Comic books have a long-standing bad reputation.

There is this presumption that people who read “comics” are children and gamer-geeks who attend those four-day annual conventions.

People seem to think the word “comic” is associated exclusively with the “funnies” in Sunday newspapers and somber cult magazines.

And at one time ministers, shrinks, cops and parents cited comic books for the cause of rising juvenile crime during the 1940s and ’50s (Comics were basically today’s equivalent of video games). So that may be why older people seem so anti-comic books.

But, it seems that since the newer releases like the recent Spiderman and Batman movies, as well as “Sin City” and “300,” have brought record numbers of audiences to theaters, comic books have grown in popularity over the last several years.

Many people have begun to realize they have gone from the basic run-of-the-mill, predictable superhero adventures to notable literary works known instead as “graphic novels.”

Comics are beginning to come into their own as a mature and sophisticated art form.

They are a form of visual storytelling that has a long history – a history that has been the focus of museum exhibits and discussions of graduate student thesis papers during the last few years.

We are adults who no longer need stories that come equipped with pictures in order to understand them. But the emotional impact of the intense visuals speaks more loudly than just words alone.

They’re simple because they are broken down frame by frame. Combined, they are a sequenced story, but each individual drawing is a beautiful work of art in its own regard.

The pictures and words are broken up into pieces but the story is still challenging to the reader. The story lines are complex. And the comics present important ideas, just like any other literary work.

People have even began using comics in the classroom, creating comic book versions of Shakespeare in a system called ‘Manga.’ With this system the old English characters take on facial features similar to Japanese anime: Big, shiny eyes and small noses.

But one of the most interesting concepts that comes with reading graphic novels is the fact that there is no proper form. There are no established rules, with every author/artist, each has their own style.

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