Comic Arts  

This guide provides an overview of how to locate and use items in the VCU Comic Arts Collection.

Special Collections & Archives

Location: 4th floor, Cabell Library

Hours: Monday - Friday 10am - 5pm

Phone: 804.828.1108

Please no food or drink.

Instructors: Classes are welcome. Please call for details. One week notice is required.

The VCU Libraries' Comic Arts Collection, housed in Special Collections and Archives, consists of over 100,000 items, including over 40,000 comic books along with graphic novels, editorial cartoons, comic strips, memorabilia, comic journals, fanzines and a broad array of reference materials.  In addition to the growing, comprehensive collections for the study of comic arts, VCU Libraries is the repository for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards Archives.

The Comic Arts Collection began in the 1970s with the donation of a modest comic book collection and the papers of a noted Richmond newspaper editorial cartoonist. The collection then grew with the help of numerous donors - especially that of Dr. M. Thomas Inge, an expert on the history of popular culture and the comic arts. For over 30 years, Dr. Inge has donated time and resources to the advancement of the collection.

Today, the collection includes over 40,000 comic books dating primarily from the 1960s through today (though we have many before 1960 as well); the papers and drawings of political cartoonist Fred O. Seibel and Charles Henry "Bill" Sykes; Billy De Beck's personal library and the door to his studio apartment, featuring an original painting of his famous characters Barney Google and Sparkplug; a number of set design paintings from the 1960s Batman television show and movie; an extensive collection of fanzines; and many other materials.

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.