iNational September 11 Memorial & Museum · Lower Manhattan
Responding in Ink: Comic Books, Graphic Novels, and 9/11
Examines how comic book and graphic novel artists responded to 9/11, from pre-2001 fictional depictions of the World Trade Center through decades of memoirs, charitable efforts, and educational works.
More in New York
The Amazing Spider-Man No. 36 was made in a few weeks and reached shelves by the end of 2001. In it, the heroes at Ground Zero are the emergency responders. An inked page from that issue, drawn by John Romita Jr., is on view here.
You start before 2001, with comics from the 1970s onward in which supervillains made the Twin Towers a regular target. From there about 50 covers, pages and pieces of original art follow how the industry responded: charity books published within months of the attacks, then memoirs, anniversary books and educational works. Penelope Ray, the museum's director of exhibition development, calls comics "a really important way that young readers learn about history".
It's included with museum admission ($36 for adults, free on Mondays from 5:30 to 7pm) and runs through February 2028. The museum is open Wednesday to Monday, 9am to 7pm.
Look for
The inked Spider-Man page
Uncoloured inks by John Romita Jr. and Scott Hanna from Marvel's late-2001 issue that put the city's emergency responders at the centre of the story.
Big Apple Diaries
Alyssa Bermudez's graphic memoir, built from the diary she kept as a New York middle schooler whose father worked in the World Trade Center.
Good for
- Nerding Out
- Teenagers
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Image credits
5
- Responding in Ink: Comic Books, Graphic Novels, and 9/11Courtesy of National September 11 Memorial & Museum
- Anna Maria Maiolino. ANNA—And the Infinite LineCourtesy of Hauser & Wirth
- Common SenseCourtesy of Brooklyn Museum
- Luminous ColorCourtesy of The Morgan Library & Museum
- National September 11 Memorial & MuseumPaul Sableman, CC BY 2.0