When I was younger, I was told good things come to those who wait.

That’s hard to believe when you’re five, but behold: the truth of my elders!

It may have taken the majority of my life so far and some rude comments from my more athletic contemporaries in grammar school, but the time has finally come. Summer 2008 can be declared the summer of the nerd.

Yes, all the time I invested in watching movies about aliens with pointy ears, driving myself to the comic store just to see how Spiderman was doing and standing for hours in line for midnight premieres of “Star Wars” (episodes II and III) has finally paid off.

This summer will mark the release of “Iron Man,” “The Dark Knight,” “Star Trek XI,” “Speed Racer,” “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” and “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.” A good lineup for those who want some action and adventure mixed with fantasy and weird technology. You’ll be able to see a man fly around in a red and yellow armor suit and then see a clown fight a guy in a bat suit. If that’s not drama, I don’t know what is.

Sci-fi and fantasy films are not new, but even an apathetic moviegoer would have to admit the genre has been getting more attention these days. With the success of shows such as “Lost” on ABC and “Battlestar Galactica” on Sci-Fi network, Hollywood producers have taken note of the promise for more dollars in the bank with more bodies in the seats.

But even this self-proclaimed nerd can’t rejoice too much over the impending summer of sci-fi.

While it’s true that writers such as J.J. Abrams are good at combining the surreal with the real (he can retire now before “Lost” ever reaches its climactic explanation), Abrams is only one man generating the new ideas. This summer’s lineup is a telltale sign of what’s to come. While all the classic sci-fi characters are immortalized on celluloid, none are coming in to take their place.

Consider the reason for Marvel allowing its comics to be made into movies: bankruptcy. When glossy pages weren’t selling anymore, the comics companies decided to make some movies and see what happened. Luckily, the grown nerds joined their comic-daft contemporaries and all celebrated with upside kisses everywhere (Maguire and Dunst, eat your hearts out).

Sci-fi is being treated as a well to tap for extra cash. While I love the conversion of several classic heroes from page to film, I can’t help getting bored, too. The film superhero offers the typical good vs. evil, but when that formula becomes as reliable as Bruce Willis punching a bad guy in the nose, the sci-fi fan may not be the only person who finds the price of a ticket too high for the same old cape and tights.

The writing on the wall for sci-fi is not written in Klingon. You won’t need a power ring to read elfin ruins. The well of sci-fi ideas will run out eventually. The filmmakers of today should take a note from Roddenberry, Serling and Lucas. Their sci-fi didn’t come from old ideas, but from original concepts — because Harrison Ford can’t live forever.