Daily Comics Digression #31: Of Comic Book Movies and Westerns

Daily Comics Digression #31: Of Comic Book Movies and Westerns

Steven Spielberg has said in past interviews that he expects the current trend of superhero films to die out and potentially take down a large portion of Hollywood with it: "We were around when the Western died and there will be a time when the superhero movie goes the way of the Western. It doesn't mean there won't be another occasion where the Western comes back and the superhero movie someday returns." Spielberg isn't being a cynical doomsayer; he's just observing the fact that cinema trends come in cycles. The real danger comes from putting too many eggs in one basket. Unfortunately, as Max Landis and others have noted,  Hollyweird tends to chase down a trend and beat it until even the skeleton of the horse is a fine powder, a powder they  immediately try to snort because it's mistaken for cocaine.

Ok, that metaphor got away from me, but you get the picture.

Coming back to Spielberg, I find the comparison between superheroes and Westerns to be a salient one. At some point in the future, I'll bore you in great detail regarding my theory that Westerns are the progenitor of superhero stories and emblematic of how superheroes are uniquely American creations. In the meantime, I think it's pretty easy to see that Westerns dominated cinema for a time, but the genre is now only a shadow of its former dominance. If and when superhero films follow suit, it could be a sad day for comic book fans who have become spoiled expecting new films regularly. Between DC, Marvel, and indie comics adaptations, it seems there's a comic book movie every three months. If Spielberg is correct, this state of affairs can't last for much longer.

But that reality doesn't have to be dour one. I think it may even be an encouraging truth. Consider how even staunch adherents of Marvel movies, sometimes even called Marvel Zombies for their blind fanatical attachment to the brand, can become tired of the same type of film made over and over. There does seem to be a growing sense of weariness towards superhero films, which is why those that manage to be unique within the genre like Guardians of the Galaxy and Deadpool are so acclaimed. Even the best cuisine becomes old and dry in our mouth when we've had too much of it.

Looking at how the Western has evolved can then give us hope looking at the future of superhero cinema. Although we see far fewer Western films on a yearly basis, many of the entries we do get are of great quality. Even if superhero films go the way of the Western, we can still expect great movies in the genre will be made.