Published on March 2nd, 2015 | by Carli Spina
Librarians Portrayed
in Comics
Graphic novel and comic book fans are book lovers, so it is
no surprise that libraries and librarians are portrayed fairly
frequently in all sorts of graphic works. Here are some
comics that feature libraries and librarians and are
perfect for some light reading or for a fun library display.
Americus by MK Reed and Jonathan Hill – This book
focuses on an event that some libraries know all too
well – a book challenge. The main character is a teen
named Neal Barton who really just wants to read the
latest entry in his favorite fantasy series. But,
unfortunately for him, a religious group objects to
the book’s “heretical” content and requests that it
be removed from the library. Together with a youth
services librarian, Neal fights to keep his favorite
series on the shelf and for the right of readers to have
access to books of all sorts.
Library Wars by Kiiro Yumi – Set in a dystopian future
of Japan where the government is allowed to censor
anything it finds to be objectionable, the Library Wars
manga series follows Iku, a young girl determined to
serve in the combat forces of the Library Defense
Force. Members of this group save materials from
censorship and destruction and take them to libraries
that can legally save and protect them.
Rex Libris by James Turner – This series, which
starts with I, Librarian, follows Rex Libris, the
head librarian at Middleton Public Library as he
confronts all manner of foes from the quasi-historical,
to the literary, to the science fictional in his never
ending quest to track down overdue books and
protect his library. The stylized art and humorous
tone allow Turner to poke fun at both common
comic tropes and librarian stereotypes. Though
the plots tend to be over-the-top, the series is a
fun and quick read.
Unshelvedby Gene Ambaum and Bill Barnes –
Since February 2006, the Unshelved comic strip
has chronicled the ups and downs of life in
libraries poking fun at typical problems confronted
by librarians and lampooning ridiculous patron
interactions. Neither patrons nor staff are safe from
the humor of the series. Whether you work in a
library or just frequent them, you will probably
find something to relate to in this series. All of
the Unshelved strips are available online (and
libraries and educators can even
but the creators have also published ten collections
of the comic over the years.
Batgirl by various authors and artists –
One of the most iconic examples of librarians
in comics has to be Barbara Gordon, better
known by her alias, Batgirl. Debuting in the 1960’s,
Batgirl’s day job was as the head librarian at
Gotham’s public library, but she was also a s
uperheroine who aided Batman in his crime
ighting efforts. After she was shot and paralyzed
by the Joker in Alan Moore’s controversial
Batman: The Killing Joke, Barbara Gordon
went on to be Oracle, a superheroine who
didn’t allow her disability to stop her from
making use of her computer and information
seeking skills as part of the Birds of Prey.
In both incarnations, she made use of the
skills she gained as a librarian to support
her missions as a superheroine.
About the Author
Carli Spina Carli Spina is an
emerging technologies and
research librarian at an academic
library. She is a big fan of graphic novels,
young adult and children's literature, and
popular culture and writes about these
topics for several blogs including the
YALSA's The Hub blog. You can find her on
Twitter as @CarliSpina or on her website at
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