ZAP! POW! WOW!
omic book culture has come a long way since Joe Field read his first copies of “Amazing Spider-Man” and “Fantastic Four” back in 1967.
“In those early days, if you had good close friends who also liked comics, cool. You could talk to them and visit them at their houses and see their collections,” says Field, who owns Concord’s popular Flying Colors Comics and Other Cool Stuff. “But you dared not tell the open world that you were a comic book fan, or else you’d be in deep, dark trouble with the cool guys.
“I’d hide comics in my Pee-Chee folder.”
These days, fans don’t have to hide their enthusiasm for costumed characters, caped crusaders and other fictional favorites. Instead, they can proudly wave their geek flag now that comic book culture has been so thoroughly embraced by the mainstream.
Comic book culture has exploded in popularity in recent decades, moving from a once-male-dominated genre — which many believed was suitable primarily for younger readers — to a juggernaut that appeals to all ages, genders, nationalities and backgrounds.
In the 1980s, independent publishers — i.e., ones not named Marvel or DC — began steadily pushing boundaries and broadening the horizons of comics and graphic novels. But comic book zeal shifted into hyperdrive in the 21st century, in large part due to developments across California, including the global spread of Free Comic Book Day — an idea hatched by Flying Colors’ Field — and the increasing popularity of San Diego’s Comic-Con. And Hollywood.
“A lot of it has to be attributed to the movies and TV, the success of the Avengers movies, the Batman movies and even the cool independent TV shows like ‘The Boys’ and ‘The Punisher,’” says Ryan Liebowitz, co-owner of Golden Apple Comics in Los Angeles.
Of course, TV superhero shows are nothing new. They’ve been around since George Reeves first donned the tights to star in the “Adventures of Superman” in the early 1950s.
Flying Colors Comics & Other Cool Stuff owner Joe Field, left, takes a photo with customers lined up outside of his store in Concord.
But these days, you can hardly flip through the channels or scroll across Netflix without stumbling across “Riverdale,” “Walking Dead,” “Supergirl” and other comics-inspired offerings. It’s been nearly as crowded on the silver screen in recent years, with comic book offerings dominating at the box office.
Three of the top 10 films of all time are comic book flicks — all Avengers movies, with 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame” at the top of the heap, followed by 2018’s “Avengers: Infinity War” at No. 5 and 2012’s “The Avengers” at No. 8. Other Marvel Comics-inspired movies can be found throughout the top 25, including 2018’s “Black Panther” (No. 12), 2013’s “Iron Man 3” (No. 20) and 2016’s “Captain America: Civil War” (No. 22). And Rival DC has spawned such hits as 2018’s “Aquaman” (No. 23), 2012’s “The Dark Knight Rises” (No. 30) and 2019’s “Joker” (No. 31).
That kind of box office domination may seem astounding, but it makes perfect sense to a generation of readers who grew up hiding their passion for comics in Pee-Chee folders.
“A lot of writers, producers and executives, who grew up on comics and who grew up being those geeks on the outside, were all of a sudden on the inside, making things for Hollywood and putting stuff that they loved growing up into the work they were doing,” Field says. “I think that’s partially where a ‘Big Bang Theory’ and where the comic shop scenes in ‘The O.C.’ come from.”
Carr D’Angelo, owner of the Earth-2 Comics stores in Sherman Oaks and Northridge, says he realized times had changed after the release of the first “Iron Man” in 2008. Prior to that, he’d been giving out “Anthony Stark” as a fake name whenever telemarketers called and wanted to speak to the store owner. And it worked, D’Angelo says, “because nobody knew that Tony Stark was Iron Man.”
“Then the movie comes out, and I am talking to a telemarketer, and I said, ‘You can send that to Anthony Stark.’ And he goes, ‘Isn’t that Iron Man?’” D’Angelo remembers. “And I’m like, ‘Oops, game’s over. Now everyone knows who Iron Man is.’ That’s kind of the bellwether change.”
That change has resulted in millions of new fans, many of whom might never have picked up an actual comic book in real life.
“That’s even the crazier part to me,” D’Angelo says.
Earth 2 Comics store owner Carr D'Angelo, above, says he knew the planet had shifted when “Iron Man” hit the silver screen in 2008. Suddenly, he says, everyone knew who Tony Stark was.
Ray Laveau, right, browses through racks of comic books at the Flying Colors Comics & Other Cool Stuff store in Concord.
“There are fans of Marvel, fans of Captain America, fans of Iron Man, who have never necessarily read a comic book. Yet they will swear up and down that they are the biggest Marvel fans on the face of the Earth -- and in their terms, they are.”
The best place to witness this burgeoning culture might just be the annual San Diego Comic-Con, which launched in 1970 and has since grown into one of the most celebrated, highly anticipated events in the entertainment world. (The 2020 iteration was held virtually.)
“I think Comic-Con is more popular now than it has even been,” says David Glanzer, chief communications and strategy officer for Comic-Con. “Badges typically sell out within an hour, and we welcome thousands of members of the media from all over the world. Oftentimes, the coverage and interest in the show lasts well beyond the four days of the event.”
Think of it as a comic-book Coachella drawing a mix of industry bigwigs, A-listers, insiders and fans lucky enough to nab admission badges in time. The Comic-Con Museum’s planned opening in San Diego’s Balboa Park was designed to further strengthen the original goal of the convention itself. The museum is open online — www.comic-con.org/museum — now, with the actual opening scheduled for later in 2021, pandemic permitting.
“A lot of people don’t realize that when Comic-Con began, it was a way to highlight areas of entertainment that we felt had artistic merit,” Glanzer says. “Comic books, movies and science fiction/fantasy were areas of entertainment that were oftentimes not given the consideration they deserved. But each of those areas has artistic merit. When people gather in celebration of those art forms, a community is created. And that community is open to everyone.”
Free Comic Book Day serves as another open invitation to join in the fun. Field came up with the idea in 2001. And the event has delivered exactly what was promised ever since — and it has spread to nearly 60 different countries. Show up at a participating comic book store on the official day, usually the first Saturday of May and pick up a free comic book. Publishers, including DC, Marvel and indies, print special editions specifically for it. (Last year’s Free Comic Book Day became Free Comic Book Summer to give shops the flexibility to accommodate social distancing and limited capacity rules.)
Free Comic Book Day, Field says, “created a holiday for fandom, essentially, that has become the world’s largest comic book related event, with 1½ million attendees every year.”
This might be the only time that some attendees visit a comic book store all year long. And while they certainly come for the freebies, a large number also buy other merchandise, which translates to record business for these stores.
“I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt, for every shop that participates, it is the single greatest day of sales for the year — every year,” Liebowitz says.
No Pee-Chee folders required.