Michigan State University

Collection Development Policy Statement: Comics

Eclipse Deadfiles Archive

For every comic book published by Eclipse Comics, the Library has received a large envelope typically containing one or more pre-publication forms of the work. Each envelope includes one, some, or all of the following: Original and edited scripts; photocopies of the pencilled art; Photocopies of the inked pages; and correspondence between the editor and the other creative personnel. Many of these files illustrate in depth the process of publishing a comic book from the publisher's perspective. The collection level assigned was selected because, although these are unique materials and there is a file for every Eclipse Comic Book, some of the files are very thin and Eclipse was only one (although the fourth or fifth largest) publisher in a field of dozens. The Deadfiles are not therefore comprehensive in any fashion and cannot be counted on to supply any particular kind of information about any particular comic book. They do function as support materials for work about the creation of comic books, about Eclipse as a publisher, or about the people who worked for Eclipse.

Collecting intensity: 3.