Hard Boiled

Product Information

His name is either Carl Seltz or Carl Burns [he has memory/identity problems and trouble sleeping], he is either a tax collector or an insurance investigator, has a wife and two kids and a nice house in suburban Burbank. This is the first time I've ever read it actually, although I was aware that it was a thing that existed in the world before. This story by Miller bears some resemblance to Dick's story, with, let's say, less philosophical reflection and, ala Crossed, more carnage and depravity for depravity's sake. In 1989, the biggest movie was obviously Batman, with Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Lethal Weapon 2 rounding out the top 3. It’s usually through the hand-wringing of concerned parents – the creators often miss out on opportunities to make ironic comments about the violence they’re peddling (which is why The Last Action Hero, despite its many flaws, is an underrated movie).

ps I think the only things I missed from the movie list were A Few Good Men (I was in the military, it’s a Hollywood idea of the military…pass) and The Bodyguard, which I skipped for the obvious reasons (bad writing, bad acting, bad singing).Of the 8 that are violent, only 2 ( Ghost and Dances With Wolves) take the violence remotely seriously. Oh, sure, it’s gonzo, loud, nihilistic and “satirical;” but, it doesn’t stand up to logical scrutiny, carries out character assassination, is rather misogynistic and bleak.

By using the Web site, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by the Terms and Conditions. Context: Due to a bad herniated disk I was flattened out a few weeks ago and asked to stay horizontal for seven days. Used Future: Future Los Angeles is covered in graffiti and litter, and the traffic jams are nearly constant. The sequence ends with Carl's apprehension of his target, though the physical demands of the hunt leave his life in the balance. Why do we get bent out of shape by pictures in a book when horrific things are happening in the real world?

Influences of Ku Fu films and Monster movies are also in the mix along with a good dose of Hergé’s sensibilities to form and colour. The original ink work is so dense that the viewer is lost (which is not unpleasant as a curiosity in the deluxe edition) and totally dependent on the colours to come in as a guide, giving focus points to decode its proper pacing and direction.

More on that to come, because I suppose it is here that I should discuss what the book is about, although there’s not much of a plot to speak of. That bleak comedic edge might be what sets it apart – in the original letter pages of the individual issues (fake or not, all funny) they ran angry letters almost exclusively complaining about its violence and lack of morality. It seems obvious to me he was aiming for a mixture of Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira and Liberatore’s RanXerox and was failing at both. In discussing the artwork of this particular edition of a 25-year-old comic, it’s worth noting that the original coloring by Claude Legris has been replaced by Dave Stewart.This encourages a fast reading of story, while the image making knowingly jams the breaks demanding full stops. Not smart enough to notice his part in a possible robot revolution, Nixon’s finally cornered and given a last chance.