Comic Book Popularity Increases Throughout Hollywood

By Crystalee Webb

Spiderman, Superman, Batman and Ghost Rider are just some characters to leap off the comic book page in a single bound and become silver screen stars as well.

'Some of the most successful Hollywood productions have been based on comic books,' said Sal Velluto, professional comic artist. 'Twenty years ago they were already doing motion picture renditions of comic books, and a lot of people were getting familiar through movies.'

Velluto, a native of Italy, has seen firsthand the popularity of comics worldwide.

'Although comics are an American art form, they are popular worldwide and are into comics wherever you go,' Velluto said. 'It''s a bridge among cultures many times.'

John Ortiz, Web designer and events coordinator for a local comic shop, Dragons Keep, agrees.

'Comic books in Europe are huge,' Ortiz said. 'It''s not just an American thing. People associate some characters with America, like Superman and Captain America.'

Although the hype in Hollywood has attracted more current attention for comic heroes, Ortiz believes the characters'' fame to be enduring.

'If you were to go anywhere throughout the world and show a picture of Superman, people would know who he is,' Ortiz said. 'Even after the movies come and go, those characters are so popular that they maintain their momentum amongst fans throughout the world.'

In the past, comic books and comic artists were given equal attention. Comic artist Ric Estrada has seen the trends change in the comic industry since he started in the 1950s.

'When I was doing comics in the ''50s, ''60s and ''70s, many of us comic book artists felt almost like second-rate artists,' Estrada said. 'Now to be a comic book artist is a good thing ... we''re much more respected, thanks to the movies.'

The popularity of comic books has increased the pay for comic artists over the years.

'In the early 1960s, they paid $12 per page, but today the good can be paid $200-300 a page,' Estrada said.