I saw Marvel: The Avengers (have to get the official title right) last weekend, a Sunday, at 9:15am. I figured a 9:15am showing would be less crowded, especially after a semi-major drinking holiday. I got to the theater at 8:45am and I knew this wasn't going to be the average movie experience at 9am when I saw the ticket line. It wasn't Star Wars breaking line, but it was a sizable line considering the time. I saw old people, young people, families, groups of kids and all of them were getting tickets for Marvel: The Avengers.

The theater was close to being packed. Just to give an illustration of how diverse the group was in the theater; I saw a group of five women sitting near me, all in their mid to late 50s, the very definition of soccer moms, who had decided on their own, from what I could determine from their conversation, to see the movie as a group without their families. OK, we're not talking Sex in the City, we're not talking some romantic comedy from Reese Witherspoon, and the group of women weren't geeky, comic book types. These were typical American women who decided to see Marvel: The Avengers on a Sunday morning without their families.

If you need an illustration as to how this movie made $200 million in one week, I give you exhibit A.

I will give a little rain on the parade and say Marvel: The Avengers isn't the greatest comic book movie ever made, as some would like to make it. That's not to say this movie wasn't fun. Believe me, Marvel: The Avengers is a very great summer movie. It is pure joy and entertainment and yes, you won't be ashamed to say you like it when you leave the theater. So you might ask why don't I say it's the greatest comic book movie ever? It doesn't transcend for me. It doesn't hit the level where I feel I'm experiencing a vast, cosmic comic book story. Again, I'm not shooting down the movie just because it didn't reach those heights. If the ending of the movie is any indication (yes, please stay after the credits to understand what I mean) there is every indication the sequel could become the greatest comic book movie ever.

Make no mistake, the film was fantastic, and saying it could be more is showing my geek card. Some have tried comparing The Dark Knight Returns and Marvel: The Avengers conjoring up some mythical battle camp with Team batman or Team Avengers. Which film to you think is the greatest comic book movie? I don't take sides in the debate. The two films are different in tone and character. Both are trying to appeal to an audience that isn't familiar to comics, thus you can't do a great comic book story on film if the audience isn't aware of the history and why the story would be great.

Why I think the sequel to Marvel: The Avengers could be the great comic book film people have been waiting on is the filmmakers, well let's say marketers, have been savvy in branding the Marvel characters. A strength of the movie has been you had four characters that have had origins and other adventures in previous films, and elements in this film have been introduced in them. By the time this movie came out, you didn't have to do an origin for all the characters, or try to get into their issues. You could go ahead with the story, and people would understand the snarkiness of Stark and the out of time elements with Cap because those had been established in other films. You didn't have to detail all the issues of the Cosmic Cube because we knew about it from two previous films. Just like a comic book, elements were introduced in other books (films) so when you got to the big film you had a lot of room not devoted to origins or explanations.

So, yes, Marvel: The Avengers was a great, slick and fun movie. It has prove to be a blockbuster of the summer. It's a fun ride and will probably rank up there as an example of what a comic book movie should be.