Are Comic Books Good Reading For Children?

Kids nowadays love to surf the internet, play video games, listen to music and sit down and watch a movie. Getting them to sit down and read a book can be an impossible feat without creating a war. Why is reading so important for a child? Reading gives your child knowledge, just as when you read as an adult you will acquire knowledge. Reading will also improve your child's speech, pronunciation of words and their vocabulary. Reading will soothe their mind helping them to relax.

First, we must get your child to turn off the computer or television. This will be the most challenging obstacle. Then you will need to get a comic book. I would suggest getting one that your child is interested in. Pick one of your child's favorite cartoons and grab it in comic book form.

Be sure to monitor your child's reading. It will do them no good if they sit at the table and stare at the pictures. Once they have finished the comic book give them a little quiz. Have them describe what they have read. If they supply you with detailed information, then you will know that they are following the story.

Once your child begins to show enthusiasm for reading the comic books, then it is time to show them more advanced childrens books. It will depend on their age and how much their reading has advanced to what level children's book that they will need.

So don't delay, have them turn off that computer or television and dive into a comic book. This will be their first steps into the world of reading.

Scott is a father of four. He enjoys the outdoors and reading novels. His passion is finding good children's books for his children to read.

Childrens Books
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5 Good Books To Read - Comic Books

1. Midnight Nation by J. M. Straczynski

To show my point, let's start with Midnight Nation, a dark and a bit religious comic book describing "the other world," a place where all forgotten and abandoned people and things go.

A police lieutenant David Grey starts to investigate what appears to be a flustering murder and ends up rather differently than he anticipated - trapped in a shadow world and faced with a challenge to fight for his own soul.

David receives a guide named Laurel, he eventually falls in love with her and this act alone will set him off of all his predecessors. After overcoming multiple tests, Grey resents the usual course of action offered by The Other Guy (the Devil) and sacrifices his own soul to prove that hope still exists.

Midnight Nation is an excellent comic book and you don't really need to be religious to enjoy it.

2. From Hell by A. Moore & E. Campbell

Jack the Ripper is famous worldwide for his murders. From Hell offers a different perspective on this whole case, combining imagination and facts from the real world.

Royal prince Albert Victor marries a woman from East End in London and fathers a child. They are separated after Queen Victoria finds out and actions are being taken to sweep this matter and its follow-ups (such as group of prostitutes blackmailing the Crown in exchange for protection) aside.

A highly ranked Freemason named Gull gets involved and as time moves on, gives birth to the famous Jack the Ripper with previously unseen brutality and bestiality of his murders - but the whole matter is still being covered up to protect the interests of the royal family.

Authors very well combine their own ideas with historical facts and have produced a marvelous comic book, that will make you read and read until you're finished - and you'll spend a plenty of time thinking when that happens.

3. The Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes by N. Gaiman

Chances are you already know the famous American novelist Neil Gaiman, say because of American Gods or Stardust. Gaiman is extremely good in mixing various genres, creating unusual heroes and what's most important right now, he is also good in writing comics.

Have you ever wanted to be immortal? Living up to the end of Earth, maybe seeing the Sun eating up our planet... and so an enchanter named Burgess tries to capture Death and live forever. By his mistake, he however captures Dream instead.

After decades of imprisonment, Dream manages to finally escape his captor (Burgess' son at the time) and hop on a quest to seek his lost items of power. He encounters the Justice League, John Constantine the Hellblazer and even Lucifer himself.

Well, what can I tell you? If you want to imagine Death as a pragmatic, goth girl, you are going to be more than satisfied.

Ok, seriously, Gaiman has once again done a wonderful job with creating a weird world and will push your imagination to the limit over and over again until you drop off - and you will still dream about it anyway.

4. Garfield by J. Davis

Let's switch to a less serious note, shall we? I bet you've already heard about a fat, lazy and sybaritic cat named Garfield, often accompanied by a human named Jon and a dog called Odie.

Garfield is especially known for his laziness, the only thing that will get him moving is, well, a rich lunch or something. Another common attribute of Garfield's comics is the very short story line, most usually just 3 pictures.

The stories vary greatly - you can find the heroes at the sea, in their home, at the vet; eating, lying, having a phone call; being bored, watching TV... pretty much anything you can come up with.

Garfield also had several film adaptations and it is very safe to say that he and his friends can provide quality entertainment.

5. Asterix by R. Goscinny

There was a time when the Roman Empire was vast and no one could challenge the mighty Roman Legions - expect a small Galian village in the Armorica province. Again, I'm sure you are familiar with the stories featuring Asterix, Obelix, a-lot-of-fancy-names-ending-with-ix and a magic potion.

It is the same genre as Garfield - fun. The main characters often travel outside the major theme, e.g. visit Egypt and deal with Cleopatra. At all times they keep up their high spirit, sense for goodness and Obelix also tend to be a little bit, shall we say, simpler.

The fame of Asterix and his fellow Galls may be indicated by the fact that the first French satellite ever launched was named after him - Asterix-1.

Conclusion

That's it, we went through another 5 good books to read. I'm hoping you found my suggestions useful and it will be my pleasure to talk to you soon!

Thank you for reading!

Find more book recommendations at Most Popular Books: http://www.mostpopularbooks.org/

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Golden Age Comic Books for Teenagers

For years now, superheroes have been popular amongst teenagers. The paper comics were on top of this popularity long before movies, television shows or Internet threads have been made available for superheroes. Comic book enthusiasts adored these paperbacks much more than the stories. These comics really delved into political, societal and social thresholds, highlighting the state of the era they had been introduced. Ever since they emerged on the market, the Marvel comics have been in the top position in this industry even to this day.

Marvel's historical past goes back to October 1939 at the time when the first comic was published with the title Marvel Comics #1. Over 80,000 copies were sold from the first issue. With the success of this comic, particularly the popularity of the very first super hero Human Torch, a second superhero was introduced by Marvel called Captain America during 1941.

The Second World War signified the ending of Golden Age comic books. The comics by Marvel responded to the precipitous downfall in the popularity of the superhero books, displaying characters like Captain America and introduced new selection of humorous books centered on characters like Super Rabbit.

But, the beginning of Vietnam War heightened the interest in superheroes which influenced Marvel to creation of 4 brand-new superheroes which joined as The Fantastic Four. There were also other characters like X-Men, Ant-Man, Iron Man Hulk, and Spider-Man. All of these characters are imprinted in the minds of teenagers and also continue to be the foundation of various Hollywood blockbusters.

The collectors will pay an enormous amount to get Golden comic books, even spending millions for the vintage issues in perfect condition. You can ask your parents and grandparents if they have a lot of money hidden in a drawer which consists of the sentimental items from their years as a child. Believe it or not, even the government identifies the enormous influence that the superhero comic books have on the pop culture. During 2007, some commemorative stamps displaying superhero characters had been introduced.

Although Vitage Age Comic Books are still available through certain comic book Collectors but Golden Age Comic Books are truly a rare find these days. However you'll not find this to be the case at http://www.comicbookaday.com/

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Grab The Best Comic Books Today!

Comic books are still an important segment in the publication industry. No matter how old you are, comic books still fascinates most of us, as we develop a special bonding with the characters portrayed in them.

It is tricky to name just the top comic of all best comic books. The comic books on Batman and Superman are still selling like hot cakes in any bookstore. These books have created and captured a certain group of readers especially the teenagers; the comics are right on top in the list of all time favorites, and fans hope for these comics to lead the race in the coming future too. Are the best graded comics not the ones having Batman, Superman and the few other super-popular heroes as the central character?

Nevertheless, deciding the best comic books largely depends on individual perspective and taste. DC Comics is the publication house that created these fictitious characters decades ago. It was said that the first Superman was portrayed as a villain. In the early part of 1930's, Hitler was supreme and it was believed that he was going to create a gang of supermen. However, the whole idea of it took a completely different course with the issue of the second edition, which made Superman a real life hero busting criminals. Action Comics was the name given to the original Superman comic.

The Superman comic took a different dimension when, in its seventh issue, Clark Kent with alternate ego was introduced to us. Another fact of the story is the fictional projection of Clark Gable as Clark Kent. Today, DC Comics with the help of production houses in U.S., create movies based on best comic books. There have already been few Hollywood movies on Superman, which were huge hits across the globe. Still many producers are coming forward to recreate these comic characters to entertain millions of fans around the globe.

You can also say that some of the best comic books are Batman comics too. Bob Kane created Batman combining the characters like Zorro, Bat Whispers and Dracula. The combination of the characters was unique, but it worked out perfectly and came into the limelight with the issue of #27 of the Detective Comics series. Like Superman, Batman was recreated in movies and came into the limelight in a completely new avatar.

There are also other comic characters, which are as popular as Batman and Superman. With the likes of Hulk, Justice League, Captain America, Iron Man, Spiderman, etc. the list is never ending and it is for you to choose the best comics out of these.

It is difficult to choose the best comic books and the best graded comics, as this is a subjective issue.

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Top Five 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/

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Where to Read Comic Books Online?

More and more people are wondering where they can read comic books online. The digital versions of print publications of this highly enjoyable and addictive medium, after all, have grown in prominence in recent years, with the advent of comic book readers and portable computing devices like laptops, iPhones, iPods and the Apple iPad.

When trying to discover where to read comics online, one must remember a particular day when these digital format files are released.

Wednesday is usually (san the occasional holiday) New Comics day, when new issues arrive at your local comic shop. It's the time of the week that is always red marked by sequential art aficionados all over the country, and all over the world for that matter.

This is the time of the week when the likes of Spider-Man, Superman, Batman, the X-Men, Green Lantern and other superheroes embark on their newest adventures (or continue their quests from previous months, as the case may be). Whether the heroes are up against the specter of the Blackest Night, or banding together to defeat a Siege, or fighting against one another in a Civil War, Wednesday will always be the day when the newest chapters of the greatest stories are published, delivered and revealed.

Whether people like Spiderman comics, or Superman issues, or old comics of Captain America in World War II, there will always be something for different people come Wednesdays.

Wednesday has, thus, become what is known as 0-day in the digital comics community. 0-day is when printed comics are converted into digitally distributable formats like CBR, CBZ and even PDF (though the former 2 are preferred). With comic book reading programs like CDisplay for the PC, Comic Zeal 4 for the Mac, and Stanza for iPhones, iPods, and iPads, enjoying these digital comic formats has become very easy and convenient.

The sole question that remains is this: where exactly can you read comic books online?

The website http://www.comicbookdownloads.info/ offers a variety of Marvel, DC, Image and Dark Horse comics for download, and their library is updated every week.

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Rare Vintage Comic Books

You may still find many rare comics available on the market and anyone with sufficient funds can own one. Most for $50 and less will be from the 60's and 70's era. An example of this would be the World's Finest #185, which featured the Galactic Gamblers, in addition to Batman and Superman. This one is from DC comics had been published in 1969 and it is now selling for $30. There is also the Adventure Comics Presents, DC comics The New Supergirl published in 1970 now with a selling price of $18.

It is possible to find these old and rare collectible comics on eBay, but you should note that the bidding is always fierce. As a buyer, you should also note that the quality of these comics is generally a guessing game. You can also find other sites with a wide range of books which are not only indexed in alphabetical order, but also provides the grade for the condition of the book. There is also a Superman #4 for sale with a price $495 in fair condition. A lot of the comic books on some of these sites are below $50. Perhaps the most expensive comic for Superman is ranked #7 with very good condition and priced at $795. There is also Superman #291 in poor condition, plus it's a Mexican copy selling for $2.

You can find some of the comics designed based celebrities such as Babe Ruth with 11 copies printed. These are available in good supply because several copies of each can be found for $325 with #4 grade and #5 for $20.

The value of the comic will be the amount that an individual is willing to pay in order to get it. When it comes to vintage comic books these are still in great demand and so the selling prices continues to increase as time progresses. Vintage and rare comic books will be one the best investments you could make when you are purchasing these items.

Although Vitage Age Comic Books are still available through certain comic book Collectors but Golden Age Comic Books are truly a rare find these days. However you'll not find this to be the case at http://www.comicbookaday.com/.

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Why Buy Comic Books?

It is often a pleasure to buy comic books. Not only do they help people pass their leisure in a light mood but also create a possibility to gather wealth.

People buy comic books because it serves as their hobby. Collection is an intrinsic element of buying and a fine collection of comics could usher in a good deal of money. Rare comic books worth hundreds of dollars catch the attention of the buyers and collectors for their timeless appeal and antique value.

Some of the basic aspects that influence the collectors while they buy comic books, especially the rare ones, are as follows:

1. CONDITION: Books in mint condition command higher price while books in poor state can be bought at a lower bargain. Obviously, mint condition comics that are very popular are extremely hard to come by.

2. AVAILABILITY: The price is inversely proportional to the supply of comics, in a way true to other commodities. Hence, lower the availability, higher the price and vice-versa. The availability of the older comics is literally impossible.

3. CHARACTER AND STORY: Comics that have popular characters like Superman, Spiderman, Tintin or Batman and a well-known storyline are more in demand than the ones less known.

Buying these books that are rare is exciting and full of fun. Reading such books is entertaining while preservation of the collection might bring in treasures depending upon the increase in its real value with the passage of time.

Collectors can visit local bookstores and grab a copy of their coveted comic by physically examining it. It also provides them an opportunity to take help of some professional and verify the claims of the seller. Interested buyers can also buy comic books online. For this purpose, a PayPal account has to be created usually. A current price guide would enable one to take a view of the books on offer and help one evaluate if the money asked for is justified. However, it is advisable that the prospective buyer acquires complete information of the seller before closing the deal. This must be done so that appropriate action can be taken if, after delivery, one finds out that the condition of the book does not match with the statements made by one who sold it. Comic books are also available in different auction sites, like eBay and Heritage Comics.

A practical, far-sighted and reasonable approach while buying comic books could make one amass fortunes, thus making such comic books worth thousands. A childhood hobby could cause a windfall because the whims of public are as unpredictable as life itself.

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Learn To Value Your Comic Books

Comic book values can be comprehended by you if you go through the various factors associated with it. This article tells you about these factors and how they can help you value comic books.

Reading comics provides you with unlimited fun and you can break out in heaps of laughter while reading through them. You might be an avid comic reader and collector but do you possess any idea on how to judge comic book values? You should learn to rate your comics and pick them up accordingly for meeting both, your interest as a reader as well as a collector. The following steps can easily help you to better understand what comic book values are all about and how you can master the process of evaluate and value comic books.

In order to determine comic book values one of the first steps you should undertake is to learn the art of grading your comics. There are several factors which are associated with grading your comics and some of the attributes are the comic cover and pages within. As far as the comic cover is concerned, you should check its condition first. If the condition is good and almost as good as new then you are lucky. If the condition is not as good or a bit tattered, it is okay, but the value does come down considerably in this case. While grading the inside pages you should also check the book from every angle. Judging comic values only through appearance is a very tricky task as old comics are often rare pieces which, although not much too look at, can derive an enormous amount of interest from book lovers and collectors.

After getting to know the various tricks associated with evaluating comics, the second thing which you should look for is finding the perfect price guide. There is a wide range of price guides related to value comic books which is available online and you can find perfect rates for your book on their databases. The price guides in terms of judging comic values differ from one site to the other. Some price guides offer rates for a series of comics while others portray individual comic figures only.

With the emergence of the Internet and its global popularity, one of the most modern ways to value comic books is to upload them on the various auction sites. These auction sites are visited by acid collectors from different parts of the world and your comics can be rated by them as per their standards so you get a more realistic value for your collection.

You should also have a realistic expectation for your comic collection. You should ask yourself what kind of value you can really derive out of your book and not expect something extraordinary out of it. If your book collection is really worth it, then the comic book values will be judged genuinely.

Try to value comic books and estimate their market worth as one varies from the other.

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Why Golden Age Comic Books Are So Popular

Most collectors of comic books have a passion for the extraordinary art form represented in the vintage books. You can find a lot of information online about comics, artists, collecting comics, creators and writers, but there is actually no replacement for fully illustrated hands-on comics. Ask any individual who loves comic books and you will discover that having a real, printed source will be profoundly more rewarding than the online counterpart. The Comic Book In America, which an Illustrated History and published by Mike Benton, really does a fantastic job of reviewing important matters in depth and providing a comprehensive look at the advancement of comics as an art form.

Starting in 1934, at the time when the very first comic had been introduced in America until today people in America have had a passion for not just comics, but also the unique artwork within the book and especially the art on the book cover. Over the years, there had been many gifted artists emerged with their unique style and achievements. Some of the finest have earned an Eisner Award just for their creative accomplishment in American comics.

As the stories advanced, new characters were introduced and the styles evolved, comics were now characterized by the era where they had been published. Golden Age comics were created in the first era, which describes comics which released throughout the 30's and 40's. After that, at the start the 1950's advancing perhaps to the 1970's had been Silver Age comic books, which contributed to the Bronze era from 70's to 80's and ultimately finishing with the Modern Era which started in the mid 1980's to present day.

The Golden Age is most likely most well-known for superheroes such as Superman, Captain America, Batman and Wonder Woman. An additional noteworthy comic that emerged in this era had been Archie and this appeared first in Pep Comics #22 during December, 1941. The Mighty Crusaders had been Archie Comics short introduction of superheroes was released in 1966 and 1967 during the Silver Age.

For more great tips on vintage comic books and comic book collectors visit any of the links in this authors bio.

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Quick Tips On How To Buy Golden Age Comic Books

Whenever one thinks about items like collectible comics, old rare comics or valuable comics, this normally refers to Golden Age Comics books. Beginning with Action Comics #1 during 1938 and moving forward to the ending of World War II, Golden Age Comics establishes the standard for collecting comic book.

Being a collector of these books it takes money, patience and a resolve to compromise. As a result of the age of such vintage items, they are far more difficult to locate than the ones released over the last fifty years. Locating high quality copies of such comics is almost impossible, leading to the escalating value of these books.

As mentioned before, your technique to locating these books must be: determination to compromise. For one, if you cannot obtain the specific issue you must be prepared to accept an inferior quality. Next, you have to compromise on the price because these comics are certainly not cheap.

Locating these comics will take a lot more self-disciplined approach for you get one when compared to more recent comic books. This could take months or even years for you to discover the specific issue you want at a price that you are able to afford. In case you are prepared to compromise, concentrate on a specific title rather than the specific issue and title. For instance, if you wanted the first Batman from Detective Comics #27, you might want to concentrate instead on getting titles where he appeared in. Detective Comics #27 isn't available for sale often. Think about other titles with Batman such as Detective Comics, World's Finest and Batman Comics.

The quality of the book should also be considered. Locating a Near Mint comic from this ear would be both difficult and high-priced. In case you locate a comic you want and it's in a very good condition, you might want to purchase this comic because of it high grade and also it might not be available for many years. As a smart collector it is best to grab any issue that is available during your search.

For more great tips on vintage comic books and comic book collectors visit any of the links in this authors bio.

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Why Select Golden Age Comic Books

The Golden Age Comic Books lasted through the years of 1930 to early 1950 as recorded in America's history of comics. During this period, modern books had been first printed and attained some level of recognition; the archetype of superheroes was developed and defined and most of the popular superheroes came out, including Superman, Captain America, Batman, Captain Marvel and Wonder Woman.

One of the events cited for the start of the Golden Age had been the 1938 debut of Superman Action Comic books #1, released by DC Comics. Some people record the beginning of earlier instances during the 30's: The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide's publication, The Golden Age list of quarterly books from 1933 and later (1933 observed the release of the very first book with a size which would consequently establish the formatting); a few historians, such as Roger Sabin, Graphic Novels and Comix: History of Comic Art), record it to the release of the very first comics displaying 100 % original stories instead of re-prints of books from newspapers in 1935, by DC Comics.

Nevertheless, Superman the very first superhero comic book had been popular so much so that the superheroes quickly dominated the Golden Age comics. Somewhere between early 1939 and the later part of 1941, DC and its sister company called All-American Comics released the popular superheroes like Robin and Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash, the Atom, Aquaman and Hawkman, whilst Timely Comics, the 40s forerunner of Marvel Comics, enjoyed million selling titles which showcased the Human Torch, Captain America and the Sub-Mariner.

Despite the fact that Timely and DC Comics are more popular these days, circulation numbers report that the best selling superheroes title of the period might have been Captain Marvel Fawcett comics with roughly 1.4 million copies for each issue rating as the most extensively circulated comics in America. The sale of Captain Marvel comfortably trounced the self-titled Superman series as well as Action Comics, plus at some point the comic had been released biweekly in order to take advantage of the popular interest.

For more great tips on vintage comic books and comic book collectors visit any of the links in this authors bio.

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