My good friend was kind enough to video the speech, so here it is in all of its raw glory:

As co-owner of Comic Zone, the only comic book store in Scottsdale, I can tell you with utmost confidence that comic books are not just for kids anymore.  Today, I am going to tell you about the value of comic book characters.  By exploring the archetypes of three popular comic book heroes, I will show you how they have made a difference in the values and morality of our society.

Carl Jung, a pioneer in the field of psychology, focused on the psychoanalytic features of the archetype. He defined an archetype as “a universal and recurring image, pattern, or motif representing a typical human experience.” Archetypes are patterns and behaviors; primordial images which are part of our psyche and social systems.

Today, I will be talking about Superman, Wonder-Woman, and The Joker

Superman is one of the most popular, and longest-known comic book superheroes of our time. Superman was introduced in 1938, and has retained his popularity all of these 72 years. I would say that Superman represents the consummate HERO archetype.

Christopher Vogler, a protégée of Joseph Campbell describes the Hero Archetype as the protagonist or central character, whose primary purpose is to separate from the ordinary world and sacrifice himself for the service of the Journey at hand – which is to answer the challenge, complete the quest and restore the Ordinary World’s balance.

Superman most certainly does that. He came from another planet – Krypton – and realizing his extraordinary strengths, he uses them to fight for truth, justice, and the American Way.  Superman reminds us to value our fight for freedom, to be the hero fighting for the causes we believe in, and to serve the good by our actions.

So remember, when you see a wrong to be righted, just tap into the Superman inside of you and fly to the rescue!

Next we have Wonder Woman.

Wonder Woman was created in 1941 by Moulton Marston, who set out to create a feminine character with all the strength of Superman plus all the allure of a good and beautiful woman. Wonder Woman didn’t just stop criminals – she reformed them!  Wonder Woman represents the strong woman archetype, a prevalent archetype known in ancient Irish history as the sovereignty goddess of the land.  Wonder Woman teaches us that women can be strong in a different way from men. She, in part, gave rise to the feminist movement that swept our country in the 1970’s. To this day, Wonder Woman is an icon for the strong woman – who is simultaneously a champion and a warrior, as well as compassionate and beautiful. Wonder Woman teaches people, especially women, to believe in themselves.

All women are Wonder Women!

And finally, we have the Joker.

The Joker is a perfect example of the Trickster archetype – a being who, by using chaos and mischief, breaks all of society’s rules to challenge the Hero.

If you saw the recent box office hit, The Dark Knight, you know that in the movie, the Joker was the typical trickster, causing chaos left and right as he even had the hero, Batman, questioning himself and his motives.

The trickster exists to break down old forms and to make us question the structures within which we live so that we can arrive at a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world around us. Tricksters are unpredictable and often unassuming. They trick us into thinking!

Have you learned something today about what comic books can show us about ourselves and the world?

See? Trickster energy at work!

In conclusion, comic books have intrinsic values that help shape our view of the world. Superman reminds us that we all have a hero in us. Wonder Woman reminds us that we all have a strong and beautiful self if we but believe in it. The Joker reminds us to question the world and our structures so that we can keep on growing.

Why So Serious??? Why So Serious??? Let’s put a smile on that face!

I knew a man who never read anything until he picked up the Lord of the Rings. Suddenly, worlds opened up to him, and he became an enthusiastic reader for life because of that one book.

I was researching some of the papers that have been written about this, particularly this one:

http://graphicclassroom.blogspot.com/search/label/Master%27s%20Thesis

Unfortunately, this particular paper, although it presents a lot of great ideas, did not find any conclusive evidence to support or deny his theory about motivating students to read by using comic books. However, I have talked with a special education teacher who raves about the effects that comic books have had on her students.

Obviously, more research is needed.

Five people came to offer their opinions and assistance, and shortly after the group ended, another came and gave us incredible suggestions! We are so grateful to everyone who attended: Rhia, Howard, Aaron, Vivian, Tom, and Leroy, and a special thank you to my dear friend, Linda Simpson, who ran the group for us.

Some of the more interesting conversations involved the anatomically incorrect drawings of comic book heroes, especially the women. And yet, as it was pointed out, the male super-heroes are more fantasy than not also. The idea is that these are the artists’ fantasies of ideals. At some point in the near future, I will devote a whole blog post to this subject, as it fascinates me.

Some great ideas that were presented to us are things that we really wanted to do anyway, and now we have clearer avenues. I have wanted to do more regarding using comics in education for quite some time, and we had two teachers in the room, one was a teacher of English and the other of special ed. Both saw the role of comics in their particular classrooms as very different, whereas one would use them as a springboard for teaching about symbolism in literature and the other would use them to interest students in reading. I advocate both usages and I am excited to be a part of making this happen.

I really learned a lot, and even managed to video-tape segments of the discussion, so stay tuned to our site for showings.

Enjoy!

Aside from holding it for something like 30-50 years, there are other characteristics that make a comic book hold its value. A main characteristic is if it is the introduction of someone who becomes a major player in the world of comics. For example, the first appearance of Batman was in issue #27 of Detective Comics and if you can find a mint condition issue of that comic, it has been valued at $300,000! Do you realize you can buy a house with that one comic?

I already mentioned a second characteristic – keeping the comic book in mint condition. This is really important, although even if only in good condition, a comic book of this sort can yield 1000% appreciation.

Thirdly, holding a mint comic book with a primary character’s first appearance for a couple of decades is a surefire way of making sure you get a great return on your investment.

Next time you come into Comic Zone, ask us about some of our “special” issues. Good chance that you can get a real gem at a good price now, hold it until you are ready to retire, and your golden years can be spent in style.

First off; if I had THE answer, I would be penciling comic books myself. I’d know what I need to fix about my artwork, it would be fixed, and I’d be making funny books, instead of selling them.

Secondly, I get asked this question via the Internet. So, clearly, these people have online access, where there is an abundance of information about EVERYTHING. In fact, the Internet even knows what I had for breakfast this morning (It was waffles. See? The Internet knows). And I’m not even some pop-celebrity like Lindsay Lohan or Johnny Depp (intentional key word placement to raise search-engine rankings, there? Hmmm, could be!)

HOWEVER. Somebody, someday will have come here from some random search and been like, “Yo, Andy, why you wasting my time with this?” To those people, I say this:

http://www.makeshiftmiracle.com/Writing.html

http://zubkavich.livejournal.com/165953.html

Read every single thing that Jim Zubkavich has written. He’s an editor for UDON Entertainment (creators of the wonderfully super Street Fighter and Darkstalkers comics, on sale now!), and, as such, knows what editors are looking for (shock and awe!). My personal favorite is in “Portfolio Horror,” with the Sailor Moon crayon drawings.

In addition to reading Zub’s stuff, the best way to learn about what you need to do is READ COMICS. Don’t just get art styles that are what you’re into: Get EVERYTHING! If you like Jim Lee’s work (X-Men, WildC.A.T.S., Batman, etc.), buy comics by Skottie Young (New X-Men, Wonderful Wizard of Oz). If you like Frank Quitely (All-Star Superman, New X-Men, We3), pick up stuff by Takeshi Miyazawa (Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane, Secret Invasion: Young Avengers/Runaways). If you like David Finch (New Avengers, Moon Knight), get things by Mike Allred (Madman, X-Statix). The only way to grow as an artist is to look at everything that’s out there, and be inspired by it. Heck, don’t just limit yourself to comic artists – Look at the works of the great Renaissance painters (You know, the ones the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were named after). Check out some Van Gogh. Know who Brunelleschi is.

Read Scott McCloud’s books – Understanding Comics, Making Comics, and Re-Inventing Comics. How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way should be on your bookshelf. DC has an entire line about becoming a professional comic artist. Wizard has countless Basic Training books. Get them all.

Then, draw. Draw again. And when you’re sick and tired of drawing, do it some more. Because if you can’t even be bothered to draw a portfolio, there’s no possible way you can draw 22 pages of comic a month. And once you’ve drawn your little hands off, go to conventions. Meet creators and editors. Go to portfolio review sessions. Befriend important people! Brian Michael Bendis got a job in comics because he wouldn’t stop going to conventions. Eventually, the editors at all the major companies got to know him, and now he’s the head writer at Marvel. But in 1995, nobody knew who the hell he was.

Make a webcomic! Update it daily. If you’re not comfortable writing, find somebody who is a writer. Go to websites like PencilJack and find people who have stories but are looking for an artist. A friend of mine just got her first published work in the mail by doing exactly that.

These are just some of the things you’re going to need to do to break in. And I don’t even know what I’m talking about.