Comic book heroes aren't just bulletproof - they're recession-proof

The comic book industry may not able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, but it has withstood the worst economic decline since the Great Depression fairly well.

According to industry estimates, sales to specialty retailers rose 1% to $324.66 million between January and September. Experts say that it's too soon to say whether they will show a gain for the year because of the importance of holiday sales. But if sales do decline, it would be the industry's first drop-off since 2000. Those figures do not include sales of comics and graphic novels at Barnes & Noble (BKS) and other book store chains.