The first Avenger was Captain America back before America joined in the fight to rid the world of the Nazi nemesis. This is the story of Steve Rogers and what could happen if you volunteer for an experiment involving your body and the US Government. The hope was to turn a sickly man into someone that could help the war effort.

While the movie about Captain America, the First Avenger has not yet been released, the comic book hero already has back in 1941. Since that first issue of Captain America Comics #1 was published there have been over 210 million copies sold in over 75 different countries. While the theme has always been popular, it disappeared in the 1950’s due to the lack of interest in war following the stalemate of the Korean War.

The popularity of this superhero that had no super powers other than being in great shape and knowing how to fight was revitalized in 1963. From that point on, the series was not continuous but he kept making appearances with the Fantastic Four, Ironman and with other avengers fight criminals when there was no war to fight. He was even killed off in 2007, but then reemerged later that year when his death was just caroming thru time.

This is what is so great about comic books and the heroes depicted in them. It does not have to make sense or be held by the physical properties of our world, because they live in the comic book world where anything goes.

The popularity of Captain America and the resurgence of patriotism has made it possible for this great American to make it to the big screen. From what has been released the character will not stray too far from the original theme of the comic book written back in 1941.

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Comics have a certain charm with them, especially if it tells a good story. Good stories can be adapted to many media. Good stories also draw us into the characters and their situations. We can relate to them. We can learn from the ways characters fail or succeed in dealing with their circumstances. With the recent release of the classic Watchmen, people can see that comic books can be of great quality and not just some cheap attempt to short tell a good book.

I imagine just about everyone, at some point in their life, has read at least one comic book. In fact, even if you haven't read one, you probably have watched a movie about superheroes. Many leaped to film successfully, such as Batman, Spider-Man and the X-Men, and attracted audiences that don't read comics. Each movie has created its own fan base, sometimes separate from the comic book itself. However, those that were really drawn to the movie and can't wait for the sequel go into the hobby of collecting actual comic books

However, comic book reading can take out a bit of your time and money. New comic books are released every week and for an average reader, who reads anywhere from 5 to 30 comic books weekly, it does take a chunk of your time and your allowance. I have experienced this situation before when I was still a student. Back then comic scans where non-existent and I had to buy each comic book that I liked every week otherwise I feel like I'm falling behind. Even with comic scans, though you might save money, it will still intrude in your busy life especially if all you like is to know what's happening.

Check out my site Comic Book Summaries to know what's currently happening in the comic book world and not take too much time from them. There's a lot to be learned and loved about comic books and this is just my way of sharing my appreciation for them.

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Check out our excellent collection of comic books.

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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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