Comics Collection

Purpose

The Comics Collection is built and maintained as a comprehensive research collection of the comics medium. The collection seeks to represent the diverse voices and perspectives of those who have contributed to the mediums’ historical significance while also ensuring their accessibility. The materials are primarily intended for education, instruction, and scholarly research while still providing access for the public interested in the medium or study of comics. The collection and its continuance are based on the principle that comics are an important medium that has many unexplored facets and scholarly applications to be researched, studied, and discovered.

Scope

Materials that allow for a historical context of the comic book medium beginning in the 1930s for a wide patronage with the primary focus being for comics scholarship. The collection contains comics materials dating back to early Imagerie d’Epinal sheets to modern comics from around the world.

About

The collection currently consists of approximately 350,000 comic items which makes it the world’s largest publicly accessible comic book collection. The primary body of the collection is comprised of comic works from the late 1890s through today. The primary strength of the collection is its focus is on serial forms of comic books with an expansive collection containing numerous and diverse publishers, titles, and creators beginning in the 1930s through the current age of comics. The collection also focuses on original graphic novel works, crowdfunded comics, and digital born turned print materials.

Additionally, our holdings contain a substantial number of scholarly materials that focus on the history of the medium, criticisms, and analysis. These are comprised of fanzines, industry published sources, academic journals and books, grey literature, and several archives.

The collection acquires these materials through purchase and transfer of printed materials in support of the needs of the above-described patronage. While building on existing and historical strengths, the focus being comics in the Americas, the collection also seeks growth in areas which have little coverage and acquires new collections in anticipation of or in response to the evolution of the medium, and the needs/interests of the scholarship around it.

History

The Comics Collection began with a donation of approximately 6,000 comics from MSU English professor Russel B. Nye in 1970. The comics from this initial donation came from various graduating students. It was one of his numerous donations that helped seed multiple collection areas in the Murray & Hong Special Collections. The collection was then curated, expanded, and cataloged by Comics Bibliographer Randall Scott, beginning in the mid-1970s until his retirement in 2022. During his historic tenure, the collection grew in both size and reputation to become a primary resource for studying comic materials across not just the United States but the globe.

Access to the Collection

As a public institution, the various comics materials, including the serial comic books, are available for viewing by anyone interested in them. However, due to the materials format, condition, and rarity, they are only viewable in the Special Collections Reading Room by appointment. The majority of the collection is cataloged and can be searched using the MSU Library Catalog.

Current Collection Focus and Priorities

The material focus of the collection is comic books and graphic novels published through various channels, including crowdfunded and originally digital, as well as published works and grey literature about comics with a focus on scholarly and industry sources. The priority for materials are those that show the evolution of the comics medium, establish new facet(s), break new ground, or highlight historically marginalized and/or underrepresented creators in the medium within bounds of the collection’s focus.

Strengths

The three main strengths of the collection are:

North American Comic Books
South American Comic Books
History, Criticism, and Analysis of Comics

The collection also maintains some extensive regional comic holdings across the globe such as the Middle East, Israel, parts of Western Europe, and Japan.

Material Framework

North American Comic Books

Collection includes serial titles, limited series (multi-part monographs), original graphic novels, alternative/independent comics, and some zines from publishers who are incorporated in the 23 countries that make up the continent, including Central America. The material encompasses the range of genres, topics, and social issues. Certain selections are determined and/or in collaboration with the LGBTQ + Librarian, Chicanx & Latinx Studies Librarian, Latin American and Caribbean Studies Librarian, and the Zine Librarian. The publishers range from the largest well-known publishers, mid-size publishing companies, and small self- published comics.

South American Comic Books

Collection includes serial titles, limited series (multi-part monographs), and original graphic novels from publishers who are incorporated in the 12 countries that make up the continent. The material encompasses a range of genres, topics, and social issues. Certain selections are determined in collaboration with the Latin American and Caribbean Studies Librarian. Similar to North America, these publishers range from the largest known publishers to small self- published comic books.

History and Criticism of Comics

Collection includes professional and self-published works about the comics medium in both monographic and serial forms. These sources could be from traditional academic publications, industry publications, non-academic publications that focus on comics, and fan created or run publications, such as fanzines. The intention of this collection is to provide a historical body of materials that not only show the impacts of comics on society but also the evolution of how these published works discuss comics.

Level of Concentration

Below are the definitions and ranks of the strength we rate either a collection area or specific material type within it:

Inactive: We are no longer actively adding materials to this collection area or to a material type.
Tertiary: We collect a very limited quantity of materials for this collection or specific material type. Usually means a couple of dozen items a year.
Secondary: We collect a sizable quantity of materials for this collection or specific type of material.
Primary: We collect a significant quantity of materials for this collection or specific type of material.

Active Collections and Material Concentrations

North American Comic Books - 4

Serial titles - 4
Limited series (multi-part monographs) - 4
Original graphic novels - 4
Alternative/Independent Comics - 3
Comic Zines - 2

South American Comic Books - 3

Serial titles - 2
Limited series (multi-part monographs) - 2
Original graphic novels - 4

History and Criticism of Comics - 4

Academic Journals - 3
Monographic Works - 4
Industry/Trade Publications - 3
Comic Focused Non-Academic Journals - 2
Fanzines - 2
Grey Literature - 3

Historical Collections

The collection at Michigan State University began almost 50 years ago and was one of the few academic institutions to collect these types of materials. In the last fifteen years, the number of institutions that collect comics, cartoons, animation, zines, and other facets of the comic medium in their collections has vastly increased. With the evolution of this space, the collection has made the adjustments above to adapt to this new paradigm. Many of our prior areas of focus are now either collected by others and/or fall outside our resources to be able to appropriately collect or maintain them. The collections below are considered inactive as previously outlined.

European Comic Books

The region is covered in other academic collections. Additionally, we would be competing with peer institutions inside our conference. Instead of using resources in this manner, we are focusing on specific countries or regions where we have a significant degree of comic material or a related academic program.

Comics Strips of the United States

The Comics Collection has a long-standing agreement with The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum, which specializes in collecting cartoons and comic strips in various forms, types, and content. In keeping with this arrangement, we do not collect comic strips and similar materials, and as they do with serial comics, we will only collect representative examples of these materials.

Asian and African Comics

Similarly to European comics, the region is covered in other academic collections and want to avoid competing with peer institutions. Similarly, we are focusing on specific countries or regions that already have a significant degree of comic material or related academic program.

Fotonovelas

Despite their popularity in parts of South America they do not fall inside of the Comics Collection scope by their material definition.

Animation

While animated characters tend to be licensed out for comics, animation has been separated from the Comics Collection. The original rationale was that the books would be stolen if allowed to circulate. However, with e-books and other electronic resources, and animation moving to the digital realm, the need to protect future materials in the Comics Collection has ceased.

Cartooning

Materials on how to draw and create comics should be in a circulating collection to allow greater access to them versus the more restrictive Special Collection. We may add some materials to the overall collection, but they would need to meet the criteria previously outlined.

Comic Tie-Ins

Comics properties are huge Intellectual Property (IP) machines for their corporate owners. The infinite amount of IP materials produced yearly is far beyond our scope to effectively collect and catalog. Additionally, there are other institutions whose focus is more on the ephemera aspects of popular culture.

Other Works by Comics Personnel

Unlike the early years of comics where creators came into comics and then out to other professions, like Jim Steranko or Neal Adams, the modern world of comics has many creators wearing multiple career hats. Some work in television, while others author traditional novels etc. so the job of comics creator is no longer their sole profession. To attempt to collect these materials would be an ever expansive and resource heavy endeavor. Additionally, one of the original rationales was the limited bibliographic information on these individuals, which is no longer the case for many of them as they have gone on to achieve cultural prominence.

Newspaper and Other Clipping Files

As the materials involved are diverse types of ephemera, in some cases greeting cards and other promotional materials, with newspaper articles that could be found through modern databases, collecting them does not align to our focus on the medium of comic books. Additionally, doing so could violate the spirit of our long standing agreement with The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum.

Acquisition of Materials

Materials are acquired from various sources which can range from vendors, distributors, to the creators themselves. The decisions on what materials will be acquired for the collection is determined by the Comics Studies Librarian in collaboration with appropriate Library leadership.

The decisions can be influenced, but not limited to or in any specific order, by the criterion below:

Alignment to the collection’s focus
Lack of similarity or non-duplicative of existing holdings
Condition
Potential research value
Impact of the creator or work(s) on the medium
Space limitations of the collection
Current or future academic opportunities for the material
Being held in significant quantity by other academic institutions

Collection management and review

We review and make modifications to this policy as circumstances require but will do a full review no less than once every two years.

The policy is meant to be a guide for developing the collection. It is designed so if any unexpected opportunities arise that fall outside of the current policy, the Comics Studies Librarian will meet with the appropriate library leadership to review and decide on the best course of action.

Important related collections

The collection materials are enhanced by comic materials that can be found in the holdings of the Gender and Sexuality collection, the Chicanx/Latinx collection, the Latin American and Caribbean collection, as well as from the sampling of comic zines found in the Zines collection.