Product Description

Donald swann just landed his dream job: directing a documentary about his all-time favorite comic book heroes..& thats where the fun begins. Studio: Buena Vista Home Video Release Date: 09/07/2004 Starring: Mark Hamill Kevin Smith Run time: 105 minutes Rating: Pg13 Director: Mark Hamill

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #45353 in DVD
• Brand: Miramax
• Released on: 2004-01-27
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 107 minutes

Amazon.com
Who knew Luke Skywalker was such a geek? As the director-coproducer-star of Comic Book: The Movie, Star Wars veteran Mark Hamill embraces his inner nerd and pays affectionate tribute to those who are attracted (either casually or obsessively) to the fantastical realms of comic books. As "Don Swan," high school teacher, lifelong comic collector, and microbudget filmmaker, Hamill joins legions of fans at San Diego's epic-scale ComiCon International (the world's largest sci-fi/comic convention), on a mission to thwart a dubious Hollywood makeover of Captain Courage, his favorite "Golden Age" comic superhero. Hamill's experiment in "mockumentary" is unscripted, haphazard, not very funny, and a bit too "inside" for mass appeal, but its spontaneous spirit hides a worthy agenda that any fan can relate to: While exploring the lively atmosphere of ultimate fandom, Comic Book: The Movie investigates the schism between Hollywood and fandom that results, too often, in lackluster big-screen adventures for beloved comic-book characters. By recruiting a cast of prominent cartoon-voice talent (like himself), in addition to an all-star list of comic-artist cameos including Stan Lee, Matt Groening, and many others, Hamill has crafted a casual yet thoroughly researched portrait of one of America's most vibrant subcultures. The abundant bonus features are arguably better than the feature itself, most notably the extended interviews with Stan Lee, Hugh Hefner, Kevin Smith, and B-movie king Bruce Campbell, all of whom (like Hamill) have played influential roles in the fandom they celebrate. --Jeff Shannon

From the Back Cover
Mark Hamill ("Star Wars") star with sexy Donna D'Errico ("Austin Powers Goldmember," TV's "Baywatch") and a host of real-life celebrities--including Hugh Hefner, Stan Lee and Kevin Smith--in this wildly funny journey into the world of comic book fandom. Documentary filmmaker Donald Swan (Hamill) heads into the world's largest comic book convention where he encounters a culture of craziness that he's totally unprepared for! Also featuring the voice talent from hit shows "Spongebob Squarepants," "Futurama," "Johnny Bravo" and more!

Customer Reviews

Too funny, too true
A funny, laugh out loud inside look at comic book fandom, Mark Hamill's Comic Book: The Movie chronicles Don Sawn's (played by Hamill) quest to save his favorite Golden Age hero, Captain Courage, from being butchered by Hollywood in the upcoming big budget movie.

What Swan is hired to be a consultant on the film, it seems he has his chance prevent his childhood hero from being modernized. What results is an epic and hilarious battle between Swan and Hollywood producers.

While this movie is full of comic book in-jokes, it is also full of celebrities such as Kevin Smith, Hugh Hefner, Bruce Campbell, and Stan Lee. Also comic book creators including Peter David, Mark Evanier, Maggie Thompson, and multiple others appear through the movie. However, even bigger than that is the treat of seeing voice actors being able to step in front of the camera.

Now for the comic books fans: one of the best gems of this movie is that at least half of the movie was filmed during Comic-Con International in San Diego. Seeing the convention center, creators, fans, and over all wackiness brought back many sweet memories of having been there. It was a great bonus!

The bottom line is this is a hilarious, laugh out loud film treat, especially for comic book fans.

A hidden gem... for the right folks
Mark Hamill shines in this brilliant mockumentary about the inside world of the big BIG business of comics. As a tremendous fan myself, the most enjoyment I took from this film was seeing how much fun Mark had digging into his character, Don Swan, the obsessive comics old-schooler who's prepared to go to the ends of the earth to preserve the integrity of his cherished childhood hero, Commander Courage.

In this the era of the pure genius of Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy and their improvisational masterpieces Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, and A Mighty Wind, Comic Book: The Movie sings sweetly the song of our fandom. Some performances are a little flat, but Mark Hamill could esily hold his own with the likes of improv masters like Michael McKean, Harry Shearer and Catherine O'Hara. His depth and attention to detail with evey aspect of his character is stunning. For those of you who can't seem to get beyond his living legend in the days of 'space operas', this is your chance to see Hamill break out. He produces, directs and stars in this absolute gem of a film.

Of course going in, the only downside is the overall appeal of this production. To fans like me, this will be a treasure... and to those looking for a more polished mockumentary style film like Rob Reiner's This is Spinal Tap, you may feel a little disappointed. This is intended for a select audience and not for mass consumption... and I wouldn't have it any other way!

Brilliant work, Mark... please give us more!!

Comic Book the Movie the ultimate fan's fiction
Mark Hamill is obviously a knowledgable and passionate fan of comics. He has made a movie for fans, about fans and starring fans. It's a hillarious look at what happens when a Hollywood studio tries to make a comic book into a film. Keeping the die hard fans happy isn't easy, especially when the world's biggest fan is working for you (but secretly working against you).

This is a faux documentary a bit on the lines of Spinal Tap or Best in Show. It's loaded with guest stars like Donna D'Errico, Stan Lee, Tom Kenny, Kevin Smith, Matt Groening, Peter David, Bruce Campbell, Sid Caesar and Jonathan Winters.