Introduction

The Reed Library at the State University of New York at Fredonia received a large amount of money to purchase a collection of comic books for literary use. With over a dozen comic books donated to the library already, coupled with an English department that contains a plethora of faculty already accepting the examination of culture, it is easy to see the potential impact comic literature would have on the private sphere. And while increasing the amount of comic books available may seem inconsequential in the grand scheme of library acquisitions in this or the coming years, it may be the first step on a path that could make Fredonia a premier university of cultural studies in the SUNY system.

But what if the same amount of money was given to a public library for purchase of comic literature? Would public libraries benefit from an increase in comic literature? In the next few blog posts I will argue that the public would benefit from an introduction of comic books. I hope to make a persuasive argument that comic books, while absent from most literary discussions, are becoming increasing relevant in academic study and should be taken as a serious literary form.