Comic books in Special Collections fall into three main areas:
Golden Age Comics (circa 1938–circa 1946): The Historical Children’s Literature collection includes over 80 comics from this period, and extending through the end of the 1940s. The largest concentrations of comics include DC Comics (Superman, Batman) and Fawcett (Captain Marvel), and many other Fawcett comics. Detailed descriptions of the comics are available.
Women and Girls’ Comics: The Elaine J. O’Quinn Collection includes over 15 comics from the 1960s through the 1980s intended for adolescent girl audiences, such as Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk, and Archie’s Girls Bettie and Veronica. Additional comics starring women are part of the Golden Age Comics above. Descriptions of the comics in the O’Quinn Collection are available in the collection bibliography under the heading “Comics.”
Hawthorne Comics: The John and Marjorie Idol Hawthorne Collection includes a handful of comics that portray novels by American author Nathaniel Hawthorne. Titles include The House of the Seven Gables and Twice Told Tales.
How to Use the Collection
Please visit the Using Archives, Manuscripts, and Rare Books page to learn how to use this collection.