Do you want “Wanted”?

“Wanted” is a property with an odd history of false claims.

The comic, written by Mark Millar, was hyped as the villain-version of “Watchmen.” How that would actually read, I do not know, but when I read the series, I didn’t feel like I was reading a visually dense literary meditation on what it means to be a villain in the world of today.

Rather, it was a great story that asked the question: What if the bad guys won?

During the series release, we also heard that Eminem (to whom the lead character Wesley bore a striking resemblance) was in talks to play star in a film version. Could Halle Berry – the visual basis for “The Fox” – be far off?

Of course neither of those two ended up in the movie, which is now due out June 27, 2008.

But neither of those previous falsehoods made any difference in my enjoyment of the comic book. Sadly, the fact that the movie is going by the name “Wanted” is a betrayal in and of itself.

Super-villains? No, they’re assassins. Anti-hero? No, Wesley is on a hero’s journey.

I like James McAvoy and Morgan Freeman and Angelina Jolie, but from what I’ve seen in the trailer, I don’t particularly want to see “Wanted.”

– Greg Elwell