Good news for comic books

The rest of the publishing industry may have its worries, but in comic-book land, things are looking rosy. According to an article in USA Today, total sales of comic books were "strong" in 2008, while the graphic-novel category grew by 5%.

The numbers come from Steve Geppi, CEO of Diamond Comics Distributors. Seppi adds, "We remain optimistic about the comic-book industry heading into 2009."

Things look bright, indeed. President-elect Obama is reported to be a serious comic book aficionado and collector and it seems that this month comic books are making positive headines in Washington, D.C., and beyond.

Industry news site Comic Book Resources notes today that the press is carrying several comic book-related stories.

Among them: Dark Horse Comics is sending Obama 30 collections of Conan the Barbarian (a move orchestrated by film agent Ari Emanuel and his brother Rahm Emanuel, the new White House chief of staff), Jeff Kinney’s "Wimpy Kid" illustrated books are bestsellers that have "sparked a reading craze among young children," and comic book writer Harvey Pekar premieres his opera "Leave Me Alone!" on Jan. 31 at Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio.

If you're looking for a growth sector of the publishing industry, this may be it.