Like most comic readers, I am surrounded by people who simply just don't get it. Even in 2010 with superhero movies charting the box office, many people still view comics as simple childish escapism.
Now I can show them this documentary as an explanation of how important the comics industry is to the world. It's our modern mythology. DC comics has been around for 75 years and in that time A lot has happened, not just in the comics but in the real world as well. So naturally there's only so much you can fit into an hour-and-a-half documentary.
But it talks about all the most notable and important moments and people, it shows the evolution of these character and their stories and how they adapted to the times. Comics aren't removed from reality, they make a statement about it.
A common complaint I've heard about this film is that it skips Infinite Crisis completely, not even a single mention made. While I agree it was a significant series historically, I believe it's too complex of a plot to accurately summarize and justify within the time limit. I think it would have completely disrupted the pacing. As it is, this documentary is light easy viewing filled with all sorts of interesting trivia. The kind of thing to bring new people into comics.
Any one of the many things they covered in this documentary could have had their own films. Like Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman or any single member of the Justice League could easily fill movie on their own. So I appreciate that they managed to successfully compress a titanic amount of information while still doing it justice.
I also love that it focuses on the personal and emotional connection people make to these superheroes. It definitely sells the idea that there's more gravity to the genre than the reputation would have you believe. And at no point does it seem like the people who are passionate about comics are pathetic losers. It encompasses a wide variety of people, some of them very talented who went on to working in the industry themselves.
If only I could have shown this to my parents when I still had dreams of being a comic artist. Oh well, costume designer is close enough.
