Movies influencing comics-good or bad?

[Chris Wallace]

It's come to my attention that Marvel-moreso than, say, their "Distinguished Competitor"-has on many occasions allowed their movies to sway the look and/or direction of the comics. To a degree this is understandable as they are now something of a Hollywood powerhouse. Since the advent of Marvel Films I have seen, among other things:
Organic webbing
Leather X-uniforms
Magneto's helmet being able to block psionic attack
A completely made-over Blade, clearly modeled after his big screen counterpart.
Revamped Ock & Goblin, clearly influenced by their film incarnations
A maskless, trenchcoat-wearing Bullseye.
The return of Stryker.
A black-clad, silver-clawed Deathstrike, who TAKES ORDERS FROM STRYKER.
A wheelchair-bound, hallucination-inducing "Mutant 143".
Should this trend continue or has it already gone too far?
Discuss.

 

[FaT_tONle]

Well outside the die hard readers of the source material... the GA view the films as the definitive versions of the characters... so I think these new comics are trying to widen their audience range by using/re-using a character in version already familiar to the general public.

 

[Jack O Lantern]

It's always been this way; it's not recent.

Krytonite was created by the Superman radio show. I think the Bat Cave came out of the serials. Alfred changed from the tibby butler to the current one due to serials. He was later killed and then resurrected because of the 60s show. Mr Freeze was made a good character by The Animated Series.

They should try introducing elements from the films and other media because they have good ideas. They should then weed out the bad ones like they did with the organic web shooters.

 

[Chris Wallace]

I'm aware of the Batman & Superman modifications; (You left out the introduction of Harley Quinn, Lockup & a green-hued Poison Ivy.)those, however, happened decades ago & decades apart whereas the Marvel changes are more recent & over a shorter period of time. And the only movie-influenced change I've seen in Batman in recent years was a one-shot in which Freeze's suit was actually powered by diamonds. I don't recall there ever being any mention of this prior to B & R.
Some of them are good & some are bad. I happen to be in the minority that liked organic webbing but I did NOT like things like stingers & being able to talk to insects. (Not directly movie-influenced, but it seemed like the next progression in the evolution of his powers; bad idea.) I could've done without the "God Loves. Man Kills" sequel, though.

 

[Chris Wallace]

Well outside the die hard readers of the source material... the GA view the films as the definitive versions of the characters... so I think these new comics are trying to widen their audience range by using/re-using a character in version already familiar to the general public.

There's a lot of truth in that. My stepson is 15 & never touched a comic in his life. So his knowledge of Spider-Man begins & ends with the movies. As a result, in watching "Spectacular" & reruns of the 90's series, he's confused & a bit turned off by things like mechanical webshooters & the presence of Hobgoblin.

 

[Rich Santoro]

I found it unnecessary to make Parker bit by a genetically altered spider instead of the radioactive variety. Actually, I thought this a poor choice. The organic web-shooters were a good idea (they did it in Spiderman 2099). But it is quite a departure from the comic.

Overall, some of it is good. It freshens up the characters for a more sophisticated time. Makes some qualities more palpatable. I like Blade's half-vamp component... and I like the Hulk's rebooted origin. But it also takes some turns that are preatty lame like the leather uniforms... Bullseye appearance, and some awkward associations that seem out of place... like Deathstrike

And I believe that magneto's helmet alrady blocked psychic energy.

 

[WarBlade]

It's come to my attention that Marvel-moreso than, say, their "Distinguished Competitor"-has on many occasions allowed their movies to sway the look and/or direction of the comics.

*cough*

You mean...

It's come to my attention that Marvel has watched from the sidelines as movie studios' adaptations of their comics took creative liberties. Marvel then began incorporating some of those ideas into the comicbooks.

t:

As for whether the trend should continue, I'm fine with it. Some of the old ideas like the radioactive spider bite are products of a different era and peoples' understanding of these things has come a long way since then. The X-Men can only benefit from any grounding that the first two movies might influence. Those comicbooks were really derailing in the mid-90's and reading up on recent developments only makes me glad I went cold turkey back then.

Blade should have stayed separate I think. The movie and comicbook versions both had the same basic origin and focused on a guy with a sword, but other than that they were about 95% completely different and each was entertaining in it's own right. There was no need to update the comicbook.

 

[vindrow]

Not sure about some of this stuff, but as far as Magneto's helmet..it has always been able to block psionic probes and such, so the movie took that from the comics.


If I am not mistaken the wheelchair bound mutant in the movie was supposed to be Mastermind, although a poor excuse for him.

 

[BMM]

*cough*

You mean...



t:

As for whether the trend should continue, I'm fine with it. Some of the old ideas like the radioactive spider bite are products of a different era and peoples' understanding of these things has come a long way since then. The X-Men can only benefit from any grounding that the first two movies might influence. Those comicbooks were really derailing in the mid-90's and reading up on recent developments only makes me glad I went cold turkey back then.

I completely agree with regards to the necessary grounding of the X-Men, especially after what they had become by the mid-late 90s.

If I am not mistaken the wheelchair bound mutant in the movie was supposed to be Mastermind, although a poor excuse for him.

Jason Stryker is based on Jason Wyngarde, although he is not supposed to actually be him.



As for movies influencing comics, I generally don't mind, as a lot of the changes seem to be discarded after a while. Besides, sometimes the changes serve as a nice respite from the usual.

 

[Chris Wallace]

*cough*

You mean...



t:

As for whether the trend should continue, I'm fine with it. Some of the old ideas like the radioactive spider bite are products of a different era and peoples' understanding of these things has come a long way since then. The X-Men can only benefit from any grounding that the first two movies might influence. Those comicbooks were really derailing in the mid-90's and reading up on recent developments only makes me glad I went cold turkey back then.

Blade should have stayed separate I think. The movie and comicbook versions both had the same basic origin and focused on a guy with a sword, but other than that they were about 95% completely different and each was entertaining in it's own right. There was no need to update the comicbook.

Where Blade is concerned, the movie version was more popular than the comic ever was, so I could see why Marvel followed suit-albeit badly.

 

[Chris Wallace]

Not sure about some of this stuff, but as far as Magneto's helmet..it has always been able to block psionic probes and such, so the movie took that from the comics.

I'd never seen any indication of this prior to the movies.

 

[Tybalt]

Did you read comics...?

 

[Chris Wallace]

I did & I never saw that until after the movie came out. I can recall a few occasions of Xavier manipulating Erik's mind with his helmet on.

 

[Iron_Stark]

I'm just hoping Iron Man gets the circle in the chest like in the movie.

 

[Rich Santoro]

X-MEN #1 (the one with the 5 or 6 different covers) that came out in he early 90s had a panel with Psylocke explicitly saying that she forgot Magneto's helmet protected him from her mental powers.

 

[Chris Wallace]

I don't remember that. I'll have to check.

 

[vindrow]

I'd never seen any indication of this prior to the movies.

Yeah, this started way back in X-men #1 and has continued through quite a few X-Men comics..and if there were instances where Prof. X was able to do this then the writers were wrong to write it like that...I know Chris Claremont who seems to have written the X-Men for like forever has it in quite a few of the comics.


Check this link:

http://www.marvel.com/universe/Magneto


Check the right side and scroll down to where is says Paraphernalia.

 

[Chris Wallace]

I'm just hoping Iron Man gets the circle in the chest like in the movie.

Not really a big deal to me either way, but he's had that on quite a few suits long before a movie was even possible.

Including his first.