(FORTUNE Magazine) – Spiderman married. Clark Kent, alias Superman, became a yuppie. And some caped marvels have aged, developing paunches and mid-life crises . . . Everyone in the industry -- from publishers to . . . retailers -- agrees that the future of comic books lies in the adult market . . .

Among the characters who appeal most to adult readers are old favorites with new looks. One of the most popular comics in the last year . . . portrays the caped crusader Batman as he would appear in middle age . . . As another example, sales of Superman comics had been lagging ((until)) DC Comics, the publisher, took Superman off the newsstands, reintroducing him . . . in a world where weapons fired at him caused pain and not every problem could be solved. -- From an article in the New York Times.