The popularity of comics emerged the early 20th century from the United States with the newspaper comic strip.  From there, its form became more standardized - typically taking image forms with speech balloons.  Initially these appeared in the Sunday strips but later comics became a daily feature in the press. The combination of words and pictures proved popular and quickly spread throughout the world.

The collection of comic strips were soon collated and made into booklets with reprints of those previously featured in the newspapers.  Original comic books soon followed. Today, comics can be seen widely, including newspapers, magazines, comic books, graphic novels and online.

Historically, comics dealt with humor, but it has since expanded to encompass a wide range of topics from the traditional action heroes to satire and current new items.

Comic book collecting is a hobby where comic books and such items are deemed as collectibles or artwork. This has a major following around the world today and is partially responsible for the increased interest in comics after the temporary slump experienced during the 1980s. People who collect comic books are known as pannapictagraphists.

Comics are collected for a number of reasons, including nostalgia and financial appreciation. The popularity of superhero characters (such as Superman, Batman, and Captain Marvel) in the 1930s gave rise to the popularity of comic books.  Since the 1960s, two publishers have dominated the American comic book industry: Marvel Comics, publisher of comics such as Spider-Man, X-Men, and Fantastic Four, and DC Comics, which publishes titles including Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman.

Comic book popularity increased in the 1960s (the Silver Age), when numerous comic book conventions took place.  There, fans were able to indulge in their passion of discussing their favorite comics and meet even with the creators themselves.  Today, numerous comic conventions and festivals continue to be held around the world, with the San Diego Comic Con being the largest and best-known convention in the United States.