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COMIC BOOK RETROSPECTIVE
August 2008

From spandex-draped superheroes to leather-clad mutants, from Caped Crusaders to film noir assassins, the comic-book movie comes in all shapes, sizes and (intergalactic) species. In the first part of a two-month season, Mark Salisbury celebrates a genre too often unfairly dismissed as mindless entertainment.

In an era of declining star appeal and uncertainty at the box office, the comic-book movie is one of the few sure bets left for anxious studio executives eager to green light the next summer blockbuster or potential movie franchise. It's easy to see why. And not just because these movies don't require huge (i.e. expensive) stars in order to sell.

Batman, Superman and Spider-Man, to take three of the biggest and most popular comic-book characters of all time, are more than that. They're cultural icons, modern myths, recognisable around the world by people who have never, ever picked up a comic book. For film-makers, too, comic books represent a fertile, near never-ending font of ideas and situations, with years of storylines to plunder and often emotionally complex characters to adapt. Comics, too, work visually as snapshots of movement, telling a story one frame at a time.

This two-month season will endeavor to show the breadth and depth of the genre, from psychedelic adaptations of European comic strips to the latest Batman, and to Superman whose 70th anniversary the BFI are celebrating.

Venue: The Southbank BFI

For more information visit: www.BFI.org.uk