Dive into SIUE’s comic book archive! Comic books are time capsules showing culture and conflict throughout American history. The unique blend of art and history in these comics reveals how popular culture responded to and shaped public perception. Comic books from the Silver Age addressed the Cold War, the Space Race, and changing gender norms, highlighting how superheroes like Superman, Lois Lane, and Batman captured the era’s tensions and triumphs. For students, historians, and comic enthusiasts, comics offer a gateway to explore the broader historical narratives and societal changes of the early Cold War era (1945-1973).
Explore the collection online through the main categories of conflict and culture listed above. Also, one can find specific characters, common story tropes, and other historical themes not available in the physical exhibit. Click on the tags under each comic for other titles that fall into the same subcategory of the collection.
Comics: Illustrating Conflict and Culture was a class project for Public History, an upper-division undergraduate course taught by Professor Jeff Manuel at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in spring semester 2025. SIUE’s Bowen Archive provided students access to the John Chamless Popular Literature Collection of comics to learn about public history. This website was made as a complimentary piece to the physical exhibit for more historical information and comics. The physical exhibit was displayed in spring 2025 on the second floor of Lovejoy Library.
