The other day I was browsing for upcoming movies and was pleasantly surprised to see that 'Wanted' is going to be released later this month. Having enjoyed the comic, I couldn't wait to check out the trailer online. Like most men, I'm always happy to see Angelina Jolie on screen. Something about her holding a gun does a lot for me.
The trailer started off well enough and for a moment I thought the story might actually follow the comic but I was wrong. From what I could make of the trailer, it seems to be just another action flick like Mr and Mrs Smith. While that may make a lot of box office sense, I'm disappointed to see the loss of a great opportunity. Let me attempt to explain.
First, a small introduction for those who haven't read the comic. 'Wanted' is a six-part comic written by Mark Millar. It begins with a frame of a girl stripping in front of a guy with the narration "This is my girlfriend fucking my best friend." in a very matter-of-fact way. This is followed by several other panels describing other aspects of his life. The gist of it is that he establishes that he is a typical blue-collared guy who never takes a stand against anything no matter what life dishes out to him.
One day, at a diner, a girl introduces herself and tells him that he's got to come with her. And before he can offer an opinion, goes on to shoot everyone else in the diner in cold blood. Virtually kidnapped, he's introduced to a cartel of hi-tech, costumed supervillains (some from parallel dimensions) who run the world (as we know it) behind the scenes with a mafia-style understanding between the main 'families' who have split the continents between them (much like The Godfather).
The head honcho (The Professor) tells him that his father (who abandoned him long back) died the previous day and left him fifty million dollars in cash. The catch, however, is that to get it, he must spend the next 6 months getting trained to "be a man" and in control of his life. He accepts and begins training. This involves getting desensitised to morals, ethics and basically everything that modern society rests on. Beginning with 2 weeks in a slaughter house to rapes and killing sprees. With a standard weapons drill thrown in, of course. Sound good so far?
Millar dishes it out over 6 issues. The internal politics. The conspiracy. The betrayal. The mutiny. And an abrupt conclusion. Back comes the narrator. And then comes the ending. And though I wish I could tell you that, I won't spoil the surprise. It needs to be read from start to finish. A violent ballet that mixes two cult movies: Fight Club and The Usual Suspects.
While adapting it directly to a film would almost certainly trivialize it, I feel a manga-style anime akin to 'Ghost in the Shell' is called for.
(un)Wanted
Groo-vy!
Ever heard of Sergio Aragones? No? Well… here's a short bio. Once upon a time, there was a small boy born in the Spain. But because of the Spanish Civil War (called so because it happened in… you guessed it - Spain!) his family moved to Mexico. The boy grew up drawing cartoons (what else is a kid supposed to do in school anyway) and by age 17, was selling his work professionally. Then, in 1962, having accumulated a fortune of $20, he came to New York… where he ended up working for Mad magazine and, unlike dead heroes, is alive and kicking (or drawing, at least). Among other features, he also did the "Marginal Thinking" cartoons which are printed on the page margins.
But no, this article isn't about him… or about Mad. Its about Groo! Who? Groo the Wanderer! The roaming barbarian, who's as dangerous as a "stampede of cattle… and almost as smart". The quoted description is the most accurate one I've heard. Set in medieval times, the cartoons follow the adventures of a well-intentioned barbarian who always leaves behind a stream of destruction and mayhem. Usually, he's not aware of what he's done. Yet, entire cities and even civilizations have fallen to this one-man demolition squad. But this is no fumbling warrior who wins battles by sheer luck. As a spoof on Conan the Barbarbarian, Groo is a good fighter. And even he knows it. With a battle cry of 'Now Groo does what Groo does best', he has single-handedly taken on entire armies.
So far, Aragones has come out with 12 Groo books. The comedy apart, they can be collected if only for the detail in the frames. Aragones takes inspiration from National Geographic photos for his landscapes, and a single frame can have nearly a hundred characters. Apart from Groo, there is a great selection of other characters who make repeat appearances in the series as well. This includes Rufferto, Groo's dog; Captain Ahax, whose ship always sinks by virtue of Groo coming aboard; a pair of witches who keep trying to cast spells on him and several other memorable characters.
Getting your hands on one of these masterpieces, however, isn't easy. Not all bookstores will have them, and even if they do, it'll probably be lost under a huge pile of comics since not too many people know about them. The good news is that you can order them online from Indiaplaza (www.indiaplaza.in). They may be slightly on the expensive side, but they're worth every penny.
