Iron Man Takes a Bite Out of Batman

It'd been a unanimous victory for Batman until today, but Iron Man finally got a vote. If you haven't added your input yet, feel free to keep responding to the poll in my previous post.

I don't remember what title I first collected, but it was Spider-Man and the X-Men that got me hooked on comics and they still remain my favorites. Spider-Man wasn't rich or invincible or all that powerful; he was just a nerdy teen like me who got lucky with a bite and was trying to figure out life. The X-Men had all these characters and personalities and depth of story. Once I started collecting, though, I pretty quickly discovered all of these other characters and titles that would appear, and branched out into X-Force, Iron Man, the Hulk, etc. It was an ever-expanding hobby. One limit that I put on myself, then, was to stick to Marvel. I had enough trouble keeping up with all of the Marvel characters and was spending way too much money just on that universe; I refused to give into the temptation of DC.

So I never read any Batman until later as an adult, when I went back and discovered some of the excellent graphic novels that are out there. But even though he's not my "favorite," Batman has an edgy appeal that's a bit cooler than Spider-Man. His psychological darkness is intriguing and realistic and you can never quite trust him. So Batman is big on my radar. Add to that the quality of Batman Begins, the fact that I'm a big fan of Christian Bale, Christopher Nolan, and Heath Ledger, and just how genuinely scary Ledger's Joker has looked in the previews, and The Dark Knight got my vote as most anticipated release of the summer.

Iron Man looks pretty darn cool, too. I read one time that they were trying to make it a superhero movie for adults instead of kids, and that got my attention. Tony Stark is a character with depth and a lot of potential. I probably won't wait too long to see it.

I don't know much about Hancock, but according to Entertainment Weekly the titular "invincible do-gooder [is] a flawed, widely reviled alcoholic" trying to clean up his act. That's something different. And Will Smith is always appealing, providing a good blend of drama and comedy. I have high hopes that this will be fun.

The Incredible Hulk isn't really on my radar except that it stars Edward Norton. I trust his movie-making instincts. But according to EW, he's distanced himself from the film because the studio went for a more commercial edit than the deeper movie he wanted to make. So, maybe.

I'm fairly indifferent to Hellboy. I saw the first one and read a few of the comics, but didn't seem to find the appeal that a lot of the fans do. Not bad, it just didn't hook me.

Indiana Jones. Enough said.

I hadn't heard of Wanted until the EW Summer Movie Preview, but it's apparently based on a graphic novel and stars Angelina Jolie. You've got my attention.

I don't really have any nostalgia for the X-Files since the last season or two lost my interest. I've had closure with it and am not sure I want to get back into it.

There's nothing about The Mummy that would make me excited, but when I want brainless fun those movies fill the need better than just about anything. Jet Li plays the mummy this time and it's set in China. The only thing missing is Rachel Weisz--although Maria Bello is as good a replacement as you could ask for--to deliver the best librarian movie line of all time:

Evelyn: Look, I . . . I may not be an explorer, or an adventurer, or a treasure-seeker, or a gunfighter, Mr. O'Connell, but I am proud of what I am.
Rick: And what is that?
Evelyn: I . . . am a librarian.