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!
Comic books and graphic novels can be a great way to get kids, and people of all ages, reading. Children’s comics, illustrated classic stories, and historical works can be engaging and educational. Here are a few from our collections!
Samurai Penguins? A Rabbit Ronin? These (and more Samurai animals!) can be found in the Library of Congress’ comic book collection!
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 […]
With one of the biggest comic book collections in the world, we take our role of preserving comics seriously. But we also know that comic books are seriously fun to read! Which is why we are now trying to make our collections more accessible.
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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). […]
The Cherokee Nation became the first Native American tribe with a tribal newspaper, the Cherokee Phoenix. The Serial & Government Publications Division holds a number of original issues of the Cherokee Phoenix, first published on February 21, 1828. The newspaper was printed “partly with English, and partly with Cherokee print; and all matter which is common […]