"Comic Book Villains" requires a familiarity for the themes of comic books, rather than the comics themselves. There are three types of comic book 'geeks' in the movie: the hardcore collector, represented by Logue's character; the famous book reader, who knows everything about popular comics, but nothing about less-known ones; and the casual reader, represented by DJ Quall's character of Archie. His role is where the problems begin. Every moment that Logue, Rappaport, or Cary Elwes is on screen, the movie shines of brilliant observation and attention to dialogue. However, Archie was written as the ideal reader, a guy who understands that comics are entertainment, not reality. He epitomizes everything i dislike about this movie. Every scene he is in is either hinting at a message, or explaining a message. The theme Archie brings to the story is furthered by ridiculously pathetic acts of violence and obsession, which ruin the film's last 4th. If one were to watch the ending of the movie and then the beginning, he would not have any idea they belonged to the same picture. Take Natasha Lyonne's character for instance. At the opening of the movie, she is a bright woman who runs a comic book store very casually. A slow change and character ark would have been brilliant for her character. However, after one stupid plot-hole-filled scene, she becomes a vengeful warrior obsessed with getting the mcguffin of the piece, the dead man's comics.This film deserves more attention than it gets; it's more enjoyable than a lot of the comedies out there even if one has no interest in the comic book aspect shown in the film. That can be looked at as a frame for the characters and an incidental device to move the plot along. The actors bring the characters to life in a believable fashion. The real surprise for me was Cary Elwes, who I generally think of in stick-up-his-wazoo, pretty-boy roles like in "Twister" or his turn on "The X-Files". Here, he manages to play a nasty two-bit, low-life punk with some edge, and I almost didn't recognize him. It's a low-budget, independent film, but a cast of names we recognize from other films give it some prestige. Robinson also makes a statement on the comic industry as it has gotten into through the 90's and into the new millennium. It is held together quite well by the narration of one of the main characters, and in spite of its title manages to hit more than one emotional note throughout. It deserves a much wider audience because of the fine character acting of the entire cast.Overall rating: 7 out of 10.

Kind of a unique idea for a dark comedy. Competing comic book store owners trying to outwit each other for a prize collection. Unfortunately the crazed collectors are all, except one, unlikable, unsympathetic, and greedy. The movie is very uneven, with characters morphing from just scheming crazies, to murderers. It is at this point, when almost everyone has transformed into killers, that "Comic Book Villains" seems to have run out of ideas, and rapidly spirals downhill. If after the confrontation in the old ladies home, the script had been fully developed, the movie might have worked better on several levels. As it stands, it is at best, a very mediocre black comedy. - MERK

Sadly, this movie started with some catchy stuff. I didn't know what it was about since I found it on cable TV, but as the movie went on I spotted some good actors and a spice of fun. So I thought that Donal Logue and DJ Qualls (two guys that to me are famous because of the funny as hell characters they play in movies like "Roadtrip" and shows like "Grounded For Life") would make a good movie. Again, sadly I was soon to be disappointed.The plot seemed interesting. Geeky guys that love comic books, I expected to see some wannabe stuff and that, but there was nothing like this. All there is in this movie are crimes, stupid fights and a predictable ending. Let's skip the rest and head to the finale, because nothing really happens during the whole movie but 3 parties fighting for some really valuable comic books. So at the end, the obvious, Raymond and July have committed murders. Why? I don't know, I consider their killings to have been really stupid and senseless, but well, the movie is senseless. So, they gather at Judy's store and then the police arrives. What could have happened? Yes, Raymond goes out and pulls his pistol so that he gets shot to death. Hasn't this already been used like a million times? Yes. Was it needed in the movie? No.The old woman, owner of the books, becomes friends with Archie, the good boy of the movie. And she says when she is dying (she is killed by another bad guy whose presence is almost unnoticeable and really forced) "go to my (defunct) son's closet, he did not only collected comics". I guess at this part of the movie everyone realizes that he had something more valuable. Maybe gold, maybe kryptonite, whatever. Of course it'll be expensive stuff that will change the boy's life.At the very end we see Archie in Europe, the continent he most longed for - more precisely in Barcelona. And then he says the other thing the dead guy collected were baseball cards which costed a lot more than the comics. So finally he finds a girl there and they start talking. I am sure the writers thought "Hey, this movie is about anything but comics. Shouldn't Archie hang her in his arms and go out flying?". Yeah, that would've been fun.Final note: this movie is labeled as "Comedy". Well I found nothing to laugh at in it, I'd say it was a "drama" more than a "comedy".

Comic Book Villains tells the story of Archie (DJ Qualls) who works at his best friends comic book store. His best friend is Raymond McGillcuddy (Donal Logue) who's enemy's are rival comic book store owner's Norman and Judy Link(Micheal Rapaport & Natasha Lyonne). When both parties here of a recently deceased comic book fan's large collection of priceless comic book's both parties declare all out war. While the two parties are plotting against each other Archie Befriends the dead comic collector's Mum Mrs Cresswell (Eileen Brennan). When Mrs Cresswell refuses to budge about not selling the comics Raymond hires his old school bully Carter (Cary Elwes) to steal the comics. If you like low budget movies you'll love this. If you hate anything to do with comic book's you will surely hate this I will give an 8 for different to Hollywood dross.