With silver screen outings for Spider-man 2, Catwoman, HellBoy and Blade 3 this summer, there's no doubt that comic book adaptations are bigger than ever. We run down the top ten to date.

Batman

Superhero rating: 8/10

Description: Mask-wearing, caped crusader who stalks the streets of Gotham under the cover of darkness.
Weapons of choice: Batmobile, Batplane, Batboat - you name it, he's got it.
Back story: Young Bruce Wayne saw his parents killed in front of him and was so traumatised he devoted his life to combating evil.
As played by: Adam West, Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney.
What next? British actor Christian Bale will play the young Bruce in Batman Begins, due in 2005.

Blade

Superhero rating: 6/10

Description: Half-man, half-vampire vigilante on a one-man crusade against the "suckheads" who leech off humanity.
Weapons of choice: Samurai sword, exploding capsules filled with garlic and holy water.
Back story: His mom was bitten by a vampire while pregnant, forcing Blade - real name Eric Brooks - to use appetite-suppressing drugs to keep him on the straight and narrow.
As played by: Wesley Snipes, who revived his career by playing the leather-clad hero in two fabulously gory action capers.
What next? Blade: Trinity is due in 2004.

The Crow

Superhero rating: 5/10

Description: A murder victim who comes back from the dead to avenge his own killing.
Weapons of choice: None to speak of, though he does mark his deeds with crow symbols.
Back story: Eric Draven was supposed to marry his fiancee on October 31, but both were murdered the night before - so-called "Devil's Night". One year later his restless soul is revived by a raven.
As played by: Brandon Lee, who was accidentally shot and killed during filming. Vincent Perez starred in the first sequel, Eric Mabius in the second.
What next? Another sequel - The Crow: Wicked Prayer - this time starring Edward Furlong and Angel hunk David Boreanaz.

Daredevil

Superhero rating: 5/10

Description: Blind lawyer by day, leather-clad crime-fighter by night, Matt Murdock spends his leisure time tracking down the scumbags he can't put behind bars during working hours.
Weapons of choice: A cane that doubles as a club.
Back story: Murdock was blinded as a boy by radioactive waste that enhanced his other senses to such a degree he is forced to sleep in a sensory deprivation chamber.
As played by: Ben Affleck.
What next? No plans for a Daredevil sequel, though Jennifer Garner will return as knife-wielding assassin Elektra in her own movie, due in 2005.

Judge Dredd

Superhero rating: 1/10

Description: A one-man killing machine who serves as judge, jury and executioner in a futuristic metropolis called Mega-City One.
Weapons of choice: The bigger the gun the better.
Back story: Pat Mills and John Wagner conceived the character for British comic 2000 AD in 1977, partly as a reaction against Margaret Thatcher's Tory government.
As played by: Sylvester Stallone. No, really.
What next? The movie was such an unmitigated disaster, the only place you'll see Dredd again is down your local newsagents.