Access is available on and off campus to current McMaster University students, faculty and staff.
Coverage: 1940s to 2020
The World of Archie Comics Archive is a digital collection offering access to the runs of more than 100 publications from Archie Comics, one of the longest-running, best-known comic stables, spanning the early 1940s to 2020. Alongside the flagship title, Archie, other prominent titles, which have pervaded wider popular culture, include Sabrina: The Teenage Witch, Josie and the Pussycats, Betty & Veronica, and Jughead. These series follow Archie and his friends as they embark on many adventures in the small town of Riverdale. Also included in this database are some of the earliest superhero comic series originally published in the 1940's and 1950's, such as Blue Ribbon Comics, Top-Notch Comics, and Zip Comics.
The evolution of these publications across more than eight decades offers insight into changes in society and in attitudes pertaining to, for example, issues of race, class, sexuality/gender, and politics. The archives are also key sources for research in many aspects of comics studies and popular culture history, including the development of the genre, comic art/narrative techniques, and the marketing of comics to particular demographic groups.
Benefits and Key Features:
- Coverage spanning the early 1940s to 2020 – 8 decades of content.
- Variety of publication types, from comic book series to graphic novels, annuals, and one-shot comics.
- Digital backfiles of more than 100 titles, including major, long-running series, as well as rare, influential early superhero comics from the 1940s.
- Page-image, color digitization maximizes the rich visual content of this material, while detailed article-level indexing enhances the searchability and navigability of this resource.
- Cross-searchable with ProQuest’s Underground and Independent Comics, Comix, and Graphic Novels where institutions have access to both resources.
