Not only does GW alumnus Mike Rhode read comics, he studies them, researches them, even blogs about them. And he does it all for free.
Rhode is a co-author of the Comics Research Bibliography, editor of exhibition and media reviews for the International Journal of Comic Art, a contributing writer for Hogan’s Alley, a magazine on cartoon arts, and blogs on his ComicsDC Web site
His professional career as an archivist for the National Museum of Health and Medicine has nothing to do with comics, but that doesn’t stop him from finding time to pursue his lifelong passion.
“I’m not sure what interests me about comics, in the end,” Rhode confessed. “I literally always read them. It’s never seemed like a lot of work – hobbies never do, right?”
Rhode, a history major who graduated from GW in 1987, said he spent his childhood poring over comic books, but lost touch with the art form in college.
“I felt I had grown out of my hobby, as many college kids do,” he said.
But 20 years ago, his girlfriend at the time introduced Rhode to Big Planet Comics, a comics store in Bethesda, Md., and from there the rest is history.
It may seem strange that Rhode devotes so much time to the comic world without making it his full-time career. But Rhode said he enjoys having a thriving hobby, whose heights have soared higher than he ever imagined, thanks to the Internet.
Rhodes said he went from being an interested observer of comics to an active participant in their analysis after joining online groups that bring people together who are interested in cartoon art.
Rhode joined different comics’ e-mail discussion lists like the Grand Comic Database project’s list, a site that indexes every comic ever published in America.
“This appealed to the archivist side of me and I began participating,” he said.
Rhode really began to get his hands dirty in 1996, when his friend John Bullough, whom Rhode met through the Grand Comic Database, created Comics Research Bibliography, a collection of articles about comic artists rather than comic strips themselves.
Rhode said he likes to use his history education in his extracurricular activities. He has written several historical articles about comics, including stories on the medical museum’s collection of Civil War, World War I and World War II cartoons. His articles have run in Hogan’s Alley, an online magazine focused around comics, and have been accepted by the annual International Comic Arts Festival, an annual meeting in D.C. each fall.
“Something about getting a handle on the information and putting it in one place is what I like,” he said. “By being inclusive and adding articles about all kinds of comic art, I became more interested in and attuned to more types.”
Rhode said he continues to find ways to expose comics to the world. About three months ago he began his own comic blog. The site, comicsdc.blogspot.com/, features posts about what’s going on in the local comic scene.
Not only did his blog give people a “one-stop-shop” for what comics events were going on in the D.C. area, but Rhode also said the Weblog has also helped him make some exciting new contacts.
Richard Thompson, a Washington Post cartoonist, commented on Rhode’s blog post and the two later met face-to-face at the Library of Congress Cartoon America exhibit opening Nov. 2.
Between his career as archivist, his blog, and his involvement in several comic journals and a comic bibliography, Rhode’s interest in comics has continued to grow rather than fade with age.
“Growing up, I really enjoyed comics. They were always around the house when I was a child,” he said. “(Now) I’ve become interested in all aspects (of the art), like editorial cartoon, strips, historical caricature and the like.”
