Kentucky Christian University's Young Library Virtual Superhero Vacation

Let's start our comic exploration in the Eastern part of the United States.  We will look at exhibits in both Washington, D.C. and New York City.  

All of the comics below are available in the public domain and can be read on the Digital Comic Museum web page!  You can click on the title of each superhero below to read the first issue of the comic book or search the Digital Comic Museum site by typing in the character's name to find more issues on a character.

Be sure to look in the column on the left for some Cartoons, Superhero movies, Superhero snacks, and Superhero music!

New York City Skyline. Photo by Roberto Vivancos from Pexels

  White House of the United States President. Photo by Aaron Kittredge from Pexels

Washington, D.C. is the home base of many of our patriotic heroes.  Click on the linked Superhero names to read the first issue of the comic available at the Digital Comic Museum. As you read the comic books, just look for the small numbers at the bottom of the page with the arrows to turn the pages.  There is no need to download in order to read the comic book.  Then learn about the comic book collection exhibit at the Library of Congress!

Black Cobra is really Steve Drake, an FBI agent.  He is fighting against the enemy during the Cold War.  He has no super powers but his costume is made from a bulletproof plastic that he invented.  He also has suction cups in his boots which allows him to run down buildings.  He has a garage under his house where he keeps his super race car.  Black Cobra also has a sidekick called  the Cobra Kid. (Source: https://pdsh.fandom.com/wiki/Black_Cobra_(Ajax-Farrell)) 

Phantom Lady is actually Sandra Knight, the daughter of U.S. Senator Henry Knight.  She is a Washington, D.C. socialite who dons a costume and fights crime.  She has no superpowers, however, she is a skilled fighter and uses a blacklight ray to project darkness and make herself invisible. (Source: https://pdsh.fandom.com/wiki/Phantom_Lady)

{{Information |Description= The Library of Congress, Thomas Jefferson Building. Hi [http://www.slis.indiana.edu/news/story.php?story_id=1818 Indiana University]. |Source=[http://www.flickr.com/photos/11897392@N04/2786203979/ Library of Congress] * Uploa

The Library of Congress Comic Book Collection Exhibit was available to tour from September 2019 - September 2020.  The exhibit is still available to view online!  It draws from the Library's extensive collection of comic art and includes some of the earliest comics.  The exhibit explores the evolution of visual storytelling styles in comic art. In the virtual tour look for the first successful newspaper comic strip, "The Yellow Kid".  You will also see the early drawings of "Peanuts" and superheroes including Batman, Superman, and the Incredible Hulk.  Look for the divisions that will allow you to cover 120 years of comic art!  Let's get started!

The new exhibition "Comic Art: 120 Years of Panels and Pages" explores the visual styles of comics from the first newspaper comic strips to some of the most famous characters. (Source: https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-19-089/new-exhibition-comic-art-120-years-of-panels-and-pages-explores-comics-from-early-newspapers-to-famous-characters/2019-09-12/)

New York City also is the home base of many superheroes and is the model for Gotham City and Metropolis.  One comic book fan site says that Gotham City is New York City at night while Metropolis is New York City during the day!  Two comic book superheroes available in the public domain are Cat-Man and The Avenger.   Click on the linked Superhero names to read the first issue of the comic available at the Digital Comic Museum.

Cat-Man is really David Merrywether.  His family was traveling through the jungles of Burma, known today as Myanmar, when they were attacked by bandits.  David was the only survivor.  He was found and raised by a Tigress and gradually gained all of the strengths of the cat family.  When he became an adult he returned to the United States.  He found so much crime and evil that he decided to fight this as a private detective and also as Cat-Man.  For superpowers he can see in the dark, leap many times his length, and climb anything.  He also had 9 lives.  He was watched over by a guardian angel in the form of a tigress who brought Cat-Man back to life when he was murdered. 

The Avenger was actually wealthy scientist Roger Wright.  He became a superhero to avenge the death of his brother who was tortured and killed by Soviet agents.  He had no powers but he had many of his own inventions.  He had an aircraft known as the Starjet and he had a Dissolver pistol.  He also possessed a utility belt.  He mostly battled Soviet forces.

Superheroes in Gotham is an exhibit created by the New York Historical Society. "Superheroes in Gotham tells the story of the birth of comic book superheroes in New York City; the leap of comic book superheroes from the page into radio, television, and film; the role of fandom, including the yearly mega event known as New York Comic Con; and the ways in which comic book superheroes, created in the late 1930s through the 1960s, have inspired and influenced the work of contemporary comic book artists, cartoonists, and painters in New York City." (Source: https://www.nyhistory.org/exhibitions/superheroes-gotham)                                                                         Photo from the New York Historical Society. Source: https://www.nyhistory.org/exhibitions/superheroes-gotham