Review of Comic Book Villains

***SPOILERS*** This one was recommended to me by a fellow comic book fan. [For the record, I collect Silver Age comics- JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY and THE MIGHTY THOR, in particular- and paperback reprints of old pulp magazines like CONAN, THE SHADOW, DOC SAVAGE, etc.] I went in with high hopes, but those hopes were quickly dashed when it became evident that the writer/director understands next to NOTHING about drama or comedy or even a juxtaposition of the two. The premise was promising (see the synopsis), but the movie lost momentum and began to spiral down the tube the moment it went from being a semi-sympathetic look at the highs and lows of comic collecting to a shoot-'em-up. (This is the same kind of thing that makes BARTON FINK -among MANY other American films- much less interesting than they might have been. WHY American filmmakers tend to turn to gunplay when storytelling would suffice is beyond me. I suggest young moviemakers spend some time checking out the foreign film section of their favorite video rental joint: maybe that way, they'll learn to tell a story that doesn't depend in the end on a friggin' shoot out.) [An old complaint of mine was that Stephen King's books always seemed to end with an explosion and/or a fire; same difference here, different medium.] While this one may appeal to kids who spend too much time in front of their televisions (watching bad movies or playing video games that are tantamount to chasing one's tail), adults- or anyone with an attention span longer than that of a hyperactive fruit fly- will perforce be disappointed. A missed opportunity.