European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 1, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Captain America was one of seven Mike Benton carries his obsession with comics even into his bathroom where the a significant superheroes Quot of the Waits and ceiling Are papered with reproductions of the collectibles. The author of a comics according to Texas author comic Book history says they re excellent investments and social commentary. Mike Benton ticket to another Reali comics in America by Robert g. Wieland associated press comic books Are history books to Mike Benton of Austin Texas. Quot on the surface comics were written mainly for children Quot says the Texas comic Book collector and author. Quot but on so Many Levels they reflect our society and our  Benton s recently published Book the comic Book in America an Titus rated history Taylor publishing Dallas $29.95traces the comic Book Back to collections of newspaper comic strips printed in 1933. But not their beginning. Quot the comic strip is not american Quot Benton says. Quot it goes Back to Cave paintings or  however comic books As we know them were an american innovation. Quot they represent the Best of american values Quot Benton says. Quot they were born out of Good old american capitalism. At the same time they were the most democratic Art form you can  even the poorest of the poor could come up with a dime to buy a comic Book a the cheapest entertainment available and chock full of traditional values Quot truth Justice Liberty fair play and right winning Over  m. Thomas Inge a professor of the humanities at Randolph Macon College in Virginia has also studied comic books As a serious form of commentary. They expose and highlight everything from social mores to contemporary politics he says. That is the reason they Are both loved and hated an amusement and an object of suspicion he says. In their use of character dialogue scene gesture stage devices and compressed time they Are close to drama. But maybe Inge says they Are really closer to the movies. At any rate their Appeal is persistent. Americans buy More than 200 million a year. The first comic Book in modern form was funnies on Parade published in 1933 As a Giveaway Premium sponsored by Procter amp Gamble. Its comic characters included Mutt amp Jeff and Joe Paloska. The first 10-cent comic Book came out in 1934, and detective comics published its first Book in 1937. In 1938, a cd a action comics introduced a caped character from the planet Krypton. Two boys from Cleveland Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster had come up with a new concept a the superhero. Naturally enough they called him Superman. According to Benton there were seven significant superheroes out of hundreds whose amazing exploits were chronicled in comics. Superman Batman wonder woman spider Man Captain America Captain Marvel and plastic Man were All milestones in the Art form he says. For example Batman was the first superhero without super Powers and plastic Man was the first Tongue in Cheek superhero. Captain America leaped to the defense of Liberty in 1940, tackling nazis even before the . Entered world War ii. After the War America became preoccupied with other topics. Archie Andrews the perennial teen Ager had been born in 1941. His misadventures at Riverdale High set the tone for millions of adolescents Romance comic books blossomed in 1949, becoming the fastest growing segment of the Market. The next year weird science and other horrifying comics hit the Newsstands. In the 1950s, the Quot funny animals Quot bred rapidly. Kids Sticky dimes could buy a veritable menagerie of talking ducks stuttering pigs and scheming cats. The Early comics from the 1930s and 40s Are the Blue chips of comic investments Benton says. But he sees the greatest potential from comics of the Early 1960s because those Are highly sought by baby Boomers. In the late 60s, underground Quot comic Quot poked fun Al the establishment. Quot the underground artists delineated drug induced enlightenment sexual revolution and the political paranoia of the 60s with an explicitness never before seen in comic books Quot Benton says. Comics Are now in a Renaissance being written More for adult audiences than for children he says. However kids Are still the target of specially written educational comics m Benton has found them to be excellent textbooks be believes comics will serve to link the More literate society of the past with the More visual society of the  As we become Post literate we leave behind the written word in favor of images and pictures a he say a Benton s Austin company custom comic service teaches Young people such things As the dangers o drug abuse and How to avoid aids. Even such a delicate subject As child abuse can d addressed in comics Benton says. Quot comics teach k How to take care of themselves in a visual Friendly engaging non threatening  Page 16 the stars and stripes sunday april 1,1990