

by Beau Smith



The Avengers: Age Of Ultron starts this weekend in movie houses across the country. Without a doubt, it will be the #1 movie this week and who knows, perhaps for all times.



Just the fact that The Avengers are on screen in a live action movie is more than I could’ve ever hoped for in my lifetime, as far as pop culture goes. I have to admit, I never thought the day would come when comic book characters that I enjoyed as a kid through adulthood would come to life and others in the “real world” would enjoy as well. In the late 1960s as a grade school kid, I can still remember the excitement that I felt rushing home from school so I wouldn’t miss the Marvel Super Hero cartoons that came on at 4:00 on channel 3 WSAZ. Granted, it was limited animation, basically they took the already drawn comic pages and sorta moved them around to make them look like they were animated, but it was more than I could’ve hoped for. In reality, they were like an audio book with pictures. The great character actor, John Vernon, did many of voices, and he was so very good.



Finally, in this current decade, technology caught up with comic books, and they could be put on the screen as they should be. Yes, some are better than others, but I must say that even the worst of the lot is more than I ever hoped for being a real comic book fan of my age. I’m happy that it’s taken so long for this to happen. I don’t know if my youthful self could’ve taken this explosion of comic books back then. I would’ve bounced off the walls more than I already did. I would’ve been The Toad without a Magneto to order me around.

I’m glad to see that no superhero is beyond doing over by the movie and TV studios. The Hulk was done over twice before they nailed him in the first Avengers film. Hollywood usually isn’t that forgiving. They kept trying until they got it right.

The first couple of times they made the mistake of trying to do the character the DC Comics way, by making him too serious, tragic, dark and depressing. The Iron Man movie showed Hollywood the way. You can be serious, yet at the same time, not too serious, just like real life. Most important, they made the characters likable! I never cared much for the character of Thor all these years, until the movie version made me like him as a character/person. There is hope.



With the success of The Guardians Of The Galaxy, I have renewed hope that any Marvel character is possible on the screen. Before I shuffle off this mortal coil, there is hope that I can one day see Red Wolf, Skull The Slayer, The Sub-Mariner, or even Paste Pot Pete (what a great bad guy.) on the screen. It could happen. The capper would be if DC Comics managed to produce B’Wana Beast in a live action setting. Like with the lottery, I can dream, can’t I?

I used to hope that comic books could be translated to the screen. Now I hope that the same characters can be translated from the screen to comic books. I hope that the same likability can be injected into the print versions and make them enjoyable again. There has to be a balance between serious and fun. Life is filled with both, why not comic books?

Yes, I plan to see the new Avengers movie in the theatre, not opening day because I don’t like being in a large group of people all that much, but I will see it with a seat between me and the guy coughing too much or texting on his phone. My wife, Beth, who has no interest in comic books at all, even liked the first Avengers movie, so count in a new true believer, Stan!



Perhaps I am a true comic book fan of my generation because I appreciate even the not so good versions of the comic books put to the screen such as the Matt Salinger and Reb Brown Captain American versions. The Incredible Hulk TV series, the Rex Smith Daredevil….(Okay, not even I will go that far.) Now that we have true A-List film and TV versions of our favorite comic book characters, we can be more forgiving of the lesser attempts that have come before. I still get quite a kick from the David Hasslehoff version of Nick Fury. I like his version better than Samuel Jackson. Stone me if you so desire.



Keep an open mind on comic book characters brought the big screen, remember that old dogs like me never thought it would happen and that you should always be thankful to have your original print versions as well as your screen versions. Try as they may, they can never take your originals away from you, no matter how hard DC Comics may try and converge to do so.

See you in the balcony,

Beau Smith

The Flying Fist Ranch

www.flyingfistranch.com