I have had a few discussions over Comic-Con weekend about which upcoming movie best embodies what comic books and Comic-Con have to offer the big screen. Almost everyone narrows the field down to two: The Spirit and The Watchmen . The Spirit is an old comic book series created by the grandfather of comics, Will Eisner, about a detective turned masked vigilante. It is directed by Frank Miller ( Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, 300 ) who is more well known for his comic book writing than his movie making. He was recently very involved in Robert Rodriguez’s adaptation of Sin City . And so far, The Spirit looks a whole lot like Sin City . The movie stars Gabriel Macht ( Because I Said So ), Samuel Jackson ( Snakes on a Plane, Pulp Fiction ) and Scarlett Johansson ( The Island, The Prestige ). I plan to see the movie, it looks like it could be good. But ultimately it’s a comic book for which I have only a passing knowledge. A good friend attended the panel and was underwhelmed by both the 2007 and 2008 Comic-Con panel. I see most big budget sci-fi, fantasy, secret agent, and comic book hero movies. I usually find something to really like about them, so I am cautiously optimistic.
Moving on to The Watchmen ...
