Capes? Who needs capes?

Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman ... those are the names you think of when you hear “DC Comics.”

But the publisher had quietly established itself as the most successful pipeline of non-tights comics properties for Hollywood with “Road to Perdition,” “History of Violence,” “Constantine” and “V for Vendetta.” Next up are adaptations of the Losers, which began decades ago as the story of a scrappy, hard-luck quartet of military outcasts in World War II, and Jonah Hex, the disfigured loner of the Old West who rents out six-shooter services.

I also heard today that “The War That Time Forgot” has been optioned, which brings up the prospect of Nazis and dinosaurs together on screen.

I caught up with Paul Levitz, publisher and president of DC Comics, and he said that while “superheroes are our specialty, a big part of who we are ... we have been able to have more success with the non-superhero projects than any other couple of publishers put together.” Levitz said it's just luck. “We started our Vertigo line of books specifically to diversify our portfolio.”

Wow, he sounds like a businessman.

I remember when Levitz was best known for writing the scripts for “The Legion of Super-Heroes” back in the 1970s. I told Levitz that he was one of my first favorite writers. “Yes, those were great years. I’m glad you liked them.”

-- Geoff Boucher