Comic books still popular with readers

• By LAURA FAULK
• Special to The Advocate
• Published: Mar 16, 2009 - Page: 1B -- Acadiana Edition

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LAFAYETTE — Today’s kids may not be aware that superheroes such as Batman, Spider-Man, and the mutant X-Men were already two-dimensional pulp before they hit the big silver screen.

Before the big screen, these characters were on the small pages of comic books and they have, over the years, established a sort of symbiotic cellulose to celluloid relationship.

Comic books are coming  back into vogue now that characters like Spider-Man have made movies and appeared in Happy Meals.

“They had an upswing in the ’90s,” said Jeffery LaJaunie, 36, the resident “comic book guy” at the Lafayette store named And Books Too. “It waxes and wanes, just like anything else. They’re still around, they’re still popular. And they’re constantly the source of movies, and that brings people in.”

Jared Trautman, of St. Martinville, said he is a current fan of the Batman comic books.
“Battle for the Cowl” is a new story in which Batman goes missing and the rest of the characters are trying to decide who will take his place.

Trautman said that he took a break from comic books between the ages of 15 and 25, and when he was younger he preferred the Silver Surfer, Spider-Man and Wolverine characters — all targets of recent film adaptations.

“Batman is probably the best comic right now, or at least the most interesting,” said Trautman, 26, who adds that he thinks that he is the only one in his circle of friends that enjoys comic books.

“The whole ‘Batman R.I.P.’ story got me back into it,” he said.

Trautman acknowledged that movies have definitely had an impact on the return of comic book popularity, but not all comic books and movies are created equal. Trautman said he enjoyed “X-Men II” and “Spider-Man II,” but said that “X-Men III” left a lot to be desired.

Less is more in these cases.

“One is good enough,” Trautman said of comic books turned into movies. “You don’t have to pound more on top to make it a huge spectacle.”

One movie that hits the spot for Trautman is the newly released “Watchmen,” which shows comic book characters stepping back up out of anonymity to help save the world. Part of the appeal for Trautman was how close the movie stayed to the comic book plotline.

“I saw it twice this past weekend,” Trautman said. “They changed very little.”