By Ethan Newton-Hamer
As Comic Week draws to a close, Ethan Newton-Hamer reflects on the current ‘age of superheroes’ and ponders what it is that makes a great comic book adaptation.
We are living in an age of superheroes. Whether we see them in a Marvel film like Avengers: Infinity War, or DC’s Supergirl, we’re unlikely to run out of content any time soon. But what makes a truly good comic book adaptation?
For some context, comic books have been around since 1837, with the earliest known often being cited as a story called The Adventures of Obadiah Oldbuck. We’ve come a long way since then. With various incarnations and characters coming in and out of fashion and different forms and genres being tackled by the comic book medium. In this day and age though, comics are often overlooked by their flashier and easily accessible counterparts: the films and TV shows. This is for a number of reasons. For myself, the idea of starting to read comics was a daunting idea. Where to start? Which to pick up? Is it really worth the price? It wasn’t until I got into my teens and I was fully obsessed with the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) that I found the courage to start reading comic books.
But when it comes to adaptations, they can either be big hits or commercial flops and almost entirely lack the spectacle of their source material – if it follows the source material at all. Take for instance what should have been one of the biggest superhero films of the decade, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. With two of the biggest comic book characters as the titular heroes, surely it should have delivered an all around win? Yet it was poorly received by fans and critics alike. One of the root causes for discontent with the film was the portrayal of the eponymous characters.
Batman has (historically) always had one rule: no killing. It is what sets him apart from the villains he faces. Yet in Zac Snyder’s version, Batman is a worn and broken man with no qualms about murdering people. Likewise Superman, a character who is suppose to represent hope and strength, is shown as a killer with little remorse for actually helping people. The stark contrast in these characters can be seen in their other silver screen adaptations like Batman Begins (2005) and Superman (1978). In these, the values of the characters and the morals which they stand for are at the heart of their actions and as a result, are beloved by fans and critics alike. Whilst there is nothing wrong with showing different versions of a beloved character, when you take away their core values with no explanation, the result is alienating to dedicated fans of the comics.
Contrast this with the Marvel Studio films and you can see what they’re doing differently – and why they’re succeeding. With their first blockbuster, 2008’s Iron Man, we saw the eccentric millionaire Tony Stark go on the standard character arc; from arrogant and egotistical to humble and heroic. But his story continued through subsequent films. From his PTSD in Iron Man 3 as a result of The Avengers to his motivations in Captain America: Civil War. It is this character development and thoughtful continuity which fans fall in love with. Not to mention that it is a reflection of the character who has already been brought to life in the comics.
Speaking of the comics, one of the biggest qualities which make Marvel better at adaptations (sorry DC) is comic book accuracy. Comic book accuracy refers to when a film or T.V show could be held up the panel of a comic book and there would be a distinct resemblance.
It is what comic book fans love – Myself included. And Marvel has been doing it year after year. Not only through their films, but their television shows like Cloak and Dagger, Runaways, Luke Cage and countless others look like they belong on the panels of a comic book. Though I realise I’m being bias as a faithful and die hard Marvel fan. DC is not far behind. Take for instance, 2017’s Wonder Woman. It took the source material and translated it faithfully onto the silver screen. From Diana’s Amazon island of Themyscira, to being Zeus’s daughter, to her costume.
It is this attention to detail which historically has lead to more successful films. And films which are more accurate to the comics, no matter from what studio, is what we as comic book fans want.