Personal struggles. Political satire. Examinations of good and evil. Epic storytelling. That’s what comic books are all about.

“People think of comic books as something for kids,” said Chris Pellack, assistant manager at Mayhem Collectibles, 2532 Lincoln Way. “In fact, it’s completely opposite.”

Most comic books contain complex themes and nuances that could only be perceived by a more mature reader. Pellack said comics are most strongly marketed toward readers in their teens and twenties – the so-called “fanboys.”

Comic books are increasingly being considered a high form of art and literature, exemplified by their presence in libraries and in Time magazine’s naming of the graphic novel “Watchmen” as one of its “All-Time 100 novels.”

This is a change from the period of the 1980s to the early 1990s, which Pellack described as an “artists’ showcase.” Pellack feels many of the comics from that period had excellent artwork, but only lackluster storylines.

“[Comics are] a written medium – the point is to actually read the story,” Pellack said. “Good writing can carry bad art, but it doesn’t really work the other way around.”

This recent focus on well-written stories has resulted in many comics receiving film adaptations, attracting viewers’ attention to the comics that inspired them. Pellack said he has seen many new customers looking for graphic novels after seeing or hearing about films such as Frank Miller’s “Sin City” or “300.”

Film adaptations only highlight some aspects of the comic book medium, however. Superhero comics, the most popular genre, explore their characters and settings in greater detail than a film can achieve. Literary genres that are uncommon in film, such as science fiction, horror and crime noir, are common and extensively covered in the comic world, especially by independent publishers.

Pellack also shared his advice for anyone seeking to break into comic reading.

Sampling several different genres and reading whatever genres you prefer in other forms of media were just a couple of suggestions.

“Talking to guys at the store is a really good way to figure out what you like,” Pellack said. He said Mayhem employees frequently help unknowledgeable customers find something they like.

Additionally, comic book companies maintain Web sites with descriptions of the titles they publish. They also frequently have descriptions of characters featured in several books, providing a valuable resource for the inexperienced.

Once someone has found a series he or she enjoys, Pellack advised catching up on the story by getting the trade paperbacks which are bound collections of past issues. These usually cost between $15 and $20, and contain a collection of six issues. A standard comic book usually costs $2.99, so some money is saved too.

Keeping up with comics can be a bit more complicated. New comics typically come out monthly, but releases are staggered across Wednesdays throughout the month. To simplify the process of tracking down comics, Mayhem maintains files for customers.

“The file is like a subscription,” Pellack said. “We ask that you get at least ten books a month, which usually isn’t a problem.”

Pellack said the average file customer gets 20 comic books a month, amounting to about $60 spent every month.

The store also hosts a comic club at 7 p.m. on the first Thursday of every month, providing a live forum for fans to interact.

Pellack said anyone is welcome to attend and that the attendees and Mayhem employees enjoy helping the uninformed.

“We like to think of ourselves as helpful experts,” he said.

Formats

Comic books are produced in three main formats:

• Standard: The most familiar comic format, a standard book measures 6 5/8 inches by 10 inches and has a stapled or saddle-stitched binding. Typical length is 26 pages plus 8 pages of ads, though longer issues are sometimes created to carry significant stories or to show off the work of especially talented creators.
• Trade paperback: These are thicker, heavier books collecting several -usually six – issues of a comic series. They are a great way to catch up with an ongoing story, appealing to newer readers more than they do devoted followers of a series. They do not have the ads present in standard books and sometimes have additional material included.
• Graphic novels: Also printed in a heavier book form, these present long, original stories. Some use existing characters and settings, while others create whole new stories. Along with trade paperbacks, they are much easier to display than standard books since they can be easily placed on a bookshelf.

Major comic companies

• Marvel Comics: One of the two largest comic companies, Marvel has many famous characters, including the X-Men, Spider-Man, Daredevil, The Hulk and Punisher. Marvel’s characters generally share a universe and the characters are generally superheroes. Recently, Marvel has begun to publish edgier material, including the Marvel Ultimate series, which reboots the continuity of several series.

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• DC Comics: The other dominant comic company, DC is most famous for the characters of Superman and Batman. Like Marvel, many of DC’s characters share a universe, but DC also produces many completely independent titles, most notably through its edgy “Vertigo” imprint.

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• Dark Horse Comics: This large “independent” publisher has produced numerous comics based on licenses, such as “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Star Wars.” They publish the “Sin City” and “Hellboy” series of graphic novels, and also import and translate a good deal of Japanese manga.

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• Image Comics: Another independent publisher, Image was founded as a venue where creators could publish material without surrendering ownership of it. This practice led to the increased prominence of creators within the industry. Some of Image’s more popular titles are “Gen13,” “Spawn” and “The Walking Dead.”

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Sources for comic books

• Comic shops: Specialized stores are the best source for comic books, as their employees are generally extremely knowledgeable about the medium. In addition to current releases, comic shops have a vast selection of back issues, graphic novels and trade paperbacks. Ames’ only comic shop is Mayhem Collectibles, 2532 Lincoln Way.
• Bookstores: Large bookstores, such as Borders, 1200 South Duff Ave., or Waldenbooks, 2802 Grand Ave., have sections for graphic novels and trade paperbacks. They usually carry limited selections of monthly comic books in their newsstands. Generally, however, employees are not comic fans, leaving shoppers on their own.
• Libraries: The Ames Public Library has a selection of graphic novels and trade paperbacks available for checkout, a subtle symbol of the new perceived legitimacy of the medium. The biggest advantage to visiting a library is its cost – nothing. This is an excellent way to figure out one’s tastes.

Recent and future adaptations

Since the first “Superman” film in 1978, there have been countless adaptations of comics to film and vice versa. Here are some current and future adaptations:

• “300”: The film version of Frank Miller’s stylized account of the Battle of Thermopylae will be released March 9. Like the film version of “Sin City,” one of Miller’s other works, it is expected to be faithful to the source material.
• “Stephen King’s Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born”: This comic miniseries, continuing the tale of Roland from Stephen King’s famous “Dark Tower” book series, is being produced by Marvel and overseen by King himself. It will begin in February, and the story will fill in the details between the fourth book and the rest of the series.
• “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”: Joss Whedon, the series creator, has written a six-issue miniseries, due out in March. The series is to be a canonical eighth season, picking up from the conclusion of the television series. It will be published by Dark Horse Comics.
• “Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter”: This series, based on Laurell K. Hamilton’s novel series, began last October and is published by Dabel Brothers Productions in collaboration with Marvel.

Great starting comics

• “Watchmen”: Written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons, this graphic novel was named one of the 100 best English-language novels from 1923 to the present by Time magazine. It depicts an alternative Cold War-era reality featuring vigilante superheroes without powers, and is also notable for presenting itself as serious literature.
• “Civil War”: This massive – and currently ongoing – crossover story in the Marvel universe is told throughout many different Marvel comics and also in its own limited-edition books. It focuses on the ramifications of a Superhero Registration Act, bringing political allegory into the world of superheroes.
• “Ultimate Spider-Man”: One of several “Ultimate Marvel” titles, this series is a reboot of the Spider-Man continuity. It abandons the lofty, supernatural elements of the original series, focusing more on Peter Parker’s personal struggles and realistic science-fiction elements that are more in tone with the recent film adaptations.
• “Batman: Hush”: Written by Jeph Loeb, who also produced the television series “Smallville,” and penciled by the prolific Jim Lee, this story arc is less grim than a typical Batman comic. It is generally considered one of the recent high points in the comic series and is collected in two trade paperbacks.
• “Fables”: This focuses on reinterpretations of fairy tale and nursery rhyme characters such as Snow White and Jack Horner. Forced out of their own world, they have built a community in New York City and have powers inspired by their abilities in the original stories they appear in.

Manga

Pronounced mon-gah, manga are Japanese comics. While similar in many ways to Western comics, there are many differences. Most manga, with the notable exception of Dark Horse Comics’ translations, are bound on the right side and read “backward” like the Japanese language, though the English text is printed normally. Rather than being published as standard-size comic books, manga are generally published as small-sized trade paperbacks or serialized in large anthologies. Additionally, the art is almost always black-and-white, and the style is the same as that of anime.

Manga are also unique in that many series are directly related to an anime series. In many cases the manga are adapted from the anime series, but go into greater detail in areas.

The nature of the stories is different from Western comics, as well. Chris Pellack, assistant manager at Mayhem Collectibles, characterizes the stories as more emotional and romantic, appealing to more female readers than traditional comics. More recently, elements of the manga style have found their way into Western comics.