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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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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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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