The Comic Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		2.0

The Comic Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 13, 2020

Richard Driscoll, who produced, wrote, directed and edited The Comic, also produced the recently reviewed Cold Light of Day, and kind of ironically aside from that connection, there’s also a rather weird tangential link between the two vis a vis George Orwell’s venerable 1984 (note that the link points to an older, now out of print, version, since I reviewed that release, though there are others including a Criterion release). Cold Light of Day ostensibly tells the story of real life serial killer Dennis Nilsen, who is portrayed by Bob Flag, who (as some trivia hounds may know) was the face of Big Brother in the appropriately 1984 released film version of Orwell’s tale. Similarly, Driscoll himself is on hand in an audio commentary included on this release as overtly pointing out an “Orwellian” (specifically with regard to 1984) ambience to The Comic, a film which seems to have been a pet project for Driscoll, but which even he admits in this same commentary only reveals “25 %” of his original vision. There’s some interesting underlying content at work in The Comic, a film which offers a low budget depiction of a dystopian future where Sam Coex (Steve Munroe, also in Cold Light of Day) literally kills as a stand up. It’s an obviously odd setup, and the film never really goes gonzo enough or engages in any sustained black humor that might have given it more punch.

In various supplements included on this disc both Driscoll and Munroe mention David Lynch's Eraserhead as an inspiration for The Comic . That strikes me as maybe a bit odd, since The Comic doesn't really offer the same kind of surrealism of Eraserhead. In a kind of telling "meta" anecdote, one of the supplements discloses that another actor was actually initially the proposed focus of the story, but when "creative differences" intruded between him and Driscoll, Driscoll simply rewrote the film on the spot, making the Munroe character the main subject. That may speak to Driscoll's grit and determination, but it might also indicate something about the slapdash quality of the narrative, which ultimately gets Coex involved with a stripper named Ann (Berdia Timimi).

The Comic Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Comic is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Arrow's insert booklet contains the following information on the restoration:

The Comic has been exclusively restored by Arrow Films and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 with mono audio.

All restoration work was carried out at R3Store Studios in London. The original 35mm negative was scanned in 2K resolution on a Scanity and the film was graded on Digital Vision's Nucoda Film Master. Picture restoration was completed using Digital Phoenix and PF Clean softare and the original mono mix was remastered from the original mag reels.

This is a highly variable looking presentation at times, with noticeable fluctuations in clarity and especially grain structure. Some of the darker moments in the film actually look more like Super 16 at times, with an overall fuzziness and really gritty looking grain. In brighter lit moments, the grain is considerably more finely resolved and clarity improves markedly as well. The palette is relatively vibrant, giving little pops of color like Coex's bizarrely orange hair some energy.

The Comic Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Comic features an LPCM 2.0 Mono track that has occasional bursts of life courtesy of crowd noises or some score choices. On the whole, though, this isn't an incredibly ambitious outing from a sound design perspective, and as such the dialogue (such as it is at times) becomes the primary focus. In that regard, things are delivered cleanly and clearly without any issues. Optional English subtitles are available.

The Comic Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Introduction by Steve Munroe (1080p; 00:29) is accessible under the Play Film menu.


• Tangerine Dreams (1080p; 17:29) is an interview with Steve Munroe.


• Selected Scenes Audio Commentary with Director Richard Driscoll


• Re-Release Trailer (1080p; 1:55)

As usual, Arrow provides a nicely appointed insert booklet.

The Comic Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you're going to see only one Richard Driscoll produced effort this year on Blu-ray, my advice would be to go to Cold Light of Day first, since that film, despite some deficits I discussed in our review, has more of a straightforward narrative and a perhaps more viscerally compelling plot. This is another cult release from Arrow that features decent technical merits and some very appealing supplements, for those who are considering a purchase.