The Fractured Mirror entry: Comic Book: The Movie (2004) FM
8 months ago
– Tue, Jun 25, 2024 at 02:11:41 PM
Comic Book: The Movie (2004) FM
Mark Hamill made his directorial debut with the 2004 mockumentary Comic Book: The Movie. The low-budget independent film is about subject matter near its director/star’s heart: comic book geeks, pop culture buffs, and low-culture mavens. Hamill understands the world of geekdom from inside and out as an icon revered for his portrayals of Luke Skywalker and Joker and a bona fide geek.
Hamill, who also co-wrote the screenplay and produced, stars as Donald Swan. He’s a schoolteacher and hardcore comic book geek famous for his obsessive exploration of superhero Commander Courage in a zine and website.
When Hollywood decides to make a dark and gritty blockbuster movie about the geek’s favorite superhero, Donald is hired as a consultant in a cynical attempt to appease old-school fans.
Comic Book: The Movie takes place mainly at the 35th annual San Diego Comic-Con and features all of the usual suspects: Stan Lee, of course, as well as Kevin Smith (who gets even more mileage out of his famous giant spider story), Bruce Campbell and Hugh Hefner.
Comic Book: The Movie benefits from specificity. It affectionally chronicles a world that Hamill knows intimately and adores.
Hamill is almost as well known for his voice work as for playing the hero in the biggest science fiction saga ever. The Star Wars star gives fellow voiceover superstars Tom Kenney, Billy West, and Roger Rose juicy supporting roles.
Hamill sticks the landing with a climactic monologue about the wonders of comic books, superheroes, and imagination that is passionate and idealistic without being sentimental. Comic Book: The Movie is modest in scope and ambition but a treat for comic book and movie geeks.