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Nah, Deadpool is NOT one of the worst superhero films ever..although that Wolverine film he was in…

Recently and in the past few decades we have seen some critically acclaimed and financially $ucce$$ful films based on comic book characters . The Captain America Trilogy, Christopher Nolan’s Batman Trilogy, Guardians of the Galaxy, and the aforementioned Deadpool are recent blockbusters. Before these films, Tim Burton’s Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992) were financial successes that were nominated for Academy Awards with Batman winning one; Warren Beatty’s Dick Tracy (1990) won three Oscars, and Superman: The Movie (1978) was nominated for three Academy Awards, winning an Oscar for Special Achievement for Visual Effects for a total of four Oscar nods.

However, we have also seen box office bombs like The Rocketeer (1991), Billy Zane’s The Phantom (1996), and 1987’s He-Man and The Masters of The Universe (Frank Langella is positively deliciously evil as Skeletor and you Jack Kirby fans will have a field day with the references to Kirby’s New Gods/Fourth World work).  These flops are entirely watchable and entertaining films. They have since developed popular cult followings which isn’t nothing to dismiss. Zane’s Phantom movie did very well in VHS and DVD sales and is presently on Netflix. Remember, even the classic 1939 musical The Wizard of Oz was a commercial flop. That family favorite film property is worth millions now.

AND THEN there are the colossal stinkers. The ones that put the “B.O.” in Box Office (B.O. means smelly body odor in American slang). Movies so bad you wonder how they got made in the first place and who was fired for approving the script, cast, and film be it on the big screen or on television. Some were surprise bombs–Jonah Hex is a great character; the film had a great cast. Yet the storyline was lousy.We all have heard the comments about bombs like Ben Affleck’s Daredevil, his estranged wife Jennifer Garner’s Elektra, Seth Rogen’s The Green Hornet, Halle Berry’s Cat-woman, and Ryan Reynold’s Green Lantern; but these films did not make the list of the top five biggest stinkers. What could be worse than these films? Let me jog your memory.

5. STEEL (1997)

Kenneth Johnson created the television series “V” and “The Bionic Woman” and was instrumental in developing the television shows “Alien Nation” and “The Incredible Hulk”. Shaquille O’Neal was an NBA superstar and champion. Together they made this abysmal flop about the supporting DC character from the Superman mythos who had his own comic once and long ago in one of DC’s many reboots. A heavily and overly exploited joke in this film is the reference to O’Neal’s inability to complete free-throws. Yep. That’s about it for this disaster. NEXT!

4. THE FANTASTIC FOUR (2015)

What could be worse than all previous versions of the Fantastic Four live action films? THIS ONE. A totally revamped version of the first family of comics when the fans were begging BEGGING I SAY for one great film and what did they get–a science fiction film that would have stood better off alone on its own rather than be attached to the familiar family property. It did not help the fate of this film that some of the lead actors made arrogant and ignorant remarks prior to and during the filming of this movie; nor did it help that the media plagued the film with its constant barrage of political correctness mud slinging. The director fighting with cast and crew and leaving the project in this one act debacle pretty much sealed its doom that no doctor could have saved.  Hope you caught the pun-NEXT!

3. SUPERMAN III (1983)

It’s a shame that after two great Superman films Christopher Reeve ended up playing second fiddle to an out of place Richard Pryor in this film. Both men seem to be just waltzing through this after they got a paycheck for this poor excuse of a sequel.  This is how evil Superman’s twin is: he straightened out Italy’s Leaning Tower of Pisa. Any more evil and he might have gone as far as stealing Bruce Wayne’s left socks. NEEEEE–XT!

2. SUPERMAN IV: THE QUEST FOR PEACE (1987)

It’s a shame that after two great Superman films Christopher Reeve–whoa. Deja vu! What the heck? Yep, another abysmal Superman sequel starring one of if not the best men to don to iconic cape and suit. This one is an incredible train wreck. The premise is ridiculous. Superman is practically tyrant of the Earth as he informs all governments that he is getting rid of their nuclear weapon, and they just blindly accept his “generous” act?  Seriously? That act would make him world enemy and global threat #1 to nations of the planet Earth. Who is he to dictate world policy and step on the sovereign power of each country? We also get to see the Mariel Hemingway as Clark Kent’s new love interest breathe in outer space. What? This film is a face palm from start to end. Regardless how you feel about the last three Superman films, they were better than this and made a whole lot more money than this film and Superman III. This brings us to…

The worst comic book adaptation to film is THE MAN-THING (2005). Even George Lucas’  Howard The Duck was  better than this production shown on the Sy Fy (nee: Sci Fi) Network.  Have you seen it? Good! Then don’t! His powers are different, his origin is different–you figure the people behind the 2015 Fantastic Four film would have paid attention to this disastrous formula in bringing a property to film but nooooooo!  IF IT AIN’T BROKE DON’T FIX IT! His costume looks like a reject of the Spawn suit from the awful 1997 Spawn film (which made number 6 on this list!) painted in green! The character was liked by the fans as it was! You mess with it, you get what you sowed! A disaster!  The Man-Thing in this film is more like DC’s Swamp Thing who had TWO enjoyable films and his own series. You’re far much better off watching Swamp Thing than the unrecognizable Man-Thing mess.

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Jack Kirby passed away on this date 22 years ago.

I wrote passed away because he never died. What he did for the medium, how he influenced so many, will be unmatched. Artists have come and gone who drew “better” than him but have they left a legacy as untouchable as  him? Nope, not in comparison.Get into a discussion about creators in comicdom and his name comes up faster than two guys who created some fella named “Superman”. If there was no Kirby, so many characters would not have existed; characters who influenced other characters and franchises including Star Wars. He’s influenced so many artists who have gone into the field of comics.  There have been many creators in fiction, science fiction, and superheroes. Greats, Icons, Legends…but there was only one King. He may not have created Superman but he was one in his own right. Kirby has been ripped off in more ways than one that it’s sickening, His work is so great, so grand, that when Hollywood takes the properties he created, co-created, or embellished on, the hard core fans flip tables and revolt. They boycott. I don’t and can’t blame them on that. I’m not in any way, shape, or form dismissing the work of every other artist out there established or not; but what Kirby brought to the plate is untouchable. He’s the Babe Ruth of comics. The Elvis that shook it all up. He was and remains, The King.

His legacy lives on, there are some great Kirby pages that are on Facebook run by some passionate creative gentleman who we’ve been lucky to have interviewed on Eclecticka (streaming live on Sunday nights at 8:30pm on SEVNetwork. com with taped shows on YouTube) Check them out, and you’ll find that they, and members of their pages, have books, essays,magazines, and other merchandise on Kirby that you’ve never seen before.

Long live the King.

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Celebrities have named their children after the stars of famous franchises too. For instance the beloved talented comedian and actor Robin Williams was a big fan of the video game The Legend of Zelda; so big  that he named his own daughter after Princess Zelda. They even shot a commercial together for The Legend of Zelda:Ocarina of Time 3D, the Nintendo 3DS game in 2011.

Another actor who named his daughter after a fan favorite character is actor/writer/director Kevin Smith. The American filmmaker named his daughter Harley Quinn, after the DC character who is in love with the insane Joker, Batman’s nemesis. The character is featured in the upcoming Warner Brothers film Suicide Squad.  Recently, Mr. Smith presented his daughter Harley Quinn Smith with the bat used in the film by the fictional character Harley Quinn.

Girls are not the only ones to suffer from having a father who is not only a celebrity but a geek and/or nerd. Actor Nicolas Cage named his son Kal-el, after Superman’s Kryptonian identity.  Cage is the nephew of Academy Award nominee Talia Shire , a nephew of multi Academy Award winning Francis Ford Coppola, and the first cousin of Academy Award winning Sofia Coppola.  An Academy Award winning actor himself, Cage was born Nicolas Kim Coppola. He took the professional name of Cage from Marvel Comics’ Luke Cage, Power Man.

Kal-el, Superman himself recently came to the rescue of Nicholas Cage. IRS troubles and other debt caused the actor to sell his copy of Action Comics #1 in November 2011 via an online auction. The comic sold for 2.16 million USD (United States Dollars), breaking the previous world record of 1.5 million USD. He had purchased the Holy Grail of comic book in 1997 for a paltry 110,000 USD.

Who knows, someday YOU might create a character that some celebrity will name their own child after; but make sure you pay your taxes because not all comics are worth what Action Comics #1 is.

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American comic book characters are known worldwide. People in foreign lands watch these fictional heroes on the big screens in their countries and buy American comic books translated into their respective languages and formatted to their specifications. I myself have a collection of X-Men, Spiderman, Superman, and Captain America comic books from other countries written in their foreign language.

The idea of heroes and freedom is universal. When you have tasted freedom, it’s hard to let it go and give it up; and many who have never had it, are willing to fight for it. American ideals and the imagery of the fictional American heroes materialize in organized public demonstrations worldwide where thousands of people protest against oppressive governments. It doesn’t matter if it’s an Asian nation or and Arab nation. You’ll see somebody dressed as Superman or Captain America…the symbols speak volumes in any language. No translation is necessary.

DC and Marvel, and their parent companies Warner Brothers and Disney respectively, are making money in the overseas market. The companies cannot afford to completely overhaul their established characters because some risks may work in some markets while not in others.  Not every country is as accepting or open minded as others. There are cultural biases. Singapore is very liberal when it comes to homosexuality; to people in Singapore, the two gay characters who got married in Archie Comics two years ago would be no big deal to them but in other countries where homosexuality is grounds for death, it IS a big deal. Even interracial dating or pre-marital affairs can get you into trouble with some cultures.  This is true in countries whose politics and religion are one and the same and any affront to their traditions and/or religion could cost you your life.

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