School of Comics - Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Nestled in the center of a strip mall in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on the 600 block of Jefferson Highway, between the corporate-franchise pizzerias and non-descript dry cleaners, The School of Comics, with its vibrant red, blue, and yellow décor stands out like a super-hero among a sea of beige trench coats. This untraditional comic book store took its color scheme and its philosophy from the original comic hero: Superman.

At one of the blue draped tables, Dr. William Erwin manipulated a toy iron man with thirty-two points of articulation, and explained, "The School of Comics is a showcase for the super-hero. My brother Kevin and I thought that Baton Rouge needed a comic store that was user friendly, a store that helps people find what they are looking for."

As if on cue, an elderly lady shuffled past Dr. Erwin, with a very confused look on her face. Dr. Erwin swooped into action. "Is there something I can help you with miss?"

"I'm looking for normal comics: for my five-year-old grandson."

Dr. Erwin suggests the silver-age comics and helps the woman to an age appropriate section.

"There are five ages in the history of comics. The platinum-age began in 1890 and was primarily black and white political satire pieces. The gold-age arrives with Action Comics #1, the first appearance of Superman. The creation of Superman is a real turning point for comics. Before Action Comics #1 the idea of the super-hero, someone unlike everyone else, did not exist in the world of comics."

"The silver-age was largely about revamping and updating the super-heroes of the golden-age. The Green Lantern, for example was brought back by Julie Schwartz, editor of DC comics, but with significant changes to character and story line. The Green Lantern no longer received his powers though a mystical source, but rather from an advanced alien race who choose their champion based on his strength of will."

"When the Punisher came onto the scene, it was clearly the beginning of a new era: the bronze-age. Unlike the morally impervious heroes of the gold-age, and the reluctant heroes of the silver age, the Punisher is a vigilante by choice, who uses a wide variety of guns to kill anyone he sees fit to kill. There is no doubt the comics of the bronze-age are edgier, and might not be what you want your five-year-old grandson reading."

Erik Van Buren, who currently has two comic books and two children's books published, founded the Baton Rouge Cartoonist Society in 2000, and shared his thoughts on what is influencing comics in the yet undefined modern-age. "Comics continue to change and adapt, influenced by current events and the public's tastes, just like any other art form. Maybe the greatest recent influence is the popularity of Japanese comics: manga. I believe the best thing manga has done, and continues to do, is to create more appreciation for black and white comic art."

While what's in store for the future of comic books is still uncertain, knowing what to look for while collecting comics can certainly be profitable. According to Dr. William Erwin, the most valuable comics are "high quality golden-age comics with a WWII story line and a super hero we still know today. Some of these have sold for a quarter of a million dollars."

Whenever buying or collecting comics, you want to have the best quality possible. While quality was once judged by the common observer, flipping through the pages and checking the corners, today the grading of comic books is handled by the CGC, the same company that grades baseball cards. "The CGC seriously grades them on a 1-10 scale, places them in a hard plastic vacuum sealed case, which once opened can not be closed," Dr. Erwin said holding up a CGC graded and sealed Ironman and Submariner #1, with a 9.4 grade. "This copy sells for $600 with a grade of 9.4, but without a grade the most you could hope to get for it would be $250." Not only does CGC help the seller improve the value of his comic, it helps the buyer verify the authenticity of the grade. A collector needs only to log on to the CGC website to verify the authenticity of the grade.

There are many comics, however, that regardless of their condition have not increased in value. "Some of the oldest comics, the platinum-age comics, are nearly impossible to sell," Dr. Erwin explained. "And there are tons of independent comics from the 1980s, which we sell for fifty cents. Just finding something old or rare or in good condition, is no guarantee of value."

Erik Van Buren also had some advice for those thinking about collecting comic books, "Comic books offer an endless variety of expressive art styles and subject matter. The only limitations are the imaginations of the creators themselves - no special effects budget to be concerned with. What you get with the best comics, is a very personal, unfiltered piece of storytelling. Comics should be for reading and saving to re-read, not for investing."

Whether you're looking to invest in the monetary appreciation of an Action Comics #1, or to invest your Saturday afternoon in a world created by the imagination of an independent cartoonist the folks down at Baton Rouge's School of Comics are waiting to swoop in and lend a helping hand.

Thomas Moran continues to draw his own conclusions.

For Further Exploration:

• School of Comics
600 Jefferson Highway
Baton Rouge, LA

• www.brcs.com
Baton Rouge Cartoonist Society

• www.CGComics.com
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