We all remember our first comic book and how one often turns into another, then another and finally an almost insatiable addiction. How the characters begin to come to life within a well scripted and well drawn series. Comic books have for many years driven the imaginations of young and old alike which had many of use running around pretending we are Batman, Superman, and Supergirl or with friends as the team of X-Men.

Whether you picked up a ‘Walt Disney’ production or a ‘Japanese Manga Graphic Novel’, be it ‘Detective Comics’ or ‘Marvel’ what you will have almost certainly done is tried to draw the characters. Admit it you have! There are some great artists in those off the shelf books and many of us wish to emulate our artist heroes not just the comic books stars; and there are many ways in which you can do that without the need to be clad in yellow spandex holding the latest laser gadgets.

Immersing yourself into the world of comics when you draw is an experience that is fun, so much so you may find yourself accidentally muttering the words ‘Kapow’ or ‘Smash’ out loud, a common side effect that is not dangerous so don’t worry to much if this happens. One such method is to actually copy the characters and buildings within the comic. Remember that it is not only the characters that build the books, but the actual surroundings and vehicles also. Being able to draw everything is an advantage and can really bring your work to life.

The method of copying from the comic book is probably the simplest way you can practice and master the art of comic book art. One word of caution here: never use the technique of tracing. Just look at the figures and draw on your notepad. Initially you will have difficulty to reproduce the figures faithfully. But in course of time you will improve if you keep at it. Using tracing you will be able to draw slightly better but that will be of no use as it will not help you to improve your basic drawing skill.
To get started all you need is a set of good quality pencils with a few different graphite (lead) types such as soft and hard, and rather than going out and buying the colored inks just yet you should use normal coloring pencils or paints. You might also like to grab yourself a couple of nice black fine and medium tipped marker pens for outlining the drawings as you near completion of your artwork, as this help your creation to stand out as it does in the comics; and don’t forget the all important drawing pad for all those sketches and drawings that you are about to work on.

Comic books make for a great investment. They are lucrative and can be worth a lot of money. However, investing in comic books may not bring a big payoff right away. It can take fifteen to twenty years for a comic book to be valuable. Who would’ve thought that a childhood pastime would make you some money, and at the same time you get to have fun while purchasing comic books that bring some joy into your life.

Comic books are rising in value because of the increased popularity of them. Hollywood producers are making recognizable comic books heroes the stars of their movies. For people who are not familiar with the characters, they soon find themselves becoming more interested in them. Or people are reminded of characters they loved as a kid after seeing movies such as Ironman, Wonderwoman, and Superman. They are inspired to buy the comics after watching the movie.

Investing in comic books requires some work and dedication from the collector. They keep their value when they are in good condition and stored properly. There is also researched involved. How popular is the comic, what is the initial cost, what is the current value, how rare is the comic? You also have to decide what type of collector you want to be. There are different types of ways to be an investor for comics.

Investors simply care about the bottom line. They don’t have an emotional side attached with the comics and look to see how much money they can make from selling the comics. Another form of the investor is the person out to make some quick cash. This comic collector buys and sells in bulk tying to make fast money. Usually they are selling the most popular comics, not rarities. Usually they read the comics first and then sell them to get money back, but of course at a higher rate. Unlike the other investors they enjoy reading the comics and have some emotional attachment. Excitement not only comes from the comic but also the auctioning off of the book.

On the other hand, there are the emotional types of investors. To these types of people, there is sentimental value to the comics and they invest, trade, and purchase comics with value. The reader has the comics for their traditional purpose, reading. They don’t care about preserving the comic and enjoy the superheroes come to life as they read through the colorful pages of a comic. A step down from the reader is the part time reader. They enjoy comics but pick up and leave the hobby when it suits them. Last but not least, are the obsessive collectors. They dream, live, and breathe comic books. They categorize their comics, preserve the comics, and are the go-to guys for comic information.