Holy Odd Holdings, Batman! Comic Books Invade YLS
While walking through the law library recently (I admit I
was there for the extensive DVD collection) I discovered display cases filled with
the type of books one does not expect to encounter in a typical law library. From a distance, I expected the cases filled
with brightly colored material to house illuminated manuscripts, given their
proximity to the Rare Book Room. However,
instead of a copy of Gratian's Decretum
or a Gothic Crusader Bible, I discovered books about a very different kind of
crusader: caped crusaders.
The Rare Book Room of YLS's Lillian Goldman Law Library is
currently hosting an exhibit entitled "Superheroes in Court! Lawyers, Law and Comic Books." The exhibit covers 80 years worth of
portrayals of the law in comic books. In
addition to comic books, the exhibit includes documents relating to various
comic book-related copyright issues and attempts to censor comic books in the
1950s.
The Rare Book Room, home to
the world's most comprehensive collection of Blackstone and a fascinating array
of legal manuscripts dating back almost 1,000 years, also houses some contemporary
items. It received some attention earlier
this year for an exhibit of Supreme
Court bobbleheads.
The current exhibit has some great comic book covers on display, a
few of which can be found on the Rare
Books Blog. In addition to comic
book superheroes like Superman and Batman (who seem to spend a great deal of
time in court), some less well-known comics book series are on display like Mr. District Attorney and Wolff & Byrd, Counselors of the Macabre. I wonder if Wolff & Byrd represent law
zombies?
The connection between YLS and the comic book world may
extend beyond this exhibit. It was recently brought to our attention that Batman
may be a Yale Law School alumnus. A
graduate of YLS's little-known and short-lived Gotham campus, where the Riddler
was a distinguished professor, Batman's diploma hangs on the wall of his study
in Detective Comics #439. We're not sure how many degrees YLS - Gotham awarded
during its existence, but we're guessing more than Princeton Law School.
"Superheroes in Court!
Lawyers, Law and Comic Books" is open to the public and runs through December
16.