"Secret...?"

poe-48833

Two episodes in, and so far I've yet to uncover any secret(s) that I haven't uncovered before (in books OR documentaries). Maybe this one's a revelation to NEWCOMERS to the "world of comics," but it's all old news to those of us who've been paying attention over the years. The production values are good, but what this show lacks (and the same can be said of COMIC BOOK MEN, which is often little more than an advertisement for Kevin Smith's comic shop) is an in-depth ANALYSIS of the very comic books the show is ostensibly ABOUT. What, for instance, makes a Jack Kirby THOR story infinitely superior to anything on the stands Today (or Yesterday, for that matter)? THE SECRET HISTORY OF COMICS feels like just another attempt to bolster waning interest in an art form that motion pictures have been dumbing down as of late. Want to find some interesting comics to read? Check out some of the manga at your local comic shop. Warning: they ain't for Special Needs families. Or, better yet, lay hands of some of the excellent reprints of the aforementioned THOR comics: if you thought the lousy movie versions were good, you'll be knocked out by Kirby's Cosmic Mythology.

score 5/10

poe-48833 15 November 2017

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw3858873/