Comic Book Confidential is a 1988 film about the purpose of comics and asks an important question, though rarely explicitly. Are comic books art? The film shows that the comics are a significant part of the American landscape, screwed down into the fabric of the culture. As one quirky interview after another unfolds, none exactly like the last (my favorite is one with Dan O'Neill where two buxom babes play pool throughout the discussion) but all of them taken in roughly chronological order as best can be found. The emphasis is clearly on comics of a superheroic nature, though thankfully not to distraction. It was fun to see a Stan Lee in good health and clear voice and Will Eisner too looked fresh as a daisy. Since these giants have gone on it's nifty to be reminded of them in their prime. That goes for Jack Kirby, Harvey Kurtzman, Al Feldstein, and Bill Gaines well. Frank Miller is still a youth, full of piss and vinegar. It's a nifty time capsule of a period when comics were thought to be dying a slow steady death but before the 90's utterly changed the game for all the players.
I imagine most who might travel here have likely seen it, but I hadn't so maybe you are likewise. If you'd like to do so here it is thanks to the miracle of Youtube. Enjoy!
