Comics have been around since as early as the 1930’s and have a long history of developing into more complex and exciting stories. With so many comics to choose from these days, The Talon looks at the most popular series in comics today.

Batman
Movies and comics have entertained audiences since Batman’s inception as a much darker and conflicted character in comparison to iconic superheroes such as Superman, Batman reached new popularity with the release of “Batman Begins,” starring Christian Bale. With a darker and more serious feel, more in touch with the second series of comics, fans are awaiting the release of the second film in the series, “The Dark Knight.”

“The Dark Knight” pits Batman against his classic nemesis, the Joker, played by the late Heath Ledger, who passed away shortly after shooting for the movie ended. While there are plenty of rumors of secondary villains included in the new movie, it has been confirmed that the movie will feature the event in which Harvey Dent’s face becomes disfigured on one side, turning him into Batman’s next villain, Two-Face.

Captain America
Captain America was first conceived during World War II to bolster American patriotism with cover art often showing him punching Hitler in the jaw (later to be replaced with Stalin). After a long period of fluxing popularity and renewed commercial success under the Avengers series, comic book fans were shocked when he was tragically killed in March 2007.

Writer Ed Brubaker, who took over Captain America in 2004 and was made famous again for killing off the main character last year, passed on Captain America’s mantle to his partner, Bucky, in December 2007. Bucky becomes the new Captain America and continues the comic book series as a darker and much more conflicted hero.

Captain America will receive his own motion picture in 2009, although few details have been confirmed. It is widely believed that Nick Cassavetes, who directed movies such as “Blow,” “Panic” and “Face/Off,” will direct the film.

Iron Man
The character Iron Man first appeared in the Marvel Comic book “Tales of Suspense #39” in 1963. Ingenious billionaire Tony Stark, who is forced to build a devastating weapon but instead builds a suit to fight crime and becomes the Iron Man, has slowly grown in popularity since his earliest days. He is slated to star in a self-titled movie on Friday, May 2, played by Robert Downey Jr.

The film’s stars have already signed for two more sequels, so fans of the comics can excitedly wait for three films to entertain them in the future.