Tagged: review

Review: ‘Wolverine and the X-Men – Revelation’

We’re nearing the end of the line with [[[Wolverine and the X-Men]]] as Lionsgate releases the penultimate volume of the six volume DVD set comprising the first, and now only, season of the animated series.

Volume five, [[[Revelation]]], is on sale Tuesday and contains five more episodes adapting themes and storylines from across the comic franchise’s storied history. As with the previous volumes, the latest of which we reviewed back in January, the animation is lean and adequate with stronger vocal casting than the 1990s incarnation.

One of the series’ strengths was in the consistent vision and voice of the writing team anchored by Nick Filippi, Greg Johnson, Craig Kyle, and Christopher Yost. As a result, sub-plots run from episode to episode smoothly and characters are consistent throughout.

We open with “Guardian Angel”, focusing on Warren Worthington’s simmering battle with his father over his destiny, leading to the loss of his wings and seduction by Mr. Sinister. You genuinely feel for Warren’s loss and see his fall from the skies as a tragedy, understanding why he agreed to become Archangel. (I admit to always having had a fondness for the red-and-white uniform he sported until this moment.)

Next up is “Breakdown” which gives us one of the more significant departures from the comics as Jean has been missing and Emma Frost has been helping locate her. Her efforts lead to a largely flashback episode showing us Scott Summers’ origins and his introduction first to Professor Xavier, then the initial [[[X-Men]]], and finally Jean. We also see the manifestation of the Phoenix Force which set up Jean’s current dilemma.

We then skip to one of the mutants’ many possible futures in the amusing “Rover” which involves Bishop and other mutants trying to deal with the rogue Sentinels that have overrun the world. Bishop wants to us their pet robot, Rover, to perform a suicide mission against the Master Mold but Marrow has grown fond of Rover and refuses to give it up. Kind of fun, but also annoying since it remains largely disconnected from the present day tale. The notion that Prof. X is in a 20 year coma and can still communicate with Wolverine and Cyclops is odd. This aspect of the series rings false and contrived, once again showing people just don’t know what to do with the powerful telepath.

Gambit is sent to Genosha to steal Magneto’s helmet in “Aces and Eights”, where the Cajun woos the innocent Lorna in order to obtain his goal. The personalities of Lorna Dane and Scarlet Witch are quite different than their comic book counterparts but they play off one another nicely and offer some of the best dialogue in the show. While largely predictable, it has some fun moments. Counterpointing the lighter main story, we end with Magneto and Senator Kelly being shown the disastrous future their actions are steering humanity towards.

This brings us to “Shades of Grey” the final episode, when Jean is finally located and Emma turns on the team. The action-packed episode also offers up the debuts of : Apocalypse, Sebastian Shaw, Selene, Donald Pierce, and Harry Leland, setting up the final episodes of the season.

Unlike the previous volume, this one shows the writers working a little more subtly with the enormous cast. [[[Wolverine]]] himself is actually merely a participant in these five stories. Overall, these are a mixed bag, more entertaining than not and certainly for diehard mutant fans.

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Review: ‘District 13: Ultimatum’

rsz-district-13u-3d-2-2297357In 2004, action fans were introduced to a brand new style of stunt work, an acrobatic, athletic style called parkour. One of its creators, David Belle, showed off his stuff in [[[District 13]]], which benefited from being written and produced by Luc Besson and directed by Pierre Morel.

Set in the near future of 2010, the French film showed Paris in economic and societal decay with District 13 being overrun by gangs. Rather than deal with the problem the ineffective police wind up building a wall around the ghetto, isolating its two million residents.

The combination of action, adventure, and contemporary issues turned it into a success both in Europe and America. Morel went on to make a domestic thriller, Taken, and skipped returning to the inevitable sequel, [[[District 13: Ultimatum]]]. The film was released last year and is out this week on Blu-ray from Magnet Home Entertainment.

The story, also co-written and produced by Besson, picks up in 2016, with things no better, and possibly worse. Five ethnic gangs vie for control of the lawless land while the police watch from checkpoints. Walter Gassman (Daniel Duval), the leader of the police’s secret service division, has been orchestrating plans to decimate the district and help award the rebuilding contract to Harriburton (not so thinly disguised is it?), with kickbacks making him rich.

To make certain his plans work, Gassman frames Damien Tomaso (Cyril Raffaelli), the best cop in Paris, and has him imprisoned. Meantime, he has his goons kill several policemen, placing them within District 13 so the gangs fire on the vehicle, making it seem the gangs crossed the line. What Gassman didn’t realize was that others witnessed – and recorded – the event. When Tomaso’s former partner Leïto (Belle) is given the footage, he too becomes a target. At much the same time, Tomaso calls for help and the action ignites.

The film cleverly introduces Tomaso on a case, showing some of the underworld life but the movie’s story fails to properly develop the five separate gags and their leaders even though they are pivotal to the final act. Similarly, Gassman is a two-dimensional villain and the only developed character is the unnamed President (Philippe Torreton).

The action and parkour fighting is a marvel to watch but sadly, every bad guy and every cop seems to possess martial arts skills. Five gangs should have had a more diverse assortment of fighting styles, giving some visual variety to the climax. Overall, the themes and basic plot are derivative and contrived but the breathless pacing and buddy chemistry between Belle and Raffaelli helps a lot.

The film, as presented on Blu-ray, is dubbed and the vocal casting is weak throughout. Visually the transfer is adequate and the sound is nicely mixed.

Extras include a nearly thirty minute Making of District 13: Ultimatum which is segmented and fairly ordinary in presentation. Subtitled, it is really only for major fans of the creators. An additional thirty-four minutes of Production Diaries, reusing some of the same footage, provide additional information in the filmmaking process. As you might expect, there are Deleted and Extended Scenes, all of which were additional action moments so the story remains wafer-thin.

Finally, we get French rapper Alonzo performing a Music Video and a useless HDNet: A Look at District 13: Ultimatum, which tells us nothing.

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Review: ‘Merlin Season One’ on DVD

When the BBC series [[[Merlin]]] debuted two years ago, it was quickly described as a British version of [[[Smallville]]], that is a reimagining of the classic tale skewed towards teen characters for a more mass audience.

The difference, though, is that when Smallville debuted nine seasons ago, it was one of the sharpest written series on the air. The messages conveyed through dialogue, the foreshadowing, and rich experience of watching Clark Kent master his powers was slowly revealed.

Merlin, which aired in America on NBC last summer and returns this summer on SyFy, has had poor writing and lazy character development. The first season is released as a five disc DVD set on Tuesday and you can decide for yourself how palatable this look at the Arthurian legend is.

Rather than a Merlin who ages backward, this teen is a bit of a doofus, prone to gaffes but is a loyal and steadfast friend to the court. At a time when Uther Pendragon has forbidden the use of magic, Merlin comes to the court to train under Gaius, the King’s physician. As a result, every episode involves him using magic at great risk, and every episode has him learning some valuable lesson.

To be kind, the series has been very liberal in its interpretation of the characters with most being recognizable in name only. In addition to goofus Merlin, there’s gallant Arthur (Bradley James), the apple of Uther’s eye and being trained to succeed the king. He’s a callow youth only now beginning to understand the gravity of his destiny thanks to Merlin. Then there’s Guinevere (Angel Coulby), a peasant’s daughter and handmaiden to Morgana (Katie McGrath), a ward of the king and herself trying to comprehend the magic growing within her. Of course, Merlin likes Gwen, Gwen likes Arthur and Arthur likes himself. It’s complicated.

In addition to Gaius (Richard Wilson) being new to the story, there’s the chained dragon Kilgharrah, who seems to know Merlin’s destiny and provides counsel. Often, Merlin ignores it and makes the dragon, voiced by John Hurt, cry mournfully.

These thirteen episodes are largely repetitive as one or another gets into trouble, the others rally to his/her defense, Merlin does good but often pays for it in comical ways. There’s very little in the way of true danger or variety making the season a tedious one. Word is, the second season is far stronger, but they’re already lost me.

The cast, headed by Colin Morgan, is an attractive one and several guest stars could have enriched the show, starting with Michelle Ryan’s witch Nimueh. No doubt they’d all be more interesting to watch if they had good storylines or dialogue. Anthony Stewart Head is wasted as Uther, given a largely one-dimension bastard of a character to play. When his reasons for banning magic are revealed, it makes sense, but makes us sympathize with him no more.

All the tropes from [[[Excalibur]]] to [[[Mordred]]] are present, foreshadowing the legendary times ahead, all adapted in vaguely recognizable ways.

The episodes are accompanied by two making-of featurettes adding up to over an hour of information on the cast and the production. A 16 minute featurette also explores the episode focusing on the Black Knight in addition to a photo gallery, wallpapers, and a set of video diaries which are mildly amusing.

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Review: ‘Cocoon’

Ron Howard was a beloved child actor who showed some directing chops with [[[Splash]]], a fantasy-themed comedy but he truly showed that he was a director to be taken seriously with his follow-up, 1985’s Cocoon
. The movie was light-hearted, but a drama, which immediately showed his range. Additionally, Howard worked with a collection of veteran actors and he coaxed terrific performances from them all, resulting in Don Ameche’s Supporting Actor Oscar.

The movie is referenced now and then but has largely slipped from the collective consciousness, which is a shame, because it’s a nice story, well told, and worth seeing again. 20th Century Home Entertainment has released a 25th anniversary edition on Blu-ray and interestingly, rather then now-common combo pack, this a single Blu-ray disc retailing for the reasonable $24.95.

Watching the movie is a delight because we see long-gone veterans like Ameche, Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Jack Gilford, and Maureen Stapleton in poignant roles as seniors.

David Saperstein’s novel provided the springboard for Tom Benedek’s adaptation which posits that 10 millennia ago, beings from distant Antarea came to Earth and formed an outpost on what is now considered the lost continent of Atlantis. As the cataclysm claimed the land, all but 20 members of the exploration team left the planet. Those who remained behind were shrouded in cocoons, waiting for the day they could be brought home.

When four of their brethren return, led by Brian Dennehy, they rent a home, collect the cocoons and charge a swimming pool with lifeforce to sustain the 20 survivors until the Antareans could bring them home.

Nearby, though, is a retirement home filled with people looking at the twilight of their lives, but some refuse to give up without a fight. Ameche, Cronyn, and Wilford Brimley sneak off and take a dip in the neighboring pool, rejuvenated by the lifeforce. They’re spry, energetic, even amorous and loving every minute of it. When Dennehy discovers them, he decides no harm, no foul and lets them continue to enjoy themselves.

The one who can never take joy from life, Gilford, also learns Dennehy’s secret but stays out of the water. He sees the bleakness of life and inevitability of death so refuses to take a dip or even bring his terminal wife, Herta Ware to heal. Instead, he lets his feelings fester until he blurts out the secret and suddenly everyone else in the home wants a chance at a second life, setting up the moving denouement.

Actions, we’re shown, have consequences and Howard lets things play out nicely. It’s a relatively simple story, using a science fiction setting to tell a story about people dealing with aging and the end of their years. Even this second chance has them reflecting in touching ways, with one another, their alien hosts, and their families. There are many wonderful performances here, capped by Ameche’s winning role, but everyone rises to the occasion, even younger folk like Steve Guttenberg, in one of his less obnoxious roles.

You can’t help but like a film such as this. The video transfer is fine if unexceptional as is the audio aided by the Dolby digital. Sadly, for a 25th anniversary edition, they merely replicated Howard’s commentary and five featurettes from the 1994 DVD release, totaling maybe 20 minutes all told. While many of the performers are gone, some sort of look back was in order and this is a missed opportunity.

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Review: ‘The Thomas Crown Affair’

rsz-thomas-crown-8420147Forget about whether or not this is a good remake of the beloved Steve McQueen. This is a smart, stylish drama that treats its characters like adults as it also respects its audience. The Thomas Crown Affair was released in 1999 and remains one of Pierce Brosnan’s most popular films because of his nuanced interpretation of Crown, a wealthy businessman who steals because the challenge keeps him alive.

When he steals from an art museum, insurance investigator Catherine Banning (Rene Russo) assists Detective Michael McCann (Denis Leary) in the investigation. Banning, an American based in Europe, pretty quickly targets Crown as her man. As she lays her sexy trap, we see them toy with one another, leading to a sexually charged sequence that continues to smolder on the Blu-ray release, out this week from MGM Home Entertainment.

The film is based on the 1968 McQueen box office hit which had Crown portrayed as a bank robber, committing two crimes before the story reached its climax.  The film’s original downbeat ending was tweaked for something more satisfying as you find yourselves rooting for Brosnan and Russo. Faye Dunaway, McQueen’s love interest, returns as Brosnan’s psychiatrist for a handful of scenes that don’t really move things along. In fact, we never really get into Crown’s head; never really get to understand why he needs to break the law to feel alive. Nor do we understand why he never married or had family, great challenges themselves.

Still, the film has interesting twists and while the stakes are high. No one is dead serious, they allow themselves to live and even be humorous.

The climax, as Brosnan honors his commitment to restore the painting without being caught, remains a delight to watch again.

Brosnan’s suave demeanor made him perfect for the remake but he held out for director John McTiernan to come aboard and make sure this was done right. The director insisted on numerous story changes, distancing itself further from the original and keeping it more in line with modern day sensibilities.

No one was happy with the video transfer when the DVD was initially released and people were leery of the Blu-ray’s release given MGM’s spotty reputation. The good news is that this is a superior image compared to the DVD. Not the sharpest Blu-ray release, but certainly an improvement. Additionally, Bill Conti’s excellent score and soundtrack sounds fabulous. Even his choice of songs, such as Nina Simone’s “Sinnerman” shows a decision to appeal to the older viewers, rather than filling it with soft rock or pop numbers. The soundtrack stands out on its own.

Oddly, the only extra is McTiernan’s 1999 commentary, which can be found on the Standard DVD disc. Yes, this is released in the combo pack so Blu-ray, standard and digital discs for a reasonable price of $24.95.

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Review: ‘A Home for Mr. Easter’

A Home for Mr. Easter

By Brooke A. Allen
NBM, 197 pages, $13.99

What’s nice about the graphic novel format is that is can take great children’s book ideas and let them breathe rather than truncate them to fit the slimmer requirements of the genre. Brooke A. Allen is a SCAD student making a splash with her fist book and it’s a fast-paced, somewhat madcap but tender-hearted tale.

Tesana is an oversize adolescent, never fitting in with her peers, which has resulted in her moving from school to school. Whatever is the cause of her physical and emotional issues, she’s clearly a Special Ed student with anger management problems. Her loving mother seems somewhat clueless about getting her proper school supervision and is at her wit’s end regarding her only child. We don’t know where Dad is and what their circumstances, and frankly, little of it matters.

Our heroine is special and despite her best intentions, things always seem to be spiraling out control. When her guidance counselor suggests she try an extra curricular activity in order to make friends, she tries to assist the pep rally club. They don’t want her and her good intentions backfire, resulting in live rabbits being accidentally released. The story really takes off when Tesana discovers one bunny has stayed by her side and she becomes determined to return the animal to its home.

Just one thing. The rabbit is magical and may well be the proverbial Easter Rabbit, especially since it appears to be laying brightly colored Easter eggs that contain special gifts. Oh yeah, and it talks to Tesana. As she attempts to find the rabbit’s habitat, she encounters a crooked stage magician, animal rights’ activists and a lab using animals as test subjects. With Tesana missing, her mother and the police are also part of the chase, sort of bookending the comical procession.

The evolving relationship between the girl and the rabbit, dubbed Mr. Easter, forms the emotional core of the story. Allen’s storytelling propels the pair from place to place in a somewhat breathless manner but never forgetting to fill each encounter with detail. Her black and white artwork is unqiue and comical, with enough realistic touches to ground the story in our world, without telling us when or where this story takes place. That in itself makes it both magical and timeless.

Her characters are not terribly deep and we don’t stop to learn much about any of them, even Tesana, but they have specific speech patterns and appearances giving the book a nice variety. We’re given pretty much exactly what we need to see and read before moving towards the inevitable and most satisfying conclusion.

This is a terrific first effort and I look forward to more from Ms. Allen. This book is good for early graphic novel readers right on up. 

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Review: ‘Lord of the Rings Original Animated Classic’

Ralph Bakshi has been a visionary filmmaker and animator, whose ambitions always seemed larger than his talent. After cutting his teeth at Terry Toons, he talked his way into running Paramount’s dying animation arm before moving on to work such as the ABC Saturday morning [[[Spider-Man]]] series. He finally gained recognition when he set out to make feature-length films, beginning with the X-rated [[[Fritz the Cat]]].

Bakshi’s tastes have always run towards edgy fare and he’s produced animated film son subjects Walt Disney or Don Bluth would never have approached, such as [[[American Pop]]] and [[[Hey Good Lookin]]]’ and for that he deserves credit. Unfortunately, in just about every case, the projects have been flawed, largely because not enough money was spent on the animation or the story so they never felt finished.

In the 1970s Bakshi was in the right place at the right time when he managed to get the rights to adapt J.R.R. Tolkien’s [[[Lord of the Rings]]], a project that had previously stymied filmmakers such as Stanley Kubrick and John Boorman. He set about to create a new look for Middle-earth by using the rotoscope technique, to shoot large portions of the film as live-action and then provide the footage to his animators to essentially trace.

The results arrive Tuesday as Warner Home Video releases a combo pack edition containing Blu-ray, DVD and digital copy discs, the same day it also debuts the Peter Jackson trilogy on Blu-ray.

Tolkien fan Chris Conkling was first hired to do research then was given a shot at writing the first screenplay which oddly decided to tell most of the story in flashback from Merry’s point of view. Bakshi wisely shelved it and brought in fantasy master Peter S. Beagle to rewrite the script. Beagle, of [[[The Last Unicorn]]] fame, followed Bakshi’s instructions to preserve as much of Tolkien as was possible.

What’s interesting is how Beagle and Jackson made many of the same decisions regarding what to drop or change. While there was a huge cry about the absence of Tom Bombadil in the live-action film, he’s also gone in Bakshi’s film and no one screamed in those pre-Internet days. They also both chose to have the Ringwraiths themselves seen attacking the seemingly slumbering hobbits at Bree.

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Millar to Ebert: ‘Kick-Ass Will Knock Your Jaw Off’

  • News
  • April 1, 2010

With the Chicago Comics and Entertainment Expo coming soon to the shores of Lake Michigan, it seems that the con has been given it’s first scandal. In a back-and-forth flame war posted yesterday on his message board, Kick-Ass writer Mark Millar got into a little wordy wrestling match, when fans started discussing the film’s upcoming premiere in the Second City.

A board member with the handle “Wanted2Vmt” posted, “Can’t wait to see this film flop at C2E2.  Who’s gonna see it when they can see Gaiman, a real writer, instead?” Mark Millar, known well for his Scottish rage, was quick to fire back, inciting a war of words with his would-be fans.

“There’s not a way Kick-Ass won’t take over the con in Chicago. Gaiman is a sissy fairy who writes for emo-goths anyways. Let those black boot wearing ninny’s go listen to their goblin king whine about his wee shiters… The rest of the real people will be having their asses kicked by our movie!”

As more fans chimed in, Millar kept firing insults left and right towards those who criticized his work. And when one fan quoted famous Chicago movie critic Roger Ebert’s review of Wanted, it set the Scottsman to a nova-like rage. The quote, “Wanted,… is a film entirely lacking in two organs I always appreciate
in a movie: a heart and a mind. It is mindless, heartless,
preposterous. By the end of the film, we can’t even believe the values
the plot seems to believe, since the plot is deceived right along with
us.”

Minutes later, Millar fired out a salvo of his own:

“First off all, that fat bastard wouldn’t know a good movie if it up and bit him in the goolies. He wrote “Valley of the Dolls” for f#@! sake!” Millar quipped. “And if Ebert can wheel his arse into a theater to see Kick-Ass I promise it’ll knock his jaw clean off!”

Roger Ebert, as shown in his recent Esquire exposé, had bones in his jaw removed due to cancer four years ago. While the cancer has stopped Ebert’s ability to speak, it’s only strengthened his desire to write. And as word traveled fast over the internet, it seemed Mr. Millar’s rants reached the north shore home of Mr. Ebert. Choosing his words wisely, Roger fired back a single post on his own blog close to the end of day:

“It seems without even trying, my mouth and I are at the end of a promised ‘arse kicking’ at the boot of comic book writer Mark Millar. Millar and artist J.G. Jones were the creators of the characters in 2008’s Wanted. Had the writer chosen to actually read my review instead of the pulled quote by one ‘Ben the Obiwomble” … he would have found that I rather liked his creation. Was it mindless? Certainly. But it reveled in it’s mindlessness. Not to jab an angry bear over this matter, but did Millar not think his teflon hide might be scratched a bit for trying to sell his fans on “the Loom of Destiny”? It seems without any reason, Mr. Millar is ready for me to turn a thumb down at his next film before it even comes out. By the looks of the trailers for Kick-Ass, I’m already preparing my suspension of disbelief to super-human like levels, ready to accept pre-teen samurai’s and ski-masked adolescents easily defeating shotgun toting thugs with ease. As far as Mr. Millar’s promise that my surgically removed jaw may be installed once again, if only to be blown off by seeing the film, I simply ask him to take the time to read my entire forthcoming review before firing his words off like so many a curved bullet.”

Millar’s final post of the day was near incomprehensible… demanding something to the effect of  a challenge to Ebert in a round of “Whiskey-Eyes”.

Review: ‘Sherlock Holmes’ on Blu-ray

[[[rsz-1000110510brdlefo-6248156Sherlock Holmes]]] has been indelibly etched in the mass consciousness of pop culture consumers thanks to a steady stream of adaptations and homages of Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories almost since they were first published. As a result, you say Holmes and a certain set of images come to mind beginning with the deerstalker hat and the cloak. Watson is always seen as comic relief, more bumbling aid than professional doctor.

As a result, Guy Ritchie’s take on the duo in 2009’s Sherlock Holmes was cause for debate. Some felt he was being blasphemous; others applauded how much more closely this interpretation hewed to the source material. The film opened to mixed reviews, skewing more positive than not but it also failed to ignite the box office. Still, earlier this month, the sequel went into pre-production and today, Warner Home Video releases the movie in a combo pack complete with Blu-ray, standard and digital discs.

The tale of Holmes and Watson dealing with the occult-minded Lord Blackwell is larger than most any other story, certainly larger in scope and menace than any of the original stories. Story writer/producer Lionel Wigram explains in the extras how he wanted to touch on the occult, then a popular subject in English society but without turning Holmes into a horror story. Instead, the clever Blackwell has spent months planning what is essentially a coup only to cross paths with Holmes, out to stop him.

Holmes and Watson are playing catch up, constantly finding new clues and adding them on the fly as the hunt for Blackwell continues. Meantime, complications arise as Watson is in the process of moving out of 221B Baker Street and preparing to marry Mary while Irene Adler, the one woman in his life, returns unexpectedly. The intertwining sub-plots are intended to flesh out the characters and relationships along with making it certain Holmes doesn’t catch Blackwell too quickly.

The problem is, Ritchie made a somewhat lifeless movie. His previous works are filled with memorable characters and inspired performances; here, everyone is fine and solid, not spectacular. Robert Downey Jr. is a fine Holmes, mumbling and wide-eyed as befits the constantly distracted character and his pairing with Jude Law’s Watson works well on the buddy level. Law, though, seems to lack the inner strength to do what is necessary, always having a weary look as he constantly comes back to Holmes’ side to finish the case. Similarly, Mark Strong is cool and evil, but flat as Blackwell and Rachel McAdams can’t make Irene sparkle, not enough to convince us she’s really the woman of Holmes’ dreams.

What had some diehard fans in an uproar was the action quotient. After all, Holmes is a cerebral detective, seeing everything and making deductions that stagger the imagination. Seeing him in numerous fights was the largest change from previous adaptations and Ritchie is a good action director. But, here things were too large and there was at least one fight too many. The entire sequence at the shipyards could have been excised since it doesn’t fit the rest of the film and was overlong and overdone.

The most effective thing in the film may be the production design which largely relies on CGI to transform modern day England into its earlier 1891 incarnation. The city lives and breathes and feels right. Hans Zimmer’s score helps as well.

Overall, the movie looks great on Blu-ray with solid visuals and fine 5.1 Dolby sound. The Blu-ray also offers us the film in the Maximum Movie Mode, wherein Ritchie appears throughout the film and discusses how things were shot or why decisions were made. The split screens and pausing for explanation are interesting with some nifty tidbits tossed in. This version runs just three minutes longer and is an interesting way to see it a second time. There are 31 minutes of assorted behind-the-scenes featurettes discussing how the source material and era informed the film. An additional 14 minutes has Ritchie and Downey discuss Sherlock Holmes: Reinvented. Surprisingly, there are no deleted scenes offered.

This is a perfectly serviceable adaptation of Holmes but as a film experience, it is lacking in the qualities one has come to expect from Ritchie.

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Dick Giordano: Mentor

  • News
  • March 27, 2010

Sitting here at I-Con, the word is spreading throughout the Green Room with alarm that Dick Giordano, one of the most universally beloved figures in the comics world is gone.

Growing up as a comics reader, I was first aware of Dick as a superlative inker, usually in tandem with Neal Adams on Green Lantern and Batman. It was only later I learned of his work at Charlton, editing the line of Action Heroes titles followed by his short stint at DC as an editor.

I finally got to meet him at Paul Levitz’s wedding in the wake of the announcement that he was returning to DC. It wasn’t until December 1983 that we finally had a chance for a conversation — when he interviewed me to join the staff.

DC in 1984 was a company poised to explode into a new age. All the pieces were being put into place as Dick was recently named to run the editorial department and was setting the stage for creators from Frank Miller to Alan Moore do some of their best and most memorable work.

Working on staff at the time allowed me to see the man in action and to learn from him. He was a superb artist and had excellent story instincts which he happily conveyed with any and all to walk into his cluttered office. Every lesson I’ve learned in how to review portfolios and talk to artists, came from Dick. Whenever I was looking art artwork and I knew something was wrong, but the words failed me, I could walk into his office and show him the page. He saw my point and then grabbed a sheet of tracing paper and showed me (and often the artist as well) what was wrong, why, and how to fix it. (more…)

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