The Latinx comics community is growing and diversifying—and rapidly. This exhibition features autobiographical short stories situated within the language, culture, and history that inform Latinx identity and life. The work showcases the huge variety of styles and worldviews of today’s Latinx comics creators, including such legendary artists as Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez, Roberta Gregory, and Kat Fajardo. The exhibition is presented in conjunction with the publication of Tales from la Vida: A Latinx Comics Anthology, edited by Dr. Frederick Luis Aldama and published by the Ohio State University Press.

Harvey Kurtzman’s brainchild made its debut as a comic book in 1952 before switching to a magazine format in 1955.  Over the ensuing years, MAD has featured artwork by many of the most talented cartoonists in the industry. This comprehensive exhibition will showcase original drawings and paintings by all of the top MAD contributors, including Bill Elder, Jack Davis, Wally Wood, Norman Mingo, Al Jaffee, Sergio Aragonés, Don Martin, Mort Drucker and Tom Richmond.

There will also be displays of vintage MAD magazines and memorabilia branded with the gap-toothed mug of its iconic mascot, Alfred E. Neuman.

In 2013, KOYAMA PRESS publisher Annie Koyama began amassing original art to donate to the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum that would represent a snapshot of the contemporary alternative comics industry. This exhibit of the Koyama Collection offers an introduction to a diverse network of cartoonists, small-press publishers, and collectives operating today. Artists highlighted include Lisa Hanawalt, Michael DeForge, Julia Wertz, Gabrielle Bell, Noah Van Sciver, and more.

“Looking Backward” by Joseph Keppler. Puck, January 11, 1893

Explore the topic of U.S. immigration through the lens of the political cartoons, comic strips, comic books and graphic novels that have contributed to the debate about this important, and often polarizing, issue.  Cartoons and comics can enlighten us, challenge our beliefs and misconceptions, and bring attention to injustices. However, history shows they can also reflect and magnify our fears and prejudices. From Thomas Nast to Gene Luen Yang, this exhibit looks back on 150 years of cartoon and comics responses to major moments in the American immigration narrative. In examining the past, it aims to inform the current debate, as we move forward with a story that is fundamental to the American experiment itself. 

* Please note that some images may not be appropriate for all audiences.

Winnie Winkle Fashion Cut-out by Martin Branner. August 4, 1935.

Satirizing, advertising, and codifying fashion has been a tradition in cartoons and comic art since the forms’ origins. Historically, the comics medium has often ridiculed the clothing trends of the “elite” to entertain all classes of readers. However, the same medium also disseminated knowledge about fashion widely to its audiences, especially when  the rise of mass-produced ready-to-wear clothing coincided with the emergence of the newspaper comic strip in the first decades of the 20th century.