Comic Book Awards

When you think of comic books, one of the last things you think about is if any comic books receive any accolades. Is there such a thing as comic book awards?

Apparently there are. In America alone, there are several companies that the awards are given to different comic book genres.

One of the main companies that provide awards to the comic book industry is called The National Cartoonist Society Awards, which houses fifteen categories. A panel of judges does the selection. There are regional chapters and the general members do the voting.

Another comic book award company is the comic buyers guide fan awards. The first year the awards were handed out was in 1983. The awards are broken up into several different categories from favorite publisher to favorite inker to favorite comic book hero. In 2003, the most current year there are statistics, the favorite publisher of comic books was DC, which held a forty-six percent majority, with Marvel receiving about twenty-three percent. Dark Horse had a merger two percent (rounded up) of the votes. The favorite comic book was the JSA (Justice Society of America) with almost eight percent of the votes. The favorite comic book hero was Batman with a little more than fourteen percent of the tally.
Americans are not the only country to give out awards for the comic strip and comic book industries. The now defunct Eagle award came hailed from England. In addition, England has, up until the year 2002, an award company called the National Comics awards where a panel of judges award the best comic of the year. All other awards are nominated by everyone and are open to everyone.

France, Spain and Japan all have their equivalent awards.

France has an award called the Grand Prize of the City of Angouleme where a living author, cartoonist or scriptwriters are recognized for their lifetime contribution.

In Spain, one of the awards given is called the Haxtur Awards. The Haxtur Awards celebrate the best long story, best short
story, best cover and a host of other awards that are given annually.

The Japanese have a slew of awards. One of them is called Japanese Cartoonists' Association Awards. The nominations are open to all artists who submit their work. The Association creed is the enrichment and expansion of cartooning in Japan. Another example of Japan's dedicated environment for fostering the art of comic books and its artist's is the Media Arts Awards. Its inception was in 1997 and like its counterpart, all nominations are based on artists who submit there works.
These countries, others not mentioned, and ours help spread the word on comic books and their wide assortment of personnel. The bylaws in their charter differ in there nomination process and the awards given out, but they represent an industry that achieves greatness through their respective works.

To receive tributes is an honor and helps sustain the industry. Bestowing the awards also helps the respective nations lure potential artists within their country to seek out jobs related to the field. The awards and the ceremony help cement the artists and the comic books.

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Comic Book Collections

One of my favorite hobbies is the collection of used and new comic books. I possess over fifteen hundred and fifty comic books that include first printings, autographed copies and graphic novels. Almost all of my collection is super heroes. Why do people collect comic books?

As with most young boys, comic books fascinated me. Adventures to strange planets, odd beings bent on destroying earth just because they can, and the super heroes who must stop the perpetrators. If you take all the elements needed to draft a story, shake and toss the ideas around, brainstorm and throw in a little drama, then you got a good story.

I had comic books growing up but never realized the potential market for it. On occasion I find a comic book that I specifically remember reading as a child and look at how much it is worth today. I am amazed and a little mad that I did not keep them. My current comic book collection commenced in the mid-1980's when comic books were only seventy-five cents. I was living at home and paid little rent. I happened to notice a comic book store not far from where I had worked. I walked in and entered another world. The best part was the comics that were reduced in price. I would get bags full and read with delight into the wee hours of the morning. Other times I found autographed copies from the artists or writers and would buy those. When Batman and The Dark Knight series came out I managed to get all four first printings. Unfortunately they were stolen, along with some other valuable merchandise.

My comic book collection contains a great deal of graphic novels. I enjoy both the comic book and the graphic novel. Oftentimes I come across people who collect comic books and they try to explain to me that they do not read them; they retain it for the potential value. While I do not engage in that practice, if you believe the comic books you buy will be worth something, then by all means do it. I know some of my comic books are worth money but that is not a consideration when I buy them. If I want to read a particular comic book, and it is worth money, I will read it anyway. It may deflate the price, but to reiterate, that is not why I buy them.

A great many people buy covers for their comic books. That is a very good idea. However, you want to make sure the bags are acid free or it will affect the look of your comic books. Storing them in a dry, cool place is preferred. Boxes that are equal in size to the comic book are a good idea since they bend very easily.

People collect comic books for various reasons and it is good to know how to take care of them. The possibility of comic books rising in value is hard to predict, yet it can be done. It takes a bit of research and some luck but the risk is worth it to many people. I collect comic books because I love to read them and determine how the hero will eventually catch the criminal. Whatever the reason, comic books are a staple in our society.

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Comic Book Companies

The genre of the comic book culture has many ardent fans. The readership proves that true. In that venue, the proliferation of comic book companies is astonishing. There are over one hundred comic book companies and many more that are defunct. The competitions to produce, advertise and distribute comic books are daunting. Each company tries to produce a character or characters that appeal to the masses. There are exceptions to that.

There are underground comic book companies that cater to a different segment of society. Sometimes they lead to mainstream because one or more of their characters gains acceptance. The mainstream comic book companies like to create characters that exhibit abilities that the public enjoys. Oftentimes it works. The hero of the story is believable enough that it gains acceptance. The acceptance is crucial for the comic book company to survive the harsh struggle it has to endure.

In other circumstances, the hero or villain does not relate to the readership and it quickly fizzles into obscurity. It is a painful process to the company, or the individual, that does not fulfill its perceived duty to the readership. All the painstaking work that goes into developing the whole spectrum of a comic book company is intimidating. The creation of a hero into an actual comic book denotes time, effort and a great deal of persistence. If the persistence is not enough, the reader will never have the pleasure of seeing your creation into fruition.

The list of defunct comic book companies suggests that many people have tried taking the plunge into creating a comic book company and failed. Unfortunately, failure is a realistic expectation in any business venture, especially the comic book world.

When you think of comic book companies, the two biggest and most popular are the DC comics and Marvel comics. Likewise, there are many independent comic book companies. Each one are vying for you to sustain their existence, and for your hard earned money. The latter one is understandable. A comic book company cannot survive without paid readership. The more circulation, the greater the money. Supply and demand. The law of economics. All of those maxims hold true.
Once the comic book company gains credence, their ability to construct more characters enhance their share of the market. The comic book figures are a representation of the comic book company. Marvel comics contain more cosmic powered heroes and villains than its main competition. DC has a horde of figures that originate from outside the confines of earth, but do not possess nearly the power levels of Marvel.

Other comic book companies, such as Dark Horse comics, use licensed merchandising figures such as Star Wars and Buffy the vampire slayer. Since Dark Horse comics is the third largest of the comic book companies, it must work. Using established characters from television and the movies was a natural extension of the comic book world. The popularity of the characters was well known so the market was already in place.

A comprehensive list of current and defunct comic book companies is easy enough to obtain. The reasons behind the success and failure are another matter. Some of the reasons expounded in this article should make them more lucid.

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Comic Book Merchandising

When a comic book hero becomes famous, the natural inclination is to profit from it. The merchandising of comic book characters is such a venue. The advertising agencies are cognizant of that fact, and so are the comic book publishers. The merchandisings of movies are popular too. Star Wars is a prime example of that. The movie came first. It became such a success that they sold posters and action figures of all the main characters, and a wide assortment of related materials. To put the merchandising power in perspective, consider George Lucas's Star War films. All six of the movies grossed almost three and a half billion dollars. The merchandising of the Star Wars totaled over nine billion dollars. After you consider that, they made Star Wars into comic books!

Merchandising comic books is a serious art. If done correctly the amount of revenue could be staggering. Never the less, there are points to mull over. The location of the action figure in stores, are they displayed prominently where they will receive the most attention? Is the box packaged in such a way that it lures the target audience to it? In addition, one of the most important items is the price. The price has to be reasonable to the public.

The merchandising of comic books also takes form in tee shirts. You can acquire a Superman logo tee shirt from any comic book store. Moreover, you can buy a Superman logo tee shirt at any local mall. The mainstreaming of merchandising in local stores put the super heroes in the forefront of people's consciousness. If you are bombarded with something long enough, it becomes accepted and more people are apt to buy it.

There are psychological and sociological studies to determine the best course of action for merchandising company's products. People's nonverbal movements can be observed to determine if a product, in this case an action figure, tee shirt or anything related to the comic book merchandising, is pleasing to the consumer or not. Facial expressions are an important indicator to see if a person will purchase your merchandise.

Another key area is word of mouth. When you see a movie, and really liked it, you are more lilkely to tell everyone you know about it. When a comic book company makes a movie, they advertise it extensively. The fast food restaurants are an excellent place to market their merchandise for young children. What better way to advertise than go to a local Burger King, Wendy's or McDonalds and see the latest comic book movie's (or any other movie that pertains to children) main characters as action figures?

There are so many aspects to merchandising comic books and the respective super heroes. It does not take a qualified expert to see the prospect of making copious amounts of money through seemingly harmless venues. The operative word I chose was seemingly. Only time will tell the effects of the barrage of advertising merchandise that takes place on a daily basis. Merchandising for comic books is no exception.

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Comic Books and Graphic Novels

Comic books and graphic novels today represent a significant shift in how society is feeling. Society as a whole portends what direction we are headed. Comic book companies recognize that. The graphic novel is an extension of a comic book in that it conveys content as a whole verses segmenting it.

Graphic novels are typically longer in length and cater to a more adult audience since it deals with more mature content.
If there is a mini series, in either Marvel or DC comic books, or it is well liked, they are more apt to put all the parts into one main book. That book is called the graphic novel.

Adding graphic novels to the comic book forum helps boost sales and augments customer loyalty. The customer loyalty in comic books and graphic novels are paramount for the small and big comic book publishers. It is an effective means to bring in more advertising income, boost readership and maintain the level of professionalism that is required.

Within the framework of comic books and graphic novels, the genre is important. You have the fictionalized version, the science fiction, science fantasy, and real life stories. If you add all those components, you get a vast network of titles to read and or collect.

The fictionalized comic book and graphic novel encompasses a great deal of books. There are literally thousands of both types out there. The independent publishers are just as good as the mainstream ones. Graphic novels and comic books offer a slew of topics to choose. You can read about real life people like Malcolm X or made up characters similar to people you meet in the street. Some people who read graphic novels and comic books read all but the super heroes. They consider it a waste of time because of the unrealistic aspect to it.

In graphic novels that are not germane to super heroes, the reader gets the sense that they could relate better to them, if portrayed with a sense of realism. The younger readers are interested in stories and artwork that are totally outside the realm of what older people are in to. That fact produces some diverse comic books and graphic novels. A great many graphic novels foretell of an impending disaster and the main figure in the story (usually a young person) is the only one to avert the destruction. There is a plethora of graphic novels with this subject matter. For the same reason, comic books for the younger crowd do an excellent service providing content that are easily assimilated into their culture.

Comic books and graphic novels are dissimilar from each other. However, the dissimilarities are not necessarily that extensive. Both are creating what the discerning reader conveys, but in a different format. The graphic novel's name implies the content is more mature in nature. However, the differences inherent in both products produce the same result. They attract an audience. The graphic novel may be longer and have variant content than the comic book, but both grant the audience entertainment.

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Comic Books And The Movies

The movie industry is abuzz with comic books being adapted to the full screen. Not only is it profitable for Hollywood to produce comic book characters, but for the comic book industry too. There have been low budget movies and television series based on the more popular comic books. Usually the low budget movies do not fare well.

The blockbuster comic book movies usually use well-known actors and the difference between the low budget movies and the high-end movies are palpable.

The television industry has had a love affair with comic book heroes for generations. The old serial shorts showed a popular comic book hero. The special affects were limited with the era but it introduced the character into the mainstream.
The advent of radio-helped pave the way for the comic books to hit the ordinary folk that would never had the exposure to them.

As time advanced so did the technology and the special effects. Certain comic book super heroes needed to employ certain feats to appear to fly and see through walls. Wires were strung on the costumes, and hoisted in the air to appear to defy gravity. Boulders that were huge in size were actually made of paper. All kinds of primitive devices were used to entertain us. And entertain they did. The advances in the special effects department gave Hollywood its first glimpse into a lucrative enterprise. In 1978 the first big blockbuster came onto the scene and the movie industry was taken aback at the amount of money that was made. The comic book industry took notice to and continued with three more sequels that never matched the first one. In 1989 Batman came out and it was an instant success. Jack Nicholson portyrayed the Joker with fervent appeal and was the only actor, at the time, to receive a share of the profits.

There have been a few Batman movies and each successive one had better special effects. The comic books had finally come into majority of the households. The Hulk, the Fantastic Four and the Silver Surfer, Spiderman, The Punisher, and soon to be released Iron Man.

With so man famous comic books hitting the big screen, the relationship between the movie industry and the comic book business have cemented. Obviously, it benefits both parties. The movie empire can be assured on profits, especially if word of mouth is positive. Nothing can sink a movies fortune than a negative response from people. I am not referring to the critics. Ordinary people who spend their hard earned money are more influential than the critics. It helps the comic book domain by getting more and more people exposed to their comic book heroes and villains. Thus, people who normally would not read comic books could be persuaded to buy some.

Comic books and the movies enjoy a relationship that has endured for a long time. Each successive generation will be able to watch new movies with different comic book characters. And each one will bring about changes in how the movies are made and the special effects they use.

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Comic Books From Around the World

There are a vast number of comic books to choose since their inception. When someone thinks about comic books, they think of everyday comics and their heroes in this country.

However, comic books do not always come from the United States. The vast majority of the world has comic books. The European Union houses copious amounts of comic books. France, British, Italy are just some of the different nations that partake.

France has had comic books for a long time. The comic book author generally decides when the next installment comes out. Since it is the discretion of the author, he or she may take months or even years for the next issue to be published. The audience does not seem to be bothered with waiting. If it is the will of the author, so be it. The amount of comic books that are produced from France is significant comparatively to the populace, which would indicate that it is a popular form of entertainment. If there are many authors to choose from, then this lends to the idea of people not caring how long it takes to buy the next installment. The reader can buy a different title from a different author.

The British comic books are not as well know as their American counterpart. One of the more popular comic books that hailed from Britain was the Judge Dredd series brought to life by Sylvester Stallone. Although it brought to light a comic book character from Britain, most people did not know it originated from there. Marvel comics opened up an office in Britain in 1972. DC and Dark Horse comics did not open up offices there until the 1990's. It seems the English enjoy our comic book heroes as well as we do.

Italian comic books are strongly influenced by other countries. They prefer more adventure like stories that tell tales. Unlike America, where once a week you can find a new edition, Italian comic books come out monthly and are usually longer in length. The Italian comic book publishers immensely enjoy Walt Disney characters. They are the largest manufacturers of Walt Disney figures, other than the United States.

The Japanese also love comic books. In Japan, they are referred to as Magna. They are known for their exaggerated facial features, which were inspired by American authors. Japan had requested help from comic book artists from America to go over to learn contours, shapes and colors to help revise their comic books. The result was the exponential growth of comic books.

It appears that America has a big influence of comic books from around the world. The result implies that everyone, no matter where you reside, wants a form of pictorial entertainment. The pursuit of amusement with a glossy cover, colored pages depicting figures that face immeasurable odds, only enhance the benefit of reading comic books. The world needs a release, and through the sequential formats they provide, there will be a never-ending deluge of comic books to read. America is not alone in its need to escape and absorb into a fantasy-based comic book.

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