Comic books are the bastard children of pop culture.
Meanwhile, Hollywood continues to mine the pages of comics looking for the next big picture, and filmmakers like Kevin Smith, Quentin Tarantino and M. Night Shyamalan continue to draw inspiration from the likes of Fantastic Four and Superman . With Unbreakable now playing in theatres and X-Men recently released on home video, movies adapted from and inspired by comic books continue to be viable commodities in Hollywood. Movies like these only scratch the surface of an exciting world that combines the printed word with almost-moving pictures, forming a powerful juggernaut of action, adventure and laughs. If the choice of films playing at the local multiplex isn't making your palms moist with anticipation, head to the local comic-book store for your viewing needs. Instead, fans of noir should turn to several comic series that offer all the requisite two-fisted drama, suspense and sharp dialogue that has come to define the film genre.