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Comic Arts Resource Guide

Librarian
Name: Cindy Jackson,
Archival Assistant for Comic and Digital Collections
Phone: (804) 828-1108
Email: hcjackson2@vcu.edu

What Is Comic Art?

Comic Art, also referred to as sequential art or graphic storytelling, is a form of visual art that combines images with text, most often in the form of a word balloon.

Comic strip: A short sequence of drawings, usually telling a story. Most commonly found in newspapers and magazines.
Comic book: A magazine or a book containing sequential art in the form of a narrative.
Graphic novel: A long-form comic book, usually with lengthy and complex storylines. Graphic novels can be either a
collection of previously published comic books, commonly referred to as trade paperbacks, or comics created and published
as a single narrative.

Where Can I Find Comic Art at VCU?

Comic Arts materials can be found in any number of locations throughout the Cabell Library, including Reference, Media and Reserves, Special Collections and Archives, and Cabell Stacks. Items searchable through the Libraries' catalog will display the item location before the call number, for example:

Cabell Library
PN6710 .E57 1996
Normal Loan

Cabell Library Special Collections and Archives
PN6710 .E57 1996
In Library Use

Items found in the Reference and Special Collections areas of the library are non-circulating; however, photocopying is permitted. You will need your RamBucks card or a vending card (available for purchase on the first floor) for the copier. Scanning of Special Collection items are made by arrangement. See a staff member for more details.

The Special Collections and Archives Website has links to a number of its holdings, including links to the comic book list and the index of comic arts related journals. The most up-to-date holdings information can be found in an internal finding aid located in the SCA Reading Room.

Find Books and Journal Titles

The best way to search the online catalog for items in the comic arts collection is by title, publisher or author.
Keyword. Suggested keyword search terms include comic books, comic strips, cartoons, editorial comics, political comics, graphic novels, underground comix
Subject. Library of Congress Subject Headings include comic books, comic strips, cartoons, caricature, superheroes

Recommended Journals

Animation Magazine
No index available online.
Cartoonist Profiles
MSU has an index available online (incomplete). Easily found through a Google keyword search for "cartoonist profile index".
Comics Buyer's Guide
Index available at the CBG site.
The Comics Journal
There are several online indexes available through a Google keyword search for "Comics Journal index".
Heavy Metal Magazine
Michigan State University Library has an index available online (incomplete).
Mad Magazine (and related titles)
The Grand Comic Book Database has a cover gallery with detailed information about each indexed issued (still a work in progress).
Wizard Magazine
No index available online.

Cabell Library holdings are available for Animation Magazine and The Comics Journal via the VCU Libraries catalog. All other journal holdings are available through Special Collection's M. Thomas Inge Collection of Comic Arts Reference Periodicals or see a Special Collections staff member for more information.

Find Journal Articles

Access though the VCU Libraries home page under "databases (alphabetical)." Try the suggested keyword search items listed above in these databases:

Books Review Digest Plus (1983-present): Citations for fiction and non-fiction books.
Books in Print with Reviews: Global database of books currently published or distributed in the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.
Essay and General Literature Index (1985-present): Citations to essays and articles contained in collections of essays and miscellaneous works. Focuses on the humanities and social sciences, with subject coverage ranging from economics and history to criticism of literary works, drama, and film.
FirstSearch Databases: Over twenty different databases plus the WorldCat listing of library holdings across the country.
Google Scholar: Scholarly literature crawled by Google.
InfoTrac One File (1980-present): Full text, citations, and abstracts.
JSTOR (1900s-present): Archived full-text articles from scholarly journals.
PapersFirst (1993-present): Citations for papers presented at conferences.

Find Comic Books in Special Collections

Special Collections holds two comic book collections: the VCU Libraries' Comic Book Collection and the smaller William E. Blake Jr. Collection of 1940s Era True Life Comics.

Guidelines for using the comic book collection

The most up-to-date list of what comics are available to patrons is found in a notebook in the Special Collections Reading Room.
No more than five issues per request.
The patron will need to supply the title, issue number and date for the items requested.
If the comic is very old, fragile, or otherwise compromised, you may be asked to wear gloves.
Photocoping and scanning is permissible if items are in good condition.
Staff members will make copies of any old or fragile items.

Special guidelines for the Blake Collection of True Life Comics

The list of materials available in this collection can be found in a notebook in the Special Collections Reading Room and on the Web
No more than three issues per request.
The patron will need to supply the title, issue number and date for the items requested.
An online index to a number of these titles can be found at the Michigan State University Library Special Collections site.
You must wear gloves to handle items in this collection.
All photocopying and scanning of these items will be done by staff.

Find Comic Art Manuscript Collections

Special Collections and Archives houses a number of comic arts related manuscript collections. Finding aids are available through the Virginia Heritage Project (available via the databases on the Libraries' main site), the Special Collections website, or in the department.

Comic Arts related Manuscripts Collections housed in Special Collections

Kubler Cartoon Collection
Chick Larsen Papers
Fred O. Seibel Papers
Guy D. Mattox, Jr. Collection of Comic Art
M. Thomas Inge Papers
Billy DeBeck Collection
Charles Henry "Bill" Sykes Editorial Cartoon Collection
William E. Blake Collection of True Life 1940s Era Comics
Comic Arts Miscellaneous Ephemera and Publications Collection
David Anderson Collection of the 1960s Series "Batman" Set Design Paintings
Chris Irving Papers
Will Eisner Comic Book Industry Awards Collection

When working with manuscript collections, we please ask that you use a pencil or laptop computer for note taking. If copies are desired, please see a staff member for assistance.

Food and drinks are not allowed in the Special Collections Reading Room.

Recommended Reference Works

Black Images in the Comics: a Visual History	NC1355 .S77
Black Superheroes, Milestone Comics and Their Fans	PN6725 .B76 2001
Children of the Yellow Kid: the Evolution of the American Comic Strip	PN6725 .H38 1998
The Classic Era of American Comics	PN6725 .W75 2000
Comics as Culture	PN6725 I54 1990
Comics at War	PN6736 C6 1988
Comics Before 1945	PN6725 .W23 2004
Comics Since 1945	PN6725 .W223 2002
DC Comics: Sixty Years of the World's Favorite Comic Book Heroes	PN6725 .D194 1995
Graphic Storytelling	PN6710 .E57 1996
The Great Women Superheroes	PN6725 .R59 1996
Marvel: Five Fabulous Decades of the World's Greatest Comics	PN6725 .D195 1991
Men of Tomorrow : Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book	PN6725 .J664 2004
Rebel Visions : The Underground Comix Revolution	PN6725 .R67 2002
Seal of Approval: The History of the Comics Code	PN6725 .N953 1998
Superhero Comics of the Golden Age: the Illustrated History	PN6725 .B384 1992
Understanding Comics	PN6710 .M335 1994
Women and the Comics	PN6710 R6 1985
Women in the Comics	PN6725 H6

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