Comic Art Collection - Comic Books

Over 250,000 comic books published in the United States since 1935 are included in this collection, which is the largest cataloged library collection of comic books. All are listed in the MSU Libraries' online catalog system. Cooperation with a commercial firm and with amateur microfilmers has resulted in the filming of several thousand of the rarest superhero comic books from the early 1940s, and these films, some in color, are available for use in the Special Collections reading room. Estimation is difficult, but the collection is probably at about the sixty percent mark toward being able to provide a reading copy of every U.S. comic book. The collection is definitely not limited to the more "collectible" superhero and adventure genres. From the beginning the emphasis has been to include all kinds of comic books. This list of subject headings will hint at the generic scope of the collection: Genres of Comics

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Michigan State University Libraries
Murray & Hong Special Collections

Last updated June 16, 2022
Page editor: Randall W. Scott
larsenja@msu.edu