Throughout April, we’re counting down to the release of Marvel’s Iron Man 3 with our picks for the Greatest Comic Book Movies of All Time; here’s #22….
Ghost World, 2001.
Directed by Terry Zwigoff.
Starring Thora Birch, Scarlett Johansson, Steve Buscemi, Brad Renfro, Pay Healy, Illeana Douglas, Bob Balaban, Stacey Travis and Teri Garr.
Terry Zwigoff’s comedy-drama Ghost World is based upon Daniel Clowes acclaimed graphic novel of the same name, which was originally published in serialised form in Clowes’ comic book series Eightball between 1993 and 1997.
Only a moderate success financially upon its release, Ghost World has since went on to achieve cult status. The film stars Thora Birch and Scarlett Johansson as Enid and Rebecca, two teenage friends struggling with their impending adulthood and all the complications it brings. During the summer after their high school graduation, the two girls begin to drift apart after responding to a personal ad from a lonely middle-aged geek (Steve Buscemi) as a prank.
Of course, Scarlett Johansson would go on to enjoy much greater success as another comic book character, Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow, appearing in Iron Man 2 and The Avengers (and she’ll also return to the role for next year’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier), so there’s a pretty good chance she’ll feature again on this list…
Keep up to date with our entire countdown here.
Holy Franchise, Batman! Bringing the Caped Crusader to the Screen – Available now via Amazon.co.uk
Originally published April 4, 2013. Updated November 7, 2019.
