Five Reasons to Collect Modern Comic Books

Comic books are a field of artwork, and the modern comic book tells stories that are superior to anything from the past. Read the first issues of Batman from the late 1930s or early 1940s. Then compare these to the comic titles of modern Batman, namely titles like "The Dark Knight Returns." There is an argument here: the older comics are just as important as the modern ones. Storytelling has evolved from basic word-of-mouth to the age where anything can be said. Some movie classics will never be defeated. Some comic books from the golden and silver ages will find few comparisons in terms of capturing readers interest. If you are an adult, the argument is modern comic books are more than ever designed to pull in readers.

So, sit back, dream of comic books, and allow yourself to see the five reasons for collecting the modern comic books. Why should you collect modern comics? The point begins with a new argument: that Alan Moore began this wave of comic books with titles like "Watchmen" and "V for Vendetta."

1. Alan Moore: Alan Moore is perhaps the best comic book storyteller ever. If you are interested in collecting the modern comic, the age begins with Alan Moore's "Watchmen," a piece so heavy in imagery and laden with storytelling that it demands to be read again and again. Neil Gaiman ("Sandman") made the move to novels and films. Legend Frank Miller ("Sin City", "The Dark Knight Returns") was more involved in his movies. However, the modern comic book collector begins with Alan Moore, because he is the best.

2. The Modern Super Hero: This can go in many directions. However, maybe the best definition of the modern super hero is that he or she is flawed, seeks to make society better, and is always making choices. The modern super hero is more flawed than the Spider Man of the 1960s or the Batman of the 1940s. He or she is real, like Iron Man (Tony Stark) and his drinking problem.

3. The Thinking Collector: We can be more scrupulous in the stories we want to buy with comic books. We can ask all our friends or read reviews online. Never have there been more resources for building a modern comic book collection than now.

4. Independent Publishers: It used to be publishers other than Marvel or DC were frequent. There were publishers like EC Comics (known for their horror comics) publishing just as much. We are now experiencing a revival in modern comic book publishers. Just check out the latest Spawn or Transformers comics and you can see this field is growing, telling good stories, and selling for the same prices. Spawn is the biggest super hero for the publisher IMAGE, and Transformers has seen plenty of success of late under the wing of publisher IDW.

5. Epics: There is more room for the epic now because they sell. It used to be cliffhangers were the only way to entice readers to buy the next issue. Now, epics in comics books, long told stories like 52 or even Batman The Long Halloween, are a major part of the selling process. People are more willing to read the fantasies of Robert Jordan or J.R.R. Tolkien-big epics- and so too are they willing to read epics in comic form. This can be seen in many popular titles, or even remakes like "Conan."