SlashFilm Profiles Parody Oeuvre of Axel Braun

LOS ANGELES—Director and Wicked Pictures head of production Axel Braun is the subject of new SlashFilm feature story "Superhero Porn Parodies Are Giving the Fans Exactly What They Want, In More Ways Than One." SlashFilm, also stylized as /Film, is a pop culture portal that covers mainstream movie news, reviews, interviews and trailers. Written by BJ Colangelo, the article can be read in its entirety here. “Mainstream writers typically look for an angle that somehow ends up trivializing what we do, but BJ literally penned a love letter to my movies, and it was not only incredibly well-researched but also exquisitely written,” said Braun, who is no stranger to mainstream media attention, having been profiled with a six-page spread in Empire, the renowned British film magazine published monthly by Bauer Consumer Media, and just recently receiving a major career retrospective in the leading Italian newspaper La Repubblica. “For over two decades, Axel Braun has served as one of the premiere directors of adult entertainment, and holds the distinction of being the most awarded porn director of all time;” writes Colangelo, adding, “Braun has seen and directed it all, but his dedication to superhero and other geek property parodies has launched his popularity into the stratosphere.” Focusing on why images and costumes from the director’s Wicked Comix imprint often go viral in the superhero fan ecosystem, Colangelo observes that though the movies are categorized as parodies for legal reasons, they are hardly mere spoofs. "While the word usually indicates comedy, Braun's parodies are dedicated to honoring the source material."  Expands Braun, "I only parody movies, TV shows or characters that I have a strong emotional connection to, so my approach is always extremely respectful. I like to have fun with the source material, as opposed to making fun of it ... it's a subtle distinction which is pretty much the key to my style." The author is also quick to point out that Wicked Comix movies appeal to serious fans precisely because they are designed for those already intimately familiar with, and devoted to, the source material. Braun's perfectionist’s eye for detail, for example, frequently results in costumes superior to—and more canonical than—their mainstream counterparts. "His work is intentionally comic book accurate, motivated by authenticity rather than the need for broad audience appeal."  "The fact that I don't have to answer to marketing execs who have never read a comic book but need to sell Happy Meals definitely allows me way more latitude," she quotes the director as saying. "I am first and foremost a fan, which is probably why my movies are successful ... I am the target audience." The article also praises Braun’s directing skills beyond his blockbuster comic book movies: “Parody films may be his calling card, but superhero films aren't the only films he puts out. In 2019, Braun won the AVN Movie of the Year for the fourth time, with his first non-parody feature in 15 years, The Possession of Mrs. Hyde, shot in black and white CinemaScope. If you didn't know any better, the non-explicit images could easily pass for an A24 release.” Colangelo concludes by noting that the creative freedom Braun enjoys allows him to deliver some wished-for superhero pairings that audiences clamor for yet go unrealized by Hollywood. She cites as an example Braun's current project, Spideypool XXX: An Axel Braun Parody, which will see current XRCO New Stud nominee Tyler Cruise taking over the coveted role of Spider-Man in the Wicked Comix AxelVerse alongside Seth Gamble, once again reprising his award-winning role as Deadpool, reigning AVN Best Leading Actress Kenna James as Mary Jane Watson and 2022 AVN Best New Starlet Blake Blossom as Gwen Stacy AKA Spider-Gwen.  Follow Axel Braun on Twitter @axelbraun and on Instagram @axelbraun. For more, visit Wicked.com.