Im of course referring to the 1990s when all was right within the comic book world. This is the time I was really into comics and got to see firsthand the rise and the fall of the comic book industry as it was.

In the 90s, comics took a turn for the better, or so we thought. Books were beginning to get wide recognition thanks in no small part to comic book artists like Image Comics founders Jim Lee, Todd McFarlane, Rob Liefeld and others. Comic properties were beginning to pop up in cartoons and movies like hadn’t been seen before, and the collectible value of comics became a widely known phenomenon. The aforementioned comic book artists were working for Marvel Comics at the time, and were launching new or revitalized properties that were getting fans newly excited about comics again. X-Men relaunched and X-Force was born. Spider-Man exploded with a new title, and fans were eating it all up.

Also, thanks to the dynamic styles of these comic book artists, prints and exclusive covers and the like seemed like the perfect advertising and money-making ploy to comic publishing companies at the time, and the general public somehow got wind of this. So the average person on the street was buying up all the copies of all these special covers and special stories (Death of Superman, anyone?) that caused the publishers to keep printing. Before you knew it, everyone had multiple copies of everything, and nothing was worth anything. Sales went down, creators left the big two, and the speculator market nearly broke the comic industry.

Marvel Comics went into bankruptcy, many fans (such as myself) left comics behind for years, and the movies and cartoons all but disappeared.

A few years later, Marvel restructured, climbed out of bankruptcy, and began making waves again. Spider-Man and the X-Men hit the big screen, and all of a sudden comics were on the map again. Not to mention the efforts of the short-lived Crossgen Comics, which brought a lot of people (again, myself included) back into comics. And with the success of these new ventures, comics began a steady climb back up to a place of mediocrity.

Now, comics are still struggling, but with the success of films and current big storylines its possible a rise could occur again. Providing publishers and speculators don’t make the same mistakes twice, comics could be alright for sometime to come.

Comic art is not only a medium to entertainthe children but the same time also helpful to increase imagination power,conceptulisationfor any age group and emphasise anythingto be one in this competetive world.The youth can adapt this either by reading or by doing.The artists have many kind of styles to draw a comic e.g cartoon,semirealistic,realistic,carricatures,etc and makesmore prominent by the didgital color effects.

To become a comic artist youshould haveainstict for good visualisation so you can illustrate the concept or story whichever you have in mind.First of all,for the beginers it is must tohave a hold on the pencil or brush (it is your choice what mediayou want to apply) just practice with oval and circular shapes and with standard primitive shapes like box,sphere,cone and cylinder.To keep a finegrip on pencil most of the artists being practicing with oval and circular shapes while they aretoo good in drawing and popular but just for a hold.

Todraw any object orcharacter you should observe the thingsand living beings deeply with their nature and behaviour so that you can easily draw a consequentialillustrations whichis mostimportant thingfor the comic art e.g observethe rubber ball’s behaviour and it’s anticipations,when a rubber ball thrown by force than watchhow many times it bounces over the ground against the gravity and also watch it’s stretching during the up-down movements. for another instance watch aan animalfortheir behaviour howthey act,and for their anatomy and feature details.Obervations not onlymakes your art mature but alsomake realistic.when you startto draw a comic strip you should keep patience and draw the scenes or characters using their dynamic angles andperspectives like bottom view,worm eye view,top view,bird’s eye view etc.

To make more prominent to the scene,panel orcharacter you should draw them using dynamic angles and perspectives so the reader have some fun and can read the story with enjoyment.For the beginers it is recommended that they should observe famouscomic and graphic novel artists work,live sketching,images and paintings,anatomy books to be a good artist.

Satellite Directv always goes along with your mood. Any time you can watch a program that was relayed few days or weeks ago just by pressing a button; therefore, even not finding anything interesting, you don’t have to sit blank. Unlike cable TV service providers Direct Satellite TV is always at your service with hundreds of programming stations, movies, sports, news channels.

Besides, Direct TV offers a new technology Video on Demand that enables viewers to pause or rewind live programs or even watch them in slow motion. These options mainly entice the sport geeks. Going beyond your traditional recording process, Direct TV Satellite system enables you to record live programs directly from your television set up.

by Paul Cornell & Duane Swierczynski (writers), Leonard Kirk & Steve Dillon (art)

The Story: From the ashes of this summer’s Avengers/X-Men Utopia extravaganza, Norman Osborn’s own Dark X-Men rise. The government-sanctioned team of mutant ne’er-do-wells are called to investigate a strange occurrence in California that leads to the resurrection of Nate Grey, X-Man!

What’s Good: Leonard Kirk needs to be put onto another ongoing series as soon as possible. His artwork on the much-missed Captain Britain and MI:13 series was always solidly entertaining and the man knows how to tell a story clearly while still creating a beautiful looking comic. His pencils on this premiere issue of Dark X-Men are no different. In spite of my general disinterest with the plot, I found myself turning the pages readily due to Kirk’s solid storytelling. The artist does an admirable job depicting what every character is feeling, especially Mimic. The struggle and depression is evident in his body language and facial expressions, such that I was never left with any doubt about the character’s emotional state throughout. As I was flipping through the pages preparing for this review, it struck me how similar Kirk’s clean linework is to New Avengers artist Stuart Immonen, yet another solid artist who’s work can also go unappreciated at times. It’s disappointing when you think about it, but when a creator consistently plugs along, producing steadily good output month in and month out, most readers take them for granted. If there’s anything to be appreciative of in this title, it’s certainly Leonard Kirk.

On a side note, Kirk also draws quite the pretty “Jean Grey”. He almost made me miss having her around, until I remembered that the best stories she’s ever been in were the ones where she died. Oh well.

The back-up story by Swierczynski and Dillon is satisfactory, if not anywhere near groundbreaking. We’ve seen the tale of the gruff teacher who is shown to be silently proud of his student before, but the writer ably manages to imbue some personality into the story. Steve Dillon’s pencils play a big part here as well. He captures Hope’s frustration with her mentor perfectly, which really sells what Swierczynski’s trying to convey.

What’s Not So Good: Nostalgia isn’t always good for you.

I was a big fan of the X-Man title back during the late 1990’s. The character of Nate Grey, while little more than a Cable What If…?, really struck a chord with me when I was much younger and filled with a lot more angst. Maybe it was the always-tragic “dead by 21″ schtick or the outsider among outsiders vibe the kid had going on, but I was sold. Even as it dropped progressively lower and lower on the readability scale, I was always at the comic shop for the next issue of that series. So when I heard that the character was making his long-delayed return in this miniseries, I of course picked it up. Regrettably, I found myself recalling the past in more ways than one after finishing Dark X-Men #1. While I was happy to read about Nate Grey again (well, for a page or two), I’m not as forgiving of spending my hard-earned cash on an uninteresting comic to do so.

With the sound and fury of Matt Fraction’s Utopia event over and done with, writer Paul Cornell is left with four characters that aren’t very riveting apart, much less together. Events at the conclusion of the story-line that birthed them saw basically every one of the more interesting members of the team, such as Namor, the Cloak and Dagger duo, and Daken, exit to (mostly) greener pastures. Cornell is stuck with the likes of Mystique, Dark Beast, Mimic and (the artist formerly known as Weapon) Omega. While Cornell certainly gives the script his all, I never found myself caring one way or the other about what was happening. I’m well aware that these characters aren’t called “Dark” for no reason, and as such aren’t meant to be easily sympathized with, but when I’m not even inspired to want to see what any of the lead characters do next, the writing’s on the wall.

Conclusion: Regardless of the return of a favorite of mine to the Marvel Universe, this issue fell flat for me. Annoying and bland characters plus a premise that I’ve already seen ad nauseam in other Dark Reign titles equals a complete misfire. Buy it for the Leonard Kirk and Steve Dillon artwork. Otherwise, skip it.

Grade: D

-Joe Lopez

Posted in Marvel Comics, Uncategorized Tagged: Dark Beast, Dark X-Men #1, Dark X-Men #1 review, Duane Swierczynski, Leonard Kirk, Mimic, Mystique, Norman Osborn, Paul Cornell, Steve Dillon, Weapon Omega ]]> http://www.dublincomics.com/dark-x-men-1-%e2%80%93-review.html/feed 0 http://www.dublincomics.com/what-to-do-with-old-comic-books.html http://www.dublincomics.com/what-to-do-with-old-comic-books.html#comments Wed, 05 Aug 2009 20:42:01 +0000 iwellbc http://www.dublincomics.com/?p=55 What to Do With Old Comic Books
By Vince P. Platania

Everyone at one time or another had those old comic books lying
around. Either from childhood, or they belonged to your parents
or even grandparents. Or perhaps they were given to you from
someone close who wanted to get rid of theirs. Most of the time
they’re not worth much, just nice to have around for nostalgia’s
sake. Other times you can find a real gem that you could keep
and hold dear, or sell that puppy on Ebay or to a local
retailer.

Regardless of where they came from or what one intends to do
with them, those old comic books bring back a lot of memories
and can be hard to let go of. But sometimes it’s necessary to
do just that, either to lessen the clutter in your home, to make
some quick cash, or to make room for more new ones! It’s still
hard to let go of all those memories and cool stories you
enjoyed so many years ago, but it can be worth it.

How do you know if they’re worth anything though? Well, if
you’re not a regular comic reader, it’s a common misconception
that they’re all worth at least as much as their cover price,
and if they’re old they must be worth more. Sadly, that is
almost never the case. Like anything else, comics depreciate
with age, and with every tiny little crease they may have. They
also lose value if the characters represented are no longer
popular, or if the comics aren’t old enough. In fact, anything
1970s and up is probably not going to be worth a lot unless it’s
a hot storyline, by a top creator, or features a first
appearance by a very popular character.

One way you can find out if your old comic books are worth
anything is to have them graded by the Certified Guaranty
Company (CGC) which grades comics and places them in a plastic
protective covering to further preserve them. They also give a
seal and a document of authenticity and of course a rating.
Graded comics generally sell for considerably larger amounts
than the same comic in mint condition that is not graded. But
grading comes at a price. For each comic you grade it cost you
anywhere from $20 to $80 depending. While it will sell for
more, it may still be hard to find a buyer, and you’re cutting
your profit by the cost of the grading.

Ebay is a great way of getting rid of old comic books as well.
Everyone uses Ebay these days, and you can set reserve prices,
or open it all the way up. You can sell single issues or
collections. And you can describe your items in intricate
detail for the potential buyers. Tons of comics are sold on
Ebay every day.

You could also just give them away to Salvation Army, the local
library, or some kid down the street if you wish. They’re your
comics, so do what you want with them. If you want to keep your
old comic books around, but you want to protect them, go
purchase some bags and boards from your local or favorite online
comic shop and throw them in a box for storage. It’s your call.

About the Author: Follow the exploits of rockers DEMON TWEAK
and the racing clan HARD DRIVING HEROES, as they battle the evil
trickster Loki at http://www.classic-comic-book.com . Also read
articles on your favorite classic comic book heroes written by
our resident historian VIRGIL THE STORYTELLER.

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If you are thinking to make your own comic book, think no
further and get to it. I say this because time is against you.
Making comic books takes a lot of work for the reason that many
things are involved. Know that before you continue with this
desire you have to be very aware of what you are getting
yourself into.

A comic book is a medium for any person to enjoy. It is not
meant for one thing or for a certain group of people. Any person
can read and enjoy comic books like the numerous numbers of
people who enjoy magazines and other sort of literature.

In order to make your own comic book there are some things you
must address to begin well and end well. First of all, why do
you want to make your own comic book? If you want to make your
own comic book do you see it as another way to make money or
maybe a way to gain popularity? I ask these questions because
this is major when it comes to creating comics. It is important
that you check your intentions so that you do not go into this
for the wrong reasons.

For those who are not aware of this, the reason why an
individual makes a comic book can affect his performance and
endurance in the comic book field. Simply said, those who
endured and even became successful in making comic books usually
started with the appropriate motives or had the appropriate
perception as they entered the field of comic book creation.

For example, if you make your own comic book out of the desire
to make lots of money, your percentage of enduring in this
industry as dramatically decreased. Think about it, what is most
likely to happen if you do not make this amount of money that
you dreamt about? In fact, what if you didnt make any money at
all? You would most likely get really discouraged and may even
stop your comic book project for good. An individual is also
endangered of giving up if he or she thinks that this is their
chance to increase their popularity as a creator or get
recognition. Again, what if there is no recognition for your
work or what if your work never becomes popular? Once more, this
person would be faced with major disappointment and
discouragement, which can cause him or her to leave the comic
book creating field for good.

I only mentioned what can be bad motives for desiring to make
comic books. There are of course good motives for desiring to
create comic books. I usually consider good motives to be
anything that would cause you to last in the field despite
experiencing discouraging and disappointing times with the
comic. Things would not always work out the way you planned and
people would not always like what you make. But know that if you
made your comic book with the right intentions you would endure
and just might experience success with what youve created.

As an aspiring creator who wants to make your own comic book
you owe to yourself to check your motives so that you can
increase your chances of success in this industry.

About the Author: Comic books are a very intelligent way of
storytelling. Visit

http://comic-book-and-strip-service.com/make-your-own-comic-book.html

to learn more about creating appealing comics.

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There have been many, many comics with the X-men in them as you
mention. X-men, Alpha Flight, New Mutants, and X-Factor all
feature multiple mutants. Spin-offs featuring one or two
characters include Wolverine, Dazzler, and Cable. Then there
were many issues where some or all of the X-men made guest
appearances in other titles, such as the old X-men in Fantastic
Four 28, Captain America 172-175, Angel in Tales of Suspense 49
(with cameos by the other X-men), Avengers 53, the intro of
Wolverine in Incredible Hulk 180-182, new X-men in Marvel
Team-Up 53, Annual 1, New Mutants in Annual 6.

This list could go on and on I think. And that’s not even
counting the many appearances of mutant villains of the X-men
like Magneto who fought non-mutant superheroes. Or how about the
Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, mutants both who appeared as
regulars for many issues of the Avengers?

Right now the Surfer could not be any hotter due to his
inclusion into the new, Fantastic Four movie. History shows that
a character that makes it’s way into the mainstream, a la movies
or TV has an instant surge in popularity which translates into a
run on buying their books which usually translate into big,
inflated dollars for collectors and vendors. If I understand
your question, you want to know if these books are worth
anything, right?

Well, the obvious answer is, yes! Yes! And Yes! I suspect
you’re really wanting to know: “What are they worth? How can I
sell them? The problem with selling/appraising an item that
fluctuates in value based on the wants of collectors is that
it’s only worth what someone else is willing to pay for it. To
get the flavors of what your book is worth you should check out
some price guides which approximate their values based on a
criteria of how your particular book is selling in several parts
of the country factored together with the number of books
available for sale, etc.”

Wizard and Overstreet both publish guides that will help you
with this. You can find these guides at a local Barnes and
Noble. You can also check out a more “real world” marketplace by
plugging your book into some kind of online auction or another
auction sites and see what it’s selling for or if books like
yours have sold. Next, you’re going to want to discover exactly
what condition your books are in because the quality of the book
is the most important factor in determining what it’s worth. For
this you can self grade or get a comic book store guy to do it
but be ready for a lot of slings and arrows from people that
will tell you that your grading skills stink and that your Near
Mint is more like a Very Fine, if you’re lucky.

The industry has taken a turn towards legitimizing its “grading
with the establishment of professional certification
organizations that will professionally certify your book for a
fee. The book is graded by experts, sealed and authenticated. I
like this because it provides an unbiased 3rd party evaluation
and comes with the pedigree and paperwork that collectors can
trust when buying a book. The service is not new but it isn’t
necessarily Lloyd’s of London so it will take a while to
eventually become the industry standard but at some point it
will. I liken it to the idea of getting a complete history of a
used car faxed to you from a State Agency as opposed to just
taking the word of the seller.

CGC and PGX are two such book certification companies but I
think you could probably find a professional appraiser in any
city. Again, you want the appraiser to be an unbiased 3rd party
who is making a living at this and is willing to provide
certification and pedigree. See some examples of his previous
work. There are several factors that have a direct influence on
the value of a book. Some of the ones I use are: condition,
print run, availability, scarcity, origin issue, major
storyline, new character, new developments, etc.

The Silver Surfer is hot, hot, hot right now and it’s probably
the perfect time to sell so it’s up to you. As far as the cover
being off the #1 issue you can have it repaired by a restoration
company but it must be identified as repaired when listing the
book for sale or having it appraised. A lot of people out there
would love to get there hands on this kind of comic book make
sure you keep a very close on the price range when you have it
up for sale.

About the Author: Victor Epand is an expert consultant for
http://www.UsedComputerSell.com/ . Used Computer Sell is a
community of used computer sellers from around the world. If you
have used computers to sell, click here to create a Computer
Account: http://www.UsedComputerSell.com/merchant/signup.html

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