Thanks to the popularity of comic book-based films like "Spiderman," "The X-Men" and "Road to Perdition," comic books are experiencing an up-swing in popularity. This is good news for Steven Dobrzynski, owner of Collector's Edge Comics, the largest over-the-counter seller of comics with over a million back issues stockpiled in his three shops.

Recently, Dobrzynski sold a comic for $3,500. The book, a Silver Surfer comic circa the late '60s, was in near-mint condition, and rated a 9.6 on a 10-point scale by the CGC (Comic Guarantee Company). The CGC grades collectible comics, seals them in a plastic jacket and as long as the book remains protected, guarantees the determined worth.

The hottest comics right now are JLA (Justice League of America), Batman, Superman, Spiderman, Transformers and X-Men. Comic books centered around female superheroes are also gaining popularity, including Harley Quinn, Super Girl and Elektra.

According to Dobrzynski, adults are just as avid comic book readers as kids, not only for the sake of nostalgia, but also because comics translate into big money. "These days, most of the writers who want to break into show business do it through comics," says Dobrzynski, who, at age 40, has read comics for 28 years. "It's easy to sell a comic as a movie. Consequently, you have people like J. Michael Straczynski who wrote 'Babylon 5' and HBO's 'Jeremiah' writing 'Spiderman' right now."

Although Dobrzynski was impressed with the recent "Spiderman" movie -- which he credits the massive budget and fantastic writing as the film's biggest assets -- he admits there have been a number of really bad comic book films such as "Howard the Duck" and "The Punnisher."

In any case, comics are still a cheap and legal form of escapism, so feel free to fly into one of these local shops:

Collector's Edge Comics
6830 W. Lincoln Ave., West Allis
728 W. Burleigh St., Milwaukee
2330 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., Milwaukee

Arcade Comics
N88 W16726 Appleton Ave., Menomonee Falls

Belich's Nostalgia World
8228 W. Lincoln Ave., West Allis

F-5 Comics & Collector Cards
6233 W. Greenfield Ave., West Allis

Lost World of Wonders
6913 W. Oklahoma Ave., Milwaukee

ML Comics
180 S. Main St., Thiensville

Universal Comics
304 N. East Ave., Waukesha

Turning Page
2452 N. Murray Pl., Milwaukee