The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum

09/22/2026

Join us tomorrow, September 23 at 7 p.m. at Wexner Center for the Arts to hear from award-=winning cartoonist and Ohio State alum, John Derf Backderf about his new book, The Dissidents: Autocrats! Vigilantes! Communists! ... and Cartoonists!

Backderf will explore the fascinating and fraught history of the socialist magazine, The Masses: "It’s 1916 and the deeply divisive authoritarian and white supremacist President Woodrow Wilson sits in the White House. Racial tensions, economic inequality, growing support for unions, and the rise of both a far-right militia and a radical opposition are shaking the foundations of our society. Against this backdrop, a group of political cartoonists for the socialist magazine The Masses documents the tumultuous world around them in their cartoons and illustrations. For this so-called crime the cartoonists are indicted for sedition and put on trial by the US government, with 20-year sentences hanging over their heads."

Buy tickets now:

Derf Backderf, Ohio State alum and award-winning creator of the graphic novels My Friend Dahmer and Kent State, returns to campus to discuss his...

09/16/2026

The museum galleries will be CLOSED on all OSU home football game Saturdays, including this Saturday, September 19.

Future home game day closures:
September 26
October 10
November 7
November 14
November 28

09/10/2026

Last month, we had the pleasure of hosting the National Cartoonists Society for their 80th anniversary!

It was fantastic to have so many cartoonists from across the globe under one roof for various programs and events.

We were delighted to have such a great turnout for the public National Cartoonists Society Showcase day that we co-hosted alongside Wexner Center for the Arts, which included kids programming featuring beloved Scholastic Graphix artists; a celebration of the 50th anniversary of Cathy; and dozens of cartoonists providing sketches and signatures.

Thank you to everybody who attended the events!

And a big thank you to all the staff and volunteers who helped make these events happen!

Photos by Emma Halm.

National Cartoonists Society

07/21/2026

Join us on Saturday, August 8 at 1 p.m. for Spotlight on Colleen Doran: Working Class Artist!

Doran (A Distant Soil, The Sandman, American Gods) will give a FREE presentation on her career and collaborations as part of the National Cartoonists Society Showcase day of events at The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum.

For more information, visit:

Join bestselling cartoonist Colleen Doran (A Distant Soil, The Sandman, American Gods) for a FREE presentation on her career and collaborations as part of the National Cartoonists Society Showcase day of events!

07/20/2026

Columbus! Join us on Saturday, August 8 to hear from some of today’s most beloved graphic novelists for an afternoon of stories, drawing, laughter, and inspiration!

Bestselling and award-winning Graphix creators Jim Benton (It’s Happy Bunny®), Jamar Nicholas (Leon The Extraordinary), Dav Pilkey (Dog Man Books), Maria Scrivan (Nat Enough) and Raina Telgemeier's Comics (Smile) will each take the stage for a special spotlight presentation and a live drawing experience to share the creative journey behind their work.

Tickets on sale now!

At this special family friendly event, bestselling and award-winning Graphix creators Jim Benton, Jamar Nicholas, Dav Pilkey, Maria Scrivan and...

07/17/2026

Join us on Saturday, August 8 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the comic strip, "Cathy," with cartoonist Cathy Guisewite! FREE!

Guisewite will talk about the joys and blunders of creating and maintaining a daily comic strip for 34 years and what happens when it ends.

This event is FREE and open to the public, and forms part of the National Cartoonists Society Showcase day.

For event details visit: cartoons.osu.edu/events/celebrating-50-years-aack-cathy-guisewite

06/23/2026

Could it be…a whole new section of Calvin and Hobbes original art?

The Museum Galleries’ new permanent collection exhibition, The Story of Comics, features an expanded section dedicated to Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson.

There are over 40 pieces of Calvin and Hobbes original art on display!

The Museum Galleries are open Tuesday-Sunday from 1:00 pm-5:00 pm. Admission is FREE!

06/09/2026

Acclaimed cartoonist Chris Ware has designed a stunning, limited-edition commemorative print for the The Ohio State University iteration of his exhibit "Life is Complicated," available for purchase now in-person at the Wexner Center Store and by phone. See link below for more details.

The exhibition at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum marks the only U.S. presentation of this collection of Ware’s work and features an immersive, design-driven installation created specifically for Billy Ireland’s gallery, showcasing original drawings, objects and rarely seen materials.

Proceeds of the poster sales benefit the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum.

Available for sale online here: https://wexstore.cloveronline.com/chris-ware-life-is-complicated-commemorative-print-1NCQVE1YKKEGA

06/03/2026

We are thrilled to welcome the Comics Studies Society to Ohio State's campus on June 11-13 for their 2026 conference, "Everything I Know, I Learned From Comics"!

The Comics Studies Society is an interdisciplinary society open to all who share the goals of promoting the critical study of comics, improving comics teaching, and engaging in open and ongoing conversations about the comics world. The 2026 annual conference will focus on pedagogical practices and related topics that broadly explore comics, teaching, and learning.

This year's keynote speakers are cartoonist and educator Tom Hart, and author and assistant professor Joanna Davis-McElligatt. This year's poster is by Ronnie Dukes of DUKEScomics.

To explore the full conference schedule visit https://comicsstudies.org/css-2026

05/19/2026

Congratulations to Raina Telgemeier and our colleagues, Anne Drozd and Jenny Robb for receiving a 2026 Eisner Award nomination for Best Comics-Related Book for their book, Facing Feelings: Inside the World of Raina Telgemeier!!

Facing Feelings: Inside the World of Raina Telgemeier is a companion catalog for the Facing Feelings exhibition that was on display at BICLM in 2023.

We are so proud of Raina, Anne, and Jenny! And we are thrilled that their hard work has been recognized.

And a big thank you to all our staff and student staff who helped make the Facing Feelings exhibition a success!