Comics and Graphic Novels Collection | Amistad Research Center

The Comics and Graphic Novels Collection at the Amistad Research Center was launched in 2011 and is intended to be a continuing collection. The scope of this collection mirrors that of the Center's overall collection development policy in that it focuses on the histories and cultures of racial and ethnic communities in the United States, race relations, civil and human rights, and the African Diaspora. Titles within the Comics and Graphic Novels Collection will be included based on one or more of the following priority criteria:

1. Author or illustrator is of African American, Native American, Latino, or Asian American descent.

2. Publisher focus or series theme corresponds to the topics above.

3. Topic or character(s) corresponds to the topics above.

The collection is intended to provide a varied and broad view of the history of racial and ethnic communities through the lense of comic and graphic art. In as such, titles may depict these communities and individuals in either positive or stereotypical fashions; however, both are essential aspects of the history of how these communities have been illustrated and written about in comic books, comic strips, and graphic novels. The goal of this growing collection is to become a leading resource for scholars and general readers interested in how these formats have chronicled and illustrated the history of underrepresented peoples.