Back with more news for you today. It's amazing how much good information there is on this stuff out there if you know where to look. Three in particular that I found really valuable were...

Gregor's Comic Book Review: COMIC BOOK REVIEWS for week 8/05/09

COMIC BOOK REVIEWS for week 8/05/09. We want to know what you're thinking!!! Please leave COMMENTS. You do not have to register or log in to leave comments. Also, There are 4 new polls on the right. Don't forget to check them out. ...

Stuff Black People Don't like: #284. Barack Obama-less Comic Books

Black people have long loved comic books, as it is their favorite form of reading pleasure, even though the comic book industry has been hard pressed to create Black characters that resonate with the public. ...

Red Robin# 3 Previews | A COMIC BOOK BLOG

Red Robin #3 Previews. Written by Christopher Yost. Art by Ramon Bachs.

Hope you enjoy the read as much as I did and please if you have something to say, use the comments form below to let everyone know your thoughts.

Have a great day!

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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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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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