CLEMSON — Spider-Man has problems with his lady friends. Dead parent drama haunts Batman, and Superman can’t seem to fit in. Character flaws contribute heavily to the ongoing appeal of comic books.

Flipping through pages and panels, readers see a bit of themselves in the screwed-up heroes, according to Allen Swords, a Clemson University English lecturer and longtime comics fan.

“Not in a literal sense, as far as being able to do the things, say, Batman can do,” Swords said. “But they may think, ‘I’ve gone through what he’s going though.’ Or, ‘I’ve struggled to gain acceptance.’ People care about these characters and want to follow what happens to them.”

Nostalgia also keeps comic books going. In the ’70s and ’80s, comics could be found at grocers and drug stores. Now, the books have been relegated to outlets less accessible to youths: mega-chain bookstores, online retailers and comic book shops.

Planet Comics falls into the latter category. Located at 2704 N. Main St. in Anderson, the store has been open now for 11 years. Nathan Starwalt manages Planet Comics.

“Many comic shops have a hard time staying open, but that is due in part to an unwillingness to change business models as the market changes,” Starwalt said. “The stores that adapt will endure and the ones that refuse to usually go out of business quickly.”

The Internet has allowed Planet Comics to expand its empire, uh customer base. They sell titles and collections on eBay and through their own Web site, planetcomics.net,

“We receive orders from all over the world,” Starwalt said. “We would not have been able to reach those customers without the Internet.”

To raise brick-and-mortar sales over the years, Planet Comics has added manga, anime and card games to its stock.

Said Starwalt: “Many of our customers have interests in these other forms of entertainment, and being a one-stop shop for these customers is convenient for them.”

RISING FORCES

Comic books featuring Spider-Man, X-Men and Superman continue to be big sellers at Planet Comics. Comic books have become increasingly influenced by the open feel of Japanese manga. The artwork in American books has evolved, too. Much of the lettering is done on computer.

“If there’s superstars — and I use the term loosely — in comic books today it’s the artists,” Swords said. “It used to be Marvel or DC books had a certain style. Now the look is more defined by artists, like Alex Ross and Jim Lee.”

Graphic novels are hot, too. These publications feature an entire storyline in one edition. Collected editions of several comic issues, called trade paperbacks, also move well.

“Sales for graphic novels have increased every quarter for the last several years,” Starwalt said. “Many customers don't want to wait a month between installments to read an entire story, so they only buy the collected editions when they come out.”

In his 20th and 21st Century Literature classes at Clemson, Swords covers graphic novels alongside poetry and short fiction.

“This way, I’m giving them the newest form of literature — that’s my opinion; if you talk to 20 other academics, they might disagree,” Swords said.

But Swords — who also teaches other classes at Clemson, including first year composition — feels comic books and their brethren to be “very misunderstood and mischaracterized.”

Yes, graphic novels are geared toward young adult and adult readers. But the “graphic” in the appellation doesn’t indicate pornography (although some of them go there). The genre is a mash up of illustration and fiction.

“It’s sequential art: a marriage of words and pictures where traditional books separate those elements,” Swords said.

Top graphic novels include: “Y: The Last Man,” Mary Shelly-inspired science fiction; “Blanket,” Craig Thompson’s coming of age epic; “Maus: A Survivor's Tale,” a bizarre dissection of Holocaust hangover; and “The Watchmen,” a pre-Apocalyptic deconstruction of superhero archetypes.

Swords and Starwalt both singled out “The Watchmen” for particular praise. Written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons, it was the lone graphic novel to appear on Time Magazine’s 2005 list of 100 best English-language novels from 1923 to present.

“‘Watchmen’” elevates superhero comics to the realm of literature and demonstrates that a work written 20 years ago can still stand the test of time,” Starwalt said.

HOLLYWOOD FACTOR

In March 2009, a film version of “The Watchmen” will hit theatres, following in the footsteps of other graphic novel adaptations, like “300” and “Sin City.” But it’s movies made from comic books that draw the most attention — and ire. Swords said the 1978 “Superman” film is considered the gold standard among comic book fans. Director Tim Burton’s 1989 “Batman” is also held in high regard.

Swords rates “Cat Woman,” “Daredevil” and “Ghost Rider” among the dregs of the genre. Those aren’t the absolute nadir though.

“(1997’s) ‘Batman and Robin’ is the worst movie I have ever seen,” Swords said. “It had George Clooney in it, and he was fine, but the direction and the style were terrible.”

So why do some comic book movies soar while others go bomb? When it comes to superheroes, Swords believes it’s easier to suspend belief on-page than on-screen.

“I actually wish they’d make fewer superhero movies,” he said.

And while the Spider-Man franchise shattered box office records, Swords only thought the second installment delivered the goods, story-wise. He’s also fond of the first two X-Men films. This summer, “Iron Man,” starring Robert Downey, Jr., has been a surprise hit with critics, comic fans and moviegoers alike.

“If you would have told me a year ago that ‘Iron Man’ would be considered one of the great superhero movies of all-time, I would have laughed,” Swords said. “It’s just really well made: the acting’s good, the story’s good, the directing is good. And it’s very accessible.”

Comic books themselves should be so lucky. Swords said a lack of accessibility is one of the major problems facing comic books today. Specifically, too many clandestine references confuse new readers.

Which leads to the comic book galaxy’s most dangerous villain: decreased circulation.

NOT BULLETPROOF

As late as the ’90s, flagship titles like “Uncanny X-Men” commanded circulations of around 400,000. Now 100,000 is considered a successful plateau. Print versions of “Iron Man” and “The Incredible Hulk” have received recent sales bumps following theatrical versions.

“Millennials haven’t really grown up with comic books as part of their culture,” Swords said. “My generations — and I consider myself Generation X — was really the last. Comics are a slow deliberate medium. Compared to Internet and video games comics might even be too slow.”

Just as classic rock fans have The Beatles and The Stones, comic book devotees have, of course, Marvel and DC. The kingpins of comic companies, DC wins on age (they’ve been around since the ’30s), while Marvel triumphs on sales. Fans also consider Darkhorse Comics and Image Comics among the “big four” comic book makers — but, revisiting the rock analogy, these companies would be more like The Kinks and The Who.

The Marvel stable includes Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, X-Men and Captain America. Meanwhile, DC boasts Batman, Green Lantern and the granddaddy of them all, Superman. Debuting in 1938 as “Action Comics,” “Superman” is the longest running American publication, Swords said. Despite their stature, Marvel and DC are struggling to adapt their wares to an increasingly wired world. With a selection of books available digitally online, Marvel seems to be making the transition a little faster, Swords said.

Price is also a problem.

The current $2.99 newsstand price for most comics does not present as much opportunity for children to explore multiple titles to find their favorites.

In 1984, books were priced at 65 cents a pop. That’s when an 11-year-old Allen Swords began to explore Marvel books, like “The Avengers” and “Amazing Spider-Man.” However “Superman” eventually became his favorite character and title. Swords believes comics helped lead him to his eventual vocation.

“Many people assume (comic books) are not literary or worthwhile. There’s this misconception that they only apply to very young readers,” Swords said. “I don’t consider comics a gateway literature; I detest that term. I still enjoy the visual part comic books and graphic novels bring, in addition to the more traditional written word.”