This past year has been really great for us comic book fans. This year we had The Green Hornet, Thor, X-Men: First Class, and Captain America: The First Avenger. As if that wasn't enough, Cowboys and Aliens was just released, and Conan The Barbarian will be soon be upon us.
Amazingly, the next 2 years promise to offer much of the same comic book movie goodness. 2012 will see The Amazing Spider-Man, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengence, The Dark Knight Rises, and The Avengers. 2013 will give us Man of Steel, Thor 2, and Iron Man 3.
So how will these movies do? For 2012 here's how I'd say things will go down.
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengence: It's tough to say how well this movie will do. The first one was panned by comic book fans and movie critics unanimously, yet it made a ton of money. One really has to wonder though how well it will do a 2nd time around with so much negative buzzaround the 1st one. And no matter what Nicolas Cage says, most fans are not happy to see him returning in the title role. It also doesn't help that neither he or the directors have been able to say definitely whether this film is a reboot or a sequel.
The Amazing Spider-Man: This movie will probably do fine. Spider-Man is pretty recognizable franchise and I'm sure that many fans and casual movie goers will want to check this movie out. The previous trilogy was pretty sucsessful, even if it ended on a sour note. Fortunately this reboot seems to be quite different from that interpretation. The tone of the trailer reminded of Batman Begins and I'm looking forward to seeing the Lizard finally getting his due as the villain. The only thing this movie has going against is that while it is a recognizable franchise that people will check out, many people may be Spideyed out after having already seen 3 movies with the character. That being said, it will still rake in more cash than Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengence.
The Dark Knight Rises/ The Avengers: Out of all the CBMs hitting next year, these 2 will undoubtedly hit the heaviest. Which one will triumph though, I truly can't say. Chistopher Nolan has presented audiences with an amazing portrayal of Batman as an urban vigilante in the real world. His Batman films have also offered a sophisticated and philosophical take on today's society. And even though the reality he presents is heightened to some extent, it would be easy to see society reacting to a real vigilante the way they do in these current Batman movies. Both comic book fans and mainstream audiences have benn very receptive of these movies, especiallly The Dark Knight, which made a ton of money and earned Heath Ledger a postumous Oscar for besst supporting actor as the Joker. Add to that the fever pitch anticipation surrounding The Dark Kight Rises and curiosity about Nolan will portray Bane and Catwoman, and it would be naive to expect this CBM not to do well. But The Avengers will also be a major contendor as well. Marvel Studios has released 5 solo films now all leading up The Avengers. So far each one has done well(with The Incredible Hulk being only somewaht the weakest of the bunch), and exposed characters both popular and obsure to the big screen, and both fans and casual audiences have responed well to each character. I honestly thought that Thor's mystical backround and Captain America: The First Avenger's World War 2 setting would not appeal to some people, but both movies were recieved well and enjoyed by audiences. And Iron Man was undeniably a game changer for CBMs along with The Dark Knight. Even if Iron Man 2 was less impressive, Tony Stark was and will always be a fun character to watch. So what does all this mean for The Avengers? Well, we know that most of us fans will go see it, but now mainstream audiences understand why these characters mean so much and why they are special, and many of them will be curious to see how they interact with other characters. Also each film will have made certain people fans of individual characters, so even someone could care less about the Hulk or some other character, they may say "Well I Liked Iron Man, he's in there. I think I'll check it out." That will the mainstream audience's reaction. Comic book fans who are only interested in that character will see it as a way to get their fix for that character. And audiences seem to generally excited about how the Marvel Universe is weaving itself together anyway, so I think The Avengers will do just fine. But Again, I can't choose a clear winner betwenn that and The Dark Knight Rises. Nor do I want to as I'm equally excited for both films and will see them both more than once.
Like I said before, 2013 will also be a really great year for Superhero movies.
Thor 2: I'm sure this movie will make money. The first one did well and was well liked. Kenneth Branagh leaving as direcor is a shame, but the Marvel Studios brand is well established by now and they should be able to someone who will deliver a great sequel. Also Branagh will likely consult on this movie as consultant, so his influence may not be entirely lost. That being said, a new director should be able to bring their own voice to the film and make it their own, while staying true to the character and what made the original work.
Man of Steel/ Iron Man 3: Just like I'm unsure of whether of whether The Dark Knight Rises and and The Avengers will come out on top in 2012, I'm gonna take the same stance for Man Of Steel and Iron Man 3. Let's face it Superman is and always will be one of the most iconic characters in comic books, movies, tv, and pop culture in general. I'm personally not his biggest fan, but I will check this movie out all the same. After Superman 3, 4, and Returns, Superman deserves a great movie. Superman Returns while being a direct sequel to Superman 2 could have served as a quasi reboot for the series. Unfortunately it failed because it focused too much on paying tribute to the first 2 movies and nostalgia surrounding them. Bryan Singer all but forced Brandon Routh and comapny to copy the portrayals of the actors who preceded them. Even Richard Donner who directed Superman and and part of Superman 2 said recently that he wants to see a fresh take on the character. Zack Snyder who deliver that fresh take. The man did an awesome job directing 300, and Frank Miller himself said that if The Dark Knight Returns is ever made into a live movie, Snyder would be his pick to direct it. Snyder also directed Watchmen, which many fans thought they would never see and even as Alan Moore refused to even give it a chance. He directed both movies faithfully and while he won't be able to go page for page with Man of Steel as he much he did on those movies, I think it's pretty save to safe to say that he will give us a great story and visuals both borrowed from the comics and from his imagination. He was also picked to direct Man of Steel by Christopher Nolan who along with David Goyer(I'm unsure of Jonathan Nolan's involvement)constructed the script. Nolan is also serving a producer on the film. And this time, the movie will be a full on reboot. Of course though Superman will have some competition on his hands, because when it comes to superheroes with a cool factor, you can't beat Tony Stark and his sleak shiny Iron Man armor. Iron Man 3 will definitely attract crowds. I think he is the most beloved character of all the Marvel Studios heroes. He is to this generation what Superman and Spider-Man were to their generations. Now like Thor 2, this film also faces losing it's director in Jon Favereau. Fortunately, Shane Black, who wrote the Lethal Weapon series and directed Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang and has a great working relationship with Robert Downey Jr. will take his place. Black is good when it comes to mixing action with a good story. He is not like Micheal Bay who blows thing up for 2 and a half hours. he also has gotten high praise from Favereau and Richard Donner, who worked with Black on the Lethal Weapon series, and said thatif Black needs help, he will give it. The movie will a Tom Clancy like feel, and while I'm sure mention will made of other happenings in the Marvel Universe, the film will be mostly self contained(Thor 2 and Marvel's other sequels will taking the stand alone aproach too). Of course Downey himself will be a big part of the appeal as always, bringing his trademark humor to the story, and I think Shane Black will be able to fit some funny stuff in there too. Who will come out on top? Who knows. It's ICONIC AND CLASSIC vs. COOL AND AWESOME. Anything can happen.
Of course with all this talk of the next 2 years, it can be easy to forget that we still have some fun stuff coming up in the rest of 2011.
On August 31st and then throughout September, DC will relaunch 52 new titles. I wrote an editorial on this a few nights ago so I wont't dwell too much on this subject. This is going to a great oppurtunity for fans new and old to get into DC. The continuity is being reconstructed to be less cluttered and confusing. It will also be far less intimidating to pick up a new number one than it is to start one of their books which currently number in the high hundreds.
Comic books are also going to the focus of some awesome games too. X-Men: Destiny will be an rpg that will allow you to guide the path of a new character that you create and customize. Spider-Man: Edge of Time will also allow to play as the mainstream and 2099 versions of Spider-Man in what is Beenox's follow up to(but not a sequel) to Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions. The one I'm most excited for though is Batman: Arkham City. Batman: Arkham Asylum was awesome and this sequel will take you out of the Asylum and onto the streets of Gotham, where an entire section of town is being molded into a new asylum. If that's not enouhg to sell you, Catwoman will be in this one and she will be playable. Robin will be as well(only if you pre oder the game from Best Buy though. In England, you the Batman Beyond suit for pre odering the game).
This is all awesome if you ask me. I got into comic books during my summers off from middle school, buying combo 3 packs from the local gas station by my summer house, and I've never looked back. Now all these years later, my favorite characters are better than ever and gettin the respect they deserve in movies and games. Not to mention having a site like this to read about news about them is awesome. I'm at a loss for words, but I'm definitely happy to be comic book fan in this day and age.