ArsGeek

Before comic books were cool they were shoved into hallway lockers along with other nerdy counterparts like Dungeons and Dragons and computers. In 2009 you would have to be some kind of social outcast if you were into Lord of the Rings, Batman and the internet, right? Well back when we were all ashamed to like superheroes, save Superman and Batman, we took a chance with the success of Blade and made some money off the X-Men after putting them in full black leather. Times are a little different and with geek culture becoming destigmatized, it’s time all, not some, but all of these Hollywood movies to become visually recognizable to what we see on the comic page. These are comics people. Color them.

Jon Favreau enlisted Adi Granov, one of Marvel’s premiere illustrators to do production art and Iron Man’s costume sketches themselves. Zack Snyder brought in Dave Gibbons, artist of the Watchmen to oversee aspects of production in the film. These are the pains that should be taken to get the films visually where they need to be.

So whenever I watch X-Men and have to listen to Cyclops tell me “What would you prefer, yellow spandex?” I think, “Screw you, Scott. I know you lack imagination, but I wouldn’t use wrestling tights. I can suggest at least 5 better costume designers than yours though.” He might as well be saying, “I’m ashamed of the way we have looked in over 40 years of printed material.” Last time I checked, I don’t remember reading the comic where the X-Men all take a shopping day in the Matrix. Wolverine has a mask and I’d like to see him wear it someday. And Magneto is not built like Gandalf. Magneto is built like Daniel Craig. These things can be done by visual directors more capable than Ratner and yes even Singer. They deserve better. Catwoman is a Caucasian jewel thief and not whatever Halle Berry was. I understand if no one in Hollywood can make do for a casting choice, concessions need to be made, but to actively choose to bastardize a property in a multi-billion dollar industry just doesn’t make sense.

The Ghost Rider villain Blackheart is supposed to look like the cross between the devil, the Predator and a black panther, not the emo kid from American Beauty. Villains are half the movie and need to be on point just as much as the hero. (I have similar issues with Venom in Spider-Man 3.)

Not to take away the importance of translating the personality and essence of the character. Sometimes they get the spirit of the comic right, or sometimes just the appearance. In cases like 300, Watchmen and Iron Man they get both. In instances like Catwoman, Elektra and Schumacher Batman films, they abysmally have neither. The bottom line is that you can make them universally appealing while keeping them visually accurate to the fans that liked them in the first place. Watchmen even proved that if you stylize it enough you can make those silly Silver Age costumes work. Now I’m looking at you, X-Men. You can have the skimpy blue ninja costume, the phoenix logo, the masks, greens, blues, reds and yes Cyclops, even yellow.