What is the reason?

... for all of the comic book movies lately? Since 2000 we've had X-Men, Spider-Man, The Hulk, X-Men 2, Spider-Man 2, Hellboy, and soon Batman Begins and The Return of Superman. Personally I think it's because of the recent revolution in computer graphics, which allow the special abilities of these heroes to be more accurrately depicted. Can anyone suggest a different reason for this? Have comic books just suddenly become more popular?

I think it's a mixture of the graphics and the popularity of the first couple. After Blade and X-Men were really good, people saw that it wasn't kids stuff anymore, and we underwent a deluge of movies, some good, some not. It hit at the right time, garnered a lot of support, and money and continues to do well.

I think it also has to do with the fact that they're Marvel characters. Marvel has always made a big deal out of having their characters be very resonant with the audience. You can relate to that dork Peter Parker, but not so much to the billionaire playboy orphan Bruce Wayne, or super-alien country bumpkin Clark Kent.