While waiting in line to see the latest edition of the X-Men series, I began to survey the other people in line to get an idea of what type of crowd was coming to see the film.

At first glance it seemed like the usual suspects had shown up for the screening, like the comic book fan sporting a Wolverine T-shirt and the parents bringing their kids to the show.

The harder I looked though, the more I noticed that there were people there one wouldn't expect to see at a comic book movie. There were grandparents, but they had come without their grandkids, guys with their girlfriends and husbands with their wives.

It was here I realized that the comic book movie was no longer just being taken seriously by kids and comic book fans, but by everyone who enjoys going to the movies.

When a person thinks of what brought this change about, it appears to be much more simple than someone would think — the comic book film no longer thinks of itself as just a comic book film, it thinks of itself as a serious film with comic book undertones.

It doesn't seem like it was that long ago when studios were releasing films like "Spawn" and "Batman and Robin," films that not only didn't take themselves seriously, but were also poor adaptations of their comics.

These were the films that cast George Clooney and John Leguizamo in major roles in hopes that they would help make the film more money, but instead tarnished everything these comic books stood for. Even the first X-Men seemed to rush through a well-developed story just so it could deliver enough action scenes in hopes of satisfying the audience.

Then Sam Raimi and his team came along and created a new "Spiderman" movie, and the genre was changed forever. Raimi did something in that film that audiences had yet to see in a comic book movie. He put effort into developing a well-rounded story and multi-dimensional characters.

After this movie became a hit with fans and critics, the comic book film was given a different look and a new mission. Every year, audiences were getting bigger and better films that took on Raimi's approach.

It feels like almost everyone has begun to take this genre seriously, everyone except Hollywood. As a business, Hollywood only sees these films as moneymakers, ways to make sure that the people working in this business are well insured for years to come.

These films are almost always released during the summertime and almost never released prior to awards season. In fact this is one of the few genres that probably has never had one of its films nominated for any major acting or film award.

The only way Hollywood allows a film to be given the chance to receive some kind of recognition for its achievements is when the comic is labeled as a "graphic novel" instead.

Look at recent films like "Road to Perdition" or "A History of Violence," which are both graphic novels and both the closest thing a comic has ever gotten to recognition in Hollywood.

I want to see someone like Christian Bale or Raimi nominated for an award for their work on a film based on a comic book-based film. The fans treat these films seriously and the critics are beginning to catch on too. Isn't it about time that Hollywood did the same thing?

Justin Kroll is a State News general assignment reporter, he can be contacted at krolljus@msu.edu.