- Registration is required for this event.
- Registration will close on June 27, 2026 @ 2:00pm.
- There are 58 seats remaining.
Program Description
Event Details
Illinois has consistently served as a touchstone for the history of comic strips and books: creators have lived here, publishers have set up shop here, and important events have occurred here. While Chicagoland has inspired memorable characters (Dick Tracy, Blondie, and Brenda Starr), downstate has made lasting contributions to the culture as well (Popeye, Black Panther, and The Phantom).
This presentation traces the many ways that Illinois and comics have formed a symbiotic relationship: politics, labor, law and order, education, architecture, and identity. Through contextualizing how comics culture has responded to these aspects of Illinois history, this program will demonstrate a complex unity between the two. From Hollywood to Broadway, the Mafia to Congress, and a future King of England, Illinois has shaped an entire industry. This, in turn, has nurtured a rich and vibrant comics community, thereby reinforcing the important relationship between Illinois history and comics culture.
Dr. Stephen Harrick is a writer, historian, scholar, educator, and theatre artist. He has written about comics culture for Comics Beat, Straight Up Magazine, and The Arts STL. He has delivered dozens of presentations on comics, literature, theatre and performance at libraries, and conventions and academic conferences in the United States and internationally. His comics have been published by GrayHaven Comics and Ink & Drink Comics.
Illinois Humanities is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Illinois General Assembly [through the Illinois Arts Council], as well as by contributions from individuals, foundations, and corporations.
Disclaimer(s)
Registration is required due to limited space. If you are not able to attend, please cancel 48 hours in advance. No-shows may be waitlisted for future programs.