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Posted by: Megan Halsband
Dr. Daniel Peretti, Assistant Professor of Folklore at the Memorial University of Newfoundland, is the author of “Superman in Myth and Folklore” (University Press of Mississippi, 2017), as well as other essays on folklore, myth, and popular culture. His current research focuses on Santa Claus, ritual, and the traditions of Christmas. Here Dr. Peretti answers …
Posted in: Comic Books, Holidays, Let's Talk Comics
Posted by: Megan Halsband
From the beginning comic books have published war stories and adventures, profiling every branch of the military and visually portraying every aspect of modern warfare. Even before the United States entered World War II, Captain America fought Adolph Hitler on the cover of Captain America no. 1 (1940). Contemporary comics on war and the …
Posted in: Comic Books
Posted by: Megan Halsband
From the original copyright deposit drawing of the Yellow Kid to web comics, 120 years of comic art from the Library of Congress’ collections are now on exhibit in the Graphic Arts Galleries in the Thomas Jefferson Building!
Posted in: Comic Books, Let's Talk Comics, Newspaper Comic Strips, Web Archives, Web Comics
Posted by: Megan Halsband
Samurai Penguins? A Rabbit Ronin? These (and more Samurai animals!) can be found in the Library of Congress' comic book collection!
Posted in: Animals, Comic Books, Let's Talk Comics
Posted by: Megan Halsband
Dr. Barbara Gordon, Librarian? Yep that’s right – not only was Batgirl a crime-fighter alongside Batman and Robin but she also had a PhD in Library Science and ran the Gotham City Public Library. A recent visit from some fellow librarians in Washington DC for the American Library Association (ALA) annual conference gave me a …
Posted in: Comic Books
Posted by: Megan Halsband
This year May the Fourth, a day to revel in all things Star Wars, coincides with Free Comic Book Day, an annual celebration of comic books! And on this May the Fourth, we’re particularly remembering Chewbacca actor Peter Mayhew who died on April 30, 2019. He made Chewbacca one of the best-loved Star Wars characters. …
Posted in: Biography, Comic Books, Crime, World War I
Posted by: Megan Halsband
Ahh the superhero team – where would comics be without them? No Avengers, no Birds of Prey, no Watchmen, no Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (my favorite)! From the beginning superheroes, anti-heroes, and villains have joined forces to create some epic comic stories. And you can come and read them here at the Library of Congress …
Posted in: Comic Books, Let's Talk Comics
Posted by: Megan Halsband
Whether you call them superheroines, female superheroes, or just superheroes, there are many female characters in comics whose powers, reputation, actions, and history make them more than ordinary. While Wonder Woman might be known best, a number of other superheroines made their first appearance in comics early on in the 1940s. Fantomah (February 1940), Lady …
Posted in: Comic Books, Let's Talk Comics
Posted by: Megan Halsband
It’s February, Valentine’s Day is around the corner, and love is in the air! Typically you might not think of “romance” and “comics” together – but in the 1940s and 1950s as superhero popularity waned, romance reigned. And it was all started by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby in Young Romance no. 1 (Sept-Oct. 1947). …
Posted in: Comic Books, Holidays