Animals make TERRIBLE superheroes!
Ok, I said it! Batman used to have a Batdog. Now there is a Batcat & Batcow residing in the Batcave. Superman has Krypto, the super dog. Thor was turned into a frog. Only a handful of times in the history of comics have we seen an animal earn respect as a sidekick or in its own title. Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers comes to mind, as well as the preteen targeted DC Super Pets.
Who in their right mind wants to read tales of animals in comics?
It begs the question of why we read comics in the first place? We enjoy engaging story lines, plot twists and the visual stimulation of our heroes in action! We look forward to a little eye candy with borderline eroticism!
Over the top explosions, death, destruction and good old fashioned mayhem make the artwork in comics worth the cover price!
Fans of action movies are no different than comic fanboys(and girls). We all pay the price of admission to a fantasy that saturates our senses! We drown in the suspension of disbelief and watch as our heroes fly, climb walls and exhibit powers and abilities beyond those of mortal men!
Rocket Raccoon in a live action movie will be received on screen about as well as ALF or a gang of muppets! Or will he? My first reaction to the news that Marvel Studios was seriously producing a Guardians of the Galaxy motion picture was disbelief. How could they make such a huge blunder? The Marvel Universe is overflowing with characters much more worthy of cinematic glory!
As time passes and I reflect on the advances in CGI, I find myself conflicted. Didn't the movie TED make its mark at the box office? And what of the talking beasts in the Narnia films? Perhaps the powers that be are wiser than my closed mind can grasp and they know what they are doing after all. If this raccoon has half of the on screen presence of TED, he might overshadow his costars and steal the show! Only time will tell.
Now, instead of fearing the ridicule that my gut warned me was eminent, I look forward with great anticipation to the release of Guardians of the Galaxy! Director James Gunn brought us the Scooby Doo franchise, Dawn of the Dead(2004), Slither(2006) and Super(2010). He also wrote the video game Lollipop Chainsaw. No stranger to the eclectic mix of action, comedy and horror that most of the Nerds of Earth relish, lets hope he delivers a truly unique blend of celluloid flavors that like a good appetizer, wets our appetite for Marvel Studios second phase entree...Avengers 2!