Comics. Few words are as subjective as this one. What images are evoked by this word? Spider-Man swinging through Manhattan? Musclemen? Kryptonite? The Joker? Whatever image it is, they’re all patches of the great fabric known as “comics.”

Comics, once a popular and mainstream form of entertainment, suffered through congressional hearings on its violence, an industry collapse and the bankruptcy of the backbone of the industry, Marvel Comics. After the bombastic and extreme era of the early ’90s, the industry slowly recovered to its current healthy state. With growing numbers of quality comics and the popularity of comic-based movies, such as “Batman Begins,” which grossed over $200 million at the box office. Similar comic book movies have also faired well lately, such as “Fantastic Four” and “Hellboy.” And more are in the works, as production is gearing up for a new Superman movie and even yet another sequel to the blockbuster, smash hit “Spider-man.”

It is arguably the best time to be a comic fan.

As the assistant manager of Mayhem Comics Bryan Bornmueller is attentive to industry shifts.

“Comics in the ’90s were based more on art,” Bornmueller says. “People like Todd McFarlane and Rob Liefeld were popular. Also, although sales of comics were higher back then, it was due to all the people buying, like, 13 different covers of a single issue. When people realized they wouldn’t make their money back, they pulled out and there was a huge collapse in the industry in the mid-’90s.”

Bornmueller says stories are the main focus of comics today.

“It’s great because stories have gotten better, and the art quality is high, as well,” Bornmueller says. “There is also an active attempt by both DC and Marvel in trying to acquire new readers.”

The attempts by both DC and Marvel to cater to a new audience are DC’s All-Star line and Marvel’s Ultimate line.

“The All-Star line is reimagined stories that are accessible to new readers,” Bornmueller says. “The Ultimate line is a completely new series.”

Bornmueller says the industry is going strong and the future is looking bright.

“We have over 150 people we pull comics for every month,” Bornmueller says. “Also, publishers are making active attempts to capture an audience for the new generation. The comic-based movies help a lot in getting series known out there; good movies like ‘Spider-Man’ and ‘Batman Begins’ increase the sales of comics for those titles. Bad movies like ‘Catwoman,’ well, they don’t do anything for sales.”

Robert Anhalt, sophomore in computer engineering, has been reading comics for at least 15 years. As a collector, Anhalt says he is well aware of the increasing sales of trade paperbacks.

The controversy with trades, however, is with increasing sales, publishers might ditch the monthly single-issue format and just release trades (single issue collected into one book). There is also concern that newer readers prefer trades, because of an entire story collected at once and the cheaper price.

“Trades are getting more popular,” Anhalt says. “It’s cheaper overall and usually there are extras included in trades like scripts, unused panels and sketches. Trades also get more availability with different outlets.”

Being a longtime comic fan, Anhalt has experienced the many facets of comics, including the expense of collecting, the maturing of stories, the rise of trade paperbacks (single-issues collected into one book, better known as trades or TPB) and comic conventions.

“Typically, I spend $20 a week picking up new issues,” Anhalt says. “However, that can jump to $100 in a single day if I happen to find a rare issue.”

There has also been a steady change in the content of stories. Anhalt says both DC and Marvel are steering stories away from being just for kids and more for adults.

“There are more comics these days that deal with more mature subjects like drugs or suicide,” Anhalt says.

Some unpleasant trends have grown from this phenomenon. One problem has been the sensationalizing of stories. Anhalt says comics have been taking too drastic of steps in stories, leading to permanent changes that may or may not work.

“Stories have been featuring more and more shocking deaths,” Anhalt says. “I guess it’s not a problem as long as death is handled maturely, but it’s still risky. At the same time, death seems to be losing its meaning because when a character gets killed off, some wizard just comes in and resurrects them.”

Another trend in the comics industry is proliferation of comic conventions, where fans come together to meet with one another, buy and sell comics, and get the opportunity to talk with writers and artists.

“I went to the Wizard Con this past summer,” Anhalt says. “It was a lot of fun, and there were lots of people there. I’d say there were around 10,000 people daily for three days. People just filled the convention center.”

Although the biggest conventions might be in the major cities, Iowa still has a convention of its own.

Scott Wirth, president of the Iowa Comic Book Club, organizes the only convention in Iowa.

“The ICBC is a nonprofit corporation started in 1980,” Wirth says. “We put on three shows and one convention a year.”

The upcoming Oct. 30 event, Comic Book Marketplace, is one of the three shows ICBC runs every year.

“The shows are great events for people to come in and pick up comics at very cheap prices,” Wirth says. “We have dealers from Minnesota and Kansas coming here. A lot of comics, even those only a month old, are marked at 25 cents – a bargain when the usual price is around $3.”