can’t criticize everything as if it was a Dustin Hoffman or a Meryl Streep picture. An issue of Captain America is simply not War and Peace. [laughter] You can’t judge it by those standards—or shouldn’t. I used to get into this a lot with—and I like the guy— Gary Groth. Gary thinks that comic books are an art form and should be considered as fine art. I think that stuff has its place, but that’s just not why I’m buying comic books. I buy comic books for fantasy entertainment. If I want to read something classy and thought-provoking, I’ll go buy a James Baldwin book. I get into that stuff, too; I like Chekhov. But if I’m buying Captain America, I’m not really looking for the answers to the world’s problems. MM: No particular medium should be relegated to having one type of message. Dumb and Dumber isn’t going to lessen the impact of Citizen Kane. A velvet painting of Elvis isn’t going to make a Picasso painting any less meaningful. KYLE: If you’re working for The Comics Journal, though, your job is to treat comic books like fine art, because Gary’s paying your bills and that’s what he wants. I’m always going to fail by those standards. [laughter]
There’s a certain kind of movie that goes up for an Oscar. They’ll never nominate a dumb comedy for Best Picture; it’s got to be somebody dying of cancer, or being retarded, or being retarded and dying of cancer. [laughter] Like that movie, Crash— that’s the type of thing that gets an Oscar. That’s fine—whatever. I’m never going to be on that list. MM: You don’t think Dark Knight has much of a chance then? KYLE: Dark Knight is one of those films that appeals to critics, but not really to me. What everybody liked about the movie was that it took the subject so seriously. But for me, if I’m going to see a movie that dark and edgy with that much action, I also want to see the girl take her top off. [laughter] It’s a Batman movie you can’t take a kid to, but it’s also not satisfying by adult standards. [laughter] I’m looking at it going, “Well, if you’re going to be this violent, go more violent.” But they still had to have that PG rating. But obviously I’m wrong. I mean, it’s the biggest movie of all time, so clearly I don’t know what I’m talking about. [laughter] That’s why it might actually get an Oscar—that and the fact that the supporting actor [Heath Ledger] died.
MM: And just because your focus in on producing entertaining work rather than introspective work, doesn’t mean it takes any less craft to produce the story. KYLE: Oh, sure. At the end of the year, I get all these Academy Awards screeners through the Writer’s Guild—they send you all the movies that are being considered for Oscars. 45
Previous Page Top: The Truth mini-series didn’t stir up as much controversy as one might have thought it would, even with scenes like this one. Truth: Red, White & Black #4, page 14. Left: An inked Joker—the star of 2008’s Dark Knight movie in most people’s opinion—head sketch. Below: The meeting of two Captain Americas, from Truth: Red, White & Black #7. Captain America, Isaiah Bradley ™ and ©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc. Joker ™ and ©2009 DC Comics.