The American Graphic Novel: Archival Collections

A guide to comics, the Columbia Libraries' collections, and doing research on the medium

Introduction

The Columbia University Rare Book & Manuscript Library (RBML) collects archives of comics creators, editors, and publishers, with an emphasis on New York-area professionals, as well as materials that document the history of comics publishing, in keeping with RBML’s larger focus on the history of publishing.  RBML also collects materials related to comics fan culture, especially convention material, fanzines, and fan mail.  Materials of interest include manuscripts, drafts, original art, roughs and tracings, correspondence, contracts, records, fanzines, artifacts, and other formats in support of research and teaching in comics studies as an interdisciplinary field.

Creator archives

  • Wendy and Richard Pini papers (unprocessed but accessible)

The Wendy and Richard Pini papers include original art for the first 20 years of Elfquest, the complete Elfquest publishing history, materials from Wendy Pini's adaptation of Stormbringer and Masque of the Red Death, drafts of scripts and novelizations, legal records, fanzines, fan art, fan mail, and Wendy Pini's 1976 "Red Sonja" costume.

Other archives