Comic book artist draws for kids Collectors take the fun out of them, he says.(News)

Byline: Paul M. Anderson Daily Herald Correspondent

Comic book publisher Chris Ecker loves to give comics away to kids, but he has one rule.

"When we're at (comic book) conventions I say, 'You can keep this comic, but you have to roll it up and stick it in your back pocket,' " Ecker said.

That may come as a shock to most collectors these days in an era when the first appearance of Superman in a comic book from 1938 is listed as being worth $175,000. Even some comic books from the '70s can be worth hundreds of dollars.

But Ecker, an Elgin resident who writes and draws for Big Bang Comics, said the comic book industry should get away from the collector mentality and get back to making comics fun again.

"The bad influence on kids today is actually their parents. They have been told to believe that the only value in comics is the potential collector value," Ecker said.

The problem is that most comic books do not appreciate significantly in value. It's a simple matter of supply and demand, Ecker said.

"If you make something that's in short supply and there's a demand, it will be valuable. But if no one cares about it, it's not valuable to anybody," Ecker said.

Ecker, who used to manage the Moondog's comic book chain throughout the Chicago area, remembers when Marvel Comics put out 8 million copies of X-Men No. 1 in 1991. That issue is listed as worth $2.50, or roughly what it cost in 1991, according to current collector guides.

The industry has slumped since the speculators of the early '90s have abandoned the market, Ecker said.

Ecker helped form Big Bang Comics with co-workers Gary Carlson and Ed DeGeorge a few years ago with a desire to make comic books fun again.

Two years ago, Big Bang joined the West Coast-based Image Comics, which has emerged as the largest independent comic book publisher in the market and is the creator of the character Spawn, which was brought to life in a recent film.

Big Bang's mission is a simple one, Ecker said.

"Gary and I have always been big fans of old comics. We grew up reading comics in the '60s and '70s and that's what we wanted to produce," Ecker said.

The Big Bang universe is populated by superheroes like Ultiman, "the Ultimate Human Being," and The Blitz, "the Quickest Man on the Face of the Earth." The resemblance to Superman and the Flash are intentional, Ecker said.

"That's why we deal with archetypes. It's to give people familiarity so they don't have to worry that if they miss 20 issues they won't know what's going on," Ecker said.

Ecker believes too many comic books today are geared toward an adult audience, which may be good for the bottom line today, but may cripple the business in the long run.

"We have hopes of developing a new market for comics even in the face of unbelievable competition from television, video games and the Internet," Ecker said. "But, you know, comics still work on a very primal level. It's a very personal entertainment medium where you supply the voices of the characters on the page. Also, you can take your time with them and you don't need a computer or any other special equipment, except maybe a flashlight to read them under the covers when your mom has told you to go to sleep."

Ecker, Carlson, DeGeorge and other Big Bang creators will be on hand to sign autographs and draw sketches from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday at Keith's Komix, 528 S. Roselle Road, Schaumburg. Call (847) 534-9436 for more information.