TDF
Every timeless comic book character – from Superman to Batman to Wonder Woman – benefits from a truly memorable origin story. Now, the company that introduced us to all of this characters and many others receives their own origin story with Secret Origin: The Story of DC Comics, a polished and obsessively watchable feature-length documentary that is destined to delight rabid fans, collectors and movie lovers the world over.
Narrated by superstar actor Ryan Reynolds, the film glides through the rich and layered history of DC Comics, an organization that continues to define the tastes of the popular culture after 75 years. It’s a portrait of not only the history of some of the most beloved comic books of all time, but also of our shared global iconography.
Throughout the film, the viewer will learn the paths by which some of our most popular characters were born, and how they shaped or solidified our perceptions of good and evil in an increasingly complicated world.
Take Superman, a concept first fleshed out by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster in comic book form in 1938. He expressed each creator’s desire to transcend their own self-image of being meek and ineffectual. Additionally, he was a vessel by which the creators could discuss the need for social change; an attribute that was also emblemized by Lois Lane’s strength of fortitude, intelligence and moxie.
In addition to spotlighting each of history’s most successful comics, the film explores the challenges the form has faced over the years, most notably the early attempts to link comics to juvenile delinquency. Viewers will also learn the methods by which DC Comics has managed to stay relevant throughout the decades and how their characters speak to the unique characteristics of each era.
DC’s legendary cast of characters continues to drive the entertainment industry of today. Featuring insights from the greatest writers and artists from yesteryear and today, as well as a collage of original illustrations in all their colorful eye-popping glory, Secret Origin: The Story of DC Comics celebrates this new mythology which is destined to be carried down for many generations to come.
