SPX Acquires the Dean Haspiel Collection and Other Mini-Comics for the Small Press Expo Collection at the Library of Congress

The Small Press Expo has announced that Dean Haspiel has donated his mini-comic collection to the Small Press Expo Collection at the Library of Congress.  The collection is comprised of over 600 mini-comics spanning over 15 years.  Among the collection’s rare holdings are mini-comics by Raina Telgemeier, Charles Burns, Sara Varon, Nick Abadzis, Kevin Huizenga, Ron Rege, Alex Robinson, Brian Ralph, Scott Morse, Leela Corman, Paul Hornschemeier, and others, including a rare promotional mini-comic for Craig Thompson’s Blankets and two limited edition mini-comics of political cartoons by Jeff Smith of Bone fame.

Haspiel had to say:

I can’t think of a more honorable home for my massive mini-comics collection than the Library of Congress. I’d like to publicly thank and commend Warren Bernard, Chris Oarr, Karon Flage, Greg McElhatton, Greg Bennett, Eden Miller, the late Jeff Alexander, and the rest of the SPX gang for years of allowing me to discover and enjoy so many diamonds in the rough that turn into comix gold.

This is on top of the previous donation of mini-comics and tabloid newspapers at least year’s show.  Over 120 mini-comics, tabloid comics and graphic novels have been added so far.  The Library of Congress has sent many of these for long term preservation.

Georgia Higley, head curator of the Serial and Government Publications Division of the LIbrary of Congress, has this to say:

A wealth of creativity was donated to the Library in this first year of the SPX-LC agreement.  I was impressed with the diversity of subject matter, formats, and artistic styles represented by this year’s comic book donations.  To an even greater extent I was impressed with the generosity of the creators and publishers who willingly gave their work to us for safekeeping.   From the tiny two-inch square mini-comic to the oversize hardback and from the promising newcomer to the long-established publisher, it’s obvious that the independent comic book is alive and well and now is represented at the Library of Congress.  We look forward to next year!

This is a first of it’s kind partnership to preserve the legacy of indie comics and focuses on limited edition mini-comics, the exact type of works you’d see at the SPX show.