Color, caricature & political satire
Puck
Meet a world of larger-than-life politicians, social climbers and sharp visual wit.
Comics. Archives. Illustrated history.
A WORLD OF
COMICS.
A LIVING
ARCHIVE.
Read the comics. Discover the magazines, cartoons and illustrated stories that came before them. Explore a preserved collection of popular art, one page at a time.
33,674 issues. A whole world to explore.
The stories behind the stories
INSIDE THE ARCHIVES.
Before the comic book, there were satirical weeklies, illustrated newspapers and serial adventures. These collections trace the people, pictures and popular culture that helped shape the medium.
Politics with a punchline
Judge
Explore editorial cartoons and illustrated humor that made the news a spectacle.
The illustrated humor magazine
Life
Discover drawings, social comedy and the everyday dramas of an earlier age.
A sting in every drawing
The Wasp
Look into a satirical world of public figures, local controversies and pointed cartoons.
Mystery, adventure & popular fiction
Pulp Adventures
Enter the inexpensive magazines and serial stories that fed generations of imaginations.
Sensational stories for the masses
Penny Dreadfuls
Follow cliffhangers, daring heroes and illustrated adventures through cheap popular print.
More than a cover collection
OPEN THE PAGES.
MEET THE PAST.
Browse preserved issues and curated galleries, from early picture stories and Japanese illustrated books to newspaper strips and the rise of the comic book. The archive brings the artwork together with publication details, source credits and historical context.
Original scans and restored images, where available, offer different ways to study the work. These pages preserve the humor, imagination and sometimes uncomfortable attitudes of their time.
About the library & its preservation ↗There’s a story for everyone
STRAIGHT FROM THE SHELVES.
3-D Circus #1Fiction House · 36 pages
Bad Men of Tombstone #1Superior · 36 pages
Blue Bolt #108Star Publications [1949-1954] · 36 pages
Captain Midnight #13Fawcett · 67 pages
Cowboy Western Comics #17Charlton · 36 pages
Dark Mysteries #24Master Comics · 36 pages
Famous Funnies #57Eastern Color · 55 pages
Film Fun #1519Amalgamated Press · 15 pages
Gabby Hayes Western #16Fawcett · 36 pages
Ha Ha Comics #16American Comics Group · 52 pages
I Love You #45Charlton · 36 pages
Jungle Jim #14Pacific Comics Club · 36 pages