With The Avengers opening this week with its epic case of superheroes, we felt it was the right time to break down the best ever. So here, without further delay, is our list of the top 10 Avengers.

10. Wonder Man

A risky pick for number 10 on the list given his alternate statuses as a villain, a hero, an actor, and many times just not around. But his run during Kurt Busiek and George Perez late 90s relaunch solidified his role as a great, and important, member of the Avengers.

9. Scarlet Witch

Wanda Maximoff is slightly controversial. Daughter of Magneto, she, like her brother Quicksilver, were originally villains before being given a second chance, along with Hawkeye a few issues into the original Avengers run. For much of the series history, she was alternately an extra, and a central character with her love stories between the Vision and Wonder Man. It wasn’t until Kurt Busiek’s run in the late 90s/early 2000s that her character and her powers were fleshed out, that Wanda’s role in the Avengers was cemented and made important. While her role was later reverted to unwilling villain/mutant killer/eradicator status by Brian Michael Bendis, we’ll choose to overlook that.

8. Warbird/Captain Marvel/Ms. Marvel/Binary

Poor Ms. Marvel. She’s always trying to prove she belongs. A member of the air force, she was a soldier bound by duty, before an accident with Kree technology gave her incredible super powers. As she sought the limelight and credit the being a hero brought, she found herself felled by none other than Rogue of the X-Men, who took a great deal of her powers from Ms. Marvel

7. Vision

A robot created by Ultron, Vision is somewhat of a grandchild of Hank Pym, and was designed to combat against the Avengers. He later rebelled against his creator and joined the team he was built to destroy. For much of his time in the Avengers, he has struggled with his robot exterior and his semi-human emotions, trying to find his true purpose in the world. For a time, he was married to the Scarlett Witch and even fathered two (magically created, thus not real) children. He’s been a mainstay in the Avengers for much of its history, and is somewhat the Martian Manhunter of the crew.

6. Ant-Man/Giant Man/Yellow Jacket

One of the founding members of the Avengers, Hank Pym has had a difficult run. His true north is Janet Pym, the Wasp, and he’s lost her and found her multiple times. Pym has suffered from multiple personality disorder, which has led to multiple identities and multiple superheroes, none worse for his psyche than the Yellowjacket character, who ultimately abused Janet Pym and ended their marriage. He also created Ultron, a robot that has tormented the Avengers for several decades. Still, Pym is dedicated to fighting his inner demons and righting his wrongs, and his genius status has helped thwart more than a fair share of near world-ending events.

5. The Wasp

Janet Pym may be small, and relatively powerless, but you have to give her credit: She named the Avengers! It was her idea at the end of Avengers #1 to call the group that, and she, like her husband, has been part of the group for most of its history. As the series moved past its beginnings, writers sought to move past her flighty personality and dedication to fashion, giving her some dark moments, and proving that she could emerge as a fighter. For many times, she’s even been the leader of the Avengers, and looked to for valuable leadership qualities in times of crisis.

4. Hawkeye

Hawkeye is very poorly fleshed out in the film, despite being pretty badass. His film counterpart is more of a depiction of the Ultimates Hawkeye than the original comic book title, where Hawkeye was once a thief given a chance at redemption first by Iron Man, then by Captain America with a chance to join the Avengers. Since then, he’s been a mainstay in the group for most of its history, often time providing either comic relief, or being an antagonist to the rest of the group. Driven by a strict moral code, he’s willing to go to blows when he feels the Avengers have lost sight of what’s best.

3. Thor

Thor, like Captain America, may have consistently had their own titles, but their true roles in Marvel Comics were to participate in the Avengers. Thor is the Superman of the bunch, but this time he also adds some depth in his observation of the human race that Superman never does. He’s foreign, he’s a little old fashioned. He’s a warrior, one sometimes prone to fulfilling base desires, but his character is vital to the dynamic of the Avengers. His presence in the series has been sorely missed in the last decade.

2. Iron Man

He may be the most fleshed out of the Avengers in the film series, but in the comic books, he goes no higher than #2. But it’s close. Tony Stark funds the Avengers, provides the mansion and later tower they work out of, and is one of the resident geniuses to hep solve the threats, be it technological, alien, supernatural or other. He is unquestionably a member of the Marvel equivalent to DC’s big 3.

1. Captain America

How can you not say that Captain America is the greatest Avenger? It’s a common misconception that Cap was a founding member of the Avengers, but he instead joined the crew in the series fourth issue, replacing the outgoing Hulk. Since then, he’s been the leader, the hero, and potentially the heart of the gang. He’s the virtue of the group, and has helped to anchor it through tough times, such as the Civil War storyline.

In the wake of breaking business news yesterday about Disney’s decision to buy Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion, we’re already seeing a headline that runs contrary to our 10 possible Disney/Marvel crossovers.

20th Century Fox, not Disney, has announced plans for another Fantastic Four film with a new flick produced by Akiva Goldsman and written by Michael Green.

Goldsman is currently producing movies based on DC properties “Jonah Hex” and “The Losers,” while Green is co-writing “Green Lantern” starring Ryan Reynolds and is the co-executive producer of “Heroes.”

Neither of the previous two Tim Story-directed Fantastic Four fims have been particularly good, nor have they received particularly good reviews.

There is no word on whether or not Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans and Michael Chiklis will return for a third go around.

Blast had the chance to chat with Josh Keaton, the voice of Peter Parker and Spider-Man, himself, for Disney XD’s Spectacular Spider-Man animated series.

Keaton’s career has spanned over many types of media, and he was kind enough to let us in on what its like to play Spider-Man, along with some thoughts on video games and comic books.

Sci-Fi and comic book geeks rejoice!

So you’ve been working on the voice of Peter Parker in The Spectacular Spider-Man — what’s is it like to be the voice of one of the most popular comic book heroes?

It’s awesome. Speaking as a geeky comic book reader and gamer, its something I’ve always wanted to do, and I’m glad it turned out this way. It’s daunting, because I know how popular (Spider-Man) is, so I wanted to put forth something I as a fan would want to watch

Do you have to get in character, or do you prepare before going into the studio?

Yes, we get scripts a few days in advance, but now that I’ve got to see how the show is put together, I can visualize how it’s going to be (while in the studio). I kind of go back to how I was in high school. I was a total dork and couldn’t get a date-but I was also a child actor … so I guess I have experience with that double life.

And you’ve been doing voice over work for quite some time now, correct?

I’d been doing on camera, it was how I got my start. I did animation for a while, and then focused on screen and music. Then after Hercules, I got a specific voice over agent.

What has been your favorite role so far?

Spider-Man without a doubt! For one, I was a lifelong reader as a kid. They way they write the story is not just for kids, and I love how it’s serialized and the supporting characters are just as interesting. But I’ve enjoyed a lot of characters.

No to mention you were in Alex Mack. I know a lot of people from my generation loved that show!

It was great, it was awesome. Larissa was great. I was supposed to be playing‚  someone older than Meredith (Annie Mack), and she was older than me … ways remember Alex Mack because I didn’t have a drivers license, but my character had to drive a stick shift. I kept thinking, “I hope I don’t stall, I hope I don’t stall!” … and I didn’t!

As for video games, what types of games do you like to play?

I like to play everything. I’m a recovering World of Warcraft addict. I like character based games and first person shooters … driving games are huge for me. I’m currently playing Fable 2. I like games with stories and, aside from driving, I’m a big fan of the Resident Evil series and the survival story. There aren’t many games I don’t like. If its a good play and a good story, I’m game.

And since you’ve been doing work with comic book stories, and you mentioned how you enjoyed reading them as a kid. What are your favorite comic books?

Spider-Man, Batman, Superman. I loved Wolverine. He was probably my second favorite, and the Logan/Wolverine stories. They’re short guys. I’m 5’9″. It’s always cool to see the short guys kicking ass. Plus, Peter Parker uses his brain and his brawn.

Your work really spans over all types of media, from music to voice-over to acting. What are your aspirations for the future?

I would like Spider-Man to do as many seasons as they can, and maybe go to DVD for more storylines. As for music, I’m in the studio working on my own stuff and there are some groups I’m working with. I love to do projects that relate to something I’m passionate about. SciFi, history, I love to do cool characters and character work.

Keaton has appeared in several films including: “Newsies,” “Horror High,” “All I Want For Christmas,” “Judge and Jury,” and “Chimera House.” His has lent his voice to “Hercules” with James Woods and Danny Devito, “The Wild” with Keifer Sutherland and Jim Belushi, and “Doctor Strange.” He has appeared in several television shows, including a role in Jerry Bruckheimer’s Skin. He has also voiced several video games besides Spider-Man titles, including Metal Gear Solid, X-Men Legends, SOCOM, Ninja Gaiden, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, Area 51, Spider-Man, and several others.

By the way: Because of a reporting error, we incorrectly listed The CW as the network of record for the Spider-man animated series. It’s actually Disney XD.

When the film adaptation of the graphic novel sensation “Watchmen” was first announced, the main concern was whether director Zack Snyder could pull off a successful adaptation of Alan Moore’s iconic word.

Key among those concerns was whether the Minutemen — a group of superheroes founded in 1939 and pivotal to the story of “Watchmen” — would be included in the final product.

Blast got a chance to watch the first 18 minutes of “Watchmen” at New York Comic Con a few weeks ago and saw for ourselves that Snyder did manage to pull of a balance of attention to detail and concrete storytelling. The Minutemen were heavily featured in the opening minutes of the film; heroine Silhouette prominent among them.

We also had the chance to speak with actress Apollonia Vanova about the role of Silhouette and her experience on the set of “Watchmen.”

“There was a lot of attention to detail,” Vanova said of her time on the set. “I was overwhelmed. … Every little prop was perfect. I couldn’t believe how real everything was to different times and different eras. And it was just really excited to be a part of that project to see all the characters dressed in their costumes.”

Silhouette’s screen time is limited, but her presence is big part of the “Watchmen” universe. As one of the Minutemen, Silhouette is a major figure in the spotlight during the 1940s.

Her homosexuality — shown during the film’s opening montage with a brilliantly choreographed reenactment of the V-J Day kiss — leads to her murder.

“I have read on an Internet site that some lesbian women are offended about the V-J Day kiss in the movie, writing that it is a cheap shot and an attention-getter for the men. I don’t agree,” Vanova said. “In my opinion that sequence should be included in the movie. … For Silhouette, this was not only about the war ending, this victory represented her own personal victory as well — she was Jewish and a homosexual.”

The V-J Day kiss — a scene unique to the movie — was the part Vanova was asked to audition with.

Vanova said filming the kiss was “amazing” and her favorite part of the experience.

She said during every practice take, the set had been silent, but when it finally was time for the shot to be filmed, balloons and firecrackers went off to represent the celebration and then she performed the kiss.

In the graphic novel, Silhouette retired from the Minutemen after the fact she was a lesbian became public knowledge. Later on, she was murdered by one of her enemies.

SPOILER WARNING In the film’s opening montage, there is a scene where Silhouette and her lover are shown murdered on their bed with the words “Lesbian Whores” written on the wall behind them. END SPOILER

“When we think of superheroes or of heroes, you always think they are people with great moralities or people who are ideal humans. And I think in (“Watchmen”) I think that all the superheroes are flawed — and not in a bad way — but that they are all human. … Because Sillouette was a lesbian and she had to escape Austria, she had her own personal reasons to join the minutemen and these reasons may not always be for the good of others. These superheros enact justice based on their own interpretation and morals. This is what makes them human and flawed,” Vanova said.

A true thesbian, Vanova adjusts herself and her persona to her role — straight or gay.

“As an actor, I feel very comfortable with both,” she said, “When I do a scene with a man, the feminine apect dominates. When it as with a woman, I instinctually become more masculine. In opera, a lot of the roles for mezzo sopranos are ‘pant’ roles and I find the discovery of the masculine very interesting.”

Vanova has not seen the final cut of “Watchmen” and could not comment on whether homosexuality in superheroes was as present in the film as it was in the novel, but based on the footage shown at New York Comic Con, the character of Silhouette was kept the same.

In the novel, the stories of the Minutemen were reserved for brief essays and excerpts from novels taken from within the Watchmen universe that followed each chapter. The history of the Minutemen illuminates on the present circumstances of the superheroes.

Vanova said the film preserves the stories of the Minutemen during the opening montage using a combination of art references (Character Sally Jupiter’s retirement party is based on Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper”) and historic events (Another, The Comedian, is portrayed as being the one who shot Kennedy).

“I think they wanted to show why, for example, my character was ousted for the group,” Vanova said. “I think kiss is just a visual representation of what happened to Silhouette. The snapshot.”

There was an additional scene shot of Silhouette escorting gangsters and “dominating them” with people taking pictures that Vanova said is being held for the DVD.

Vanova said it was the attention to detail that impressed her on the set.

“Every little prop was perfect. I couldn’t believe how real everything was to different times and different eras,” she said. “From what I’ve seen and from when I’ve read the comic book, it was pretty close.”

Her costume, which she enthusiastically expressed her love for, was a glamorized version of the black number Silhouette wore in the comics. The look required that they cinch Vanova’s waist down to a trim 22 inches. “As long as I kept my diet, I was fine,” she said with a laugh.

Vanova, who Stargate fans will recognize from her role in one episode as the Wraith Queen, said she plans on focusing on acting and her opera singing now that “Watchmen” is completed. She is producing her own opera CD, which is slated for release in April.

She certainly has the look for fantastical sci-fi and alternate reality roles like “Watchmen” and “Stargate.” Does she look out for these roles?

“I just happen to fit the roles of unusual characters,” she laughed.

“Watchmen” opens Friday.

Terri Schwartz also reported from New York.

The Sunday comics have always been the best, though in an increasingly paperless world, we often forget that the comic section even exists.

Now there’s a new comic strip to look forward to every Sunday without having to buy a paper: 6 or 7 Popes, a webcomic developed by You & What Productions, a group of college students mostly from Emerson University. Chaz Formichella and Matt Durman, the founders of You & What, came up with the comedy group for a speech class and through developing it, came up with “6 or 7 Popes”.

“We were actually talking about another idea. . . and in brainstorming ideas for that, we started talking about the Pope. We thought we could probably come up with 6 or 7 different popes, and really liked the sound of that, like what could they be — space pope, chocolate pope?‚  Well why is it 6 or 7? Well 2 of them would have to work together,” Formichella explained.

The popes live in an elaborately planned out universe where each pope represents a different world. There are five regularly sized popes: Birthday Pope, Chocolate Pope, Pope Benedict XVI, Space Pope and Ape Pope, and two tiny popes, with their own tiny subplot, that sometimes have to combine their powers to create one slightly larger pope. It all starts at a Popes of the Universe Convention, which suffers a surprise attack, leaving only our characters to fight for justice and Catholicism across space. Speaking of space, Space Pope happens to be a woman, making a statement on progression — maybe the sky’s the limit?

A few popes didn’t make the final cut; for example, Roomba Pope, which according to the comic combines “cleanliness and Godliness” in this bit.

Cleanliness is next to godliness

Every comic strip will contain the same popes, but there will be no continuous plot to save the world. “Each strip is a little window into the “6 or 7 Popes” world, so they don’t really build on each other. Eventually, and I don’t know when, we are going to put together a script and a plot for something big – like a graphic novel or maybe just a long series that we put online where we go into the actual story going on around the webcomic, sort of the origin story,” Formichella said enthusiastically.

For now, You and What will simply be trying to get out a strip a week while dealing with school and winter break. “It’s going to be weekly, we’re trying our hardest to keep it weekly since we’re all away from school right now. We’re trying to have one up each Sunday.”

With the ambitious goal of having a strip planned, drawn, and published each week, a lot of the work lies on You & What’s lone artist, Nick Mcgee, the only member of the group who doesn’t currently attend Emerson. Admitting to the pressure, McGee said “it is actually really hard at the moment. I’m kind of starting to find myself a routine to make sure I can get out all this artwork and do what I do all the time. The most stressful part is that I’m doing it all by hand.”

McGee explained his involvement in the project: “I met Matt, who was roommates with a guy I worked with at the time, and he said he had a project and found out I was an artist”. The guys meet once a week to write out the strip and revise it, though Chaz and Matt have a few back stocked just in case, and Nick scratches out a rough draft in pencil. “I just use pencil and marker and then we scan it in and Steve Donovan puts in all the text,” Nick explained. While his artwork is truly impressive, he’s actually new to comic-style illustrations.

“This isn’t necessarily the type of art I do – I haven’t actually done any comics before. I’ve done more serious work so this is my first time doing something comedy based with a group that’s producing something on a regular basis,” he said.

You & What Productions is growing, surpassing the numbers of their beloved popes to 8 or 9 members: Chaz Formichella, Matt Derman, Ed Reed IV, Nick Mcgee, Gaby Dunn, Steve Donovan, Charles Pieper, John Barrett and their most recent addition, Gregory Goodness. “6 or 7 Popes” has only been out for a month, but keep an eye out for updates each Sunday and future projects coming from You & What Productions including a podcast coming out this spring.

SAN DIEGO — It’s coming out on DVD in January, but we got the chance to screen the upcoming Marvel/Lionsgate animated feature “Hulk vs. Wolverine” on Thursday.

Fans of the animated series will appreciate the spirit of the yellow-clad, “bub” shouting, canine-familiar superhero and the transformation between a meek Dr. Banner and a monstrous Hulk calling Wolverine “little man.”

The 40-minute movie opens true to the pair’s first comic book meeting, with The Incredible Hulk tearing up Canada and the military calling on Wolverine to put a stop to him. They square off before the story pans to some of Logan’s past and the origins of the Weapon X program, nicely paying tribute to the comic book roots.

The Weapon X program and its maniacle “Professor” are back, and they want Wolverine and the Hulk as weapons for themselves. The Weapon X crew includes Sabretooth, Omega Red, Lady Deathstrike and a hilarious Deadpool who steals the show.

It’s a bloody, limb-ripping feature that will surely please X-Men fans come January. It ships on one disc with Hulk vs. Thor.

SAN DIEGO — Attention “Twilight” fans, in addition to movies, music and video games, there’s something else at Comic-con that you may be interested in.

Comic books.

Okay, let’s be realistic, maybe they won’t be interested in comic books, but millions are, it’s the reason why Comic-con exists and we can’t get enough of it.

With the first full day of the con behind us, here’s a look at some of the best non-major label comics that have caught my eye so far at the sold out 2008 San Diego Comic-con International.

Of course, even after trolling the exhibit floor Wednesday for preview night and a good chunk of the day today, I’m sure I haven’t seen all the good ones yet, so don’t go crazy if your favs aren’t on the list.

Valentine
Red Eye Press
Daniel Cooney

“No matter how hard she tries, Valentine just can’t leave the killing game behind. Her life as an assassin has made her a liability to everyone she’s ever known — and the lingering mental effects of the CIA’s MkUltra program have clouded her memory, making her past a puzzle waiting to be pieced together,” states the premise for Dan Cooney’s “Valentine.” This sexy, bitchy killer provides for some classic comic entertainment. The new book, “The Killing Moon,” was unveiled at Comic-con, and it is very good, opening with Valentine crashing a car through some thugs’ living room and taking out the trash.

Headlocked
Visionary Comics Studio
Kingston, Valiente, Gravel

Sure it’s been a while since the WWE was cool, but that doesn’t change how good this story of a young man’s quest to make it in the world of professional wrestling. This color glossy book is well-designed and very impressive for a smaller outfit. When writer Michael Kingston approached me, I didn’t expect much out of a wrestling book, but the amount of work the team put into the comic shows.

Toupydoops
Lobrau Productions
Kevin McShane

Imagine a world where Hollywood was run not by studio execs but by comic book creators. Enter loveable blue Toupydoops and his half-bear, half-human sidekick Teetereater. This is a black and white book that’s well-drawn and nicely detailed. Despite the language and adult situations, there’s something wholesome and genuinely entertaining to be gleaned from reading the six books that McShane and company have put out so far.

GirlsDrawinGirls
Independent
Various Artists

Not so much a comic book as it is an art movement, GirlsDrawinGirls is a fantastic journey through time as some of the top female artists and animators collaborate to draw their gender from caveman days to Victorian times, through their visages of the future. I met with three of the ladies Wednesday, including Melody Severns, who currently works on “The Simpsons.” I also bought a wonderfully illustrated print of a girl playing Nintendo Wii done by Danni S. Lou.

How to be a Serial Killer
Viper Comics
Luke Ricci, Ramon Espinoza

This book was a Comic-con special one-shot deal previewing a movie that’s coming out later in the year. The title explains it all — a man becomes a serial killer and kills people. It’s brutal and violent, but I’m glad I got my hands on a copy of this promotional comic, because the color and drawings are so perfectly done that it makes me want to see the movie — or at least wish Viper could commission a full comic series.

Three more not to miss: “DMZ” by Brian Wood and Riccardo Burchielli and on the major label side, Image’s “Suburban Glamour” by Jamie McKelvie and “Tales of the Starlight Drive In” by Michael San Giacomo et al.