Superheroes: A Never Ending Battle (2013)

I had heard about this three part series airing on PBS, but I never got to see any of them.  Now, thanks to Netflix, I've seen all three episodes.  It's very well done, talking to so many of the living creators and using some archival footage of the ones that have passed, like Jack Kirby.  There is plenty of footage from movies, serials, cartoons and TV shows as well.  Heck, there's even some radio dramas presented, though not much of them.  So it's good to have them presented here, with no real favorites, unless your name isn't Marvel, DC or Image.


I can't say it's perfect, because even in three parts a lot of stuff gets glossed over, like DC's lawsuit against Fawcett about Captain Marvel.  That's a fascinating bit of history and it's nowhere to be found.  EC Comics are pretty much left out completely as well, which is a shame.  I've never been a huge fan of EC, but there is no denying the influence they had on other comics and even magazines.

Also left out was the independent boom in the 80s.  Not even a glimpse of the Ninja Turtles or anyone else.  I'm sure they probably asked a lot of people if they wanted to be in the series, but they could have at least mentioned it.  Oh yeah, and it's all about US comics, which is OK, since adding world comics into the mix would have made it a longer series.

But I liked it.  It's a good enough introduction to the art form, even if it's dying as I type.