CBR: Craig Kyle Talks "Hulk Vs."

[CBR News]

Animation producer and comics writer Craig Kyle talks in-depth about Marvel's
direct-to-DVD animated double-feature, “Hulk Vs.,� as well as the process of
writing superheroes for grown-ups, the future of Marvel Animation and much
more.


Full article here.

[Mia]

Okay here are a few points I'd like to comment on:

But again, as silly as it sounds or desperate as it sounds, the fans really have to show us that they’ll be there for us. If the sales aren’t there, then there’s no way to justify it. There are so many places where we can make money in animation without doing those grand epics. So every time a chance like this comes, I snatch it up and fight for it because it’s worth it.

I'm here. But the fact of the matter is, the story has to be there as well for me to buy it. If it's just an animated version of WWE where hero and villain spend twenty minutes pounding each other into the dirt I'm not interested. Character development and story also need to be there as well.

I think broadening the entertainment for the older fans is crucial. You know they tell us when they’re not happy, they’re very scrutinizing and I love that because they push us.

Wow! Finally someone is acknowledging us older fans and what we want.

That would be my plea. If people enjoy this DVD, then they really have to support us. I got really heartbroken because the folks across the street [DC comics] came out with a great Batman DVD [“Batman: Gotham Knight] and the same day it was released, chunks of it were on YouTube. You know, as much as I love fans doing things to keep the word out there, it’s heartbreaking when you work so hard and both sides are working really hard to bring you great entertainment. Things are happening over at DC that are really exciting and I love it. It just says that we have to keep upping our game. That’s why you’ve got a “Hulk Vs.” movie. .

I watched Batman Gotham Knight on line,. But I did end up buying the DVD. I think that many fans will buy a DVD. Provided that it's worth it. To be honest I watched Hulk Vs Wolverine on line already. I haven't bought the DVD yet. In fact the only reason I ended up watching it was because I was told that there was a snippet of X-23 in the film. I can not say that otherwise I would end up investing money in the film , since it's really nothing but a simplistic 'smack down' story. I'm not a 15 year old boy and that kind of stuff doesn't appeal to me. I don't mind action. But there needs to be a story in it as well.

The X-Men universe, if you make it younger, it doesn’t work. “X-Men Evolution” -- as proud as I am of that series -- it just wasn’t as successful as the ‘90s series, which was a very mature series and that’s what “Wolverine and the X-Men”

If it had not been for the 90's cartoon I would not be reading the X-Men today. And I can not say enough about Wolverine and the X-Men. The intelligence and sophistication in that show is beyond words. It's about as compelling a show as a night time drama.

We would have none of this without the comics, okay. They have lasted this long, they have done this well, they are this famous and people have cried and cheered and laughed over more of these characters than a lot of the people they know in the flesh. When you hear people talk about it, about Marvel and the hot debates they’ve had and arguments, that’s real. They may have existed on paper or celluloid, but they’re real. The emotions you have about them are absolutely real. So that’s the beauty of it.

Exactly.

[Blade X]

Broadening the entertainment for the older fans is fine. However, I fear that "broadening the entertainment for older fans" is going to lead down the dark narrow path of "aiming ONLY at the older fans and mythical new adult fans". It's this kind of mentality/thinking that is one of the MAJOR reasons why the comic book industry is in such crappy shape today. Here's a novel idea, how about taking a cue from pre-Quesada all ages code approved Marvel superhero comics, and make all of the animated Marvel DVD movies follow that type of tone in terms of content. This is something that all of the Marvel animated movies did, EXCEPT for HULK VS WOLVERINE.