Jonathan Melville: Comic book heroes are out in force this summer

THE Avengers may have caused havoc for the bad guys in their first big screen adventure, but they’re also a force to be reckoned with for rival films as audiences keep flocking to see them.

Iron Man, The Hulk, Captain America and Co have just celebrated a third week at the top of the US box office and takings of more than $1bn worldwide, ensuring titles such as Battleship and The Dictator have had to settle for second and third best.

This is only the start of comic book domination in our cinemas this year.

Next up on July 3 is the reboot of everyone’s favourite web-slinger in The Amazing Spider-Man, Tobey Maguire dumped in favour of Andrew Garfield. This time Peter Parker is up against Rhys Ifans’ Lizard, while Emma Stone provides the love interest as Gwen Stacy.

The Dark Knight Rises on 20 July, Christian Bale returning as Batman in Christopher Nolan’s third and final take on the character. Tom Hardy is Bane, Bats’ latest nemesis, and the trailer suggests this will be an epic affair.

Finally, Judge Dredd returns to our screens in September after 17 years hard labour for crimes against cinema in 1995’s film of the same name. Star Trek’s Karl Urban dons the helmet as the star of 2000AD puts a rookie through her paces on the streets of Mega City One.

Unlike Sylvester Stallone’s version of Dredd, this one will keep his helmet on throughout, with the film’s cinematographer promising this will be “a cross between Blade Runner and A Clockwork Orange”.

@jon_melville

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