Comics Movies
Comics and movies both blossomed in the cultural landscape of the 20th Century. And as they flowered they cross-pollinated one another with their brightest blooms and their most effective arrangements. The digital revolution has opened many doors to the previously unfilmable, leading to an explosion in the number of comic book adaptations.
For many people 'comics movies' mean gaudy titans in tights pounding the snot out of one another. However, if you remove the properties of the two big American companies (DC and Marvel), a broader spectrum of the fantastic and mundane is revealed.
Presenting for your selection, a cornucopia of pocket universes born of ink, transformed into light. For Superheroes peruse the DC and Marvel sub-headings under Comics Movies, stage left.
Pictured: Marv (Mickey Rourke) takes a moment to collect his thoughts in 2005's "Sin City" - cinema's most faithful comic book adaptation to date.
Lady Snowblood: Love Song of Vengeance (1974)
7.7/10
Director: Toshiya Fujita
Starring: Meiko Kaji, Yoshio Harada, Kazuko Yoshiyuki
Imprisoned and sentenced to hang for the murders she committed to avenge her family, Yuki is given a reprieve by the mysterious Kikui, a secret govern... Read more
Flesh Gordon (1974)
4.7/10
Director: Howard Ziehm, Michael Benveniste
Starring: Jason Williams, Suzanne Fields, Joseph Hudgins, William Hunt, John Hoyt
In this outrageous soft-core parody of Flash Gordon, Earth is thrown into carnal chaos by a mysterious sex ray emanating from outer space. Flesh Gordo... Read more
The Nine Lives Of Fritz The Cat (1974)
5.4/10
Director: Robert Taylor
Starring: Skip Hinnant, Reva Rose, Voices Of, Bob Holt
This sequel to the notorious original finds the hippie feline in the '70s. Now on welfare with a nagging wife, he smokes dope for escape, and fantasiz... Read more
Hanzo the Razor 2 - The Snare (1973)
Director: Yasuhiro Matsumura
Starring: Shintaro Katsu
Based on the manga of Kazuo Koike, this is the second part in the Hanzo trilogy as our dubious and well-endowed hero gets on the wrong side of a bunch... Read more
Lone Wolf and Cub 5: Baby Cart in the Land of Demons (1973)
Director: Kenji Misumi
Starring: Tomisaburo Wakayama
Five retainers of the Kuroda clan seek out Ogami to enlist his aid in saving the Clan. But first, they must ensure that he is capable of helping them.... Read more
Lady Snowblood (1973)
7.7/10
Director: Toshiya Fujita
Starring: Meiko Kaji, Toshio Kurosawa, Masaaki Daimon
Her father, a schoolteacher, is brutally murdered. Her mother is beaten, raped, and forced into prostitution to survive, only to die giving her life.... Read more
Tales from the Crypt (1972)
7/10
Director: Freddie Francis
Starring: Ian Hendry, Joan Collins, Nigel Patrick, Patrick Magee, Peter Cushing, Ralph Ric...
When five unwary travellers with dark hearts stumble into a series of catacombs they find themselves in a cavern with no way out. But the horror's onl... Read more
Tales from the Crypt / Vault of Horror (1972)
Director: Freddie Francis, Roy Ward Baker
Starring: Joan Collins, Peter Cushing, Roy Dotrice, Patrick Magee, Dawn Adams, Tom Baker,...
Two classic horror films in one volume. 'Tales from the Crypt' is a spine-tingling journey into terror with five unwary travellers trapped in catacomb... Read more
Hanzo the Razor - Sword of Justice (1972)
6.8/10
Director: Kenji Misumi
Starring: Shintaro Katsu, Yukiji Asaoka, Mari Atsumi
Hanzo 'the Razor' Itami is a samurai cop who's expert at weilding more than just his sword. Like a Japanese version of 'Shaft', Hanzo is a demented b... Read more
Lone Wolf and Cub 4: Baby Cart in Peril (1972)
Director: Buiichi Saito
Starring: Tomisaburo Wakayama
His services cost 500 pieces of gold. Once he agrees to take an assignment, he never fails. But now Ogami Itto faces his greatest challenge yet - he h... Read more