Comic Book Villains (2002) (V)

Director:

James Robinson

Writer (WGA):

James Robinson (written by)

Release Date:

3 September 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Obsession. Betrayal. Revenge. And other funny business.

Plot:

Told from the point of view from Archie, a comic book collector, this is the story of a rivalry between two comic book shop owners...

Plot Keywords:

Comics | Comic Book | Comic Book Shop | Rivalry | Comic Book Collector

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Donal Logue	...	Raymond McGillicudy
Cary Elwes	...	Carter
Michael Rapaport	...	Norman Link
Natasha Lyonne	...	Judy
DJ Qualls	...	Archie
Eileen Brennan	...	Mrs. Cresswell
Monet Mazur	...	Kiki
Danny Masterson	...	Conan
James Duval	...	Baz
Marshall Bell	...	Gun Store Order
Chris Weber	...	Tony
Denny Kirkwood	...	Dino
Irene Montalà	...	Woman in Barcelona
Donnal Ward	...	Normal Customer
Ric Borelli	...	Slob

MPAA:

Rated R for language, violence, some sexuality and drug content.

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Netherlands:12 (DVD rating) | Portugal:M/16 (video premiere) | Australia:MA | Canada:14A | USA:R

Company:

Capital Arts Entertainment

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Near the end of the film, when Carter is driving away in his truck, and Raymond is fighting him for the steering wheel, the gearshift is in the Park position.

Quotes:

Archie: After all that had happened, life and the living of it seemed too fleeting to waste in one place or on arguing whether Superman was stronger than the Hulk.

Movie Connections:

References Killer Instinct (1994) (VG)

This Is A Darker Comedy Than It Lets On To Be.

Comic Book Villains is a satirical black comedy about, you guessed it, comic books and the sometimes strange people that collect them. The movie is a little darker than expected so perhaps I would have enjoyed it more had I known what I was about to see. Still, it was a fun movie that pokes fun at the world of comic book collecting/collectors.

DJ Qualls plays Archie, an all around good guy and the narrator of the story as well. Qualls is perfect as the comic book geek type. His favorite place to hang out and buy/read comics is at Raymond McGillicudy's (Donal Logue) comic shop (the names of the shops escapes me). Raymond is into the comic book scene and has the shop because he loves dealing with comic books. Across town is Norman and Judy Link's (Michael Rapaport & Natasha Lyonne) comic shop. Norman and Judy are there strictly for the money. Archie loves Raymond's shop and his knowledge in comics plus he finds everything he likes there so he has never found a reason to visit the other shop. On the other hand, there is "Conan", played by Danny Masterson from That 70's Show. Conan claims he is a descendant of the creator of Conan The Barbarian comic books and is the instigator for the whole movie because he visits both shops regularly and provides information to both.

The movie takes it's dark turn after both shop owners discover there is a pristine collection of comic books that belonged to a deceased comic book collector who had a great collection. After that, the backstabbing, double-crossing, dirty tricks and much more begins the dark tone of the movie.

My favorite characters were Norman and Judy Link. Rapaport usually plays a tougher character and it was different to see him in more of a submissive position here, especially to his wife. Lyonne also did a great job as a "comic book villain" and certainly looked her best here as well. Also, Danny Masterson played a subtle instigator well, not unlike his character Hyde from That 70's Show. Overall, worth a look. 6.5/10