The Age of Superheroes

 

I went to see the second Captain America movie the other day, and I must admit, being a comic book nerd who has read too many comic books lately, this is a great time for Superhero movies.  The technology has caught up with our imagination, allowing for some pretty amazing scenes.  It is certainly a far cry from when I was young.

I grew up watching the campy  Adam West Batman series.  I enjoyed it then, and have a deeper appreciation for it now.  It certainly can't compare to what we've been treated to lately, but it managed to work in a low tech era.  Not forgetting of course that Julie Newmar was a fantastic Catwoman. (Anne Hathaway looks great too.)

Other attempts to bring the heroes to the big or small screen were less successful.  Those Captain America movies were pretty bad.  The Spiderman TV series was.... well, let's just say I can't watch them again.

Animation did a much better job of capturing my heroes than live action film did.  Though looking back on it, sometimes the effort just wasn't there.  I guess most network executives were trying to sell toys and sugary cereals rather than bring the best to Saturday morning television.

 

I have enjoyed most of the recent comic book movies.  Green Lantern didn't really work for me, but I have a special fondness for that character that is often disappointed.  I guess I just like science fiction concepts too much, and can't bear it when they just aren't treated as reverently as I would like.  There is so much potential..... but I guess that's all that it really is.

Like most "nerds" out there, I am eagerly anticipating the next Avengers movie.  It's going to be more than a year away, but at least I have the next Xmen movie to tide me over. 

Lego Update

My will remains strong--barely.  By mere chance, Friday saw me perusing the store once more (perhaps if I avoided the mall altogether....)   And, as if the train, and Lord of the Rings kits weren't enough, they now have an array of superhero kits.  I suspect a conspiracy to separate me from my money.  Will this assault on my bank balance never end?

Which one do you think looks the best?  My vote goes to Thor--though I thought he'd be taller.

Comic Book Day

Today is Comic Book Day.  You can walk into a comic book store and walk out with a free comic book.  It makes me wonder what I am doing inside, typing this, rather than at my local comic book store.  Sadly, I had made other, unchangeable, plans before I found out that today was comic book day.  For those of you who are reading this, you should be out there getting your comic--after you finish reading this of course.

As you might of guessed, comic books, and the superheroes they were full of, played a big part in my early years (and later years, but that isn't the point really).  The epic struggles depicted on those pages were great food for my imagination.  Every month my heroes fought the villain, overcame great odds and personal doubts, and eventually triumphed.

These days comic book characters have made the jump to the big screen.  Yesterday the long awaited Avengers opened.  I wanted to be among the first in line, but sadly it will have wait until later this week--but it will be this week.

Comic books might get a bad rap but, honestly, how can anything that promotes literacy be bad.  Besides, comics haven't just been about superheroes for a long time. They have been used to tell a wide variety of stories with appeal to more than just your stereotypical teenage boy.

Enjoy Comic Book Day everyone.