COMIC BOOK STORE from PGTV NEWS on Vimeo.

There have been an abundance of movies and television shows based on comic books and graphic novels. Although people enjoy these stories, many do not know about the origins of these tales.

Students at Prince George enjoy reading comic books for many reasons.

“It brings me into another world,” junior Dalton Vick said. “I like reading them because it brings me close to the characters. It’s like I am right next to the character. I get my books from either the library here or sometimes my family. If I have to and there is a series that I don’t have, I will go to the store and buy it.”

Rick Ralsten owns the comic book store The Time Capsule in Hopewell, VA. He was first introduced to comics by a friend in high school and opened his first store in 1992.

“Some of the most popular comics that I sell are going to be just what you expect,” Ralsten said. “The popular superhero stories like Batman. The popular Marvel ones like Superman, like XMen. Popular stuff that is not DC or Marvel, would be like The Walking Dead.”

Many comic books have been adapted into movies and tv shows that both fans and movie lovers enjoy.

“Usually the overall storyline is the same. The basic idea, the setup, the way it ends is the same,” Ralsten said. “But there are a lot of small differences between the two.”

Here at Prince George there are a selection of graphic novels that students enjoy browsing. English teacher Stephen Marowitz has been enjoying both graphic novels and comic books from the young age of eight. He recognizes the changes in comic books over the years.

“I miss the golden and silver age of comics when a hero was a hero,” Marowitz said. “Now there is a lot more ambiguity among characters, moral gray areas nowadays, especially with the DC New 52 with the new comics coming up that are more antihero like Deadpool or Cat Woman. There is not the sense of moral justice that there once was.”

Although there has been a drop in sales since the move from paper to the big screen, the influence of comics will always be significant as they enter a new era.

“To me – it’s great that you can pick up a comic, read it and put it away. And ten years down the road it might be more valuable that what you paid for it,” Ralsten Said.