Some of the Best Comic Art in the World, from the Library of Congress (io9.com)

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Want to see some great comic book art for free? Want a cheap date? If you are in the Washington, D.C. area between now and March, the Library of Congress will be holding an exhibition of comic book art entitled Timely and Timeless, showing off some of the best of the library’s 128,000 pieces of comic artwork.

Check out a preview of the exhibition right here!

The Library of Congress’ Vast Comic Art and Animation Art Collection
The Library of Congress has an extensive comic book art collection, including Steve Ditko’s original art from Amazing Fantasy #15, the first appearance of Spider-Man, with a page from this story being a key part of the exhibition. The 11 pages that make up the origin story of one of the classic characters of the 20th Century and beyond were recently donated by an anonymous donor to the Library of Congress. Rumors of the anonymous donor’s identity have run the gamut from Steve Ditko himself, known for his disregard for his own original art (one urban legend has Ditko using a piece of vintage art as a cutting board) to Marie Severin, one of Marvel’s only female artists for over twenty years. Comic art aficionados have speculated that should this art have come on the market, it would have sold for several million dollars. Regardless of the identity of the donor, the art is now in the holdings of the Library of Congress, and secure for generations to come.

Come See Your Art!
The Library of Congress is not just there to serve Congress – it is your library, funded by tax-payer dollars. If you’re ever in town and would like to see something not on exhibition, you can make an appointment and receive a private showing in the archives. You also get a pretty cool Library of Congress ID card for free too. The gallery that follows shows a sample of the cartoon and comic book art on display during the Library of Congress’ Timely and Timeless exhibit, which will run through March 10, 2012 at the Graphic Arts Galleries in addition to other art in the collection of the Library of Congress.

Will Eisner, comic book artist and New York native best known for the creation of The Spirit, depicting his view of the aftermath of 9/11.

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Bob Andelman is the author or co-author of 12 books, including Mind Over Business with Ken Baum, The Consulate with Thomas R. Stutler, The Profiler with Pat Brown, Built From Scratch with the founders of The Home Depot, The Profit Zone with Adrian Slywotzky, Mean Business with Albert J. Dunlap, and Will Eisner: A Spirited Life. Click here to see Bob Andelman’s Amazon Central author page. He is a member in good standing of the American Society of Journalists and Authors (member page).