The Institute for Comics Studies

The Institute for Comics Studies (ICS), a “think tank” for comics studies, is a non-profit organization designed to promote the study, understanding, recognition, and cultural legitimacy of comics, and to coordinate communication within and about the medium.  The Institute will undertake this mission through communication with the general public and within the scholarly, professional, and fan communities.  The Institute will hold conferences, seminars, workshops, and symposia; coordinate and enable collection development; index secondary and other scholarly materials related to the study of comics so that scholars and the general public may access these materials; and act as an umbrella organization for other comics-oriented organizations, institutions, and academic programs.

ICS was founded as a Missouri non-profit corporation in 2008 and is currently seeking fedearl 501c3 status.  ICS’s board of directors is half academic and half professional.  The academic side comprises American and international scholars.  The professional side comprises creators, publishers, retailers, and distributors.