Comic Books

W atchmen arrives in theaters Friday, riding a wave of pop anticipation as fierce in its own way as the return of Star Wars. The reputation of Alan Moore's original creation has been building ever since it appeared in 1986 and helped turn high-class comic books into "graphic novels." Time magazine named it one of the 100 best English-language novels since 1923. It has brought many a grown-up comic-book fan back into the fold and won over collegiate, with-it readers with its apocalyptic tone and its deconstruction of superhero mythology.

Jim Trelease, author of "The Read-Aloud Handbook," explores the importance of "junk" fiction when choosing books for your child's library.Try to resist an elitist approach in which you offer only the best, he advises parents. One of the patterns that continues to surface in research is the important role that 'junk' fiction plays in forming lifetime readers. By 'junk,' I mean formula fiction such as Nancy Drew and comic books.Carlsen and Sherrill's massive study of lifetime readers, 'Voices of Readers,' showed a preponderance of such books in college students' childhoods.

In his book, "The Read-Aloud Handbook," Jim Trelease shares little-known tidbits of some of America's most popular and enduring authors. Here is a sampling:* "The Tales of Uncle Remus" was the childhood inspiration of Beatrix Potter, who grew up to write the Peter Rabbit books. In turn, her books were the childhood favorites of C.S. Lewis, author of the Narnia chronicles.* Hans Christian Andersen dropped out of elementary school at age 10, returned at age 17 and barely graduated at age 23.* Wilson Rawls' first manuscript for "Where the Red Fern Grows" was so filled with poor grammar and misspellings and was so lacking in punctuation that the author's shame caused him to burn the entire manuscript -- after working on it 25 years.

"Peanuts." The editorial cartoons of Herblock. "The Fantastic Four." And "Binky Brown Meets the Holy Virgin Mary."Those are just a few of the offerings you'll find on the Comics Journal's Top 100 (English-Language) Comics of the Century, an eclectic list that has sparked spirited debate among comics fans.Which, of course, is one of the points of the list.There's a "certain provocation" in putting out such a list, acknowledges Kim Thompson, vice president of Seattle-based Fantagraphics Books, which publishes the monthly Comics Journal.

Comic book showEnter a world of comic books, Japanese animation and nonsports cards Sunday in Edgewood. Spend the afternoon poring over Marvel comic books, "Xena" and "Hercules" collector cards, "X-Men" figures, DC Comic books, "Star Trek" collectibles, Batman action figures and more at the Comfort Inn. Items from the golden age of comics to the present will be for show and sale.The show takes place Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Comfort Inn, 1700 Van Bibber Road, Edgewood. $2; free for ages under 7. Call 410-783-1157.

For Essex comic book collector Joseph A. Cramer, terminally ill with cystic fibrosis, owning a comic book kiosk for several weeks was a dream come true.With help from the Grant-A-Wish Foundation and Steve Geppi, president of Diamond Comic Distributors, and the Rouse Co., young Cramer opened Comic Copia at a kiosk in the Mall in Columbia for several weeks in December 1995.Joey Cramer died Tuesday at his Essex home. He was 17."He was recommended to us by Joy Goldberger, a child life specialist at Johns Hopkins Hospital," said Linda Krach, program director for the Grant-A-Wish Foundation.

Dying to go behind-the-scenes in the world of comic books? Check out the Sci-Fi Channel tonight. On CBS, "Orleans" returns. Yippee."Unsolved Mysteries" (8 p.m.-9 p.m., WBAL, Channel 11) -- David Morehouse, an Army officer from Maryland described as "a psychic spy in the government's top secret Stargate program," is profiled, along with an allegedly murderous nanny from California. NBC."JAG" (8 p.m.-9 p.m., WJZ, Channel 13) -- Bruce Weitz (Mick Belker on "Hill Street Blues") plays a homeless vet who gets himself into some trouble with the law. CBS."

"Spawn" has soul, even if it is firmly ensconced in the depths of hell.A live-action adaptation of Todd McFarlane's incredibly popular comic book, "Spawn" rocks with the sort of style, creativity and exuberance other top-heavy, lumbering comic-book adaptations -- are you listening, "Batman and Robin"? -- can only dream of.Spawn, the title character, was once CIA operative Al Simmons, who went along merrily destroying people and governments (thus earning his place in hell) until a bad thing happened: Al developed a conscience.

A Business section article Monday incorrectly reported the number of comic books that Diamond Comic Distributors will ship to its clients. The company will ship 25,000 bundles.The Sun regrets the errors.Pub Date: 8/07/97

Steve Geppi had to drop out of ninth grade to work and support his mother. But on Saturdays, he'd kick back with a stack of Archie comics and vicariously enjoy the hi-jinks atRiverdale High."

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.

Like a carnival barker on the NFL's never-ending boardwalk, I can guess your age if you just tell me what John Madden means to you. Is he a video game? Good luck with your SATs or LSATs, kid. Is he a TV pitchman, hawking everything from light beer to drill bits? You're probably considering a second mortgage right now, huh? Is he a coach, a phenom of the headset set, a man with a Super Bowl ring weighing down one hand? Well, I hope your affairs are in order and your savings haven't completely disappeared.

W atchmen arrives in theaters Friday, riding a wave of pop anticipation as fierce in its own way as the return of Star Wars. The reputation of Alan Moore's original creation has been building ever since it appeared in 1986 and helped turn high-class comic books into "graphic novels." Time magazine named it one of the 100 best English-language novels since 1923. It has brought many a grown-up comic-book fan back into the fold and won over collegiate, with-it readers with its apocalyptic tone and its deconstruction of superhero mythology.

When Baltimore native Bernie Wrightson, Archbishop Curley class of 1966, began illustrating comic books in the late 1960s, horror stories were just beginning to come back into vogue after more than a decade of being banned for the "danger" they posed to impressionable youngsters. It didn't take long for Wrightson to become known as a master of the genre. Along with such other artists as Neal Adams, Gray Morrow, Mike Kaluta and Alex Toth (many influenced by the great Frank Frazetta), Wrightson revived the genre, re-introducing comics readers to the delights of being freaked out by stories of vampires, werewolves and other creatures that went bump in the night.

Just For Fun Collectibles 108 S. Main St. , BelAir , 410-588-5998 Open 11 a.m. - 5 p. m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. -8 p.m. Friday; 9 a.m-3 p.m. Saturday The display of superhero comic books dating back to the 1940s would impress most any avid collector. Ditto the hand-held toys and gadgets from years past, the mood rings and fake sunglasses that allow you to see from behind. But what truly makes the Just For Fun Collectibles store in downtown Bel Air unique is that it is perhaps one of the few stores in the country where you can get your three-cents' worth.

The big boys of comic books like Batman and The Hulk all have movies on the way this summer. But a slew of films based on lesser-known superheroes (ever heard of Ant-Man?) are also in the works. The runaway success of Iron Man, which grossed $200 million worldwide its opening weekend and has already spawned plans for a sequel, proved that an able cast and solid storytelling can turn a second-tier superhero into box-office gold. "A good story, good filmmaking and a talented cast can make all the difference in the world," said Tom Ortenberg, president of theatrical films for Lionsgate Films.

Greg LaRoque, born in Baltimore and a resident in this area for all but eight of his 54 years, has been a top comic-book illustrator for a quarter-century. Name any DC or Marvel superheroes who've become movie or TV heroes and sure enough, he's drawn them: mega-stars like Batman, Spider-Man and The Flash, as well as Daredevil and Ghost Rider. Several popular revampings of beloved comic-book icons came from LaRoque's hand. He illustrated the first issue of Web of Spider-Man: It contained the plotline about the shape-shifting black suit (actually an alien)

Closed since 2005, the Westview Mall cinemas will reopen tomorrow as the Diamond Cinemas Westview under the ownership of local comic-book distributor Steve Geppi. "I've always had an affinity for movies and movie theaters," says Geppi, 58, owner of Diamond Comic Distributors, the world's largest distributor of English-language comic books. "And I've always thought the best place to locate a comic-book store would be next door to, or practically in, a movie theater. Not that I'm ready to announce that I'm opening a comic-book store at Westview, but you never know."

What's so funny about teaching children to read with comic books? Nothing at all, apparently. In fact, comic books are being used with some students as an alternative pathway to literacy by teachers across the country. Educators are discovering the colorful medium's potential for stimulating intellectual growth and expression among at-risk students at urban schools. Proponents of comic book use say students who are otherwise intimidated by pages swimming with text get hooked on reading.

Comedian and television producer Todd Gallagher has a new book that sets out to answer the kinds of sports questions that are in the realm of "If Superman and the Flash had a race, who would win?" (Mr. Flip actually had the comic book that answered that question, but he can't recall what happened. And Mom Flip threw out his comic books a long time ago.) The book is called Andy Roddick Beat Me With a Frying Pan, because Gallagher, a longtime tennis player, faced off against the former U.S. Open champ with Roddick using a pan instead of a racket.