'Aeon Flux' Comic Book Spawns Movie -- Which Spawns Comic Book
People always talk about the difficulty of translating comic books to the big screen. There was a time when this was certainly a valid point, particularly in the late '80s and early '90s -- for proof, check out "The Punisher," which starred a sneering Dolph Lundgren, or the truly dreadful "Captain America," featuring J.D. Salinger's son Matt as the man in red, white and blue. Things appear to have changed for the better, however, with the recent success of the "Spider-Man," "X-Men" and "Batman" franchises, all of which managed to win over both audiences and fickle fans alike.
But with so much attention being paid to big-budget, big-screen adaptations, it's funny that no one ever discusses the flip side of the argument: just how hard it is to transfer a feature film to the printed page. Usually comic books adapted from major motion pictures are simply lame promotional tie-ins, featuring bottom-basement artwork and little in the way of substantive story lines. These books are often given away at movie theatres or packaged with the film's DVD release (as was the case with the recent "Sin City"). Others are not so lucky, lingering on the racks at your local comic shop long after the film they're attached to has vanished from theaters.
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Which is why the upcoming "Aeon Flux" comic is so impressive. It's loosely based on the upcoming "Flux" film, which stars Charlize Theron as the ultra-deadly, raven-haired assassin (see "Set Visit: Aeon Flux"), and features inspired, angular artwork from Timothy Green II, some of which looks like it was taken directly from "Aeon Flux" creator Peter Chung's personal sketchbook (see "Aeon Flux: Peter Chung's Adult Entertainment Hits Hollywood"). There are subtle nods to the film, including spot-on replications of Aeon's sleek apartment, her vaguely organic handgun and her skintight cat suit, all based on production boards from the film. Still, the comic also has a free-standing story line -- a prequel, actually -- that takes place one year before the "Aeon Flux" film (which hits theaters December 2) begins. Plus it's published by Dark Horse comics, the standard-bearer of high-quality comics.
Issue one hits stores October 5, but we've got an exclusive sneak peek for you [article id="1509932"]right here[/article]. The time for talking is over. After all, Aeon is all about action ... and as these pages will attest, so is her comic book.
Check out everything we've got on "Aeon Flux."
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