Kevin Smith is about as opinionated a filmmaker as they come, and he isn't afraid to let his geek flag fly. As a longtime fan of comics, Smith is a logical person to ask which comic book film came out on top this year: "The Dark Knight Rises" or "The Avengers." Despite being a self-proclaimed DC junkie, the "Clerks" director couldn't resist the charms of Joss Whedon's ensemble Marvel film.

"I never imagined that I would love 'Avengers' more than 'Dark Knight Rises,'" he told The Playlist. "I never would have thought I would have liked 'Avengers' more than 'Dark Knight Rises' but I really did like 'Avengers' more. And I've watched them an equal amount of times. 'Avengers,' I'm not going to say it's the better movie, but it puts a smile on your face. It's magical cinema."

Smith does have some qualms with "The Avengers," though. He explained that the first time he saw the movie he was taken out of it by "the Loki poke-y stick in the beginning" that made the Trickster God evil. It wasn't until Smith was first introduced to Mark Ruffalo's take on the Hulk that he was officially on board.

"By the middle of it I was like, 'The Hulk is amazing.' The next time I watched it I was totally into it. You can't watch that movie and be like 'I object to the Loki poke-y stick' when there's a mother--ker who turns into a green giant," he said. "I've now watched 'Avengers' about eight times, twice on a plane back-to-back. It just keeps giving. That's 10,000 across the board! Whedon in the driver's seat, 70-80 years of Marvel, and the charm f--king factor of Robert Downey Jr. It runs like a golden machine."

As for "The Dark Knight Rises," it seems like Smith was a bit disappointed by the final Christopher Nolan Batman movie.

"'The Dark Knight Rises' I have a weird relationship with -- it's like a chemical romance with a toxic ex-girlfriend where I love her to death but there are some things about her that are just f--king wrong," he said. "Not only would I have never imagined that 'Dark Knight' would underperform (based on other mitigating factors of course). But I would have never thought 'Avengers' would make more than 'Dark Knight Rises.'"

To date, "The Avengers" has made $1.5 billion worldwide, while "The Dark Knight Rises" has made $1.08 billion.

Which did you end up liking more: "The Dark Knight Rises" or "The Avengers"? Tell us in the comments section below or on Twitter!