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Stephen Neil Cooper Synchronic Comic Book collection

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: CSC-0055

Scope and Contents

The Stephen Neil Cooper Synchronic collection contains comic books and photographic prints.

Series I.contains most of this collection's content, comic books. They are from a range of publishers, and are specific to those comics that were printed or likely availble on comic book stands in April 1956. Series II. photographic prints are showing the finished collection in the way that they might have been displayed when the comic books were being sold on stands, as well as how children intereacted with them.

Dates

  • Creation: 1956 April

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open to researchers.

Biographical / Historical

Stephen Neil Cooper grew up in the Flatbush area of Brooklyn, NY. When he was a young boy he began reading comics, his favorite being science fiction. He began his collection later in life due to memory from his childhood. When he was 11 he read a comic and the story fascinated him. He couldn't remember the name of the comic, but he knew he needed to have it. Some years later, a friend found the story in a comic book he came across at Comic-Con. The date of the issue was April 1956. This sparked Cooper's collecting. He wanted to own every title from that month and year in order to show a comprehensive view of not only comics at that time, but of graphic design and printing technologies. His collection took him ten years to complete and now has 202 titles in it.

Stephen Neil Cooper is an alumnus of Rochester Institute of Technology, who graduated in 1966 with a fine arts degree in illustration photography.

Extent

3 Linear Feet (2 document boxes, 1 folder)

Language

English

Overview

A synchronic collection of all comic books that were published in April 1956, put together by Steven Neil Cooper. This collection includes issues with cover dates that would have been available in April of 1956, depending on the publication schedules.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged alphabetically by title.

Physical Location

Cary Graphic Arts Collection

Other Finding Aids

In addition to this finding aid, an inventory is available below. For more information, please contact the Cary Graphic Arts Collection.

TITLE

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The Stephen Neil Cooper Synchronic Comic Book collection was donated to the Cary Graphic Arts Collection by Stephen Neil Cooper in October 2010.

Bibliography

  • Cooper, Steven. "The Odyssey of a Synchronic Collector." Comic Book Marketplace Mar. 1999: 34-51. Print.
  • Famous Funnies: Comic Books Donated to RIT Cary Graphic Arts Collection. Article regarding the donation of the collection. Written by Marcia Morphy, RIT: The University New, 15 November 2010.
  • Morphy, Marcia. "Holy Collection, Batman!" RIT: The University Magazine 2011: 3. Print.
  • Long, Tia. "RIT Alum Donates Unique Comic Collection." Reporter 22 Apr. 2011: 10. Print
  • Morphy, Marcia. "Let's Marvel at the Comics." RIT Athenaeum 2.4 (2011): 4. Print.

Processing Information

Collection processed by Amelia Hugill-Fontanel, October 2010.

Finding aid encoded by Megan Moltrup, March 2013.

Subject

Title
Stephen Neil Cooper Synchronic Comic Book collection
Status
Ready To Publish
Subtitle
Cary Special Collections
Author
Megan Moltrup
Date
18 March 2013
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the Cary Graphic Arts Collection Repository

Contact:
Rochester NY 14623 US
(585) 475-2408