So here we are again poised to run the gauntlet of Hollywood's blockbuster season.

These over-priced, under-written and over-hyped films are designed to lure the young and impressionable into the cinema and away from more noble summer pursuits like fornicating in the lido or praying for an English win at Wimbledon. Apart from the reappearance of a certain intrepid archaeologist, this summer's crop is dominated by the superhero movie. (Iron man, The Incredible Hulk, Batman, Wanted) Now I don't want to appear cynical but it seems to me that comic books offer the studio a pretty easy and pain-free route to box office success. For a start the franchises are already well established - with some of the more iconic characters so ensconced in the cultural consciousness, that most over fives will recoginse their image. Add to this the endless marketing possibilities (fast food tie-ins, computer games etc.) and you're onto a winner.

All the studios have to do is put a contemporary spin on things. This generally involves casting an actor who is either completely unsuitable (Michael Keaton, Ben Affleck, Halle Berry) or one who really should know better (Edward Norton, George Clooney and Christian Bale). Add to this the obligatory Existential motif (which supposedly gives the film gravitas and something for the broadsheet critics to carp over) and cutting edge special effects and voila, you have a guaranteed box office success.

Except it doesn't always go quite so smoothly.

Most comic book adaptations are dull, sterile and largely devoid of thrills. I think the main reason for this is that superheroes really do work better within the confines of the printed page.

Take Spiderman for example. Despite the amount of money thrown at the special effects, his gravity-defying flights through New York were so artificial, unrealistic and down right shoddy that any sense of wonder was quickly replaced by incredulity. Yet take one look at an elegantly drawn panel by Jack Kirby - or any of the other great Marvel artists - of Spiderman frozen in heroic aspect and anything seems possible.

The same can be said of Batman. No amount of posturing in his rubber suit can elevate Christian Bales performance as Bruce Wayne above anything other than pantomime. Yet, just one of Frank Millers stark ink drawings of the Dark Knight, can convey more inner turmoil than all the celluloid Batman's put together.

It really is a case of less is more.

Of course this won't stop the studios and next year will see the release of the daddy of all Graphic novels, Watchmen.

I can hardly wait to see what a mess they'll make of that. I mean, Billy Crudup as Dr. Manhattan?