Back in the good old days, if a kid had a quarter in his pocket he would jump on his skateboard or Schwinn Stingray bicycle and head as fast as he could to the five-and-dime and pick up the newest copy of Spiderman or my favorite, Journey into Mystery featuring the Mighty Thor. These great Marvel Silver Age comics are now worth thousands of dollars and it all started with some kid and his quarter. Now if you want to buy comic books you need to either find an actual comic book store, which are becoming more and more rare every passing month, or you can buy comic books online.

When you buy comic books online you definitely will save some time but you lose the ability to actually hold the comic book in your hands like when you go to the actual store. Personally I like to be able to saunter into a comic book store and walk around, check out the expensive mags on the wall displays, and delve deeply into their back issue files.

About fifteen years ago I started going to comic book stores with my son and we would buy his favorite titles, usually Superman, and while he was looking at the newer titles I would search in the back issue files and find rare gems. After a couple of years of doing this I ended up with quite the collection of Silver Age Marvel comics. I bought a lot of Thor comics, but others also, including lots of X-men and Fantastic Four. Some of these comics were not in very good condition, but I bought them anyway with the reasoning that they were not making these anymore and someday they would be worth something just for being rare. I now have a pretty nice collection that is worth quite a bit of moolah.

If you want to buy comic books online there are several good websites you can go on. Ebay has an extensive ongoing rotation of great comics for sale, including many that have received the CGC (comic guarantee company) certification and are enclosed in hard plastic. You can search through their extensive database and find rare comics and graphic novels as well as newer titles. You can bid on any comics you find there and sometimes you can pick up some pretty good bargains or rare gems. Most of the time though you end up paying more than you intended or someone else beats you in the final auction bidding.

One of the best places to buy comic books online is at www.midtowncomics.com. Here you will find all of the best titles available from Silver Age to today's mangas. Another great site is www.atomicavenue.com and you can search their extensive database. You can also sell comics as well as buy comic books online there.

With the massive worldwide popularity of comic book and movie superheroes such as Spiderman, Iron Man, the Hulk, the Fantastic Four, and of course, the X-men, comic book prices will continue to rise, especially older, harder to find titles.

It’s Easy to buy Comic Books Online is a post from: Greenmatrix Comic Books

What artistically inclined kid has not dreamed of one day drawing comic books for a living? To be able to sell your doodling and make a great living seems too good to be true. Imagine finishing your first comic book for Marvel or DC and becoming an international sensation. You can then go back to your grammar school teachers and wave the comics in their face while lighting your cigar with a 0 bill.

Comic books are worth tons of money these days and all the movies and animations that they have spawned make billions of dollars worldwide. Spiderman, X-Men, Wolverine, Superman, Batman and Robin, the Incredible Hulk, the Fantastic Four, the Silver Surfer, and Iron Man are just some of the big name comic heroes that have graduated from the pulp pages to the big screen with enormous success.

One of the first great comic book movies was Superman starring the late Christopher Reeves. This movie had a gigantic impact because it was the first real movie to use those types of special effects that later became common. It came out right around the same time as Star Wars and featured our hero flying in a very realistic way. Prior to that incarnation on the big screen the only super heroes we saw on film or TV was the old Batman and Robin series from the sixties. This was pretty schlocky and had miserably poor effects but yet was wildly popular in its heyday. It is strange that it took Hollywood so long to realize that they were sitting on a gold mine with comic book titles.

Stan Lee started Marvel Comics Group and turned it into a juggernaut in the sixties with creations such as Spiderman, the Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, X-Men, and the Fantastic Four. This was the Silver Age of comics and featured some of the best artists and writers in the business. Drawing comic books became an art form when Jack Kirby (Thor, Fantastic Four) decided to lift his pencil for the first time. He and fellow Marvel artists such as John Romita (Spiderman) and John Buscema (Spiderman) took drawing comic books to another level of artistry. For the fist time in history comic books were considered modern and pop art masterpieces.

Drawing comic books really came into a new phase with great artists such as Barry Smith who exploded onto the scene with the dynamic renditions of Conan the Barbarian. Many budding artists were inspired in the early days to make a career out of drawing comic books. Drawing comic books for a living is a great way to go if you have the talent and the ambition. There are several great schools where you can learn how to draw comics for a living including the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. There are wonderful books available on Amazon.com that will give you some training in how to draw comic books. So go ahead and make your dreams come true. You never know, one day you could be the inventor of the next Spiderman or Batman.

Drawing Comic Books and Graphic Novels for a Living is a post from: Greenmatrix Comic Books

Comic books have been around in the United States since 1934. The term "comic book" was coined due to the fact that the first books were actually reprinted humor comic strips. But as any comic book enthusiast knows, comic books aren't just about humor anymore as they tell stories and cross many genres.

If you have ever wanted to become an author of a comic book or create your own series, you might have asked what it takes and what is the process.

To start, most comic books are designed by groups of people. For larger and better-known comic book distributors, there are a series of people on staff that include a writer, a penciller, an inker, a colorist, a letterer, and an editor. Sometimes one person can take a variety of roles. For instance, in most alternative and small press comics, the same person will write and illustrate, although it is still common for a separate person to produce the color separations, and sometimes the lettering.  In Japan, where the comic book is called a mangaka, one person usually writes and pencils his own work while their assistants may handle the inking, screentone, and lettering.  In most European comics, there are usually two or three artists involved: a writer, an artist who provides lettered artwork, and a colorist where necessary.

If you are you are interested in starting your own company and hiring the people or friends to get your comic series off the ground, here are some steps to consider:

1.    Concept/World - Maybe you already have the concept or imaginary world of your comic book idea in your mind and this is why you are interested in creating your own comic book. This is a great start. But if you don't and you just like the idea of comic books, then here is where you try to imagine a concept that nobody else has come up with yet. You can start by asking yourself questions such as who would be my hero or what would happen if this kind of person met this other type of person in an imaginary world? You don't have to be the writer to come up with a concept, which brings us to number two.

2.    Writer/Story - Your writers are the people or maybe just one person, who takes the concept and turns it into a story. A good writer understands the story well and is great at writing dialogue. The writer or writers will also give the story its basic structure, rhythm, its setting, develop its characters, and help refine the plot.

3.    Penciller - The penciller uses a pencil to sketch out images to go along with the story. It is done in pencil so that changes can be made as needed. This person has the responsibility of creating the overall look of the comic. Many comic book enthusiasts are very critical about the artwork of a comic and can even choose comics solely by the artwork, therefore the work of the penciller is just as critical as the other positions.  

4.    Inker - The inker will take the pencil work and bring it to life with color. The inker will typically start off by going over the penciled in work with black ink, giving the lines more depth and more of a three-dimensional look. By enhancing the lines in black and white to start, it makes it easier to copy and color the images. Some pencillers will do this part themselves, but it takes a different kind of skill set than the penciller uses. Although the inker is basically retracing everything, they also are given credit for helping the art become a finished piece.

5.    Colorist - The colorist adds color, lighting, and shading to the inks of the comic book. Special attention to detail is critical here, because if the colorist doesn't use the right colors, people will notice.

6.    Letterer - Without words to convey the story, your readers may very well be lost. During this stage of comic production, the letterer adds the words, sound effects, titles, captions, word bubbles, and thought bubbles. Some creators do this by hand with the aide of an Ames Guide and T-Square, but most people do this via computers.

7.    Editorial - The editor of the comic book gives it a final look through - overseeing the quality and identifying problems that potentially need to be fixed. The editor has fresh eyes or the project as well, and is able to see the comic as if for the first time.

8.    Printing/Publishing - Now for the printing and publishing. Some comics are printed digitally. Having your comic book printed and published is the final element and therefore the book should be complete in every way. Once published, all you have to do is market it and sell it, which could mean a whole other set of staff.

While these eight steps seem simple, the process of creating a comic book that is truly unique and catchy can be a challenge. But if it is your passion, then there is no harm in giving it a try. Who knows, you might have the next best selling comic.

The Process of Creating A Comic Book is a post from: Greenmatrix Comic Books

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