Comic Books

A stash of classic comic books -- the kind that most kids tossed in the back of their closets -- was sold for $3.5 million at an auction Wednesday in New York, according to USA Today . The top price of about $523,000 was paid for a copy of Detective Comics No. 27, which sold for 10 cents in 1939 and features the debut of Batman. according to Heritage Auctions, Also sold was Action Comics No. 1, which featured the debut of Superman; it sold for about $300,000. The comics were found in a basement closet by a California man who was cleaning out his great aunt's Martinsville, Va., home a few months after her death, the newspaper said . But it took a while before he realized their tremendous value.

Under Armour launched a new marketing plan earlier this year, touting its up-and-coming athletes and most innovative products in an intense but short burst they called “a brand holiday.” It appears to have paid off. The Baltimore-based athletic apparel maker delivered better than expected financial results for the three months ended March 31. Under Armour's income of 7 cents per share income topped analysts' consensus estimates of 3...

It's hard to imagine that gay marriage and Superman could be wrapped into a controversy, but that's happening across the nation as  DC Comics launches a new line of comic books featuring Clark Kent's alter ego. One of the authors signed on for the upcoming "Adventures of Superman" series is Orson Scott Card, who wrote the popular Ender series. He certainly has science fiction cred, but his views opposing gay marriage have caused some bookstores to boycott his newest works and have triggered a petition drive.

Philip X. "Phil" Kaltenbach, a former high school English teacher who later became an expert in the field of collectible comic books, died Tuesday at Sarasota Memorial Hospital in Sarasota, Fla., while recovering from foot surgery. He was 63. The son of a Loyola University Maryland dean and a Loyola Blakefield High School administrative assistant, Philip Xavier Kaltenbach was born in Baltimore and raised in Towson. Mr. Kaltenbach was a 1967 graduate of Loyola Blakefield and earned a bachelor's degree from what is now Loyola University Maryland.

Somehow a time-traveling Billy Ray Cyrus and his roadies are stuck outside a castle in medieval Europe. Baa-ing sheep swarm around them. "Who booked me here?" the country singer demands.Well, Billy, comic-book writer Paul S. Newman is your man. After 48 years in the business, Mr. Newman of Columbia's Wilde Lake village is boldly taking country-western singers where none have gone before.His latest work pits such country stars as Mr. Cyrus and Marty Stuart against Shawnee Indian ghosts and alien hillbillies from space.

Barbie, that multitalented, eternally youthful scamp, is at it again.This time, she's the heroine of a comic book. Make that two comic books, typical for an overachiever who has succeeded at every career from astronaut to ballerina.When is this babe going to start showing some age? She's worse than Dick Clark.Where does Barbie get off having enough energy and enthusiasm to stop the C. Ment Corp. from turning a park into a parking lot, teach us step-by-step how to "walk that Barbie walk" for exercise, dog-sit for one friend and help cure another pal's case of wallflower-itis?

A FUNNY THING happened to comic books on their way to the 1990s: They became respectable.In this decade, it's a rarity to see anyone under the age of 30 read printed material -- other than the instructions to the VCR or the millimeter-tall type in CD liner notes. So when a 10-year-old chooses to spend 20 minutes reading a Spiderman comic instead of playing Nintendo, parents consider it a literary triumph.Bigger publishers are getting in on the act. Little, Brown and Company has a new imprint, Sports Illustrated for Kids, that includes ''Buzz Beamer's Out of This World Series'' ($3.95, ages 8-12)

FROM COMIC BOOKS to baseball cards, political buttons to turtle memorabilia - Carroll County has its share of collectors. Their collections often offer a window into their personalities and interests. Carroll County school board member Tom Hiltz collects children-themed ties. He takes pride in bargain purchases - many of his ties cost $7 - and he wears them almost every day to almost every event. Westminster resident Cyd Pecoraro collects turtles, a throwback to her college days when she was in Delta Zeta sorority, whose mascot is a turtle.

COMIC BOOKS have been maligned, linked to juvenile delinquency and called junk food for the mind. But now, a longer, embellished version of the form, called graphic novels, has attained respect. They are part of young adult collections at libraries across the country, including Mount Airy Public Library, and parents are learning how these longer comic books are introducing a love of reading to children. "Graphic novels are really an excellent way to convince reluctant readers that reading can be fun," said librarian Jody Sharp.

When you think of comic books, names such as Mickey Spillane, John Jakes and Leonard Nimoy don't often come to mind.But they will. The three successful writers have moved onto the pages of comics designed to attract older, more affluent readers.They are part of a new breed of comics with celebrity signatures. The so-called signature comic books, bearing the names of media stars or writers established in other genres, are the latest attempt to expand readership.The idea is simple: Celebrities create characters, a concept and sometimes story lines and dialogue for a six-book series.

It's hard to imagine that gay marriage and Superman could be wrapped into a controversy, but that's happening across the nation as  DC Comics launches a new line of comic books featuring Clark Kent's alter ego. One of the authors signed on for the upcoming "Adventures of Superman" series is Orson Scott Card, who wrote the popular Ender series. He certainly has science fiction cred, but his views opposing gay marriage have caused some bookstores to boycott his newest works and have triggered a petition drive.

A Baltimore comic store has joined the growing public outcry over DC Comics' decision to hire a gay-marriage opponent and author to write part of the coming "Adventures of Superman" series. Joining many shops nationwide, Gorilla King Comics in Fells Point will not sell the two issues expected to be written by Orson Scott Card. "I have a lot of gay customers," says owner Ian Sayre. "I don't want someone to come in here, see that and think that's me or that anyone in the store supports his policies.

Greg LaRocque has been drawing comic books for more than 30 years, part of a love affair with the medium that dates to 1961, when Marvel's Fantastic Four first appeared on newsstands. Michael Bracco, on the other hand, didn't start appreciating comics until he was a student at the Maryland Institute College of Art about a dozen years ago. This weekend, the two Baltimore-area artists will be among nearly 500 comic-book creators gathering for the annual Baltimore Comic-Con. Saturday and Sunday, they'll meet and greet, discuss their art, and maybe even sketch a character or two for fans to frame and hang on the wall.

There must be some sort of cosmic alignment this weekend, because just as "The Avengers" movie is released, Free Comic Book Day is upon us. I don't read comics often anymore, but I have fond memories of my parents buying a bunch for me and my sister for our two-hour family trips from Connecticut to New York. I was a super-hero fan; she leaned toward Archie. We sometimes read while curled up on the floor of the family's massive Chevrolet, in the pre-seatbelt days. (Don't try this at home.)

A stash of classic comic books -- the kind that most kids tossed in the back of their closets -- was sold for $3.5 million at an auction Wednesday in New York, according to USA Today . The top price of about $523,000 was paid for a copy of Detective Comics No. 27, which sold for 10 cents in 1939 and features the debut of Batman. according to Heritage Auctions, Also sold was Action Comics No. 1, which featured the debut of Superman; it sold for about $300,000. The comics were found in a basement closet by a California man who was cleaning out his great aunt's Martinsville, Va., home a few months after her death, the newspaper said . But it took a while before he realized their tremendous value.

100 Years Ago A Look back at 1911 • Baseball was getting very popular, but airplanes were still thought of as just for racing and sport. • Popular books in early 1900s were "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," by Frank Baum, "Up From Slavery," by Booker T. Washington and "The Call of the Wild," by Jack London. • The first ever yellow pages and comic books were published. • Newcomers were flooding into America with the highest one day total coming in 1911 at Ellis Island, N.Y., of 11,745 immigrants.

Comic book collectors won't be making a big killing from the death of Superman.Last November's Superman No. 75, in which the Man of Steel was supposedly bumped off by the underground creature Doomsday, had a huge press run in the millions.So, while the black poly-bagged collector edition now sells for $15 or more compared with the original $2.50 cover price, that plentiful issue's value could soon be settling back down to earth again, some experts believe. The subsequent "resurrection" issue No. 500, in white poly-bag, was similarly run in massive quantities.

Let us now praise Comic-Con. On the occasion of the 10th annual Baltimore Comic-Con, it's time to celebrate comic-book fans and what they've wrought. By providing an audience for comic books that shared the concerns and upheld the standards of literary yarn-spinners as different as J.R.R. Tolkien and Jim Thompson, it expanded critical and popular recognition across the board for the richness and pertinence of escapism. In particular, this audience helped revitalize the fantasy heritage of moviemaking, compelling filmmakers such as Peter Jackson to renew the expansionist and inventive impulses of early masters from Fritz Lang to Ray Harryhausen.

We were happy to have a number of local families celebrate Christmas with us at our recent Breakfast with Santa. Unfortunately, as we cleaned up after the event, we were horrified to discover that, among the comic books donated to the church and handed out by Santa, some were inappropriate in content for children. Our Saviour Lutheran Church and the Lansdowne Volunteer Fire Department remain deeply committed to protecting and serving the children in our community. We wanted to let you know this as soon as possible so you can check to see if what your children received is appropriate for their age level.

Joe Flacco didn't come to the Ravens' rescue Monday night. As poorly as the Ravens' offense played in the 12-7 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Flacco still got his opportunity to step into a phone booth, wiggle into his superhero tights and carry the team on a last-minute, game-winning, mistake-cover-upping touchdown drive. Flacco was no superhero Monday night, but this week, two writers for the blog “ This Given Sunday ” compared each NFL starting quarterback to a superhero.