Comics To Invest In! Why You Should CGC Your Comic Investments!

When it comes to which comics to invest in, many forget one important ingredient about comic investing. The one thing most forget is getting the most value for your investments when it comes to buying them and the time to sell them.

The debate about whether to get your comics third party graded by professional grading services like CGC and PGX still rages. Some refuse to get comics graded. I'm going to reveal why this is a mistake.

There will come a time when you'll want to sell your comic books. Your main goal should be getting the highest return on your comic investments.

Ungraded books will leave you with a higher risk of selling your comics or collection for far less than they're worth. Most collectors don't know how to properly grade. This leaves them wide open targets for comic dealers.

There are some trust-worthy dealers out there, but there are also many comic buyers and dealers who are looking to rip you off when buying your collection. Many will under grade your collection and try to get your key issues as cheap as possible.

Comic books that aren't professionally graded by CGC or PGX run the risk of too much subjectivity. You may think you're book comic is at a Near Mint, and it may be, but a comic dealer can persuade you that it's no higher than a grade of Fine.

A comic that's CGC graded is considered "universal." That means whatever grade CGC grades the book, it's accepted by most collectors and dealers alike, making it harder for anyone to under grade your comics or to question the validity of it's grade.

That fact is also important for many collectors as well. Many eBay sellers don't know how to grade and advertise their comics at grades higher than they should be.

A comic that's CGC graded eliminates this problem. If it's CGC graded, you can be certain that you are paying for the grade the book is listed as.

Both buyers and sellers benefit. Buyers don't want to pay for a book at a Near Mint price when it's real value is at a Fine, and someone selling their comic investments don't want to sell their comic at a Fine price when the book's grade and value is at Near Mint.

Of course, getting your comic books graded by professional services like CGC or PGX can be expensive, as well as buying books already graded. This is why it's important to know which comics to invest in as well as which comic investments already in your collection that are worth getting CGC graded.

Don't waste your money by sending comic books that aren't worth grading to CGC or PGX! Discover what are the best CGC comics to invest in by clicking the link, as well as the top comic investment choices to get professionally graded if you have them!

Japanese Games

Today, you will find people of all ages enjoying these games in some form or the other. While kids love cartoons and animated characters in fairy tale stories; adults prefer games on a more realistic scale such as war games and puzzles. Let's now get to know more about these games that have been popular worldwide since decades.

What sets them apart?

A majority of these games have a lot many animated characters which perform many funny and amusing actions in the game in a bid to entertain the players. The Japanese style of animation is mainly taken from a comic book series called "Manga" and it is highly popular amongst kids of all ages. Not only in Japan, but kids all over the world love Manga comics and characters depicted or improvised from these books. What sets Manga cartoons apart from other cartoon characters are the features. Big eyes, blunt features and a virtual absence of a nose comprise of their distinct features.

Apart from these animated games, there are a lot more options available in Japanese Games today. There are racing games, card games, mysteries, puzzles, and others. The main aim of Japanese game makers today is to give a more realistic feel to the characters and even to the game overall. Today manufacturers of Japanese Games have even started making 3D animated Japanese Games in a bid to grab a greater market share as also the attention of new and old gaming enthusiasts who love this new technology.

How it all started?

The first company to introduce video games made in Japan to the world was Japanese electronics giant Nintendo. They stepped into the market way back in the year 1917, as mentioned earlier and took the market by stomr and introduced people to a whole new form of entertainment. Competition came in much later for Nintendo in the form of Sony and others.

Present Day Scenario:

Games of today are far ahead of the ones' that people used to play in the 1990's. Consoles like PlayStation and PlayStation Portable, both manufactured by Japanese Company, Sony and Nintendo's "Wii" console have totally redefined gaming. With accelerometers and motion sensing technologies, one can easily play games like tennis, cricket and many others in ways never imagined before.

Japanese Games today literally bring the gaming environment alive and this helps people step into a whole new world that people only used to see in science fiction movies!

Japanese games are one of a kind to be played. You'll definitely enjoy playing it. We can also say that the time spent playing Japanese games is indirectly proportional to the entertainment & satisfaction you get.

Animated or Cartoon Characters Could Help You Make a Successful Career

Superman, Batman, and many other super heroes, Tom & Jerry and the famous Popeye! Do you wonder where all they come from or how they were created? Ever imagined what purpose they are meant to serve? Probably they all are a part of intelligent and creative thinking of people and have been able to amuse all from the time they were introduced to the world. A cartoonist in the year 1971 created Chacha Chaudhary which was later adapted into a television version and it became a favorite of almost all. Most of the cartoon characters have comics' editions too but definitely people love to watch the animated version or moving clips of such characters in action. The appeal of animation or cartoons is not limited to kids but adults too like watching them. Ask any person who would not have any idea about Tom & Jerry series. If only comics were produced on the same, probably the attraction to read or know about them would have been meager. It is animation or the moving concept, added with audio content is what has been able to lend a shine and edge to such cartoon clips of Tom & Jerry series.

There is art involved in every way when it is about creating a full-fledged character. If you desire pursuing a career in the animation industry it becomes vital to undergo a well-designed training program for which also a reputed training center is important. With time the technique has gained popularity and subsequently more number of students desire making a career in the sector. There are many animation institutes which offer the best of the trainings that one can get. They have highly planned programs for students and classrooms equipped with the needed facilities to be given to the pupils. It is very important when you opt to get admission in any of these institutes if they as well would offer placements with reputed names and firms in the industry or not. A lot of institutes as well offer in-house or practical trainings so that students get a needed level of exposure.

This is Lisa Thomson, a professional animator. I want to let people aware of one of the great institute of animation emerging to provide education for the profession as an animator. So, don't waste the time and join one of the best animation institute now.

Cartoon Checks - Bring A Little Fun Into Your Monetary Transactions

Who says that the checks you write can't be fun? It goes without saying that these are very important financial instruments. However, you can bring a bit of fun and personalization to them by getting them oriented with cartoon characters. You'll have a smile on your lips when you write your cartoon checks out to someone and you can be sure that the person who gets them will have a smile as well.

There are quite a few bank check manufacturers who make these checks. Also, many banks offer you various options for customization. However, it is a good idea to deal with a company the offers you a wide range of cartoons. If you write a lot of checks then you can keep changing the cartoons that you use every time you order a new set.

You should be able to choose from a huge list of options. Disney characters are all-time favorites especially because most people have grown up watching these cartoons. Minnie and Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, Dumbo and Tinker Bell have been beloved cartoons for a very long time and your checks will be greatly appreciated if they have these characters printed on them. You can also get other popular options such as Phineas & Ferb, Dora the Explorer and Toy Story. The characters from DC comics are also in great demand.

The carton checks need to have all necessary security features because these are very important monetary instruments. These features include chemical protection and erasure protection. In addition, they also need to have microprint signature line.

Do not forget to check the cost of the checks before you order them. It does not make a great deal of sense to spend a lot of money on them. Be sure to shop around for the best deal before you actually spend any money. You also need to be absolutely certain that the print quality will be very good. If the colors are not good or if there are typographical errors then your checks will look simply terrible and the entire purpose of getting them specially printed will be a waste.

There is no doubt that you will always find plenty of places to buy these cartoon checks from. However, some companies put a great deal of effort into designing the artwork, ensuring that the images are completely out of the ordinary. If you buy from these companies your checks will have an outstanding look.

Should Film Makers Take More Responsibility for Their Effect On Society?

There's been quite a bit of talk about the violence in video games, comic books, Hollywood movies, and even on children's cartoons. Sometimes it is quite alarming, and although it is disguised as entertainment, it sure puts a lot of negative thoughts into people's head, and it is quite disconcerting when we see violence in our society mimicking the art we see on TV or on the silver screen. Should Hollywood moviemakers and script writers of screenplays take more responsibility for their effect on society?

Well, we can't force them to do this because that would be limiting free speech, and the last thing we wish to do is quell the creative and innovative minds of those who produce these movies and TV shows, even the video games. Yet at the same time, we realize how we are challenged by all this. Personal responsibility is the key, and people shouldn't go around shooting things up, just as they saw in an action drama, or a comic book storyline made into a movie.

A case study might be the tragic Colorado shooting at the premier opening-night of a Batman film, where just over 70 people were shot, and 12 of them died that night, and it was the worst shooting by a single shooter in US history. Yes, the weapons that are available are getting better, and in this case someone with high intellect came up with an insidious plan to do the most carnage. He was a PhD neurology candidate at the local university there. He was smart, cunning, devious, and evil all in the same breath, and he even dyed his hair red and called himself; "the Joker" to go along with the movie theme that night of the shooting.

Anytime something tragic happens like this, everyone looks for blame, or to try to make sense of it. The anti-gun rights activists are out in full force wishing to bring that into the national discussion. Surely, there will be people who will bring up the violence on TV, video games, comic books, and at the movies, as I have here today. Some long-standing movies, many of them very violent have almost a cult following, sometimes that can be a good thing for branding, and big money at the box office, other times it can turn into a real negative, and in this case a tragedy.

Although by the time it is over hundreds of millions of people will see that movie, as hundreds of millions of people have seen Batman movies and cartoons, or paged through comic books before. Unfortunately, on that day, one person turned an obsession of that branding experience into a terrible tragedy for all. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.

Lance Winslow is the Founder of the Online Think Tank, a diverse group of achievers, experts, innovators, entrepreneurs, thinkers, futurists, academics, dreamers, leaders, and general all around brilliant minds. Lance Winslow hopes you've enjoyed today's discussion and topic. http://www.WorldThinkTank.net - Have an important subject to discuss, contact Lance Winslow.

How to Create Your Own Cartoon: Design and Layout

So you like to draw and you have an idea for a funny cartoon. You'd like to make a finished cartoon or comic strip, but you don't really know where to begin. It's not that difficult, once you know the details. Here's how to create your own cartoon, starting with design and layout.
In this case, I'm talking about a one-panel gag cartoon, the type you see in the political cartoon section of the paper, or in magazines. You could also make multiple-panel comic or cartoon strips, to show several things happening in sequence.
Those are a little more complicated, because in addition to having to draw the individual boxes, you need to think about sequential drawing. In other words, how the series of pictures creates a sense of drama or action. You need to consider comedic timing, pausing for effect, if necessary. You'll also need to think about how you will show your punch line in a picture.
Sure, you can have the character standing there saying the punch line, but if you are somehow able to make it even funnier with the cartoon, all the better. This can be by adding a silent character reacting to the situation, or by having the speaking character involved doing something that looks funny.
But since there is no time to go into the entire theory behind comedy and sequential drawing and the like, I suggest you consult one of the many excellent books out there that cover the subject in depth. The website at the end of this article has recommended resources you can check out.
Let's get back to your cartoon. We are starting with the design and layout. Because you only have one box (called a panel) in which to tell an entire joke, or just a few boxes (panels) in which to tell an entire story, you need to carefully plan your layout and design. You want to maximize the use of what little space you have.
The first thing to consider is that in English speaking countries, we read from left to right. Therefore, the speaking sequence should match that pattern. In other words, don't have the first speaker on the right and the second speaker on the left. Don't put the set-up on the right side, then the punch line on the left. Reverse your cartoon, and keep the punch line on the right.
Or have the punch line on the left, but have another character reacting to it on the right. If you are in doubt, re-draw a rough sketch of your cartoon with everything flipped, and ask a couple people which version works better.
When you do make your own cartoon or comics, you are the director and the producer. You call the shots and create the timing and drama. Start with learning how to create your own cartoon design and layout, and move on to the drawing next. This takes practice, but your efforts will be rewarded when you can draw cartoons and comics that make people laugh.

Want to learn more about cartooning?
Learn how to make your own cartoons and recommended resources at http://cartooningbooks.net

Cartoon Wedding Invitations - Because Getting Married Is Supposed To Be Fun, Right?

Cartoon wedding invitations are a fun twist on traditional formal wedding invitations. Let's face it, no matter how much money people spend on their wedding invitations, very rarely do you receive one that truly captures your attention. They all kind of look the same despite any effort to make them unique. This isn't the case with cartoon wedding invitations. Each wedding invitation is totally unique to the individual couple. These invitations are often creative and individual expressions of the couple's personality. You can provide all the detailed information a wedding invitation requires but the clever presentation will catch the eye of everyone!

Your cartoon wedding invitations can include your favorite cartoon or comic book characters, perhaps dressed in full wedding apparel to represent you and your significant other. Another idea is to set it up like a newspaper comic, a four panel cartoon, informing people of your wedding date. You may also decide to have an illustrator create caricatures of the two of you for the enjoyment of friends and family. The caricature portrait could display the two of you in funny situations or poses. An exaggerated caricature portrait may be something that wedding guests would likely keep in a scrapbook to remember the event and laugh at your colorful and clever wedding invitation. You may even want to frame you caricature portrait to preserve what should be a life-long memory.

You have several different routes in the creation of your cartoon wedding invitations. You may find a known caricature artist in your region or find some graphic designers capable of completing the job. The illustrators at Discount Wedding Invitations, an online source for wedding invitations, keep their cartoon wedding invitations realistic and true to your original photograph reference. Simply send your photo reference in a JPEG format or forward a link to a particular photo you have posted online. The illustrators are capable of capturing any pose in any situation imaginable. You can select from situations and poses listed at the site or set your very own requirements. It is important to describe in specific detail exactly what you're looking for. A $50 deposit is required and the design team emails your first set of proofs within 2-3 business days. The final product isn't shipped until you give absolute clearance of the proof, ensuring that you are satisfied with the job. You pay your remaining balance and within five days a set of cartoon wedding invitations are in your possession to be distributed to your guests.

Tim Olden is a respected author offering advice and reviews of Handmade and Custom wedding invitations. For more information click on the links below -

Handmade and Custom Wedding Invitation advice [http://www.invitations-you-design.com/50th-wedding-anniversary-invitations.html]

Cartoon Posters - Fun Creations For Your Wall

Cartoons usually have many meanings; they can be different forms of visual art, and illustration. The more modern meaning of cartoons are that of humorous illustrations in magazines and newspapers. Animated films, and comic presentations usually consist of a cartoon. When cartoons are used in print Media, it mostly refers to a humorous single-panel drawing or gag-cartoon, most of which have captions and don't necessarily use speech balloons. Cartoons are also used to refer to a comic strip.
In Modern print media, a cartoon is a piece of art, usually with a humorous intent. This started long ago when magazines used to publish satirical drawings on its pages. They can be parodies and fun creations caricatures of people, can include humour about animals such as Tom & Jerry. Parodies can be made out of celebrities and films. So as such cartoons are used to illustrate and demonstrate humour and intend to make you laugh.
Posters are an item of great use and joy. They are essentially in the form of a large sheet of paper, usually in rectangular or square shape that can be hung on a wall or a door.
Today I am going to talk about what happens when cartoons and posters are mixed, well to be funny here we can create cartoon posters. Cartoon posters are essentially posters containing cartoons. The content is largely comical and parodied and also, the people, objects and places used in them are highly in animated variety. Cartoon Posters are used to advertise cartoons, and also is a popular theme among children and young adults.
Cartoon posters may contain satirical comments and captions that intend to make the beholder laugh or praise the cartoonist's ability to create such fun items. Cartoon Posters can come in variety of shapes in sizes but are usually large sheets of printed paper that can be hung or stuck on the wall.

Patrick Arden is a professional writer, presently he is writing articles on nature posters, cartoon posters, beer posters, architecture posters, colour posters, children posters and many more.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay

"Houdini meets Two-Guys-in-a-Garret" could be a suitable subtitle for this novel which follows the heyday of the comic book industry in America.
Joe Kavalier is the tortured escape artist, a brilliant cartoon illustrator, who has studied magic and Houdini in his native Czechoslovakia, and who escapes to New York via a circuitous route in a coffin carrying the Prague Golem. Sam Clay is his New Yorker cousin who also worships Houdini and writes fantastic scripts and pulp novels. Put these two together and they come up with a series of comic books that rival the established superheroes of the day: Superman, Captain America, Batman et al.
Kavalier impotently fights the Nazis through his superheroes and dreams of helping his family escape the concentration camps to America, while Clay is trying hard to cover up his latent homosexuality. Both are trapped in metaphoric coffins, while their alter-ego hero, The Escapist, with his Hitler-bashing escapades, becomes a hit and makes them rich in the New World, and makes their unscrupulous bosses even richer.
The theme of entrapment and escape runs through the novel: Kavalier's escape from Prague, his enslavement in an observation station in the Antarctic in the company of dead crew and dogs, his later forced hiding inside the Empire State Building as he feverishly works on his new line of comic books, his desire to escape again by jumping off the said building. Clay too has his share entrapment: his sexual orientation, the marriage he falls into out of duty and as an escape from homosexuality, the dead-end jobs at various publishing houses after the magic of Kavalier & Clay has run out, the public inquisition into his sexual preferences for creating his superheroes with young male wards (even Batman and Robin are not spared here). In the end, the love of a good woman and her son conquers all, our two heroes find their niche, and there is a hint of the triumphant reincarnation of Kavalier & Clay.
I liked several aspects of this novel: the snippy and witty dialogue, the creativity of the young artists locked in a garret coming up with amazing storyboards, their self-deprecating humour, "I didn't know they were making detectives out of Jews," the footnotes in various sections which read like factoids and lend a sense reality to this work of fiction. There are bold extensions into the real world as well, when the legal wrangling of real-life competitors in the comic book industry is brought into the mix, and when the author comments on the personal grooming of Gala Dali or observes that Orson Welles smells like Dolores Del Rio - I guess one is allowed to take license with dead people!
What I did not like was the elaborate set-ups, the stories within stories that are "told" by a rather didactic and pompous omniscient narrator to bring us up to speed on what had taken place during a time gap. The prose is clunky and littered with heavy doses of information on the history and mechanics of the comic book industry. Much of this could have been cut out to create a tighter novel. The author himself sums up this vilified art form (which has re-emerged as the more dignified "graphic novel today) as "the inspirations and lucubrations of five hundred aging boys dreaming as hard as they could for fifteen years, transfiguring their insecurities and delusions, their wishes and their doubts, their public educations and their sexual perversions, into something that only the most purblind of societies would have denied the status of art" - need he have said more?
Excesses and digressions notwithstanding, I liked the story. This is story-telling at its peak; and in the end, great novelists are great story tellers.

Shane Joseph is the author of three novels and a collection of short stories. His work After the Flood won the best futuristic/fantasy novel award at the Canadian Christian Writing Awards in 2010. His short fiction has appeared in international literary journals and anthologies. His latest novel The Ulysses Man has just been released. For details see http://www.shanejoseph.com

The Rise of Marvel Comic Movies

Remember back in the day, when you would stay on your best behavior all week so you could rush your mom to the comic book store to get the latest pack of Marvel trading cards. The marvel comics have always been popular. But then for a short period marvel trading cards was the thing. The marvel trading cards was a quick way to familiarize yourself with cool new characters that you had not seen before. Marvel artist such as Jim lee have always been able to captivate our interest with creative eye catching graphics. Now its all about marvel comics movies.

Marvel comics first leaped onto the big screen with Captain America in 1944 .But that was when they were called Timely Comics; seventeen years before they adopted the Marvel title and before their super heroes had super powers. There was a major gap in producing fan based movies. Then around 1994 the first Fantastic Four Movie was born. But everyone wanted to know when the really cool marvel characters were going to enter into the realm of live action movies and with cooler special effects.

That was when marvel comics movies took a turn and actually started producing movies under their own studio. In 1998 Blade hit theaters, a superhero that probably was not in everyone's top ten, but the movie was done rather well. Two years later everyone's favorite, X-men, kills the box office. Now we were on a roll. The Amazing Spiderman movie draws fans from all over in 2002. The great thing about this movie was that the webs actually shot out of his hands; unlike the known story where Peter Parker only posses the knowledge to make web formula. And the legacy continues with many other great movies: Daredevil(2003), Hulk(2003), Punisher(2004), a much more impressive Fantastic Four(2005), and the invincible Iron Man(2008). There are new marvel movies hitting theaters each year. Fans may be wondering what upcoming marvel movies to expect in the future. Well it looks like marvel definitely has its hands full for the year to come. There has been word of upcoming marvel movies including "Thor God of Thunder".

For some of the best Marvel movie deals go here: Marvel Comic Movies

For Great Movie Deals and info go here: Movie Deals

Science Fiction Indoctrination

My husband and I are fans of science fiction; I've been going to sci fi conventions since my early teens, and I introduced my husband to them. We love the atmosphere of like-minded individuals and enjoy examining costumes created by fans over many hours-- and the prosthetics are just, wow. Needless to say, we were absolutely mortified the first time we took our children to one of these wonderful events. Our son was afraid of Darth Vader and our daughter, out loud, said, "I'm bored." We scrammed out of the convention, tail between legs, in shame, and vowed to properly indoctrinate our children before the next convention.

Why weren't they fans before?

We take our roles as parents seriously, and we tried to protect the kids from screen violence. As a consequence, the kids hadn't had the opportunity to experience this genre at its best. We talked about violence with the kids and explained that the stories were fiction and pretend.

How we taught them about the wonders of the genre

Then, we sat them down for mandatory television viewing, starting off with E.T. (They were young children, after all.)

Now, we don't want to turn our kids into tranced out produce by watching too much television, so mandatory science fiction indoctrination took a long time.

After E.T., the next step was the six Star Wars movies. The kids liked Jar Jar and seeing robots die didn't seem to bother them. By the time we got to the Ewoks, the kids were hooked on the universe.

Meanwhile, Leon reads to the kids every night before bed. Still, at the ages of 8 and 10, they have story time each night, they cuddle together, and daddy reads. The stories changed. They don't get Dr. Seuss anymore. Leon read to them all of the Harry Potters. They enjoyed the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. After hearing the story in story time, the kids got to see the movies. My son, in fact, loves some of the songs from the Hobbit cartoon and occasionally bursts out with "their feathers were charred by the fiery breeze."

The kids and I listened to all the Chronicles of Narnia during road trips to visit my grandma. After Narnia, we went on a Madeline Le'Engle binge. Now, when we go on trips, we head to the library and read the back of CDs until we find something that everyone will be happy with. As a rule of thumb, everyone's happy as long as there are super powers.

Ah yes, comics. They've learned to appreciate comic books and they love superhero cartoons and movies.

The end result

The kids save their allowance for months before the convention. They talk about their costumes for months and demand my help. My son got "beat up" by a slightly older girl in a bat'leth competition, and my daughter was chastised for striking an unarmed opponent.

Yes, these days, the conventions are a joy.

Gwen Nicodemus is a freelance engineer/writer and a homeschooling mom. Visit her website, Notion Nexus, for unit studies, worksheets, notes, and educational videos.

Invest In Comics! My Top Copper Age Comics To Invest In!

So you want to invest in comics, do you? In many of my previous articles, I've stressed quite a lot about silver age comic investing, with a slight emphasis on bronze age comics to invest in. I've also stated quite profoundly on modern age comic books as being unwise investment comics to pursue.

Whether you consider copper age comic books as part of the modern age or not, there are some, although very few, wise key issues to invest in. These are a tad more affordable than bronze or silver age books, but they are well worth owning to bring more value to your collection.

There are quite a few copies floating around at high grades, especially in the 9.8 area. Unlike many high demand silver age books, in which mid to low grades are still investment worthy, these copper age selections on my list are best to invest in at high grades. I'm advising no lower than low NM or 9.2 according to CGC universal standards.

So, without further a due, here are just a few of my top copper age comics to invest in:

    G.I. Joe A Real American Hero #21 (1st Storm Shadow/Silent issue).
    G.I Joe A Real American Hero #26 & 27 ( Snake Eyes origin, 2 part story).
    G.I. Joe A Real American Hero #150 through #155 (Low Print run. Issue 155 is last issue).
    Amazing Spider-Man #299 (1st brief appearance of Venom. Todd McFarlane art.)
    Amazing Spider-Man #300 (1st full appearance of Venom. Todd McFarlane art.)
    Marvel, The Transformers, 1984 #1 (1st Transformers comic based off Hasbro Toys.)
    New Mutants Vol 1 #98 (1st appearance of Deadpool).
    Uncanny X-Men #221 (1st appearance of Cable as baby Nathan.)
    Uncanny X-Men #244 (1st appearance of Jubilee.)
    Uncanny X-Men #248 (1st Jim Lee artwork on X-Men.)

Of course there are more from the copper age that are well-worth investing in. These are just my first-round picks, as you could say. The great thing about many of these issues is that they are still well under a hundred dollars for many copies that are over 9.4 NM (near mint).

All the issues here are in demand, and ones like the last five issues of G.I. Joe A Real American Hero by Marvel Comics have low print runs. That means that they're pretty scarce and some hunting for those issues at a high grade may be needed. Be sure to see the links below for even more fantastic invest in comics advice and picks from all comic book ages.

Want more investment comics advice? Be sure to visit the link to discover even more of my top comic investing picks of 2012, and why these comics will continue to rapidly grow in demand and value over the next few years.

Visit my blog Total Comic Mayhem to learn even more about investing in comics, and how you can make the right and most profitable choices when it comes to which comics to invest in.

Cartoon Drawing Tips In Easy and Simple Steps

There are many people who pickup cartoon drawing just to have some fun in their spare time but get hooked later on. This shows the fact that cartoon drawing is really a hobby that can get people easily attracted. But most of the time the guys and gals those who take up the art without much pre-planning fail to make much advancement. And this is quite understandable.

Taking this art for fun is not the issue here but the casual attitude is the reason behind it. To be good at cartooning you have to be ready to do some hard work. That is you would need to do some serious and methodical practice work to be perfect.

Though if you really love cartooning it would not be that difficult for you. And after some efforts your work will be something that you yourself will start enjoying.

Here in this article I will give some pointers that can help even the most casual guy to pickup some good & presentable cartoon drawing skill.

1>>Pick Some basic drawing book & learn and how to hold pencil about various types of lines, so that you can draw smooth lines without difficulty. This may appear too basic to be a helpful tip, but believe me this is a very important step and a very high percentage of enthusiasts are not very comfortable with these things.

2>> Learn how to use eraser so that you can edit or make changes to your art work without making it ugly. Keep in mind that the type of eraser you use also plays an important role here. It in often said, that you need a high quality eraser more than you need a high quality pencil. And I would say it is really true: at least for the newbies.

3>> Go to a bookstore or a library and find a drawing course that shows how to analyse a complex shape into constituent simple geometric shapes. Like if you try to analyse a human figure you will find that human figure can be roughly thought to be made up of few cylinders [for trunk, hands and legs] and a sphere[for head]. In similar fashion any object can be analysed into a number of simple 3D geometric objects. And believe me this skill is the most valuable skill that you can acquire as an aspiring visual artist: as it will give you the confidence to attempt to draw anything no matter how complex it is.

Want to make amazing cartoons fast and amaze your buddies? Visit how to draw cartoons to know how you can do that.

Anime Art

We all grew up with aspirations to want to be some kind of artist. Whether we were drawing cars or even painting scenery as children we always wanted to keep drawing and playing with our colors. We also loved and still do love to look at real art as well as beautiful art that touches us when we look at it. One such art that you can love to look at would be anime art.

Though in comparison Japanese anime art is not really the kind you find in art museums we love to look at them and probably put them up on our computers wallpaper and screen savers. If you are looking for this art you will probably find them through the numerous online websites that have anime cartoons.

Many of these anime art is of three dimensional also known as 3D and two dimensional also known as 2D and many will be still pictures. They will probably be of famous anime cartoon characters that you already know and some of who you don't. The art might be confusing at first because you know that they are Japanese and strangely they look more of western than Asian. With their blue eyes and yellow or orange hair the cartoons and pictures resemble more of the western look than those of the Japanese.

What always gets me however is the clothes they wear and the surroundings visualized in the cartoons. They are usually of the early days of Japanese history with Ninja's and Samurai's being key figures in the cartoon series and the manga comics as well. You will also find the manga comics and the anime cartoons play important key roles in the art of anime.

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Comic Book Review - Has Hollywood Destroyed Comics or Brought Them New Life?

Comic books have been around with us for well over a century, but the origins to the "Golden Age" of comic books; the DC and the Marvel comic superheroes as we know today have been around since World War II. The first major comic book hero was Superman, a character who donned himself with tight colourful tights and a bright red cape. Through the following decades we have seen our most favourite comic book heroes' change and develop dependent on the world around them. Over the last 10 years we have seen different faces portray the character of Clark Kent and actors ready themselves for the position of the Dark Knight himself, Bruce Wayne. But has Hollywood displayed our most loved characters in the best way, or have they gone against the origins and fans and developed a character that will be a lot more than its character profile predecessor and in turn be more approachable to a wider audience?

The transition from comic book strip pages to the small screen wasn't a short one. The early life of comic book superheroes was short; emerging in the late 1930's characters became stars over the war period however the massive fan base began to diminish around the 50's. The superhero genre was coming to an end, but characters did not die off. They were revamped and brought to life through the magic of TV. Captain Marvel, Captain America, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman had already begun to hit the smaller screen over the 40's but over the next decade these comic book heroes became television superheroes. This movement saw a resurrection of characters to comics, as well as new breed of hero's that came along with them. The result was a snow ball effect of comic book characters to the bigger screen. Batman the TV series with Adam West was one of the earliest transfers of action hero's to big theatre screens, and with the success of Star Wars the "Sci-Fi" genre was born. This capitalized into further feature films such as the commercial hit of Superman with Chris Reeves.

This began a new age of comic heroes; printing became expensive so comics were minimal but the cinema provided a new venture and provided the expansion to a larger audience. Comic characters were now becoming main stream and were no longer for geeks or sci-fi buffs but acceptable to the entire public domain. The momentum carried from the 80's with sequels to Superman and Tim Burton's Batman being a phenomenon as well as a cult classic. However do our comic caped heroes really work when stripped from the pages of a graphic novel? Is it a true representation of the character as we know them when they are brought to the big screen? For most this could cause a great debate. The cinematic view of Batman for instance is a theatrical and dramatic performance which contains the gothic nostalgia of Burton, but as for the character, he seems sadly missed. The film briefly depicts the killing of his parents that all fans will all know of; however the character behind the mask has little development. We do not get to see the character step through life; we do not see the stages that led Bruce to become the Bat as it is never displayed on the screen. Instead we sit back and admire the theatrical display as most will know the back story. The Joker (as played by Jack Nicholson) is more of a namely title. The character has much greater presence within the motion picture, just because his character is so fun to watch although the comic character is no more developed.

I believe this film had a significant influence to future comic heroes that have been developed into film. If you look into the many comic heroes that have come to the big screen and are now onto DVD it's easy to see how Hollywood may have changed the characteristics of our favourite superheroes, or like this motion picture the character was never depicted, a story of when good fought evil is told. However there has been a new age of comic books and films. Late comic novels such as "The Watchmen" (also produced into a blockbuster hit) began a generation of "dark" comic books that displayed not just similarities to us a character but to the world around us. We can now begin to see how our caped crusaders are not much different to you and me. They face a moment of weakness; we see how the character can relate to us as a mere human. In the same narrative we see that a hero is also affected by notions of love and affection like ourselves and a hero can also face pain, grievance and other feelings. In the same way we can relate to these characteristics, we ourselves can believe that we are superheroes in our own right if we live with the belief justice will prevail.

Through this era and into the millennium we have seen an array of DC and Marvel comics fly onto the big screen, although the debate over these films will continue to whether they are bad or good. I for one enjoy the majority of comic book characters that face the Hollywood make-over, although some have been better than others. Arguments will still occur over the fact comic book characters transfer to cinematic superheroes but the process has been in place for years. Marvel have worked long and hard to produce the best action sci-fi films over this decade and with upcoming films like "The Avengers" and "The Amazing Spider-Man" I believe they are trying to amend any previous mistakes. With prequels to these both movies, all characters from the main plot line have been displayed before so there is no need for a back story to them so let's hope the action storyline any negative reviews against the films. Along with the films there is sure to be gifts, novelty goods and figures. These will be collectables for most, but for others this is their first generation of super hero so these entities will bring these characters a new life through the face of Hollywood.

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The Future of Silver Age Comic Investing! More Comic Book Investment Advice!

There's no doubt that recent news about certain silver age key issue comics breaking sales records and going for six figures has caught the attention of the public and many investors. The question of "Are comic books good investments" have been asked many of times by new speculators in comic investing.
However, the truth is that those comic books that have sold for ridiculous prices are what's called "Pedigree Comics" in the comic book industry. That means that they are the highest graded books of a certain issue. Silver age comics are rare as opposed to bronze age comics or modern age comics. However, those at NM or a high near mint are extremely rare.
The truth is that these books are extremely hard to come by. A few lucky collectors during the 70s and, perhaps, 80s paid top dollar for these books at the time, stored them safely, and then later had them graded by CGC. They had the foresight to see a comic's potential value decades earlier.
But what about now?
It's true that the demand for silver age comic books are high right now. Certain silver age key issues are selling extremely strong in all grades. It's true that most right now are gunning for the high grade books. As life teaches us, everything that comes up must come down.
No, I"m not talking about the value of silver age comics dropping. I'm talking about the market's current demand for high grade silver age books flattening out. The normal, average collector, cannot afford $100,000 for a single comic book. That's the cost of two homes in certain parts of the country. Ridiculous!
What I foresee happening with comic investing, and many experts agree with me, is an increased interest and demand for lower grade silver era comics. Grades at VG and even mid grade comics will start to pick up dramatically, because the higher grades are way too expensive.
If you think about it, many collectors started looking towards silver age comics as comic investments when high grade golden age comics became too expensive. Now, even though silver key issues are still in demand, many average collectors and comic investors are buying lower grades of both silver and golden age books.
This trend will continue and increase in the coming years. Lower grade books as long term comic investments is a wise choice, as comic book movies are rapidly pushing demand for these silver age key issues.

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A Powerful Secret in Comic Investing In Order To Make Wise Comic Book Investment Choices!

Last year the stock market roller coaster had a lot of investors wary about investing in stocks. In a single day, investors lost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Quite a few IRA's were completely wiped out and many took nose dives. While all this happened, comic investing flourished. Demand for certain issues rose in value, and certain golden and silver age comic books set record prices in 2011.

A CGC 9.6 Amazing Fantasy #15 (1st Appearance of Spider-Man) sold for $1,100,000 in March 2011, while a Fantastic Four #1 CGC 9.4 sold for $300,000 in 2011, beating its previous sales record of $210,000 in 2010.

There's no doubt that long term comic investing can be quite profitable, and for those who are new to the idea, there's one simple secret that can help you when it comes to investing in comics.

What is it?

It's comic book movies. Yes, Hollywood has turned to the superhero genre for fresh content when it comes to movies. What's better is these movies are extremely successful.

Learning about which movies are rumored or even coming out for a certain superhero is critical in choosing comic books to invest in. Researching and keeping up to date on the development of a certain comic-related movie is vital, because the hype pushes the demand and the value of the comic a lot quicker than it normally would.

A movie about Superman will spark interest and demand in his books. Pretty simple, huh? Not really.

Not just any comic will do. Sure, Captain America: The First Avenger did spark more interest in Captain America comics, and they sold quite well during the hype of the movie. However, we are talking about investing in comics that will rise in monetary value. Just because it's a Captain America book doesn't mean it will rise in value.

In this case, the values of only certain comic book issues are increased during a movie's hype. Finding these key issues is just another important part of making wise comic book investment choices. You need to research what's going on with these movies, and not just grab any thing off the shelf just because that character will come out with a movie.

So know you know one simple secret to help guide you to smarter investment comic choices. Now, it's time to find out just which of these key issues you should be on the hunt for.

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Comics & Graphic Novels

You can choose from anime, manga, cartooning, genre, characters, children's, cult graphic novels, history and of course there are many different series that you can start to read as well. What anime and manga books are out there to read? If you are new to this type of reading or you are just wondering what is available, you have a wide selection to choose from. There is Maison Ikkoku, Nausicaa, Pokemon, Ranma 1 and Sailor Moon. Some of these come in volumes or in a series such as the Pokemon books. This is one of those books that children of all ages seem to love.

Of course, there are volumes and series that not only are for teenagers but for adults alike. Comics such as Batman which includes the Joker and the Dark Knight, Watchmen and of course V for Vendetta seem to be for people of all ages. There are also comics such as V for Vendetta and Dark Entries as well.

What Authors Are Available?

There are many different authors that have written these books. These would include Alan Moore, John Byrne, Warren Ellis, Garth Ennis, Frank Miller, Neil Gaiman, Todd McFarlane, Grant Morrison, Art Spiegelman and Grant Morrison. These authors have published some of the comic books that have become very popular. These include League of Extraordinary Gentleman, The Complete Maus, Watchmen, Batman and V for Vendetta. Some of these comic books have been made into movies which of course has increased their popularity. For those that do not like to read as much, they can catch one of them in a movie.

Cult Graphic Novels

Cult graphic novels tend to be about super hero's or comic hero's. You may be wondering who you or what would classify as a cult graphic novel. If you are curious to read about them or know who they are, here are some examples of just what you can get. They include: Astro City, Batman, Hellblazer, Invisibles, Judge Dredd, Justice League of America, Maus, Preacher, Sandman, Sin City, Spawn, Starman, Superman, Swamp Thing, Transmetropolitan, Watchmen, X-Men and of course the classics. Maybe you have read one of these great comics or perhaps you have seen a movie. No matter which you have done, you will be hooked no matter what your age.

The General Population

Now that you have read about some of the more popular types of comics, you may be wondering what is left to read? There are actually quite a few comic books in the general category that are both single editions and volumes. Some of these to select from are The Animators Survival Kit, The Boys (Volumes), 100 Bullets: Wilt, Fables, From Hell, Nemi, Skeleton Key Graphic Novel (Alex Rider), Angel (Volumes) and Lost Girls.

There is something for everyone when it comes to comic books and graphic novels. As stated earlier, you may think that comics are just for the young but as you can see here, there are many different books that are available and at your disposal. But what if you are not sure what to read or how to get the books that are of interest to you?

You can actually join a book club or a discussion group and get the opportunity to talk about a book or books that you have read and that others have read as well. It gives you the opportunity to be able to ask questions about the stories you have read to get answers to parts of the book that may have confused you.

They also give you the chance to give your opinion on the books that you have read as well. It is also a healthy way to have a great debate about a particular section when you feel one way and someone else feels another way. Having the opportunity to be able to discuss your favorite comic books with others gives you the chance to be able to make friends and spend some time speaking with others that understand your passion for comic books.

The Genre

One last category that is very popular is genre. This category actually covers horror, crime, mystery, fantasy, science fiction, super-hero's and magic. In this category you are going to find the stories that can provide you with the thrills, chills, excitement and guessing. Here you will find books such as Vampire Knight, Angel, Homecoming, Dark Tower, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Sandman, Bleach, 100 Ways to Create Fantasy Figures and Jack of Fables.

All of these books fall under the genre category plus many more. By joining in a group discussion you are going to find other people that are just as interested in this category as you are. This means that you will be able to find someone that you can share your thoughts with about Angel. It is not as though you can walk down the street and just talk to anyone about this.

If you are wondering about what other books are available in the comic and graphic section, just take a look around and you will be able to find many different ones that are available for you and your children to read. Who knows, maybe with a little bit of research and finding out what your kids like to read, you may be able to find something in common and have something that you can share and talk about.

Tips For Collecting Silver Age Comic Books (1955 - Early 1970s)

The Silver Age of Comic Books ran from 1955 to 1970. It was a time period when superhero books become popular. There are several tips and techniques to collecting this period. But to understand these tips, you first need to know about the history of this imaginative art form.

Comic books in the United States first started appearing in the early 1930s. These early comic books were just collection of newspaper strips. Then, in the late 1930s, comic books started creating their own characters - most notably Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. By World War 2 (1939-1945) there were hundreds and hundreds of superhero comics. (Most of them forgotten to today's audience ). This time period was considered the Golden Age.

Superhero comics disappeared after the war. The public was more interested in crime, romance, and horror. For a variety of reasons, however, Superhero comics came back in the late 1950s. In 1956, DC brought back an old character - the Flash - but reinvented him. He was no longer the same person (or the same looking character) as the Golden Age Flash.

Showcase #4 - the first appearance of the Silver Age Flash - spawned a new generation of superhero comics. DC reinvented most of their popular characters. Marvel followed suit. And other publishers did the same. The Silver Age of Comic Books had begun!

If you are interested in collecting comic books from the Silver Age, here are my top 5 tips.

Tip #1 - Make sure that you have the proper size bag and board to protect your investment. Not all bags and boards are created equal. Basically, comic books have been shrinking since the 1930s. Golden Age books are the widest; Modern books are the skinniest. And Silver Age Comic Books are right in between. So make sure you buy the right bags and boards or you'll ruin your comics. (They should be labeled "silver age" bags and boards).

Tip #2 - A quick way to determine whether a comic book is from the Silver Age is to look at the original cover price. If the price is 12 to 15 cents, it is probably from the silver age. Ten cent comic books were generally from the Golden Age (pre 1950s) and 25 cent comics were from the Bronze Age (1970s).

Tip #3 - Quality is extremely important! If you look at a price guide for a specific comic - you might see that the price ranges from $6.00 to $600.00. The spread is a result of condition. If the book looks pretty beat up - as if 10 or 20 people have already read it - then it is probably going to be worth the $6.00. (And you might be able to find it at a convention or store for $1.00 or $2.00). If instead, the book is mint - as if nobody has every touched it before or read it - then the comic might be worth the $600. Condition is one of the main drivers of value. (The other two drivers are scarcity and popularity).

Tip #4 - The best place to get silver age comic books is usually at a convention or through the internet. There are fewer and fewer stores that sell books from this time period. Most stores make their money on new stuff and don't want to take up floor space with older items. So if you want to find the best deals on the internet, use a search engine to search for "silver age comic books" and see what you can find. Or look for comic book conventions in your area to buy your comics.

Tip #5 - The most expensive Silver Age books are from DC and Marvel and tend to be superhero books. This is due to the fact that DC and Marvel have been publishing continually until the present day and have thus developed a large fan base for their characters (Batman, Superman, X-Men, Iron Man, Avengers, Hulk, Wonder Woman, etc). However, if you want to start your collection without paying an arm and a leg, you might try collecting other publishers besides Marvel and DC (Harvey, Dell, Gold Key, Charlton Comics) or try other genres besides superhero comics (Horror, Crime, Romance).

Mick Davin has been collecting comics since he was 10 years old. He used to own a comic book store but closed it recently. He now sells at conventions. Mick also runs a resource website devoted to Silver Age Comics.

To find out more about silver age comic books, please go to his website at http://www.silveragecomicbooks.org

Young Boys and Their Comics

Every young boy dreams of being a superhero. Whether alone is his room with underpants on outside his pyjamas, or simulating emergency response situations, he's in that familiar mode: saving the world from darkness.
Comic books have made their livelihood on this immutable truth. There must be a Spiderman molecule somewhere with the double helix of the human DNA strand. Why else would the superhero be so universally loved, and on such a fanatical level? Perhaps the students at MIT might consider it a worthy of investigation. Maybe the academic world needs to shine a light on the supposed link between genetic encoding and the love of superhero comics. We could end up with a whole new biological paradigm. Wouldn't that be fascinating?
Fascination is the buzz word for comic books. Comics of every ilk, but particularly of the Spiderman and Batman ilk, have been stealing gasps from boys the world over for eons. No other medium can so brilliantly and entertainingly express the excellence of Spiderman as he ejects his spider webs; or of Batman as he saves Gotham City from the malicious Penguin. This is what young boys will tell you as they jump up and down or run up and down walls in excitement. Who would take it from them?
Maybe the answer as to why boys are so taken by superhero comics is less to do with biology than magic. What if there were subliminal, supernatural forces at work? What if characters such as Lex Luther or The Joker secretly encoded the paper covers of epic boy's comic books with forces capable of hypnotizing them? Or maybe they hide spells within the text to lure children into their worlds? This wild conjecture leads me to the truth: the reality, unfortunately for imaginations that like to rove untamed, is that no such malice exists.
But lovers of the conventional superhero comic do like to fantasise, which is why comics are made out of the stuff of dreams. Why not speculate furiously? Comic books are a rare way in which to lose ourselves. Long may they live.

A person with a wide variety of interests. One who likes to write articles about aspects of these interests to see other peoples views. Also, enjoys being on different forums discussing new developments in these areas.
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Classic Cartoon Series of the Past

Cartoons are quintessential television comedies. With their slapstick humor, they not only make us break out into a smile or a laugh, but they also feed our imaginations.

Some of the oldest cartoons can still compete with modern productions. There are cartoons from way back with clever animation, well scripted plots, a great variety of voices and music that fits each scene perfectly.

Let's remind ourselves of three well known cartoons that we loved when we were young. There's a good chance that you've seen plenty of episodes when it comes to these shows, and you probably enjoyed some of them just as much as I did.

In the 1960s through to the 1980s, we followed the trials and tribulations of the Jetsons, a space age family. It seemed very futuristic less than 30 years ago.

The way the program depicted life in the galaxies was not only entertaining but also credible. Many children envisioned the future just as the Jetsons lived it, and that simply wouldn't be such a bad thing. It seemed like a lot of fun to say the very least.

Popeye dates back over 50 years, but it was so well made you would hardly know it. Each episode was finely crafted and involved a timeless battle of good against evil.

Popeye always had to battle against Bluto for Olive Oil's affections. When he'd topped up on spinach, Popeye was like Clark Kent as Superman. Children would love watching his heroics after a can of spinach, and he was the quintessential superhero before comic books took hold.

Finally, let's not forget Looney Toons. The ultimate in classic cartoons, it has the legendary character, Bugs Bunny, who by no means looks his age.

Every Looney Toons episode has an excellent script and it's clear that great attention to detail was put into its making.

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