Date: February 4, 2004

Author: Austin "flashback" Welch

Comic Book: The Movie DVD reviewed

If you've ever seen the seminal This Is Spinal Tap, or any of the recent Christopher Guest brainchildren (Waiting For Guffman, Best In Show, or A Mighty Wind), then you're very familiar with the mockumentary subgenre. Shot documentary-style, usually unscripted and off-the-cuff, the players are allowed or even encouraged to improvise their dialogue, while a mere outline of a plot is followed. The result is a lot of cutting room floor fodder, but also a lot of great material that probably wouldn't have happened if it were scripted.

Mark Hamill (You know that guy? That F-ing guy!) teamed up with producer Scott Zakarin and a host of buddies from the animation voiceover industry to create Comic Book: The Movie, a love letter to the sci-fi geek in us all, as well as our plight. A fan of comics and sci-fi himself, Hamill had an idea to do a mockumentary on the increasingly popular genre of comics-to-screen filmmaking, and the inherent conflict of the genre. He stars as Donald Swan, a high school teacher and part-time comic book store proprietor who is possibly the world's formeost expert on Commander Courage, a fictional WWII-era superhero. When a major studio options the rights to Codename: Courage, the hip, modern version of the character, Swan is hired to film a documentary that will eventually end up as an extra on the DVD of the would-be film. He is commissioned to visit Comic Con 2002, to explore the world of Courage fans and pundits.

But alas, Swan is a fan of the original Commander Courage, not the revamped version, and during his project, begins a personal crusade to not so much sabotage the film, as to convince the producers to consider using the original persona of Courage. The producers - Lori Allan (newscaster Diane from Family Guy) and Roger Rose - assign him a camera man named Ricky, portrayed by Jess Harnell, known better as Wakko from Animaniacs and more. A real life musician, the long-haired Harnell's Ricky works as a camera operator when he isn't playing in his band, Subpoena - a tribute to Warrant. He cares less about comics, or even film, as he does about scoring chicks. Swan also takes it upon himself to acquire Leo Matusik, the grandson of the dearly departed creator of Commander Courage. Leo is played by Billy West, the voice behind both Ren AND Stimpy, Fry, Farnsworth, Zoidberg AND Branigan from Futurama, and the current Porky Pig. Leo is very shy and knows little about his father's work, but during the course of the con, learns the 'Hollywood' way, and demands his royalty entitlement. The studio brings in a hottie to play Liberty Lass, a reinterpretation of Liberty Lad, Commander's faithful sidekick. Former Baywatch babe Donna D'Errico is a surprisingly funny additon to the cast, with a sort of Lucille Ball vibe. Other voiceover talents litter the cast, and the film also includes scads of celebrity cameos, usually as themselves: Matt Groening, Kevin Smith, Stan Lee, Bruce Campbell, Billy Mumy, and more.

While there are definitely some laugh-out-loud moments, the doc-like style lends itself to comedic subtlety that may catch many off guard. As a music fan, some of my favorite albums are those that didn't quite impress me from the get-go; like a lot of great art that reveals itself over time, this is definitely the kind of movie that gets funnier the more you see it. You really gotta pay attention to get some of the references. For example, Hamill himself nods to Star Wars when he utters, almost under his breath, "There is another."

As a direct-to-DVD release, Hamill and company saw fit to include plenty of extras to facilitate a more complete value of the package. The first disc contains the film itself (as far as I have been able to determine, it is ONLY available in full-screen), with optional audio commentary by Hamill and cast, plus deleted scenes. Most of the deleted scenes are interesting, and fall into the usual categories: extended scenes, those deleted for time, or those that were part of a story arc that just didn't fit the overall story well. One engaging scene in particular features a rather enterprising independant comic book vendor trying to hawk his own comic, 'Robots Vs. Zombies'. As the intro text reveals, it's like a mini-movie in itself. On disc 1, you can also access a text list of celeb cameos, an art gallery, cast & crew bios, and sneek peeks at other Miramax projects. Disc two's primary feature is a film of a panel at Comic Con 2002 of voice artists from countless animated and TV programs and films. As a connoiseur myself, I maintain that voice acting is just as much an art as that of on-camera work, if not more so. I've had the pleasure of meeting many in my day, and they are almost always warm, charming folks with a spectacular sense of humor. (You pretty much HAVE to be!) This panel conveys that to a tee, as pretty much all of the movie's cast, plus others, are let loose. Totally entertaining. This is followed up with a performance, by many of these gifted people, of a 'lost' episode of the fictitious old-time Commander Courage radio show. Also on disc 2 are the full, uncut interviews that Hamill conducts as Don Swan in the movie, incuding Kevin Smith, Hugh Hefner, Bruce Cambell (particularly hilarious!), and several comic book industry biggies. Rounding out the set are a making-of featurette, a vignette of Stan Lee voicing his opinions on comic book movies, and info about Comic Con and the ACTOR fund.. The box claims thare are bloopers, but they must be Easter eggs, for I was unable to find them.

So what are you waiting for? Go plunk down your twenty-or-so big ones for this absolutely must-own set! You can thank me later.

Official site Trailer