It’s a good time to admit to being a comic book fan now that saying so doesn’t get you stuffed into a locker in response. When you have people who have never even read a single “Iron Man” issue complaining about “Iron Man 3″‘s plot twist, you know you have it made.

Furthermore, consider that three of the top ten grossing films of all time are comic book movies. Indeed, there really is a lot to be said about the appeal of comic book films. True, maybe the bubble will burst in time, but it’s almost a safe bet to say that isn’t quite going to happen this year. At least, not until after “Avengers 2” bombs miserably.

Here are 8 films keen on upholding that box-office busting tradition.

8. I, Frankenstein (January)

The Plot: Frankenstein’s monster adopts his creator’s family name, calls himself Adam, then fights to save the world (or something).

Starring Aaron Eckhart, who last played Harvey Dent in “The Dark Knight,” expect a special-effects laden slugfest filled with supernatural elements, based on a beloved graphic novel with a cult following. Think more “Hellboy” than “Iron Man,” if you were looking for an analog.

The Potential: It probably won’t break any box office records, but expect it to have quite a few die-hard fans, especially since this version of Frankenstein is very easy on the eyes, seeing as it’s Aaron Eckhart playing him.

Get copies of the graphic novel or the movie score soundtrack through Amazon.com.

7. 300: Rise of an Empire (March)

The Plot: Taking place before, during, and after the events of “300,” this film, based on the unpublished comic “Xerxes” by Frank Miller, attempts to explain how Xerxes came to be, and the aftermath of his climactic battle against Leonidas. I’m not quite sure if anyone’s set to save the world (or something) in this one, though.

Did you know that the guy who plays Xerxes also played that hot dude in “Love, Actually?” No, not that one (that’s Rick Grimes), the other one. If you felt that the original “300” was so manly that you grew chest hair just by watching it, then get ready for more of the same with this sequel/prequel/whatever.

The Potential: I still say it would have been far more awesome if they entitled the movie “301.” Or if they really want to treat this as a prequel, they could have gone with “299.” Still, this movie, with minimal competition in March, will easily rake in quite a bit at the tills.

Get a copy of “300” (either movie or graphic novel) or Frank Miller’s other works through Amazon.com.

6. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (April)

The Plot: Two years after the events of “The Avengers,” Captain America tries to live a normal life as Steve Rogers when a massive conspiracy sucks him into the superhero game once more. With the Black Widow and new recruit, the Falcon, at his side, he now must face a powerful enemy–the Winter Soldier. He must defeat this menace to save the world (or something).

Finally, they get an actual black superhero (Nick Fury doesn’t quite count, if you note his distinct lack of actual powers), and it’s not someone with “Black” in his codename! This film is highly anticipated, considering how the previous Captain America film mostly grew on the audience, as it needed more than a single viewing to be fully appreciated. Too bad there’s no Hugo Weaving this time out, though.

The Potential: It’s got all the right ingredients to make it a huge success, especially since Batroc Ze Leapair is part of the film, and yes, he’s going to be played by UFC great Georges St-Pierre!

Get Captain America-related items through Amazon.com.

5. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (May)

The Plot: Peter Parker is enjoying life as Spider-Man, but all that comes to a screeching halt as he faces Electro, an enemy far more powerful than he is, and perhaps even Norman Osborn himself. He has to fight harder than he has ever fought before to save the world (or something).

Marc Webb (snicker) directs this highly-anticipated followup to what still seems a too-soon reboot of the Spider-Man franchise, even if Andrew Garfield certainly plays your friendly neighborhood webhead quite well. Comic book fans, for once, dread the film following the comics too closely, seeing as what Gwen Stacy’s ultimate fate there was.

The Potential: I fully expect this movie to make more money than the first one, which is a bold prediction, since the 2012 movie made $752 Million. Nonetheless, when you consider that this is Jamie Foxx’s first movie role of note since his highly-acclaimed turn at “Django Unchained,” you can expect that this film is riding in with a lot of goodwill surrounding it.

Get Spider-Man items through Amazon.com.

4. X-Men: Days of Future Past (May)

The Plot: In a desperate bid to prevent a dystopic future, Wolverine has to be sent to the past to change history, so he can save the world (or something).

This film is essentially the “Avengers” of the X-Men franchise: putting together various the elements of the different facets of the property, as both the original X-Men trilogy and the soft prequel, “X-Men: First Class,” and of course, Wolverine, because snikt snikt. Of course, with Bryan Singer back at the helm, everyone is very optimistic that this could only mean good things for the franchise moving forward.

The Potential: Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Jennifer Lawrence, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy? The last time we got stars that big all in one movie, it was called “A Few Good Men!”

Get X-Men items through Amazon.com.

3. Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (August)

The Plot: Damned if I know, since, for once, it doesn’t actually involve saving the world (or something).

As sequels come, this is definitely highly-anticipated, as the first “Sin City” film was a success, despite not being your typical superhero comic book film. This is the first of two Frank Miller-penned entries in this list, and with a cast including Bruce Willis, Josh Brolin, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Jessica Alba, expectations are running high for this film.

The Potential: … in fact, I think the expectations are running too high, and this film will inevitably disappoint people, no matter how well it actually does. Sadly, the movie might get buried in its own hype, and people would come in with inflated expectations that are quickly never met, sort of like that last blind date you were set up with.

Get Sin City items through Amazon.com.

2. Guardians of the Galaxy (August)

The Plot: When an Earth pilot, Peter Quill, stumbles upon a powerful orb, and finds himself in a spot of trouble, he has to team up with a ragtag group of adventurers, including a talking raccoon and Dave Batista, so they can save the world (or something).

What is probably one of the most bizarre properties Marvel Studios could have made a movie out of, “Guardians of the Galaxy” promises to be a fun romp across the cosmos, and perhaps the gateway to finally bridging together Thanos, who made a cameo in the first Avengers film, and the rest of the Infinity Gems from the infamous Infinity Gauntlet saga in the comics. It’s only a matter of time.

The Potential: Because expectations for this film will be understandably low, don’t be too surprised when it ends up becoming an unexpected hit. The talking raccoon, as foul-mouthed as he is, might fool parents into thinking this is going to be child-friendly fare all the way. Also, Batista!!!

Get Guardians of the Galaxy items through Amazon.com.

1. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (August)
TMNT-2014-IMDB-info

The Plot: Here, let me quote the IMDB entry verbatim–“Aliens invade Earth and inadvertently spawn a quartet of mutated reptile warriors, the Ninja Turtles, who rise up against them to defend the world.” (or something)

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles started off as an ultra-gritty comic book before it became a cartoon. It’s a bit funny, though that in this reboot of the franchise, they seem to be completely disregarding everything about the classic origins of Leonardo, Donatello, Michaelangelo, and Raphael, since they are now produced by aliens.

Will they still be Teenagers? Do they count as Mutants? How the heck are they even Ninja? And if they’re aliens, how can you call them Turtles?!? Why even bother with the title, if all four words suddenly no longer applied, right?

This, on top of Megan Fox and Michael Bay? Not to mention they just whitewashed both Splinter and Shredder, as they hired white actors to play both. It’s a disaster waiting to happen, and Michael Bay is going to ruin our childhood yet again, the same way he ruined Transformers!

The Potential: Michael Bay sure “ruined” our childhoods, all right–to the tune of $1 Billion. It doesn’t matter how much the “real fans” of the Turtles complain, because there’s a high chance that this movie will still make a killing at the box office, spawning yet another franchise under Michael Bay’s watch.

Get Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles items through Amazon.com.

Which of these movies are you excited to watch? Did we miss anything? Share in the Comments Section below.

Kel Fabie

Kel Fabie. is a DJ, host, mentalist, satirist, comedian, and a long-time contributor to 8List (Hello, ladies!). He has an Oscar, a Pulitzer, a Nobel, and two other weirdly-named pet dogs. He blogs on mistervader.com.

Related Posts