Restrictions to Access

No restrictions. Open for research.

Restrictions to Use

No usage restrictions.

Copyright Notice

Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], in the Keith B. Mitchell Collection of Comic Books, Graphic Novels, and Related Materials #12027, Rare Book Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Acquisitions Information

Donated by Keith B. Mitchell in 2004.

Sensitive Materials Statement

Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, the North Carolina Public Records Act (N.C.G.S. § 132 1 et seq.), and Article 7 of the North Carolina State Personnel Act (Privacy of State Employee Personnel Records, N.C.G.S. § 126-22 et seq.). Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill assumes no responsibility.

Processed by: April Brewer, October 2010

Encoded by: Laura Smith, September 2019

The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.

Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.

• Advertising--Comic books, strips, etc.
• Batman (Comic strip).
• Classics illustrated (New York, N.Y.)
• Comic books, strips, etc.
• DC Comics, Inc.
• Dark Horse Comics.
• Epic Comics.
• Fantastic four (Comic strip).
• Fantasy comic books, strips, etc.
• First Comics, Inc.
• Graphic novels.
• Horror comic books, strips, etc.
• Image Comics.
• Legion of Super-Heroes (Fictitious characters)
• Marvel Comics Group.
• Mitchell, Keith B., 1962-
• Rice, Anne, 1941-
• Science fiction comic books, strips, etc.
• Spider-Man (Comic strip).
• Suicide Squad (Fictitious characters)
• Superhero comic books, strips, etc.
• Superman (Comic strip).
• Teenagers--Comic books, strips, etc.
• War--Comic books, strips, etc.
• X-Men (Comic strip).

Keith B. Mitchell received a Masters Degree and PhD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He donated his collection of comic books in 2004.

The Mitchell Collection consists of approximately 4,000 comic books, 30 graphic novels, and related materials including issues of The Comics Journal and Comics Interview. The bulk of the collection spans from the 1980s through 2004, with a few comic books dating back to 1968. Marvel and DC, the major American comic book publishers, are most prominently represented, with approximately 2,700 comic books published by Marvel and 1,000 published by DC. The collection includes approximately 300 materials from smaller publishers and imprints, including Image, Epic, First, and Dark Horse. While genres such as sci-fi, crime, and horror are represented, most of the collection includes materials from the superhero genre. All major superhero characters are represented. Most notably, the Marvel holdings include various series featuring Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men. Of prominence in the DC holdings are various series featuring Batman, Superman, Suicide Squad, and the Legion of Super-Heroes. The small press and imprint holdings include Dreadstar (Epic), Spawn (Image), Classics Illustrated (Berkeley), and a series of adaptations of Anne Rice novels (Millennium).