Reference Resources
- Nathan Herald
- Nov 19, 2021
- 3 min read
What are reference resources?
Reference resources are just that - places and things you can consult to gain information and education on a subject.
Below, you'll find links to different resources, both digital and physical that can assist in finding comics or graphic novels that you might like.
Databases
Databases are collections of articles, books, and other printed materials that can be searched through keywords.
Grand Comics Database (GCD)
The Grand Comics Database is the biggest database of comic books covers in the world. A non-profit organization, the GCD is almost completely volunteer staffed from all over the world. The database is searchable by many different criteria from series name to brand emblem, and most entries have a breakdown of story titles in each issue, pencils, inks, colors, letters, genre, characters, reprints (if any).
Comic Book Plus
Comic Book Plus is the largest clearing house of Golden (1938 - 1956) and Silver (1956 - 1970) Age Comics that are in the public domain. That means that the over 40k books they have in the archive are 100% free to read and enjoy. As long as the title has not had it's copyright renewed, or it has fallen into the public domain, you can find it here. These are all quality scans of original material, and as such, creates not only a glimpse of stories and styles of the olden days, but is an invaluable resource for historians.
eReference Books
eReference Books are digital versions of print books. They tend to work a little differently, as you can cross-reference other topics and entries much quicker than with a book.
DC Universe Infinite Encyclopedia
A Who's who of the entire DC universe, from Abigail Arcane (One time spouse of Swamp Thing) to Zebraman (One of the many, many villains Batman has faced off against). The DCUIE gives a history of the character, their first appearance, Aliases, team affiliations, a biography of the character, and dependent on how extensive their history, major storylines or titles they have appeared in.
Marvel Universe Encyclopedia
Much like their publishing counterpart DC, Marvel also has a character encyclopedia of characters that can be searched. Unlike DC's encyclopedia, Marvel showcases certain characters from time to time (mostly whomever is currently in theaters or on Disney+). They also include Mashable style articles concerning characters and their escapades. The Marvel Encyclopedia covers all named characters, with entries for all different characters using the same codename, so as to make it clearer as to what iteration is being discussed. From 3-D Man to ZZZXX, they're all here. Each entry has an overview, profile (some with video introductions), and a full report of the character's history, as well as vital statistics.
ComicsResearch.org
Covering full book works about comics, comic strips, and graphic novels, Comicsresearch.org covers research and informational publications that discuss comics and the like. From works about the medium and guides to conventions, conferences, and journals, to books on the how-to aspect of making and publishing comics, this is a clearinghouse of information for comics researchers and fans alike. Unfortunately, the landing page was last updated in 2010, so information may be old. Dr. Kannenberg is still active online, but it is unclear if the site is getting regular updates.
Physical Resources
This is just a fancy way of saying dead tree format, or, if you want to get real technical, print format.
A Smithsonian Book of Comic-Book Comics
A companion book to the Smithsonian Collection of Newspaper Comics, this book presents 32 full length stories, published in their entirety, from the Golden Age up to the advent of the Comics Code of the 1950s. Each story, or collection of stories is preceded by an introduction by the editors who speak of the author, artist, publishing company, as well as the particular series or character presented. This is an excellent introduction into the early days of comics, and what formed the basis for the comics of today.
- Barrier, M. J., & Williams, M. T. (1982). A Smithsonian Book of Comic-Book Comics (1st ed.). Smithsonian.
Graphic Novels for Young Readers: A Genre Guide for Ages 4 -14 (Genreflecting Advisory Series)
Another entry in the Genreflecting Series, This is a guidebook for librarians and teachers looking for books to entice younger readers into reading. Broken up into different sections - Superheroes, Mystery, Romance, etc. A reader can find a character or title that they enjoy, and then use that to find other titles within that same general framework that they may like. Each entry lists the title of a book, the author, artist, publisher, and publication year, while most entries will have little summaries of the plot. This is a good book to use for reader advisory work, especially for those who are just starting out.
- Herald, N. (2011). Graphic Novels for Young Readers: A Genre Guide for Ages 4–14 (Genreflecting Advisory Series). Libraries Unlimited.
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