Fan boys are still getting over the spectacle that was "Iron Man" but will not be able to cool off for long as the sequel to "Batman Begins," entitled "The Dark Knight" crashes in to theaters July 18th with expectations sky high both critically and commercially promising to rock the socks off of fan boys all over America. DC Comics hasn't exactly had a reputation for churning out cumbersome comic book movies lately from their comic label, and after the Justice League movie debacle, their awful "Smallville" continuing to destroy the Superman mythos, and producers still hurting over mixed reaction from "Superman Returns," DC needs a hit now more than ever to convince movie studios that they're still a viable untapped market for movies.

I have always hated the character of Supergirl. DC has admitted in the past that she was just a marketing ploy to grab the female comic book readers, and if that's not bad enough she's a character that has never been able to find an interesting standing in the DC Universe. From attempts to add a sense of importance (she's more powerful than Superman? Oh come on!), to an endless slew of failed guest spots in established titles (Legion of Super-Heroes, Superman/Batman), Supergirl is one of the lamest of the DC Universe, which is not a surprise that the movie was a bomb of epic proportions. "Supergirl" had every chance to be an entertaining spin on the Superman verse, but as years go on it's the Barbie equivalent of Superman with Faye Dunaway playing one of the lamer villains of the last twenty five years, while Helen Slater tries her best as Supergirl but is sadly the right actress at the wrong time. "Supergirl" has only been appreciated by a select few, but it's a definite miss from DC.

Many people, particularly Superman fans, have criticized Richard Donner for including yet another scene of Superman spinning the world backwards calling it an abuse of his powers and a cop out, but the fact remains that Donner simply wasn't able to have new footage, so once you forgive that slight error, "Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut" is much more of a Superman movie than Richard Lester's original. There's no celophane S, there's no awkward comedy, and definitely a lot less romance and whimsy as director Donner omits much of that to tell an honest to goodness epic Superman story that's darker, more stern and features one of the best unveilings of Clark Kent's secret identity from that bothersome Lois Lane. Much of the salvaged footage is mixed together with body doubles to make for a wonderful redux of a sequel that was still utterly exciting but showing in age.

Wes Craven sucks. You know who sucks worse? Jim Wynorski. He directed the horrific "Return of Swamp Thing" that replaces the yummy Adrienne Barbeau for the groan inducing Heather Locklear. Though it works on the pretense that the movie is "intentionally" sucky, "Return of Swamp Thing" feels like a painfully redundant Full Moon movie with a cheesy score, horrible acting, and a plot revolving around Locklear who happens to be the daughter of the evil Dr. Arcane. And then there's Dick Durock who plays the Swamp Thing to kick monster ass all over the bayous and in local hillbilly's homes. He later returned to take on the mucky monster in the horrible series. Though there are no plans to revitalize the franchise as far as I know, I hope this movie isn't used as a template on which to build the mythos on.

It's wrinkled, has a few liver spots here and there, and there's definite crow's feet, as a Superman fan I'm willing to admit that. In spite of the goofy moments and groan inducing bits of dialogue, "Superman: The Movie" is that film that made you realize comic books could make great epic science fiction films with genuine characterization and performances that could forever break the hearts of movie goers. Still thankful Warner didn't opt to cast OJ Simpson, or Robert Redford, Christopher Reeve is the embodiment of the man of steel adding a new vision of the Clark Kent mold as this geeky, dorky, and inept ace reporter whose own cowardice in a robbery undermines his amazing halting of a bullet from a robber's gun with his hand. So great was Reeve that the future Superman incarnations took from the man's portrayal while Richard Donner gave us some of the best variations of the Superman mythos save for the Jesus Christ allegories that snuck in to the canon. Many people prefer the sequel, but Donner's vision of the man of steel still inspires waves among the film buffs.

This is not just the worst comic book movie ever made, but it's also one of the worst movies ever made, and after watching this it was pretty obvious by fans that Batman seriously needed a reboot. I won't go on another fanboy rant about Joel Schumacher mainly because he was just a hand for hire, brought in to do his job of watering down the Batman series, and collect his paycheck. The man is a good film maker, he just was hired to do what Warner wanted. After Tim Burton created a vision of Batman that was dark and violent (albeit flawed), Warner intentionally brought the series down to the level of the Adam West show for the purposes of toy deals, but what's on film is a painful example of studio interference. From endless horrific one liners, really bad performances, a mythos that strayed from the comics, homoerotic undertones, and costumes that made zero sense, "Batman & Robin" finished off the careers of the likes of Chris O'Donnell and Alicia Silverstone. Thankfully George Clooney barely made it out to garner a respectable roster of films. In spite of that, it's a hideous action film. Not even my seven year old nephew likes it, and he watches "Drake and Josh" religiously.

Whenever anyone notes the apparent anger in so many adaptations of comic books conveying the lack of originality from studios, they're often very shocked to discover that "Road to Perdition" was once a graphic novel. And yet as it stands it's such a fantastic film it pretty much sheds all the comic book biases of high brow movie critics. With Sam Mendes at the helm, "Road to Perdition" is another take on Lone Wolf and Cub that marks itself as a revenge film and a tale of redemption and salvation. With stars like Paul Newman, Tom Hanks, Jude Law, and Daniel Craig respectively, "Road to Perdition" tells the tale of Michael Sullivan, a mobster whose family is murdered by an envious friend named Connor Rooney whose own father favors Michael. Upon discovering their bodies, Michael takes his son Michael Jr. and attempts to evade the hit man for hire Harlen Maguire, the embodiment of all corruption and evil in the world who plans to kill the father and son. From the DC Comics imprint Paradox Press, "Road to Perdition" is an incredible tapestry of raw ensemble performances, a brilliant screenplay, and some rather amazing direction courtesy of Mendes who perfectly chronicles a father's battle for his son's soul. Comic book movies aren't all superheroes and costumes, folks.

There's a special breed of bad acting, folks. It's called Shaqting. And there's plenty here. What DC spawned was so ill conceived on every remarkable level that you almost think they were forced in to making this turkey. Take a horrific sports star who has yet to convince people he can act, have him star in a goofy vehicle in a comic book adaptation whose villain is a washed out 80's star, and you match that with one of the dumbest third tier DC characters of all time and you have "Steel." Originally forged from the Return of Superman storyline, Steel was a character whose mythos was based on and around the man of steel and then never really found his place among the gallery of superheroes. Blame that on DC's inability to write a minority character, blame that on Superman's overwhelming clout, whatever you choose, Steel sucks, and by relation, "Steel" is one of the worst movies ever made. Opting to shed the Superman mythos, DC turned the steel clad giant in to a positive role model who became an armored superhero in an attempt to stop an evil weapons trader ruining his lower class neighborhood. With a free throw grenade scene where Shaq flexes his basketball abilities, to a suit that's not only ugly on screen but obviously weighing in over a thousand pounds, "Steel" was obviously not the predecessor to "Iron Man."

After years of stalling and fanboy grudges on Schumacher, DC finally made the right move of rebooting their Batman franchise, grounding the series in the real world, being daring enough to bring fans a dark and violent Caped Crusader and brought with them one of the best comic book movies of all time and likely the best representation of Batman ever brought to film. Say what you will about Christopher Nolan, but his idea for Batman was the right one. Bring forth the villains without super powers and keep the neo noir flavor, and so far so good. Oh and did I mention the incredible cast who portray the array of characters? No? Well, there's Christian Bale as a young Bruce Wayne, which is just brilliant casting all around if you've seen "American Psycho," and there's the likes of Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson and of course, Cillian Murphy who brings down the house nearly yanking the spotlight from Christian as the menacing sadist Scarecrow. While the audience for this prequel has been subsequently split down the middle, for this here gent, "Batman Begins" is comic book movie royalty.

Around the time "Catwoman" was released, I was still reading comic books, and I can vividly recall seeing the DC logo on the lower right hand corner of the ads for this movie. And then when they were given a glimpse of this piece of garbage, DC aptly stated that this wasn't their Catwoman, but just a Catwoman who happens to bear a similarity to their comic book character. To this day no one buys it and has frowned on the company for allowing such a waste of time to be made. A flop in every sense of the word, "Catwoman" is not a bad movie for straying from the mythos, but for literally everything else. From feminine stereotypes, to a cliché storyline, to a horrible performance from Halle Berry, a grotesque screenplay to a listless direction from the man known as Pitof, "Catwoman" is one of the worst movies of all time that is tragic to watch, mainly since it was a missed opportunity for a new franchise with a superhero who promotes female empowerment while also leaving the fanboys with drool dripping from their chins. I hope Christopher Nolan gives us a great vision of the feline fatale.

Also taken from the DC imprint Paradox Press, "A History of Violence" is adapted from the graphic novel by John Wagner and Vince Locke whose own tale was brought to the big screen courtesy of David Cronenberg. An abstract look at the roles of men and women in the modern home, "A History of Violence" is a vicious crime flick starring Viggo Mortensen as Tom Stall, a mild mannered generally submissive restaurant owner who runs his restaurant with humility and pretty much allows his wife Edie to take the reins of the familial affairs. But when two mobsters come shooting in to his restaurant, Tom's shocking rush to heroism reveals a potential secret to his past. Is he just being confused for an Irish Mobster named Joey Cusack, or is Tom the violent criminal with a fantastic talent for acting the part? As his own son begins displaying violent tendencies, the noose tightens as the scarred figure with a vendetta (Ed Harris) looks for every avenue to reveal Tom's secret and unleash the beast he's tamed for so many years. Through this conflict, Cronenberg takes the time to examine the sudden switching of roles in the family as the once submissive Tom is the aggressor while Edie must decide where she stands in a relationship where she once called the shots. Long after the story has ended, Cronenberg ends on a final shot that displays a family who may have to start all over again and re-establish their place. Plus there's also a sweet gory scene where a man gets his nose smashed in to his brain!