I am a nerd, I love comics and making my own superhero costumes for Halloween, so naturally I was drawn to Morgan Spurlock’s latest documentary “Comic-Con: Episode IV – A Fan’s Hope” (2011). Although I have never attended “The Con”, which happens annually in San Diego, I feel like I have now because of Spurlock’s masterful coverage of the event. Full of the weirdest, most dedicated and loyal fans you’ve ever seen, Spurlock’s depiction of this crazy convention is sure to capture the hearts of any film going audience.

Spurlock follows the stories of four unique characters as they experience every geek’s fantasy. The characters include: a collector looking to sell his most prized possession, a geek set out to propose to his wife, two comic illustrator hopefuls and a group of potential future costume designers. Love them or hate them you cannot ignore them. Spurlock shows his genius by tapping into this odd and loving community. I also think he was the perfect director for the job. His comedic style is all over this film, but this time he remains behind the camera. Unlike most of his previous documentaries where he is the narrator and central character, this time the fans are and appropriately so.

Even if you don’t like or connect with the characters Spurlock follows, you should marvel in the sheer production value of the film. The difficulty of capturing these four story lines through a crazy fan expo is a challenging feat on its own.  Spurlock does it with grace and amazing timing. There is not one ounce of fat on this film. Although the story is basic in structure, Spurlock connects the dots with ease and provides another great film along the lines of “Supersize Me” (2005). I think “Comic-Con: Episode IV – A Fan’s Hope” (2011) is a cut above his previous work because he shines a light on a world that is a lot of people’s guilty pleasure. Let’s face it, we all love “geek out” from time to time.

I particularly enjoyed Spurlock’s underlying theme of the death of the comic book. “The Con” used to be strictly held for the appreciation of comic book lovers but has now shifted its focus to video games and movies. Spurlock has shown the value of comic’s and their fans with this film. I hope it will inspire a surge to go back to where all this superhero culture came from, inside the pages of these illustrated masterpieces. Channel your inner geek and go see it, you won’t be disappointed.

Chris Murphy