COMIC BOOKS AND LIBRARIES:

PART FOUR

Michael R. Lavin

The comic book is a uniquely American creation, invented here in the 1930s and exported to the world. Comics historian Mike Benton believes, “In many ways, the comic book is America’s happiest contribu- tion to world literature and entertainment. It was born of American ingenuity, imagination, and old-fashioned capitalism. It arose out of the dreams of men and women who faced the uncertainties of a depression and an impending war, with optimism and artistic bravado. It took root and flourished by becoming the most dem- ocratic of all art forms, appealing to every class of citi- zen at a price that even its youngest and poorest could afford.“’

Lavin is Business and Management Subject Specialist, Lockwood Library, State University of New York at Buf- falo, Buffalo, NY 14260 <mrlavin@acsu.buffalo.edu>.

In 1940s America, comic books comprised a phe- nomenal mass medium, read by people of all ages, available on every newsstand, and sold by the tens of millions every month. At some point in the early fifties, comic books began a long, bumpy, downhill slide from their pinnacle of widespread popularity. Many factors contributed to the decline, including television and other competing forms of entertainment, a nationwide censorship campaign fueled by the same paranoid hys- teria which drove the Red Scare, and a long series of economic decisions which pushed comics out of mass merchandising outlets and into an obscure, tiny retail ghetto. Many would suggest that comics have been marginalized because the medium is characterized by idiotic, juvenile content. To this, Kurt Busiek, an award-winning comics writer and shrewd industry

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observer, replies, “In the ‘4Os, comics were...predomi- nantly lowbrow junk, as most mass media are, but that didn’t hold them back any more than it held lurid paper- backs and Andy Hardy movies back from popular embrace.“2

Today, the medium is still dominated by “lowbrow junk,” but it also proudly boasts significant numbers of compelling, well-crafted, innovatively told stories in every conceivable genre, including nonfiction, autobi- ography, and realistic fiction. It is an amazing irony that today, while the comics industry is producing more high-quality material than ever before, in a signifi- cantly more diverse variety, that sales of even the top- selling titles are reaching an all-time low. Long-time comics editor John Workman suggests this continuing decline, “threatens American comic books with the cer- tainty of oblivion at a time when such a unique visual medium could offer so much to the future. “3 Work- man’s prognosis may be overly dire, but the continuing decline in the two years since his assessment was pub- lished suggest the problem is serious.

One of the many ways to help reverse this alarming trend is to promote and publicize comic books through more varied and widespread marketing channels. Although comics professionals may not recognize it, one of those potential channels is the American library. The purpose of this four-issue SeriuZs Review Forum has been to introduce librarians to the world of comic books and to the astonishing variety of comics available.

In many ways, the topics covered in Part Four repre- sent the most interesting and exciting products the industry has to offer. The focus is on so-called indepen- dent comics: the output of small, innovative publishing houses, including many self-publishers. The discussion of independent comics begins with a general overview of this industry segment, followed by profiles of seven- teen notable publishing firms. The second article pro- vides detailed reviews of more than thirty current independent titles, representing an array of publishers

and a broad spectrum of genres. The third article pro- vides an introduction to one of America’s best-known and best-loved comic book companies: Archie Comic Publications. The final piece describes the major and minor English-language magazines which talk about comic books, from general fan magazines and buyer’s guides to more specialized fare.

Part Four of “Comic Books and Libraries” is the last installment in the series. While it is unlikely that huge numbers of libraries will decide to establish a comic book collection based on the information provided here, at the very least, the Forum may have increased the awareness and understanding of the comic book medium among its readers.

In his ground-breaking introduction to the methods of comic book analysis, Robert C. Harvey describes comic book writers and artists as one of the many types of modern day storytellers who vie for our attention. He adds, “If we revere today’s storytellers less than we once did, it is merely because they’ve grown so numer- ous that we take them for granted.“4 Here’s to the hope that the unique voice of America’s comic book story- tellers will continue to be heard for years to come.

NOTES ANDREFERENCES

1. Mike Benton, Comic Books in America: An Illustrated History (Dallas: Taylor Publishing, 1989), p. 11.

2. Kurt Busiek, “Starting Over.” Comics Journal Special

Report: The Comic Book Crisis (October 1997), p. 22.

3. John Workman, “The Comic Book Crisis and What Can

Be Done about It,” in Comics Journal Special Report: The Comic Book Crisis (October 1997), p. 3.

4. Robert C. Harvey, The Art of the Comic Book: An Aes- thetic History (Jackson, MS: University of Mississippi Press,

1996), p. 263.

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