Comics, film have symbiotic relationship
Written by Jim Beard | | news@toledofreepress.comComic and films, films and comics — the line between them grows ever thinner. Companies on both end of the equation have found in recent years that a symbiotic relationship between the two media seems to be the path to a brighter financial future. Take DC Comics’ brand-new adaptation of author Stieg Larsson’s acclaimed novel “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” which boasts two film versions. Monarch Cards & Comics’ Ed Katschke thinks the graphic novel is a “perfect translation” of the original work.
“Writer Denise Mina and artists Leonardo Manco and Andrea Mutti have done a wonderful job at taking Larsson’s book and transforming it into comic gold,” he said. “Crusading reporter Mikael Blomkvist looks into the cold case of a missing teenage girl from the 1960s alongside punk hacker Lisbeth Salander, an intriguing character who has secrets of her own. The original novel is filled with twists and turns as Blomkvist gets closer and closer to the end of his investigation and Mina has managed to compress a good deal of information into a very readable and entertaining form. This 144-page ‘Volume 1’ hardback covers roughly the first third of the novel and ends up matching or even surpassing the movie versions in terms of excellence in adaptation. Perfect for fans of the original book or new readers looking to see what all the fuss is about.”
And then there’s that little sequel film called “Iron Man 3” due in May; Marvel Comics is no slouch in the promotional department as it reboots the titular hero’s comic and infuses it with themes found in the coming movie.
“Iron Man No. 1 by writer Kieron Gillen and artist Greg Land is a fresh start for everyone’s favorite armored Avenger,” Katschke said. “Picking up roughly where the Avengers vs. X-Men miniseries left off, the new title starts its exploration into the discovery of faith that Stark was forced to accept during that story. Gillen also picks up the old plot threads left over from Warren Ellis’ groundbreaking Extremis storyline — also the source material for next summer’s ‘Iron Man 3’ — and uses them to good effect. Land has often been accused for a style a little too dependent on his light box, but this first issue captures Iron Man’s glamorous, high-tech world of sleek machines and beautiful women quite effectively, although there are pages that do seem a bit rushed and less polished than what we are used to from him. All in all, it’s a good start in the next chapter of Stark’s life.”
Tags: artist Greg Land, Avengrs, Comic books, DC Comics, Ed Katschke, Iron Man, Jim Beard, Kieron Gillen, Monarch Cards and Comics, Stieg Larsson, the girl with the dragon tattoo
