CHECK IT OUT:

Comic books have delighted readers for years and have carved out a comfortable niche within popular culture. Superheroes born as early as the 1930s continue to enjoy widespread popularity with readers both young and old.

Comics have often inspired film directors to adapt the adventures of superheroes to the silver screen.

“Batman: The Dark Knight Returns” by Frank Miller: Gotham City has changed. It’s been 10 years since Bruce Wayne hung up his trademark bat suit and ceased being Gotham’s nocturnal vigilante.

The city has fallen into chaos, and gangs are poised to control the lawless city. Donning his costume once again, Batman takes a new Robin under his wing and restores Gotham to its former glory.

Frank Miller’s incarnation of Batman grew to be popular among fans and served as the foundation for Tim Burton’s and Christopher Nolan’s depiction of Batman in “Batman” and “Batman Begins.”

“Hellboy: Seed of Destruction” by Mike Mignola: “Seed of Destruction” was the inspiration for the 2004 film adaptation by Guillermo Del Toro.

Mignola’s creation is highly original, as the book’s central character is a red-tinted demon taken in by humans who works for a secret agency called the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. In “Seed,” Hellboy is called upon to investigate supernatural incidents occurring in the world around him, which leads into a chain of events that reveals Hellboy’s origins and how he was linked to the activities of Nazi occultists during World War II.

“300” by Frank Miller: Miller looked to ancient Greece as source material for this action-packed graphic novel.

Specifically, he tells the story of the handful of Spartan soldiers who marched to Thermopylae in the late 400 BC to halt Persian conquest. While the battle has its roots in historical fact, Miller freely injects elements of fantasy into his retelling of the doomed, honor-bound soldiers. Gerard Butler stars as King Leonidas in the 2006 film adaptation.

“The Celebrated Cases of Dick Tracy, 1931-1951” by Chester Gould: Since his first appearance in syndicated newspapers in the 1930s, Dick Tracy stands as one of the most famous police detectives whose angular jaw line was just as famous as his trademark fedora and trench coat.

Using gadgets, brains and brawn, Tracy acted against the nefarious plots of many iconic villains such as Flat Top, Prune Face, The Mole and Big Boy. The strip inspired the 1990 film starring Warren Beatty (who also directed), Madonna and Al Pacino.

“The New American Splendor Anthology” by Harvey Pekar: Harvey Pekar defied the comic book status quo when he began writing “American Splendor.”

Rather than tell stories about adventurers in deep space or ordinary beings that developed superpowers and became protectorates of Earth, Pekar instead focused on the lives of “regular Joes,” like himself. Teaming with artist Robert Crumb, Pekar created a comic that grew to be popular in counterculture comic book circles.

Paul Giamatti portrayed Harvey Pekar in the 2003 film that chronicled his life and development of comics during the 1970s.

CHECK IT OUT is written by the staff of the Newport Beach Public Library. This week’s column is by Allen Kesinger. All titles may be reserved from home or office computers by accessing the catalog at www.newportbeachlibrary.org. For more information on the Central Library or any of the branches, please contact the Newport Beach Public Library at (949) 717-3800, option 2.