America’s Largest Comic Collection Displayed In The Library of Congress In Washington DC

A Unique Repository Of US Comics History

Tripwire’s contributing writer Paul N Neal has looked into an image he spotted online. He became increasingly intrigued about what comics might be displayed in the Library of Congress…

After a brief cursory search a page became available.
(Please note: No alterations have been made in this article in regard to UK to US spelling.

https://www.loc.gov/research-centers/newspaper-and-current-periodical/collections/comic-books/

The address given on the website is:

Library of Congress
101 Independence Ave, SE
James Madison Building, LM 133
Washington, DC 20540-4810

Opening times are also provided. It is wise to avoid Sundays and federal Holidays (Bank Holidays for those of us in the UK.)

The website also states that it is:

The largest publicly available comic book collection in the world is comprised of over 165,000 original print issues and 12,000 different titles that span 1934-present. Selected issues are held on color comic book fiche which is served in place of the original print comic book issues when available out of concern for preservation of the print collection. Reference staff can assist with identifying titles and issues and requesting issues to view in the reading room.

The reading room’s pulp magazine collections consist of pulp fiction magazine issues on microfilm, original print magazine covers, and pulp magazine reproductions. This genre flourished from the 1920s to the 1950s and popular subjects included romance, sports, western, detective, science fiction, horror, and military.

Images are available online. Tripwire picked a couple. It is worth noting the library changes its displays on a semi regular basis.

Furthermore, speaking to a librarian would seem to offer special access to some of the rarest comic books on Earth. As the site goes on to explain:

Access: Complete a Comic Book Request form (PDF, [104 KB]) at the circulation desk to request individual issues by title and date or issue number. Reference staff will locate the box number. Delivery time is generally within 30 minutes. The comic books are often very fragile; for this reason, some issues may not be served in the reading room or will require special handling by a librarian. Reference staff will review safe handling procedures with readers working with the comic book collection.

A small selection of comic books are available to browse in the reading room, and a section of the reference collection is devoted to comics. Access comics databases and web archives at one of the public computer terminals or through the Library’s Wi-Fi on your own device.

You can use the list of microfilmed titles to search the Library of Congress Online Catalog; searching by title will retrieve catalog records that indicate the date ranges of issues that are available as well as the title’s call number. Request the microfilm in the Newspaper & Current Periodical Reading Room (LM-133) by filling out a paper call slip indicating the title, date(s), and call number.

Consult reference staff regarding access to the original print pulp magazine covers and pulp magazine reproductions.