As a kid, I could care less about Superman and Batman. I wanted to know about the superheroes people forgot. Ones I learned about in Don Thompson’s The Comic Book Book — characters like Airboy, Plastic Man, the Heap and more. The DC characters I loved didn’t even live on the main Earth, but were folks like the Freedom Fighters who battled World War 2 into the 70s on Earth X, the Justice Society of Earth 2 and the Crime Syndicate of Earth 3. I cared more about Steve Ditko’s characters like Peacemaker, Hawk and Dove, The Creeper, Mr. A, Starman and Blue Beetle than Spider-Man. Man, I can even go on and on about the Mighty Crusaders and T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents and the Marvel Family and…this is where Becca leaves the room.
After I left Guardians of the Galaxy 2 this summer, I heard someone complaining about the story and how they wanted more. I instantly got enraged, because before Tim Burton did Batman and even afterward, superhero movies were just plain horrible. We’re living in a golden age where actual great movies just happen to be about comic books.
That’s why next week is all about the movies that people have forgotten.
Doc Savage: Think Superman is the first superhero? Maybe you should sit down and have a word with this guy.
Megaforce: Deeds. Not words. And spandex. And glitter. And colored smoke.
3 Giant Men: Did you know that Spider-Man is a drug lord who kills women with motorboats?
The Return of Captain Invincible: An Australian musical about a flawed superhero with Christopher Lee as a bad guy who might be Satan? More, please.
Spawn: Not all heroes are from DC and Marvel.
See you Monday, true believer!