Welcome to Comic Books

About Comic Book Companies

Comic have long held a fascination for children and adults alike. There are more than a hundred comic book companies and then there are those which are defunct too. The explosion rate of comic book companies is quite amazing. So is the rush to distribute, produce and advertise them. Companies try to find that one character or characters that would have instant appeal with the masses. But you do have companies that are underground and not looking to cater to the masses but to a completely different section of the society.

If the character in such comics is accepted then they go on to become mainstream comics. Here the character of the story is one with whom the public can relate too and is believable enough for people to like. This is important because the survival of the comic book is dependent on the acceptance by the targeted readers. If the opposite happens where the readers are not able to relate to the character and activities then the comic book fades into oblivion. There is a lot of work involved in making a comic book and if the readers don't accept it then it's a whole lot of effort wasted. If there is no perseverance and dedication towards getting out a good piece of work then the readers are not going to pay any attention to your work.

This non acceptance is evident from the list of defunct comic book companies that one can see. But then failure is to be expected especially in the heavily competitive business world. There is a comprehensive list of these defunct companies available and the reasons for why they are defunct are easy to see.

Paid readership is very essential for the survival of any comic book company. Paid readership means sustained readership which is essential for the company to move on. The age old economic theory of supply and demand holds true for comic books. At present the two very popular and probably the largest among comic book companies today are Marvel comics and DC comics. Of course there are a lot of independent companies too.

Gaining credibility is difficult and once the company in question does get a foothold they are able to increase their repertoire of characters and take another step into the market. It's the comic figures that represent the company. Marvel has a lot more of villains and cosmic heroes than DC who is its main competition and DC has an entire troupe of characters from outer space.

But in this world of comic books there is another player and they are those who use licensed figures like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Star Wars to name a few. Dark Horse is the third largest comic company and it belongs to this genre. In the world of comic books, using characters that are long established on TV is a common feature and the market for these characters is already there so there is relatively less to do in terms of promotion of the comic.

New York's secret origins

Any time of day, New York looks like a comic. Every block of Manhattan tells part of the story, like illustrated panels on the page: Superman soars over Midtown's skyscrapers, Batman lurks on the rooftops of Gothic buildings, the Spirit sulks in the shadows of the Lower East Side and Spider-Man's girlfriends plunge to almost certain deaths from the borough-spanning bridges.

Empire of superheroes

Michelle Griffin surveys the shadow zones of New York City that have inspired the world's most popular comics.

Personal Liberties: Comic book artist Frank Cho has made a career of being bawdy and bold

Frank Cho is at his first comic book signing in Paris doing something he excels at: drawing women's breasts. art - Comic - Frank Cho - Collecting - Research and Academia

Some campus essentials

Diary of a schoolgirl (8/25/2010) You have options and you want to attend a worthy college? This high-schooler does too. Bureau of Urban Living 460 W. Canfield St., Detroit; 313-833-9336 Located on the ground floor of the Canfield Lofts in midtown Detroit, Bureau of Urban Living calls itself a "modern-day urban general store."

Superman and Spiderman May Have a New Colleague; Chicago Comic Book Artist Doug Klauba Resurrecting Golden Age Comic ...

CHICAGO----With the Wizard World Chicago Comic Con convention taking place August 19 to 22 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, local fan boys and girls are prepping their costumes and laser swords for a few days of escapist fun, including the opportunity to meet some of their favorite celebrities, artists and illustrators.