Comic Book Movies and TV: The Year 1993

This is an overview of the comic book adaptations in film and television in the year 1993.

Comic book adaptations to other media have been popular since the early 1900's. Here's a study of 1993's translations from paper to film.

In Theaters:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III

In the third and final installment of this stage of the Turtles franchise, the Turtles travel back in time to save their friend, April. Mostly poor reviews have been showered on this film, with criticisms ranging from a childish script to terrible Turtle costume effects. The Turtles would not have another movie in cinemas until 2007. While the toys would continue to flourish, the theatrical success and abrupt ending of the Turtle franchise is a comic book to big screen anomaly. While most comic book movie budgets grow with each sequel, the Turtle's actually shrank for the third installment.

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm

The team that created the animated series on television was given a larger budget and a theatrical release for this brilliant feature. A well-honed script and kinetic animation made Batman: Mask of the Phantasm possibly the best Batman movie yet. The story dealt with Bruce Wayne's present and his past, as well as introducing a brand new villain and a new love interest. The Joker also stars, giving fans their favorite bat foe. There is also a beautiful score by the late Shirley Walker. Unfortunately, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm had a poor showing at the box office, possibly due to a lack of marketing power by Warner Bros. The animated Batman spawned further films, but all were direct to video releases.

On Television:

Lois and Clark

Actors Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher starred in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. The focus of the show was on the relationship between Clark Kent and Lois Lane. However, Superman was still a big part of the stories. The cast included all the familiar characters like Ma and Pa Kent, Perry White, Jimmy Olson and, of course, Lex Luthor. Cain and Hatcher had a very good chemistry and the writers used it to their advantage. The stories that lagged were the ones that lost focus on the central relationship. When Lois and Clark were not guiding the audience through the plot, the episode felt aimless. With these two characters steering the ship, the series would go on for four seasons.

On VHS:

Firearm

Firearm is the story of an ex-spy who becomes a private investigator and uses a highly destructive gun which he stole from his former organization. It is based on the Malibu Comic Book created by James Robinson, Howard Chaykin and Cully Hamner. This VHS tape came packaged with the series' #0 issue as a promotional. Malibu Comics continued for a few years before being purchased by Marvel Comics. Firearm nor any other of the Malibu characters are currently being published.

On Saturday Mornings:

X-Men, Batman, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

No new comic book adaptations entered the Saturday Morning arena, but the three comic book shows that were airing were still bringing in good numbers. Toy sales were also strong. Comic book fans were entering a new age when there would always be a comic book hero on television. The brands established in these years of Saturday morning animation would carry on to present day in different interpretations and toy lines.