ComicCon '07 was a good year to mill around and study the flock behavior.
Before I went I spoke with some industry veterans who had fond memories of earlier comic shows at the Hotel Pennsylvania, now slated for demolition as a bygone relic among larger convention spaces. I was chided for owning one comic book to date: Neil Gaiman's Sandman series. This was a recent purchase to compare Gaiman's novel style to his earlier works, and was the thing discussed that ultimately got me into the show to write on the comic market from a writer's perspective. Tickets had been sold out far in advance, and like many newly comic-aware, I am following the rabbit hole of good epic stories back down to its graphic pulp fiction roots.
ComicCon '07 was a looming presence in the towering Javitz Center. Expectant hopefuls lined the floor in front of the entrance, with the crush of fans lasting well into the afternoon. Many were teen to thirty somethings. Some were young aspiring graphic novelists wandering wide-eyed through the maze. Others were kitschy vendors selling USB drives painted as anime characters, alongside boxed set reprints and rows of rare books. But the existence of the more wizened artists and
illustrators sitting quietly at their booths added a strong reminder of the handwork that has gone into these publications. Comic books have protected and encouraged creative alternatives throughout the roller coaster decades. They have not been ashamed when other popular mediums have averted their eyes to what the public wanted.
The mesh between fantasy and sci-fi fans and their beloved comic spinoffs became more clear after the front lines were broken by the crowd of new revelers trying to get inside. The handing off of the torch by baby boomer parents to their teenaged gamers was a fun watch, especially when streams of Jedi and Sith performers took to crossing sabers on the show floor with all the seriousness of a civil war reenactment.
A dog wearing super hero spandex and flaming red cape waled by in all seriousness as I studied the signs pointing out "golden age" and "silver age" comics, some worth thousands as they sat in sealed cases, propped up on bookstands with fluorescent lighting. These are heros coveted to a higher degree then I would imagine.
I brought away two revelations about the comic-fortified demographic fairly soon after entering the expo area.
First was the notion of a huge expanse in projects funded for this genre. Between the Star Wars battle cruiser (in original box) and giant sculptures of Superman tugging at Wonder Woman by her lasso, her foot pressed against his chest, a life-sized Mario of Nintendo fame, and even a Ninja Turtle reliving his youth, heroes of all proportions were allowed their day. All of these characters have raked in huge profits in the theaters and television shows in their time. It's no surprise if they can again.
The second revelation was of the market itself being much closer to the mainstream then in previous years, as if it were nearly peaked, behaving in the loyalties of its fans like its own stock market bubble. It brings a steady reminder that comics are very present in today's media, and very, very successful there. Comics aren't being left behind, but they are evolving.
Classic Golden and Silver age Comic books and the gruff sorts to carry them are slowly converging with the newer graphic novel enthusiasts and video game buccaneers who have brought high tech and manga into the scene in a melding of one generation to another.
No longer is the main focus on stacks of yellowed classics hermetically sealed in plastic baggies. The industry has steadily channeled into the mainstream market one adaptation at a time. Old art is still present, but newer forms are emerging fast.
With major super hero blockbusters spanning multiple releases, comic book story lines are hitting high numbers, proving it is a viable alternate foot in the door for potential script developers who are looking for fresh bait and younger audiences.
Many recent blockbusters have come from comic-based story lines in the X-Men, Spiderman, and Batman franchises. But smaller comic book names have quietly taken the screen, like "Constantine" (2005) and "Hellboy" (2004) to decent earnings and solid performances. A few others, like "A League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" and "Daredevil" have not, but the trend hasn't slowed for these fumbles.
Kevin Brodbin had "The Glimmer Man" (1996) to his credit before writing the screenplay for "Constantine" with Frank Cappello (who's previous screenplay credit included "No Way Back" and sci-fi Hulk Hogan vehicle "Suburban Commando" as completed projects.) Yet together they landed a compelling story that pulled in star power from Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz and Tilda Swinton for their efforts.
Frank Miller's "Sin City" (2005) brought another angle to the the recent rise in comic book adaptations for big-budget films. Instead of stopping at costumes and sound stages a la "Dick Tracy" (1990), "Sin City" used new innovations in CGI that allowed the art direction from the original book itself to illustrate a highly stylized cinematic version of the Basin City underworld that faithfully preserves the tone and voice of the original book. In fact the experience of the movie might be more art house than action sequence. The risky business of this art house
technique is buffered considerably with sharp special effects that fade to and from photographic realism and edgy graphic art overlays to produce eye catching scenes. Bruce Willis helps, too, and therein might lie the real advantage in adapting comics for the screen. Actors love to play larger than life heroes.
The evolution of the graphic novel has made the public view comic books as more adult art than Disney, and this has often worked to the industry's advantage. Works by independent artists operating on the fringe of comic art circles have pushed for more realism as the artists themselves matured out of exposure to increasingly gritty comics of the seventies and eighties. By the mid-nineties, many graphic novels were already reading like R-rated movie scripts.
Also of increasing popularity are the adult stories by writers like Alan Moore (original creator of "V is for Vendetta") and works that are set apart by gallery-worthy artists like Bill Sienkiewicz, who's amazing collections of original artwork sold for thousands at the show, and were well worth the price to flip through them on the show room floor.
The respect these publications have been receiving have made studio executives much more aware of what's available for potential adaptation for big budget surprises. With the steady success of these fantasy-based film scripts we will likely see more comic book heroes come to life not long after the current batch of serial films have spun down.
"Spun down" may or may or may not include the current adaptation "Ghost Rider" which is holding at around 11 million to date. It may quickly find itself behind "300" due to complaints from online critics that the movie does not overcome the thin comic-like plot to fit the audience expectations of such a high-profile film. Fans of the Ghost Rider series still form a good support base for the earnings, and the film shows both the dangers and perks of adapting in its mixed reviews.
For fresh material, Publisher's Weekly highlights Steven King's Gunslinger comic book series due out November of this year, making the high noon comic art of the shadowy character the cover of it's ComicCon 07 freebies.
Another highlight to the show was the natural comedic tendency that comes out of this genre audience and should not be ignored when tailoring scripts to their tastes. The "Republicans for Voldemort" and "I like big Hutts and I cannot lie" gear was a given. "Hello Zombie" was another BYOB entity. (Think Hello Kitty with prominent bite marks and sans left year.) One of a kind outfits were also a fun photo op, as were the usual Jedi, Storm Troopers, and caped crusaders in full regalia.
If nothing else this group is proving that it likes to play and it likes it's action big, sometimes bigger than life with plenty more room to explore the epic themes of modern day life.
If the current streak of hot films continues, audiences are speaking clearly that they will pay to see strong heroes on the big screen, if only more writers are willing to follow through with the goods.
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