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Larded with talking heads and archival footage, new documentary *Secret Origin: The Story of DC Comics* scores its most compelling moments when it lifts images straight from the pages of comic books to rework early superhero stories as motion-graphics mini-movies.
Pegged to [DC Comics](http://www.dccomics.com/dccomics/)' 75th anniversary, the film at times feels like a 90-minute infomercial for the publisher and its growing brand. But amid the flackery, an intriguing theme emerges: By reshaping characters so they mesh with the zeitgeist, DC has saved itself from irrelevance time and again through infusions of talent from anti-establishment hippies and, later, by literate Brits including Alan Moore, Neal Gaiman and Grant Morrison.
Oscar-nominated producer Jeffrey Blitz (*Spellbound*) and writer-director Mac Carter dig into the archives for old black-and-white footage to trace the evolution of *Detective Comics,* co-founded in 1937 by [Harry Donenfeld](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Donenfeld), through a succession of creative peaks and valleys.
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*Secret Origin: The Story of DC Comics*
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Released by Warner Home Video, [*Secret Origin: The Story of DC Comics*](http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Origin-Story-DC-Comics/dp/B003ZHR6Q6) features commentary by comic book talents including Neal Adams, Karen Berger, Mike Carlin, Dan DiDio, Neil Gaiman, Geoff Johns, Jim Lee, Paul Levitz, Dwayne McDuffie, Grant Morrison, Dennis O’Neil, Paul Pope, Louise Simonson, Mark Waid, Len Wein and Marv Wolfman along with comic book images and clips from DC-spawned TV shows and movies. The $25 DVD goes on sale Tuesday.
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