For fans of superhero movies, no news says the superhero genre is more legit than this. In only 19 days The Avengers has made over $1 billion at the box office. But let’s not forget these characters originated in the pages of comics that have been in publication since the 1960′s. Without the creativity of dozens of writers and artists, starting with Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, there would be no Avengers movie today.

“The Avengers” sucked the life out of “Dark Shadows” at the box office this weekend, as the superhero blockbuster dominated ticket sales and left the vampire comedy looking pallid.

After its $207.4-million debut broke the record for the biggest opening ever — not adjusting for inflation — “The Avengers” had another phenomenal weekend in theaters. In its second weekend of domestic release, the film featuring Marvel comic book characters such as the Hulk, Iron Man and Thor raked in an additional $103.2 million, according to an estimate from distributor Walt Disney Pictures. That means the movie made more on its second weekend than any other film in history, a record previously held by the three-day $75.6 million made by “Avatar.”

But “The Avengers” passed an even bigger milestone this weekend: It crossed the $1-billion mark at the global box office. Playing in 54 foreign countries this weekend, the movie grossed $95.4 million, raising its international total to $628.9 million. Combined with the film’s $373.2-million domestic tally, the movie surpassed $1 billion after just 19 days in worldwide release.
latimes.com

Check out these comics if you liked the Avengers movie.

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