Cowboys, gods and WWII superheroes all made the jump from the comic book page to the movie screen this year.
Comics have been part of American culture since the 1930s, and the transition to movies was inevitable. According to one local comic book shop, the onslaught of movies — including recent entries like “Cowboys and Aliens,” “Thor” and “Captain America” — have been good for the comic business.
“To a certain extent, [comic book movies] bring in people that haven’t read about the characters before, or they bring in old readers that haven’t read in years,” said Derek Davis, manager of Louisiana’s Double Play on Sherwood Forest Boulevard.
But not everyone is reaping the benefits.
Jeffery Walley, owner of Walley’s Pop Comics on Jefferson Highway, doesn’t think the movies have increased sales much.
“It has [increased] some,” Walley said. “But it’s mostly kept [character] awareness high. There are so many video games, movies and comics that it’s impossible for these characters to it.”
Students are beginning to get sick of the movies as well.
Lauren Smith, natural resource ecology and management sophomore, said she isn’t tired of the films that follow the books, but dislikes ones that “butcher the plot,” like the X-Men trilogy.
“Maybe they should spread out their production of comic book movies,” Smith said. “With them making so many right now, it’s going to make people sick of superheroes.
Davis agreed, saying, like any Hollywood setup, there are good and bad movies.
“For the most part, they’ve been good,” Davis said. “It seems like when the creators are involved, the movies end up better — ‘Green Lantern’ excluded. It didn’t come out