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Comic Books � The Modern Age

If one were to classify which the Modern Age of comic books would be, it would probably start in the middle of the 1980s and go right up to today. It really is a kind of a continuing of the Bronze Age with the difference being that there were suddenly comic book publishers that came out of nowhere. Of course, there were well known people from the two comic book giants who set up their own independent companies as well. Companies like First, Eclipse, Pacific. One wonders why there was this need to set up independent companies. Well, the main reason was the fact that there were no restraints and controls so there was a lot more freedom of expression. Creativity could be let loose again and this obviously made for much better comic books.

Side by side with this was the decreasing power that the Comic Code Authority could exercise so the two genres that took off in the light of this were science fiction and horror. So there came Conan the Destroyer and soon you had many more following suit with similar characters. Dracula returned and so did Batman � in fact they even had a comic book encounter! So super heroes and horror started coming together and suddenly the whole comic book saw a brand new character thanks to these independent comic book companies.

Of course, once things started flowing and creativity started gushing forth, it was time for a bit of a change � so enter the anti-hero. In fact, an anti-super hero. So we saw Batman morphing into his evil side like a Jekyll and Hyde. Then we saw the incarnation of Robin � Jason, who got killed by the Joker. The comic book character Wolverine was also pretty much in the same boat. He helped people and yet he had an attitude and he had a terrible temper which he struggled to control even though he helped a lot of people in need.

Another superhero with a dark side was Daredevil who wears a terrifying costume, like a devil and who is blind. However, all his other senses are alert even though he is a mutant. He is fully aware that he is different and while he does undergo trials and tribulations because of that, he has a strong personality and this perhaps is a super hero's best asset.

It isn't very easy to say when exactly the Modern Age began and whether it really is an age apart from the Bronze Age barring a few differences. However, it is great to see the whole comic world growing and expanding and evolving, creating characters who become a part of our lives.

Countdown to Party Time: Comic Book Talks

Strap on your utility belt. The Heroes and Villains Library Party is coming. As we count down to the Heroes and Villains Library Party on Feb. 24 , bone up on your comic book history and superhero savvy by attending these great talks, presented by the Duke Marketing Club and Duke University Libraries.

UPDATED With Top 300 Charts: January 2012 Comic Book Sales

Updated Feb. 6th with the Top 300 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Sales chart (below) with sales indexes.

Comic book musical spoof being staged by children’s theatre group

STOCKTON — A comic book musical spoof offers singing superheroes, dancing villains, and lots of laughs in KUDOS’ production of “Adventures of a Comic Book Artist”.

Collector of figurines and statues of comic book and movie heroes, villains and more, turns passion into profits

Collector of figurines and statues of comic book and movie heroes, villains and more, turns passion into profits News-Times Copyright 2012 News-Times. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Published 11:06 a.m., Tuesday, May 3, 2011 Collector of figurines and statues of comic book and movie heroes, villains and more, turns passion into ...

Worst Hostess Comic Villains

Hostess Brands has filed for bankruptcy, and our supplies of "Fruit" Pies, Sno Balls, Twinkies and those delicious chocolate cupcakes are threatened to vanish from convenience stores once and for all. We here at UGO are placing the blame on these 11 super-lame villains from Hostess comic book ads.