At a Q&A session at this past weekend's Big Apple Comic Con, Marvel Comic editor-in-chief Joe Quesada was able to field a number of questions from fans, some of which involved the plethora of upcoming Avengers-related film adaptation, specifically, The First Avenger: Captain America. When asked about the state of the project, Quesada responded:

"I've seen a couple of outlines and an initial screenplay, and it's going to rock everyone's socks off," he said. "It's very unexpected, the kind of movie it is." Quesada added that "Captain America" sets up "The Avengers" in "a fantastic way."

Perhaps the most pressing question in regards to the films is their speculated continuity with one another. The idea of different comic book films having a single, cohesive universe within one another is unprecedented. (That is if you don't give any credence to George Clooney's Batman saying "This is why Superman works alone" in the 1997 Batman film that is too horrible to address by name.) When asked about whether this continuity could truly be established, Quesada cited upcoming project The Avengers as proof that it's possible. He said: "It won't be the same exact continuity from the comics, but it'll feel very much like the Marvel continuity."

Frankly, that's all we could ask for. Obviously, there are aspects of comics that are just plain unfeasible to put in film. However, I think that connecting the films gives fans something they have always wanted to see, and increases the overall value of their other potential film franchises. There used to be a time when people would juxtapaose comic films together. It was a symbiotic relationship, as the mediocre comic book films would still share a common genre identity with "good" comic films. However, we are in a time when people have been exposed to one too many stinkers, and comic book films are a dime a dozen. You can't just slap a comic character's name in the title and expect the money to automatically flow. Fans, and even casual moviegoers, need some assurance that these films aren't just disposable projects, overly-laden with CGI and blue-screen acting, but are actually tied into something special.

We then come to another long-discussed topic: WHO will actually play Captain America?

Quesada mentions an "undisclosed wish list of actors" to play the lead in the film. Indeed, the question of who should play the shield-wielding, Nazi-raping titan is a tough one. At first, I'm sure names that are currently in the atmosphere like Chris Pine and Charlie Hunnam are going to come up. (Although I'm not too sure about the former and I can't say that the latter is proven enough.)

Remember: Captain America is from the 40s. During World War II, he was THE S***. Admired by all, created for a specific purpose, and living in a world that is enflamed in a horrible global conflict, but still buttressed by moral and cultural certainties. He is put away in hibernation (how this will be done in the film is obviously still a mystery,) and he awakes in the modern world as a living anachronism. He is forced to adjust to a new world where everything has been redefined, even in regards to the very context of his own existence. THIS is the story of Captain America -- make no mistake about it. He's like Hamlet in blue spandex. (Although, in Hamlet's case, it is he that dies, while the sidekick lives.) Therefore, I hope this "list" of actors contain names of men who not only meet the physical qualifications, but can actually ACT.

Time is quickly ticking away towards The First Avenger: Captain America's projected July 22, 2011 release date.

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