Howard The Duck, you know you're in trouble. There were plenty of Marvel films that didn't even make it that far, but went straight to video. DC on the other hand had Christopher Reeve's Superman, Tim Burton's Batman series, and so on.
Well, somewhere down the line Marvel got straightened out, and now produces their own movies, free from the whims of other studios (well, if you don't count the Disney distribution). So now we have a growing Marvel universe on-screen... see Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, and the new Avengers movie (just released on video!). Much like independent film and music, they can control more of their output and existing franchise--these movies are as close to the spirit of the books as I have seen. Actually, I haven't seen a bad Marvel movie lately--I think Spider-Man 3 came before the switch-over... "ouch" on that one.
Anyway, it's good fun... one of the perks of working at an art museum devoted to illustration arts I guess. I think Alex Ross set the stage for this new renaissance of super heroes in movies... he engaged our imagination, or reminded us of what we used to dream this world could look like...
Related Links:
"Pow, Crash, Boom! Marvel Thrashes DC On Screen," NPR, September 26, 2012
"Why The Avengers Worked So Well," Christopher Orr, The Atlantic, September 25, 2012
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