Super, Man!

Hellboy
In theaters Spring 2004
The comic Hellboy is a huge, red, supernaturally strong creature who was raised by an anti-Nazi paranormal expert in WWII England. While the comic takes place in the 20th century, the art and stories -- often involving haunted castles and nasty, crawly things -- evoke an atmosphere of ancient and otherworldly horror.
The movie Director Guillermo del Toro ("Blade II," "Chronos") reteams with actor Ron Perlman to bring the big red guy to life. "Hellboy" creator/artist Mike Mignola is on the shoot in Prague, helping del Toro faithfully represent the tone of the book, down to the muted color scheme. Selma Blair stars as Liz Sherman, fellow paranormal investigator.
Verdict If they do this one right, Mignola and del Toro, who are already planning to collaborate on an adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's "In the Mountains of Madness," can look forward to several "Hellboy" sequels.

Powers
In theaters 2005
The comic Created by Brian Michael Bendis and artist Michael Avon Oeming, this series takes place in a world where superheroes coexist with law enforcement and media types. The book is told from the point of view of the police and focuses on how they get their job done in a culture where villains file for restraining orders and superheroes attract media coverage as if they were pop stars.
The movie Frank Oz (''Bowfinger'') will direct after he finishes his remake of "The Stepford Wives." The adaptation -- based on the collection called "Who Killed Retro Girl?" -- depicts the dynamic between a detective and his new partner as they negotiate the challenges of living among superheroes.
Verdict Imagine "Men in Black" with a darker sense of humor and savvy commentary about our media-saturated times.

Death: The High Cost of Living
In theaters Too early to tell
The comics The character Death first appears in Neil Gaiman's long-running series "Sandman" as a cute goth chick who cheerfully arrives to take people away when they die. In the three-issue mini-series "Death: The High Cost of Living," she spends -- for the first time in a hundred years -- one day being alive.
The movie Though Gaiman has several film projects in development, including "Sandman" and a couple of original screenplays, he has already written the script and has committed to directing it himself. Alexis Bledel ("Gilmore Girls") is currently considering a part.
Verdict Just so long as they don't end up casting Jennifer Love Hewitt as Death, everything should work out fine.