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Comic books weren’t always such a big deal. Back in pre-war America, comics and their characters were produced by the dozen, each hoping to capitalize on some zeitgeist or current of interest to make its company some money before moving onto the next potential concept. When Joe Simon co-created Captain America in 1940, literally no one could have seen where the comic book industry would eventually find itself -- and that 71 years later, his patriotic creation would see the silver screen en route to a larger “Avengers" film.

According to Newsarama and confirmed by Marvel Comics, Simon passed away yesterday at the age of 98, from unknown causes. Despite his age, Simon had remained a vital figure in the comics world -- this year, he released an autobiography, “My Life in Comics," and was active from the sidelines in supporting the Captain America film.

“The people out in Hollywood know what they’re doing, and what they got from me and [Jack Kirby] is the most important part—the origin story and the comic books we produced," he told the AV Club in July. “Marvel sent a crew to interview me, and I’m sure everyone will see that before long, but otherwise, I’m happy to let them do their thing."

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Tags captain america, Captain America: The First Avenger, Joe Simon

Building the buzz towards next year’s release, an official website promoting “The Amazing Spider-Man" launched today, crammed full of photos and production details. There’s a general overlay of the story (including the hint, “the first in a series of movies," as if there was any doubt), a list of the characters (did you know Spider-Man is in this one?), cast details, and more. Get some of the key details after the jump!

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Tags the amazing spider-man

If you're worried about "Thor 2" following the abrupt departure of director Patty Jenkins, you're not alone. The "Monster" director left the Marvel Studios project rather suddenly after many people involved with the project — including former director Kenneth Branagh and still-on-board actor Tom Hiddleston — sang the filmmaker's praises, leaving many onlookers to wonder exactly what went wrong.

According to a new report in The Hollywood Reporter, fans aren't the only ones left scratching their heads. THR reports that the "Thor" franchise's lead actress, Oscar-winner Natalie Portman, is "deeply upset" about losing Jenkins because she was partially responsible for bringing Jenkins on board in the first place.

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Tags natalie portman, thor 2

"The Dark Knight Rises" is the last Batman movie Christopher Nolan will ever direct. But even though it's the filmmaker's decision, leaving Gotham City behind hasn't been without its fair share of bittersweetness.

“I tend not to be too emotional on the set, I find that doesn’t help me do my job,” Nolan said in an interview with Hero Complex. “But you definitely get a little lump in your throat thinking that, 'OK, this is going to be the last time we’re going to be doing this.' It’s been quite a journey. Hopefully, reflecting that journey — by all of us who made the films — in the three films together will make it so they have a real span to them, some real heft.”

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Tags christopher nolan, The Dark Knight Rises

Marvel Studios has done a fantastic job building up to "The Avengers" with efforts like "Iron Man," "Thor" and "Captain America: The First Avenger" on the big-screen. And if you thought the House of Ideas would neglect a non-movie approach to what's surely their all-time biggest cinematic endeavor, think again.

Over at Marvel.com comes news that an official "Avengers" movie prelude is on its way in comic book form, courtesy of writers Chris Yost and Eric Pearson and artists Luke Ross, Daniel HDR and Geral Parel. Keep on reading for more details on the comic from the good folks at Marvel.

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Tags the avengers

The new poster for "The Dark Knight Rises" sparked the debate that the final Christopher Nolan Batman film might mean the death of the Caped Crusader, or at least Bruce Wayne.

I started the conversation in my weekly Batman column, The Weekly Rising, and I asked to hear from you over Twitter about what you think is in store for Bruce Wayne and Batman when they meet Bane in July.

There was no overwhelming consensus in your tweets, but generally, most of you don't think we'll see Bruce Wayne bite the dust, but he may be hanging up his cowl. Let's take look at some of your responses.

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Tags bane, batman, christopher nolan, The Dark Knight Rises

"The Amazing Spider-Man" swings into theaters next July, and when it does, Peter Parker won't be locking lips with Mary Jane Watson—largely because, well, Mary Jane won't be in the movie! Instead, Emma Stone is appearing as Gwen Stacy, Peter's first love.

"I just thought her story was epic,” Stone told The Vancouver Sun of why she wanted to play the character. “When you hear the story of Gwen Stacy for the first time, I’m sure, at any age, it floors you."

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Tags emma stone, the amazing spider-man

With the impending release of “Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol," director Brad Bird has a lot on his hands. Promoting this, talking that, indulging us in our video interviews. There's a lot to handle! We’re not doing Bird any favors by distracting him from the really important things -- like the possibility of a sequel to “The Incredibles," Pixar's beloved superhero movie that dropped back in 2004, so very long ago.

A sequel has been in the vaguest pre-pre-production for years, but Bird insists he doesn’t have any greater idea. Pressed by MTV News whether he’s got a script, or a page, or just some sketches, he responded, "It’s all of the above. I haven’t gotten it all figured out yet. I have a lot of ideas I had originally intended to be in the first movie, but you have to start throwing things out of the balloon to get it up in the air."

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Tags Brad Bird, Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol, the incredibles, The Incredibles 2

The biggest surprise about "The Dark Knight Rises" for me, and I suspect for many fans, is the fact that the movie takes place eight years after the conclusion of "The Dark Knight." That's a long, deliberate stretch of time between the Joker's assault on Gotham City and Bane's impending strike. The reasons behind the time jump are certainly murky now, but Christopher Nolan promises that the leap will be much more easily explained once "Rises," er, rises in theaters.

"It will make a lot more sense to people when they see the film," Nolan told Hero Complex of the time jump. "But it’s not a great mystery — it’s the jumping-off point for the film — but it’s hard for me to articulate it. I think the mood at the beginning of the film will make a lot of sense."

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Tags christopher nolan, The Dark Knight Rises

Superhero games don't have the most illustrious history. Sure, there have been exceptions to the rule, but prior to Rocksteady Studio's groundbreaking "Batman: Arkham Asylum," the majority of comic book adaptations were absolute garbage. That sounds like a cruel comment, but have you looked at older Batman games, for instance? I would rather stab myself in the eye with a pencil.

So, it was no small task when the developer decided to follow up "Asylum" with a sequel. Though the team had managed to create a Batman title that treated the property with respect, could they make a game that was actually better than its predecessor? Thankfully, "Arkham City" did precisely that, and in doing so, is arguably the best superhero game ever created.

Here's just five ways "Arkham City" changed the comic-book videogame landscape forever.

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Tags batman, batman: arkham city, Best of 2011, ebie, rocksteady