The Comedy Cellar

Comic books have been published in America for nearly 100 years, but they didn’t hit their stride until the 1940s when characters like Superman and Batman were introduced. Now, over 60 years later, comic book movies have become staples of the summer movie season. This year saw the release of “Spider-Man 3,” “Fantastic Four 2″ and “Ghost Rider, “(all based on Marvel comic book characters). Plus, the surprise hit of 2007, the Spartan epic, “300,” was based on Frank Miller’s acclaimed 1998 comic book series. These four movies alone have made over $700 million for the bean counters in Hollywood. Not bad for characters that appear in $3 comic books each month.

2008 may be the best year so far for comic book movies, with Will Eisner’s (the father of the American graphic novel) “The Spirit” due in January, “Watchmen,” directed by 300′s Zack Snyder due in March, Robert Downey Jr. as “Iron Man,” Ed Norton as “The Incredible Hulk” and Christian Bale back as Batman facing off against Heath Ledger as The Joker in “The Dark Knight.”

Why have comic book movies become so big in the last decade? “Two reasons,” says Marc Bowker, owner of Alter Ego Comics, a comic book store in Lima, OH. “First, special effects technology has finally caught up with the imaginations of comic book artists.” The Spider-Man films are a perfect example of movies that could not have been done well without the advances in effects technology. (Want proof? Check out “The Chinese Web,” a Spider-Man TV movie made in the 1970s.) The second reason, according to Bowker, “Hollywood has run out of original ideas.” Most of the best films of the last 10 years have been based on existing material – novels, comic books, musicals, etc. Many comic book characters have 25-50 years worth of stories to choose from that would make excellent films.

Movie studios have taken over the biggest comic book convention in the world, The San Diego Comic Con, where they buy up the rights to comic book characters, big and small. The studios also use San Diego to make major casting announcements for comic-related movies and start building buzz around those films. At the 2007 San Diego Comic Con held in July, Zack Snyder was officially announced as the director of “Watchmen,” and key cast members were revealed. Warner Bros. also held a scavenger hunt to promote the 2008 release of the new Batman film, “The Dark Knight.”

The relationship between Hollywood and comic books shows no signs of ending anytime soon. There are dozens of movies based on comic books in active development, including non-super hero comics like Vertigo’s “Y: The Last Man,” and this fall’s “30 Day’s of Night.” As long as the comic book industry keeps creating memorable characters with great stories, Hollywood will be waiting to bring those stories to the big screen.

By: Marc Bowker

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Technically speaking, a comic book is any sort of periodical that features graphic sequential story-telling along with narrative dialogue as its primary story-telling methods. The magazine may have one or more complete stories in each issue, one or more episodes of continuing stories, or some combination of the two. Characters and settings may continue from story to story, issue to issue, or not at all. There may be text pieces as well, but the primary story-telling vehicle needs to be sequential. This sequential artwork is generally illustration, but can also be photographs (also known as .

The term comic book is something of a misnomer, as most modern comic books are dramatic in tone. ‘Comic book’ is taken from the term ‘comic strip,’ since many of the earliest comic books were merely collected editions of popular comic strips of the time. It is generally accepted that the first comic book is Richard F. Outcault’s The Yellow Kid in McFadden’s Flats, a collection from Outcault’s comic strip, Hogan’s Alley starring the Yellow Kid in 1896. The first comic book containing all original material was The Funnies in 1929.

As with any other medium, comic books stories can be of any genre. Some notable and popular genres in comic books include: westerns, war stories, romance, and horror. However, when the vast majority of people today refer to comic books, they are actually referring to one of two sub-genres:

Humor comic books: Exemplified primarily by Archie Comics and cartoon tie-ins (both to be explored further in this series), the humor book is generally either a set of characters getting themselves into and working themselves out of a humorous situation, or a series of slapstick encounters, like the MGM animated shorts of the 30s and 40s. Super-hero adventure stories: when most people think of comics, they think of super-heroes (to be discussed in more detail later this week). Super-hero stories are typified by protagonists who have super-human abilities; physical, mental or some combination of the two. Super-hero adventures comics are predominated by two publishers: DC Comics and Marvel Comics. While super-hero comics have dominated the market for over 40 years, other genres, most notably what can only be accurately described as literary comics, are beginning to make more of a splash in the past decade or so, as more young storytellers are exploring the medium of graphic story-telling, and as the impact of manga (generally Asian or Asian-influenced comic books-to be discussed more later) becomes more well known

By: R. Wesley Smith

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I want to say a few words about being a comedian. A comedian is someone who makes people laugh (and at least a couple times a minute). Which is easier said than done. A comedian is a stage persona; it’s not exactly who the person is offstage.

So how does one craft a standup comedy stage persona that a)suits their personality, and b) is actually funny?

It’s both easier and harder than it first seems. Your unique personality already exists; it’s just up to you to highlight the funny bits, and then to live your life onstage. This all starts with attitude and mood.

As a former teacher, I’ve had a lot of practice speaking to groups of cold fish. I can tell you that funny more often stems from your attitude, and the crowd’s willingness to come along, than anything you might plan to say. Most crowds want to come along – but you have to educate yourself as to what will shut them down. Because all it takes is the wrong word or two, right or wrong; once you’ve lost them you’re all alone and it’s that much harder to win them back.

The stage turns things up a notch or three. And that’s the act, isn’t it – electrifying your natural personality characteristics. It requires confidence and a degree of self-deprecation.

The comedian turns on his or her personality and lights up a room. They control the room, the stage, the narrative thread, and always (try to) have the last word with a laugh. They inspire and intersect ideas.

But more than this, they actively indicate the funny in every situation. They twist everything into a punchline; they deftly see things in the wrong way and create humor from their response. For example:

My father once told me “Be careful with you little girlfriend, or you’ll have a baby on your hands.” Yeah? Well when you’re seventeen dating a seventeen year-old, you can imagine dealing with that. When you’re fifty looking at a seventeen year-old, you’re just trying to get out of Saturdays at the Chucky Cheese. Pulling your wife out of the hamster tubes is embarrassing!

As a working adult with 10-20 years of job experience, you accumulate a kind of porcupine-quill carapace for the job. And if you’re an engineer, goodness help you. Making engineers laugh is a bit like sticking a fork in a toaster. In fact, it is literally like sticking a fork in a toaster. Leave it to the professionals.

You can’t approach comedy with that kind of flat emotion and deadpan attitude. Your mood translates to the crowd in a kind of desirable psychological transference. Your attitude is the fundamental premise through which all gets filtered.

Consider the different types of funny attitudes from some great comedians: George Carlin’s tough indignance. Woody Allen’s clever insecurity, and Bob Newhart’s halting insecurity. Johnny Carson’s boyishness and self-deprecating criticism of his own jokes. Tommy Smothers’ boyishness and naivete.

I’m going to add more examples from other eras:

Richard Lewis’ overwrought angst. Lewis Black’s rage with political absurdity. Bill Hicks’ seditious frankness. Eddie Murphy’s fast-talking, cool mockery. Richard Pryor’s contemplative, off-color characterizations. Brian Regan’s exaggerated immaturity. Steven Wright’s deadpan absurdity. Think of your favorite comedians, and what characterizes their attitude or point of view.

As such, with your unique, comical attitude, any setup is funny simply by virtue of being in your repertoire. Just as a funny comedy sketch depends first on the characters and the situation, before anyone has even said a word, funny standup depends first on one thing: the comedian’s unique, fresh point of view.

So what do you do when you’re armed with this information? You become aware of your own attitude, and feeling, at the moment of writing the bit. Aware of the influence of your mood, you might better adapt it to the situation. After all, your default attitude of bristling logic can hardly serve the interests of absurdity, can it?

Keep in mind that range is possible. If you listen carefully to some comics, you can almost hear them channeling their influences as well. It’ s hard to listen to Doug Stanhope without hearing Bill Hicks. Lots of young comics mimic Mitch Hedberg, or Dane Cook. Sometimes these attitudes come and go. Usually the audience is unaware of it at all, unless you blatantly rip off a comics mannerisms or vocal inflections. I won’t even dignify hacking material directly with a statement.

How do you find your own comedic attitude? You don’t. It finds you. Write what you think is funny, then turn it up ten degrees. If it makes you laugh, others somewhere will laugh too. Just make sure you write it in simple, clear language, punchy sentences, and tend towards brevity. Mark your punchlines – be aware of when they occur – and make sure you’re delivering them at about one every ten seconds, with the funniest hit in the last beat. The audience wants to laugh, and to know when to laugh. Make it simple for them. Make it easier on yourself.

You’ve got to overshoot. You may not get a laugh every time; and you’ll want at least two solid laughs every minute.

And finally look at every word you’re saying. Every word. Isn’t there a slightly funnier, slightly more absurd way of phrasing it? Don’t save all the mirth for the punch!

Good luck!

By: Frank Altair

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