Iron Man 2 is out, and while watching it in IMAX yesterday I couldn’t help but thinking it’s ironic that we’ve gone from this…
…to this, because by the time I was in high school, reading comic books was decidedly not cool. It’s amazing to me that the Marvel Comics I loved as a kid in the 60’s have become the basis for widely popular and hugely successful major movies.
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The second Iron Man movie has been getting mixed reviews. My capsule comment is there’s an incredibly stupid drunk party fight in the middle, but other than that it’s absolutely terrific, if you can stand the usual mayhem of excessive explosions at the end. Here is the Boston Globe’s take on Iron Man 2. I agree with everything they say, but I don’t take as many points off as they do for the movie’s failings.
P.S. There’s a kicker after the end credits that has me a bit worried about the upcoming introduction of Thor, and how well the character will translate to the semi-reality of the big screen.
Look at all those typos I made! Anyway, I always assume Imax means 3D, which ain’t necessarily so. And of course, why would the Comix Stores lure you in with “FREE STUFF” without hoping you’d see something not free that you absolutely had to have? Classic bait and switch ploy. You’re right; all the superheroes’ names almost always end in “men!” Sexist? Hmm … Well, there’s “Wonderwoman,” but that was only made into a cheesy TV show.
‘Iron Man’ isn’t in 3D. Free Comic Book Day, and all comics-related stuff can be followed on The Beat — the blog of comics culture, which is linked in the right column. Eric and I visited a comic book shop near Boston, with Morris. The free comics cost me a hundred bucks in stuff that wasn’t free.
The fact is, that regular comic books are at the bottom of heap these days. The market has moved onto other things, which is why it’s good there are the big movies based on comics that, when you think about it, almost all end in “Man” or “Men”.
Ah, yes, the old Marvel cartoons, with their intricate animate. The subtle nuances, the delicate maneuvers, right down to the blinking eyes and flowing hair … NOT! lol but they sure had their charm. Say, Doug, I’m sure you hear about “Free Comic Book Day” via Facebook:
http://www.freecomicbookday.com/
It was a big hit up in State College. So you went to see “Iron Man” at Imax. Did you watch it without the 3-D glasses? Molly and I were debating whether to go, but then, we’d missed Iron Man I. I, too, wonder how the stranger character of Thor, decidedly more mystical, will translate to the big screen. Of course, kids are REALLY into fantasy, what with “Avatar” and all the “Twilight” stuff, so it just may do very, very well.