http://www.northjersey.com/arts-and...better-time-to-be-a-comic-book-geek-1.1334193
Monday before last, while I was waiting for "The Avengers: Age of Ultron" to begin, I was forced to sit through a series of trailers for, among other things, "Ant Man," "The Fantastic Four" and "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice."
I'm not sure I can explain precisely how that felt. But it was kind of like when your waiter tells you that your steak isn't ready yet, and then brings you complimentary orders of jumbo shrimp, Louisiana crab cakes and blue cheese crostini with balsamic-roasted grapes.
In other words: Comic book geek that I am, I loved every Shazam-inducing minute of it. And I'm in good company. Around the world, comic book fans are doing our happy dance. (Last weekend, the worldwide gross for "Age of Ultron," which opened domestically on May 1, had surpassed the $875 million mark.) Not everyone is celebrating, though.
Lesley Rafes, 59, of Paterson, compares the ongoing onslaught of comic book-inspired action films to a plague of locusts. "It's frustrating because it starts earlier every year," Rafes says, "and these movies take up so many theaters, there's nothing left to see that isn't geared to 14-year-old boys. Or grown men who think they're 14-year-old boys.
"I used to work with guys like this," Rafes adds. "Men in their 40s who still talk about comic books, and whether the movies are telling the stories correctly, and 'Which was better? "Spider-Man 2" or "Spider-Man 3?" ' Or ... whatever. Who cares?"
____________________________________________________________________
You know what Lesley Rafes? We men in our 40s who still talk about comic books really don't care what you think!
Monday before last, while I was waiting for "The Avengers: Age of Ultron" to begin, I was forced to sit through a series of trailers for, among other things, "Ant Man," "The Fantastic Four" and "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice."
I'm not sure I can explain precisely how that felt. But it was kind of like when your waiter tells you that your steak isn't ready yet, and then brings you complimentary orders of jumbo shrimp, Louisiana crab cakes and blue cheese crostini with balsamic-roasted grapes.
In other words: Comic book geek that I am, I loved every Shazam-inducing minute of it. And I'm in good company. Around the world, comic book fans are doing our happy dance. (Last weekend, the worldwide gross for "Age of Ultron," which opened domestically on May 1, had surpassed the $875 million mark.) Not everyone is celebrating, though.
Lesley Rafes, 59, of Paterson, compares the ongoing onslaught of comic book-inspired action films to a plague of locusts. "It's frustrating because it starts earlier every year," Rafes says, "and these movies take up so many theaters, there's nothing left to see that isn't geared to 14-year-old boys. Or grown men who think they're 14-year-old boys.
"I used to work with guys like this," Rafes adds. "Men in their 40s who still talk about comic books, and whether the movies are telling the stories correctly, and 'Which was better? "Spider-Man 2" or "Spider-Man 3?" ' Or ... whatever. Who cares?"
____________________________________________________________________
You know what Lesley Rafes? We men in our 40s who still talk about comic books really don't care what you think!
