I have plenty of friends who enjoyed the movies Iron Man, Spider-Man and The Dark Knight – sure enough, they’re some of the most entertaining studio fare around, and, barring occasional misses like Elektra and Fantastic Four, comic book movies have a remarkable track record of actually being pretty decent.
Still, I wonder if many of the millions that saw Spider-Man ventured into their bookstores, after leaving the cinema to pick up Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley’s Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 1 – arguably the best starting point for anyone interested in the character – and gave it a read.
Certainly, I hope that Marvel’s multi-pronged assault with Thor, Iron Man 2, Captain America and The Avengers will inform moviegoers that there’s a sense of unity to these universes. There are, after all, many great graphic novels out there that will enrich and embellish the characters people see on screen – I just hope audiences are aware of that.
