The Writer Will Take Your Questions Now #276 -- Worst Comic Book Movies

What are the bottom five super-hero movies based on comic book characters, the ones that should have never been made? (Thanks to Tyler Hicks for the question.)

Well, let's be honest, there are a lot of bad comic book movies out there, and many of them come from the 70s made for TV set. But to be fair, I'm not going to count those. I'm only going to include the ones that hit the theaters and were supposed to be something great.

And NO, HOWARD THE DUCK IS NOT ON MY LIST. I actually like that movie. Don't ask, and I won't tell. It's better that way. Trust me.

1. Superman IV -- What could have been a really cool Superman flick turns into pure camp and pure propaganda. And not good camp or good propaganda.

2. Superman III -- While I love Richard Prior in most of his flicks, particularly The Toy and Brewster's Millions, he ruins this turkey of a film.

3. Batman and Robin -- I won't waste your time with an explanation on this one.

4. Superman Returns -- This one is worse than the Green Lantern movie. I mean really, did the writers even know who the characters were?

5. Steel/Spawn (tie) -- How did they mess up these? The source material was awesome.

Why wasn't ____________________ on your list?

1. Catwoman -- Sure it wasn't about Catwoman, but if you start over from the title and tweak the dialog, you're got a watchable movie.

2. Green Lantern -- It had big green explosions. I wasn't really looking for much more than that.

3. Daredevil -- Ben Affleck isn't the greatest actor known to the industry, but this movie wasn't that bad. Slow at times, and the normally wonderful Jennifer Garner was out of place as Elektra, but not nearly as bad as people make it seem.

4. Howard the Duck -- Shut up. This movie is fun.

5. League of Extraordinary Gentlemen -- Nothing like the book. I get that, but like Catwoman, if you stop thinking of it in terms of the source material, it's not so bad at all. Kinda fun, actually.

Chuck Dixon: The Best Damn Comic Book Writer Ever

I first met Chuck Dixon not in Chicago at my first Wizard World Chicago Convention, but in the pages of all of my favorite comic books. You see, I may be slow on the uptake, but eventually I started to notice something they all tended to have one thing in common. It was this name in the "written by" part of the credits. Chuck Dixon.

Then my friend Scott McCullar, who was doing Chuck's website (www.dixonverse.net) at the time, offered to introduce me to him if I wanted to make the trek from Atlanta to Chicago one summer. Thankfully, I had the cash on hand for a flight.

What can I say about Chuck that hasn't been said already? Precious little, I'm sure, but I will say this. His work is the textbook definition of how to write an enjoyable, action-oriented comic book that never lets a reader down. Call his style a formula or a knack, it doesn't matter -- because it rarely (and by rarely I really mean never) makes you feel as though you've wasted your money on one of his books.

But enough of my gushing. It's time for Chuck to speak on his own behalf.

Tell us a bit about your latest work.

I’m kind of all over the place at the moment. I just wrapped up a script for an issue of the Simpsons. I’m working on my third novel about the Navy SEALs and I started the first issue of a Lone Ranger limited series. I’m also helping out on some dialogue for a computer game. That’s coming in piecemeal so I work on it when it arrives.

What are the themes and subjects you tend to revisit in your work?

I don’t really tie myself to any one theme or genre. I take what comes be it action adventure to SpongeBob. It’s the comic book medium that’s always fascinated me. Within that realm I feel free to create anything. 

What would be your dream project?

 An unlikely one; a long run (a year or more) on the Fantastic Four.

If you have any former project to do over to make it better, which one would it be, and what would you do?

There was a long arc at the end of my run on Airboy that I felt at the time could have been presented better. The conclusion (with art by Adam and Andy Kubert) worked out great, but the lead-up to it didn’t come out the way I’d envisioned it.

What inspires you to write?

Everything. I’m a compulsive writer. I read recently where David Mamet said, “All prolific writers are lazy.” I think the fear of having to do actual manual labor drives me to write.

What writers have influenced your style and technique?

Archie Goodwin would be number one. Then Larry Hama, Harvey Kurtzman. Carl Barks, John Stanley and Frank Robbins.

Where would you rank writing on the "Is it an art or it is a science continuum?" Why?

It’s a craft. It can be art but not if you set out to make art. You learn what works and what doesn’t and spend your life (if you’re serious about it) trying to warp the rules to come up with something new. Even if you fail, the endeavor is what it’s all about.

Any other upcoming projects you would like to plug?

Well, I’m still on GI Joe and Snake Eyes over at IDW. I do a half dozen stories a year for Simpsons and Spongebob. In addition to that I’m adapting Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time cycle to comics. And I’d like everyone to go see Dark Knight Rises a dozen times.

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For more information about Chuck Dixon, step inside a comic book shop and ask for the best damn story ever. If you need more info than that, go to his website.