Comic Book Confidential

1989
7| 1h30m| PG| en| More Info
Released: 14 June 1989 Released
Producted By: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

A survey of the artistic history of the comic book medium and some of the major talents associated with it.

Genre

Documentary

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Comic Book Confidential (1989) is now streaming with subscription on Prime Video

Director

Ron Mann

Production Companies

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

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Comic Book Confidential Audience Reviews

TaryBiggBall It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.
Taraparain Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.
Roy Hart If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.
Darin One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.
SnoopyStyle This is a documentary about comic books starting with the funnies from the early 1930's. The breakout star is 1938's Superman and we're off with a galaxy of characters. It has small interview clips with legends such as Jack Kirby, Will Eisner with his Spirit, William B. Gaines with EC Comics, Harvey Kurtzman with Mad Magazine, Stan Lee with Marvel, Robert Crumb, and many others. It covers various evolutionary periods, the changing tastes, and the ever-present threat of censorship such as the Comics Code. This is by no means exhaustive but it touches most of the areas. It spends the second half on the newer comics of the 80's which is probably too much. That part doesn't quite stand up. It's hard to know what's important when one is in the middle of it. Although, it does get to the most important Frank Miller's Batman. Of course, there is more to come in the future such as the collapse of Marvel and the explosion of the cinematic superhero genre. That needs to be covered in future docs.
rzajac Really, my summary line sez it all.This film does a valiant, necessary job: In its scant 80ish minutes, it gives a passable broad view of the evolution of the comic medium in the U.S.Take it from me, if you grew up with comics in the 60s thru the 80s, this film covers an impressive array of the essential bases. One of the highlights, to me, is basking in Will Eisner's beautiful visionary mind.And the other minds you see are lovely variations on that central theme.Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful! Lovely production values, highlighting--just like comics! Fancy that!--the power of wild, middling production values coupled with untrammeled creativity to speak simple, direct truths that touch your heart and free your mind.Check it out.
mistah_remeat Fantastic documentary. It shows portions of the comic book world, behind the scenes that you may or may not have known about until this movie hit the streets. It's a bit like a primer to the less known, forward thinking creator producers that are/were shaping the face of comics.The chronological/sequential time-line of the show gives you an interesting perspective on the state of comics in all their forms, focusing on the most important aspects of the industry at the time. I also like the way the big 2 are almost a side bar, with comments made about changes and relevant timely issues (Frank Miller talks Batman about the pivotal "Dark Knight Returns")I highly recommend this movie to anyone interested in sequential art or documentaries for that matter...
Ken-120 When this film came out, it was a refreshing and enjoyable movie. It treats comics with some real respect and takes the time to explore the medium in some detail.However, there are some flaws. Some of the talents interviewed do not work in comic books per se, but in comic STRIPS, a variant of the medium that has gotten much more respect over the years than comic books. However, that variant has it's own history and dicipline that is distinct from comic books and should not have been included. This is meaning no disrespect talents like Bill Griffith, but it's like having a film discussing the art and history of movies and having TV series producers interviewed. They are part of a related medium, but are really not relevant to the main subject of the film.Otherwise, it does cover a fairly complete view of the form with giants like Jack Kirby, Stan Lee and Robert Crumb, although I would have liked to have seen talents like Alan Moore (Swamp Thing, Watchmen) or the Pini's (Elfquest) being interviewed. The animated sequences were a neat way to get the atmosphere of the comics in their different eras as well as the major characters. The footage of the pages from "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns" was particularly effective.In short, if you need a quick overview of the comic book as a form of art, then this film is well worth your time.