Gerry Conway - Off the Record Interview Musings

I watched the DVD "Off the Record with Gerry Conway" the day I received it in the mail. Rather than review the DVD, I'm just going to tell people to purchase the 3 1/2 sit-down talk with one of the most prolific (and enjoyable) Marvel and D.C. Comics writers of the 1970's and 1980's. Click the link to OffTheRecordDVD.com to make a purchase.

By the way - head over to TwoMorrows.com and purchase a great back issue of Alter Ego magazine that features a very in-depth career retrospective with Gerry Conway.

Repeating what is found on the DVD would be a boring review. I'll just mention the two things that really stood out in my mind after the initial viewing. Gerry Conway made two very serious points:

1.) Comic books have become a niche and the pop culture love of superheroes has moved to the movie industry,

2.) The era of the larger than like comic book creator is long over.

I recently checked the November sales figures for comic books. After the huge boom in sales from the first few D.C. Rebirth and Star Wars books, sales are way, way down. The top book, Batman, is sold a little over 100,000 copies and most Marvel and D.C. books are selling 40,000 - 60,000 or so.

Not too many people other there buying comic books. Millions upon millions of people are watching the movies. The great wonder of superheroes still connects with fans of all ages all over the world -- but in a different medium.


And it is pretty difficult to be a "larger than life" comic book creator when no one knows who you are because no one is buying your books. A great many actors, actresses, and directors are pretty larger than life thanks to their cinematic success.

Comic books won't be going away any time soon. The crazy prices and the release of tons of books to a small number of buyers does keep money rolling in. More money, however, is going to role in from movies, TV shows, video games, and merchandise for years to come.

Sad to say -- the comic book industry is now more of a story development project for entertainment properties. Is this good or bad? Gerry Conway mentions Harlan Ellison in his interview. Ellison once said all movie set in the future are positive even when the futuristic world is a bleak one. Ellison said something to the effect of "Don;t worry about how bad the future is. Be happy it is still there."

The Human Side of Luke Cage

How much of Luke Cage is a fantasy hero and how much of him is a normal man?

Luke Cage is human, all too human. For someone with bulletproof skin and superhuman strength that defies the laws of physics, Luke Cage is very human. Mike Colter truly does flesh the character out in the outstanding Netflix series. As with Marvel's Jessica Jones, the series focuses on a hero who has unique special abilities -- but no garish costume. And the backdrop in which Marvel's Luke Cage takes place is very real.

Saying there is a "human side" to Luke Cage may even be a misnomer. He is all too human - a man with the complexities of a tragic hero. Maybe it would be better to say there is a superhero side to Luke Cage. He's 95% Luke Cage and 5% Power Man. Unlike Daredevil or Iron Fist, Luke Cage does not allow himself to be swallowed up by an alter ego. Perhaps this is the reason for some of his complex misery. Becoming Power Man would allow for a brief departure from the life that is Luke Cage. The former "Hero for Hire" won't allow this. He never hides from who he is.

Luke Cage is a man who has found himself in very difficult circumstances and as a victim of circumstance. His false imprisonment sent him down a completely different path in life. Even free from prison, Luke Cage cannot live a peaceful existence. His attempts at blending in as a normal person in a normal life is consistently upended. Being superhuman not the reason why although enhanced strength and indestructible skin does help him during various. Being all too human is the source of his difficult existence. A powerful code of honor keeps him constantly in the thick of drama and trouble.

Luke Cage suffer through life because he is Power Man. He suffers because he is a rare character in the world. Luke Cage is a real man.

The Killing Joke Goes Animated and Stays Dark

The animated adaption of The Killing Joke is a decent entry in the D.C. Comics animated film series. Flaws exist with the padded nature of stretching out the source material, but watching the film play out does bring the original comic work to life. A slight Ralph Bakshi-style edge to the animation adds to the dark nature of the film, but the source material -- the original comic book -- still is delivers an incredible emotional shock.




The Classic Alan Moore Comic Revisited

Alan Moore's classic The Killing Joke was one of four Batman arcs that forever changed the direction of The Caped Crusader as he would be portrayed in D.C. Comics. The Dark Knight Returns, Batman: Year One, and Batman: A Death in the Family all helped redefine a more mature and serious hero. The Killing Joke was unique in the sense the story did not redefine Batman, but redefined The Joker. Always evil, no one really understood The Joker's motivation behind his sheer insanity. The Killing Joke acted as The Joker: Year One in the sense the mysterious villain's early origin is fleshed out to a greater degree. "One bad day" is all it took for a failed comic to become a malevolent villain.

The Joker/Batman Duet

The Joker repeats this to Batman in the non-flashback sections of the tale. The irony is not be lost on The Caped Crusader.  One bad day is all it took to alter the path of young Bruce Wayne to become a dark, brooding vigilante.

The other piece of unmistakable irony is The Joker is not the only one with a psychological imbalance. The obsessed Bruce Wayne clearly suffers from a psychiatric disorder. Normal people do not dress up as a bat and fight crime.

And like The Joker, Batman has abandoned his real identity. While The Joker completely abandoned who he was before becoming The Clown Prince of Crime, Batman only maintains the Bruce Wayne persona because he is forced to do so. Batman cannot cease being Bruce Wayne due to all the complexities associated with being the billionaire owner of Wayne Enterprises.

Being Barbara Gordon and Becoming a New Batman

The animated version does try to flesh out the character of Batgirl in order to make the audience care more about her when she is victimized by The Joker. Creating a love story backdrop between Batman and Batgirl is a nice touch. Batman remains woefully detached since the Bruce Wayne, the human component to the dual character, is buried deep within a damaged psyche. Barbara Gordon is alive. She has not become Batgirl. Batgirl is the traditional alter ego intended to protect an identity. Barbara Gordon does not lose her humanity, which creates friction between her and The Batman.

A nice touch.

A 20-minute epilogue to a main narrative, however,  is not the same thing as decades upon decades of seeing the character in print. The shooting of Barbara Gordon in the comic book was one of the most shocking plot twists in D.C. Comics' history. Batman path to a darker and more serious future was cemented.

Changing a legendary character is not a decision any publishing house would like to entertain. At the time, D.C. Comics' hand was forced. 

D.C. Comics' New Direction

The Killing Joke was published at a time when Marvel Comics was embarrassing D.C. Comics in sales. Things were horrible in the late 1970's when D.C. Comics was forced to cancel a multitude of titles. Marvel Comics was able to ride the success of the KISS comics and the massive hit of the Star Wars title. Under Jim Shooter's tenure as editor-in-chief, Marvel Comics' sales would skyrocket. Marvel was the future of comics. D.C. was old-fashioned and headed towards irrelevancy. D.C. Comics did change direction and did so successfully. Great and memorable stories such as The Killing Joke were the reasons behind the success.

Making a Villain Relevant

The film and comic version of The Killing Joke are both intended to redefine The Joker. The short length of the graphic novel was able to dramatically achieve this result. The rather short movie doesn't entirely do so as well. The pathos of the "human" who becomes The Joker is a bit rushed in the film and not as paced as well as the comic.  Largely, this is because more time is spent on the Batgirl character in the film. The Joker's onscreen story suffers at the gain of Batgirl's.

The film does has its flaws. The revelation The Joker's wife has died was painfully brutal in the graphic novel. In the film, the scene is rushed (the same pace issue emerges again) and reaction to the news is ridiculously underplayed. The edge is taken off the deep sympathy that is needed to be directed to the character for the scene to work.

The impact of the reinvention of The Joker was always going to be dulled in the movie version. The graphic novel fit into the context of the (then) 60 years worth of conflict between Batman and The Joker. The animated version of The Killing Joke is too "standalone" to yield such an impact.

To repeat, The Killing Joke, as a movie, is a mixed bag. Certain stories just do not translate well to different mediums.

The Walking Dead and Dead Nerd Psychology Walking

The Walking Dead's ratings are on a downward spiral. The debut episode of season 7 drew 17 million viewers and now its down to just 10 million. We all know this. If the show drops to 8 million - it is still going to be around. The program is nowhere near cancellation levels. If the new seasons of The Walking Dead do nothing more than help sell video games and merchandise, the show is still going to be a mega money maker.

The seventh season, however, is shaping up to be a flop for reasons every entertainment writer has already (accurately) mentioned. The problems with season season are vast - unfocused narration, too many characters, excessive violence, and the like.

17 million people tuned into the debut episode and were really turned off by the sadistic violence. Millions left and probably aren't coming back. (At least not any time soon)

And truth be told, Jeffrey Dean Morgan is creepy in the role of Negan, but the character of Negan flat out is not translating well to TV. The character of Negan works great in the comic book because the "alpha male" villain works fantastically well with a nerdish audience of 100,000 readers. The "nerd psychology" that makes Negan so "awesome" in the monthly comic book doesn't translate to mainstream audiences.

To a nerd, Negan is an alpha male. No matter how outrageous he acts, there is the desire to be someone like him: feared, respected, and in charge.

To mainstream audiences, Negan is a beta male trying to look like an alpha. No matter how impressive he tries to act, he comes off as an insecure bully.

The "cool smugness" may impress nerds, but the larger mainstream audience finds Negan annoying. When he turns up on screen, he is too one-note and one-dimensional. As an oddball villain in the comic book, his bizarre character works. On screen, he is just too obtuse. Without adding some more depth to the character and changing him up some, Negan's current characterization is going to wreck the show.

And what a shame for Jeffrey Dean Morgan - he really is a charismatic actor.