Comic Book Confidential

Comic books finally get the respect they deserve. Combining interviews, historical footage, animation, and montages of comic book art, Comic Book Confidential traces the development of the comic book from the very first (Funnies on Parade), in 1933, through counterculture favorites (Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers) to the hippest representatives of the 1980s comic book revival (The Dark Knight returns). Ron Mann's witty, incisive movie in QuickTime contains interviews with influential authors and artists of commercial, alternative, and underground comics. Many read from their works: Marvel master Stan Lee brings Spiderman's money worries to life; Charles Burnes becomes Big Baby; Jack Kirby reenacts the birth of Caption America. The CD-ROM adds over 120 pages of comics by the film's featured artists. Scott McCloud, author of "Understanding Comics", provides new introductions. Also included are biographies of all the artists, and checklists of their published works. It all adds up to a new way to explore America's only purely indigenous art form.