James Madison University Libraries Special Collections
820 Madison Drive MSC 1706 Harrisonburg, Virginia 22807 Telephone: (540) 568-3612 library-special@jmu.edu URL: https://www.lib.jmu.edu/special/
Maggie Dapogny and Kate Morris, Yoon Ji Kim
Repository
James Madison University Libraries Special Collections
Identification
SC 0032
Title
Bradley and Brian Flota comic book collection 1952-2008 1960-1999
Quantity
59.8 cubic feet, 70 comic book boxes, 1 manuscript box
Creator
Flota, Brian, Dr., 1975-
source
Flota, Brian, Dr., 1975-
Creator
Flota, Bradley, 1948-2015
Language
English
.
Abstract
With over 9,700 comic books, this collection consists of a wide selection of comic book and magazine genres from independent
publishers as well as major publishers. Some major publishers in this collection include Marvel Comics, DC Comics, and Dark
Horse Comics.
The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to the James Madison University Special Collections Library.
For more information, contact the Special Collections Library Reference Desk (library-special@jmu.edu).
Conditions Governing Access
Collection open to research. Please be aware collection contains mature content. Researchers must register and agree to copyright
and privacy laws before using this collection. Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the James Madison University
Special Collections Library to use this collection.
Provenance
Comics in each series were the personal collections of the donor, Brian Flota, and his father, Bradley Flota, collected during
the years 1985-2008.
Preferred Citation
[identification of item], [box #, folder #], Bradley and Brian Flota Comic Book Collection, 1952-2008, SC 0032, Special Collections,
Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Brian Flota donated his personal collection of approximately 2,700 comic books in March 2015. In July 2016, Brian Flota donated
his father, Bradley Flota's collection of approximately 7,000 comic books.
Processing Note
In the original accession, Brian Flota kept all comics within their original plastic sleeve and with the cardboard backing
that came with each comic. On the backs of each cardboard insert, Flota wrote title and issue details and periodically noted
the value of each comic over time. For long-term preservation, each comic was removed from the plastic sleeve and the cardboard
backing was discarded. A sampling of the boards was kept at the end of the collection to document how Brian Flota kept and
cared for his comic books. Currently, each comic book item is stored individually in acid-free paper folders.
This collection was assembled by Dr. Brian Flota, Humanities Librarian at James Madison University, and his father, Bradley
Flota (1948-2015).
Bradley Flota graduated from Mount Vernon (Illinois) Township High School in 1966 and served in the United States Army from
1970 to 1972. He was also a musician, contributing vocals and guitar intermittently to The TimeActions, who became A&M Records
recording artists, Head East, from 1969 to 1973. He was a police officer for the Mount Vernon Police Department from 1974
to 1998, serving as a D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) officer for the last eight years of his career with the department.
Though Bradley Flota had been collecting comic books since childhood, those collections would fall out of his possession.
He gave his young son Brian a selection of about one hundred comics in 1983, which formed the basis of Brian's collection.
In 1985, Bradley Flota began collecting the comics that make up this collection. He collected comics voraciously from 1985
to 1997. From that time until 2008, he collected more infrequently.
Brian Flota began collecting in earnest in 1987 at the age of eleven, eventually amassing around 2,700 comics when he ceased
collecting around 1998. Of those 2,700 comics, Brian Flota donated a portion of the collection to the University of California,
Riverside prior to his donation to JMU Special Collections in 2015.
Brian Flota holds his MS in Library and Information Sciences from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, his Ph.D.
in American Literature from The George Washington University, and his B.A. in English from the University of California, Riverside.
He is also the co-editor ofThe Politics of Post-9/11 Music, published by Ashgate in 2011.
The Bradley and Brian Flota Comic Book Collection consists of 59.8 cubic feet of over 9,700 comics from the years 1952-2008.
Although it is largely comprised of comic books, the collection also includes a TV guide from the 1990s, children's magazines
from Walt Disney, and a few other materials from independent publishers. There is a wide range of comic book genres between
the years 1952-2008. However, the majority of the issues were released in or near to the 1980s, just before and while Brian
Flota was actively collecting the materials. Some major publishers in this collection include Marvel Comics, DC Comics, and
Dark Horse Comics.
Box 71 contains oversized comics, a copy of the cardboard backing for the first comic in the collection, and an issue of Justice
League of America from June 1974.
The inventory consists of an alphabetical listing of the comic books, dates, issue numbers, and publisher information for
each title. Also included are notes from the donor, indicating special issues or items of note within the collection.
A complete inventory of all comic titles and corresponding issues found within the Bradley and Brian Flota comic book collection
is available as an excel spreadsheet .
Approximately 7,000 individual comic books published between 1968-2008. All comics within this series were collected by Bradley
Flota, beginning in the year 1985 until 2008.
Comic Books [1000897758] box: 1
3D Alien Terror- Action Comics
Comic Books [1000897759] box: 2
Action Comics- The Adventures of Superman Annual
Comic Books [1000897760] box: 3
Adventures of The Outsiders- Amazing Fantasy
Comic Books [1000897761] box: 4
The Amazing Scarlet Spider- The Amazing Spider-Man
Comic Books [1000897762] box: 5
The Amazing Spider-Man- Apache Dick
Comic Books [1000897763] box: 6
Aquaman- The Avengers (Vol. 1)
Comic Books [1000897764] box: 7
The Avengers (Vol. 1)- Batman
Comic Books [1000897765] box: 8
Batman- Batman and The Outsiders
Comic Books [1000897766] box: 9
Batman Annual- Batman: Seduction of the Gun
Comic Books [1000897767] box: 10
Batman: Shadow of the Bat- Black Orchid
Comic Books [1000897768] box: 11
The Black Pearl- Brinke of Eternity
Comic Books [1000897769] box: 12
Buck Rogers Comics Module-Captain Atom
Comic Books [1000897770] box: 13
Captain Atom- Chastity
Comic Books [1000897771] box: 14
Checkmate- Comics' Greatest World: Special Limited Edition Arcadia Collection
Comic Books [1000897772] box: 15
Conan the Adventurer-Crying Freeman
Comic Books [1000897773] box: 16
Crying Freeman: Part Two- Darkhold: Pages from the Book of Sins
Comic Books [1000897774] box: 17
Dark Horse Comics- Dark Horse Presents: Aliens
Comic Books [1000897775] box: 18
The Dark Knight Strikes Again- Destroyer Duck
Comic Books [1000897776] box: 19
Destroyer Duck- Dick Tracy
Comic Books [1000897777] box: 20
Dinosaurs for Hire-Dr. Strange
Comic Books [1000897778] box: 21
DV8- Eternal Warrior
Comic Books [1000897779] box: 22
Evil Ernie- Faust 777 the Wrath
Comic Books [1000897781] box: 24
Flaming Carrot Comics- Gen 13
Comic Books [1000897782] box: 25
Gen 13- Good Girl Comics
Comic Books [1000897783] box: 26
The Good Guys - Green Arrow
Comic Books [1000897784] box: 27
Green Arrow - Hard Kari
Comic Books [1000897785] box: 28
Harold Hedd: Hitler's Cocaine - Interface
Comic Books [1000897826] box: 29
Invasion - Justice League America
Comic Books [1000897827] box: 30
Justice League America- Justice League International
Comic Books [1000897786] box: 31
Justice League International-Justice League Spectacular
Comic Books [1000897787] box: 32
Justice League Task Force-Lady Justice
Comic Books [1000897828] box: 33
Lady Rawhide- Lobo: Blazing Chain of Love
Comic Books [1000897788] box: 34
Lobo's Back- Marc Spector: Moon Knight
Comic Books [1000897789] box: 35
The Mark- Marvel Holiday Special
Comic Books [1000897790] box: 36
Marvel Premiere- The Men in Black
Comic Books [1000897791] box: 37
Mickey Mouse Adventures- Namor the Sub-Mariner
Comic Books [1000897792] box: 38
Namor the Sub-Mariner- The New Titans
Comic Books [1000897793] box: 39
The New Titans Annual- The One
Comic Books [1000897794] box: 40
Orbit- Predator vs. Magnus Robot Fighter
Comic Books [1000897795] box: 41
Primal Force- Rai
Comic Books [1000897796] box: 42
Ramba- Robin III: Cry of the Huntress
Comic Books [1000897797] box: 43
RoboCop- The Sandman Special
Comic Books [1000897798] box: 44
The Savage Dragon- Semper Fi
Comic Books [1000897799] box: 45
The Sensational She-Hulk- Sheena Queen of the Jungle 3-D
Comic Books [1000897800] box: 46
She Hulk- Somerset Holmes
Comic Books [1000897801] box: 47
Son of Mutant World- Spider-Man versus Wolverine
Comic Books [1000897802] box: 48
The Spider: Reign of the Vampire King- Supergirl
Comic Books [1000897803] box: 49
Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes- Superman: The Man of Steel
Comic Books [1000897804] box: 50
Superman: The Man of Steel Annual- The Thing From Another World
Comic Books [1000897805] box: 51
The Thing From Another World: Eternal Vows- The Twilight Avenger
Approximately 2,700 individual comic books published between 1952-1998. All comics within this series were collected by Brian
Flota, beginning in the year 1987 until 1998.
Comic Books [1000897811] box: 57
AC Annual- Amazing Heroes
Comic Books [1000897812] box: 58
The Amazing Spider-Man- Batman versus Predator
Comic Books [1000897813] box: 59
The Beatles Experience- Classic X-Men
Comic Books [1000897814] box: 60
Classics Illustrated- Detective Comics
Comic Books [1000897815] box: 61
Detective Comics Annual- Ghost Rider
Comic Books [1000897816] box: 62
Ghost Rider- Hanna-Barbera The Funky Phantom
Comic Books [1000897817] box: 63
Harbinger- Justice League Europe Annual
Comic Books [1000897818] box: 64
Justice League International- Marvel Super-Heroes
Comic Books [1000897819] box: 65
Marvel Team-Up- Phantasy Against Hunger
Comic Books [1000897820] box: 66
The Phantom- The Saga of the Sub-Mariner
Comic Books [1000897821] box: 67
Samurai- Star Trek: The Modala Imperative
Comic Books [1000897822] box: 68
Star Trek: The Next Generation- Walt Disney's Mickey and Donald
Comic Books [1000897823] box: 69
Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse-Yuppies From Hell
Comic Books [1000897824] box: 70
Zero Hour: Crisis in Time- Zorro
Comic Books [1000897825] box: 71
Alien: The Illustrated Story- Voodoo Child: The Illustrated Legend of Jimi Hendrix
Scope and Contents
This box contains the following comic books:
Alien: The Illustrated Story
Batman 3-D
Cages
Heavy Metal
Meteor Man
Simpson's Comics and Stories
Voodoo Child: The Illustrated Legend of Jimi Hendrix