Comic Book Independents

Those who frequent comic book stores will find a lot to like about this DVD - and the bonuses are well done too!
This is one of TWO DVD documentaries released this month by Music Video Distributors about modern day "comic books". (The other is "The Story of Rock and Roll Comics"). While the R&RC DVD focuses on one publisher, this documentary covers the gamut of those involved in the "independent" field going back to the underground comics of the late 1960s. No, there are no interviews with Robert Crumb, but Director Chris Brandt includes Robert Williams, creator of Zap Comics - one of the first 10 underground comics - and Ron Turner from Last Gasp and Gary Groth, the publisher of Fantagraphics (one of my favorite "comics" reprint publishers). The 77-minute film, which forms the core of this DVD, was made by Brandt in 2007. A lot of the interviews - with writers, artists, illustrators and publishers - were done at the annual ComicCon but others are done in the offices of the interviewees. The focus is on why these folks got into the business and how they have succeeded (or failed). There is a...

Very Interesting
It did a very good job establishing what creativity is and the importance of comics as a art form in the United States.

Downright disconcerting to watch.
Seems like an interesting topic, I rather like the people interviewed, they seem to have something to say.

The editing is horrendous. Cut, cut, cut, wipe, cut, slide, cut, cut. Scarcely anyone gets more than a sentence out and then it's off to the next interviewee. If you want to watch an hour and a half of two second scenes, they've got you covered here.

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