If you enjoyed last year’s Jack Kirby exhibition at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, you’ll love what’s coming next. The King of Comics returns as part of a bold new exhibition exploring the United States in the twentieth century through the quintessential American art form: the comic book. Inventing America: The Comic Book Revolution examines how this dynamic medium became a revolutionary cultural force, shaping national identity through iconic stories and unforgettable characters.
This exhibition, organized by the Skirball Cultural Center, delves into how comic books became a window through which America—with all its complexities—was imagined, transformed, and proliferated worldwide. Featuring over 250 objects, including comic books, original artwork, artifacts, and ephemera spanning the twentieth century, Inventing America: The Comic Book Revolution opens to the public on May 20, 2026, and remains on view through February 28, 2027.
What will this Exhibition cover? And what will be included?
Inventing America: The Comic Book Revolution explores how American comic books evolved from their modest beginnings into one of the most influential forms of popular entertainment. Created largely by immigrants and first-generation Americans—many of them Jewish—these new voices brought fresh perspectives shaped by personal struggle, aspiration, and reinvention. As comic book creators became more diverse over the twentieth century, so too did the nation that comics helped shape and reshape. The exhibition traces this evolution from the Great Depression through the dawn of the new millennium.
As the nation approaches its semiquincentennial, Inventing America: The Comic Book Revolution highlights the power of visual storytelling in constructing national identity, amplifying diverse voices, and imagining new possibilities for the future. By presenting this exhibition, the Skirball Cultural Center aligns with the mission of America250: to foster reflection, participation, and a deeper understanding of the ideals, contradictions, and creativity that have defined the United States across 250 years. The exhibition also shows how comics reflected—and at times anticipated—an increasingly inclusive and complex society. Visitors will encounter iconic figures from American pop culture, including Superman, Captain America, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, Little Lulu, Archie, Black Panther, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Each of these characters emerged from pivotal historical moments, capturing the anxieties, ideals, and imagination of their era.
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Through rare artifacts and original artwork, the exhibition connects comic book storytelling to defining national experiences: World War II, the social upheaval of the sixties, the cultural impact of Pop Art and Hip Hop, and finally the ongoing movements for justice and equality. Together, these materials reveal comic books as both entertainment and historical record—vivid, inventive, and deeply reflective of the American experience.
Samples of What Will Be Displayed At the Exhibition
Action Comics No. 1
- Young, first-generation Jewish writer and artist duo Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster spent five years pitching the idea of a superhero as a newspaper strip, with no luck. Superman debuted in comic book form as the lead story in Action Comics #1 in 1938.
Captain America Comics No. 1
- As young Jewish Americans, Jack Kirby and Joe Simon were acutely aware of the Nazi threat and growing antisemitism in the US. Kirby and Simon created Captain America, a patriotic superhero whose mission was to fight Nazis, a year before the US entered the war. Captain America Comics #1 was released in December 1940 and sold over a million copies.
Wonder Woman No. 7
Company Inc., DC Comics
- In this issue, Wonder Woman sees herself running for President against Professor Manly, who campaigns on a male supremacy platform. As Manly and his group, the “Man’s Party,” try to rig the election, Diana intervenes and is sworn in as President.
Is This Tomorrow?
- Social and political changes swept across America after World War II. The Cold War with Russia took root, the space race took flight, and a growing fear of atomic war seeped into popular culture. The country prospered, but under a shadow of anxiety and fear.
Mad Magazine No. 60
Publications Inc. 1960
- Harvey Kurtzman launched MAD in 1952. It quickly gained a reputation for its talented writers and artists, and its clever skewering of entertainment, society, and politics. By the early 1970s, it sold more than 2,000,000 copies per issue. This issue of MAD, dated 1961 but released in November 1960, was published as a flipbook with half the pages inverted and two front covers. It could be displayed with either side outward, creating the illusion that MAD’s editors had accurately predicted the presidential election winner—until readers flipped the magazine and discovered the gag.
Amazing Spider-Man No. 68
Comics Group, 1996
- In the late 1960s, Marvel Comics writer and editor Stan Lee (b. Stanley Martin Lieber, 1922–2018) built a reputation for expanding the superhero genre and adopting a more progressive point of view than other publishers. Lee and his stable of artists collaborated on many stories that confronted societal issues.
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It Ain’t Me Babe Comix No. 1
- In 1970, Bay Area cartoonists Trina Robbins and Barbara “Willy” Mendes recruited other local artists to release It Ain’t Me Babe Comix #1, the first comic book made entirely by women.
Captain America No. 143 (Cover)
- In the 1970s, Captain America partnered with the Falcon, Marvel’s first African American superhero. Together, they battled government conspirators, secessionists, and white supremacists.
Love and Rockets No. 1 (Cover)
- With their groundbreaking series Love And Rockets, brothers Gilbert, Jaime, and Mario Hernandez established a new style of storytelling, drawing on their experiences in LA’s Chicano and punk subcultures and their comic book influences
Curators Michele Urton (Skirball Museum Deputy Director), and Patrick A. Reed spoke about the Inventing America: The Comic Book Revolution Exhibition, offering insight on what it represents:
“Inventing America examines twentieth-century American history and culture through the lens of comic books, it highlights the impact of the artists and writers who, shaped by their unique experiences, brought important stories to life—stories that, in turn, helped shape American culture itself.”
Michele Urton (Co-Curator and Skirball Museum Deputy Director)
“The comic book is a vital American art form, a commercial medium that despite — or even because of — its origin as “children’s entertainment,” can offer perspective on, and reveal truths about, our society and culture.”
Patrick A. Reed (Co-Curator of Inventing America: The Comic Book Revolution)
Admission Prices:
- General– $20.00
- Seniors, Full-Time Students with ID, and Children 2–17– $15.00
- FREE to Members and Children under 2
- FREE to all on Thursdays
PLEASE NOTE: General Admission tickets provide visitors access to all exhibitions on view at the Skirball, as well as our new Bloom Garden and other family-friendly activities. Visitors who would like to board Noah’s Ark, which requires timed entry, should purchase a separate Noah’s Ark ticket (which also includes general admission access). You can reserve and buy tickets for the Exhibition now at this link.
Superhero Sketching!
Visitors will be able to observe live comic sketching, and will be able to participate in creating their very own Superhero! It is also included with General Admission Tickets. Listed below are the available times:
- Thu/Fri: 12:00–4:00 pm
- Sat: 10:00 am–4:00 pm
Source: Press Release, Skirball Cultural Center
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