Comic books have been around for the better part of a century, and in all that time they are still considered by most as nothing more than a children's entertainment. Many adults cannot accept the fact there are comics appropriate for them as well. Comics is an art form which has had its ups and downs. There isn't much up here yet, but I have researched this subject twice for college level persasive research papers.
Paper 1 - This is a really rough essay. Nothing much, but it is a start to what I hope to write someday.
Paper 2 - This is really just a more detailed version of #1. There's more indepth research for this one. It is a good outline for those interested in Comics past just entertainment.
Note: For anyone who may bump into this sight, I do have the list of sources my research came from. The biggest being Scott McCloud's "Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art".
Here's a quick list of books that have qualities past just entertainment (But ALL OF THESE ARE VERY GOOD READS AS WELL)
Strangers in Paradise, Wandering Star, Watchmen, Conrete, Howard the Duck (70's series), 60' Marvel Heroes, The Sandman, Nexus, and 40's-60's DC Heroes.