The comics genre is a rich cornucopia of representations of witches and the occult.
This guide was created to match witchcraft comics to themes that represented what witchcraft meant in certain eras. Scientific advancements and changing societal norms changed the definition of “witchcraft” over time. So, for example, in Greco-Roman times, we see a lot of things that were labeled as superstitious - things like protective amulets, curse tablets, and binding spells. In Medieval times, we continue see the use of medicinal herbs, alchemy, astrology, and the concept of black versus white magic emerges. And while we often associate witches with women, in Medieval times, magic was largely thought to be performed by educated males. In Early Modern Europe, we start to see the idea of a pact with the Devil (as opposed to respectable, learned magic), witchcraft becomes more associated with women, rise of the modern fairy tale witch imagery, and persecution through witch hunts. The guide is certainly not exhaustive by any means, but it does give researchers a place to start.
See: https://libguides.sdsu.edu/comicsbytopic/witchcraft
Search OneSearch to locate cataloged comic books.
Search the SDSU Comics Hub for floppy comics. (Note: Roughly half of our floppy comics are cataloged in the Comics Hub. If there is a title you’re interested in that you do not see here, contact Librarian, Pamela Jackson).
A couple of cool titles in Special Collections:
PN6733.T56 B33 2012 Tin Can Forest. Baba Yaga and the Wolf. Toronto, ON: Tin Can Forest Press, 2012.
PN6733.T56 W39 2012 Tin Can Forest. Wax Cross. Toronto, ON: Koyama Press, 2012.
PN6733.T56 W43 2016 Grossman, Pam and Tin Can Forest. What is a Witch? Toronto, ON: Tin Can Forest Press, 2016.
*Use Control F to search for words in page such as “witch.” Here are a handful of zines on witches:
Tenebrous Kate, ed. Witch Women. 2015.
Klar, Rayne. Witch Tips. [2016?]
Lindgren, Suzanne. The Cold Spell: Potions & Remedies For Winter. [2016?]
Moth, Dayna. The Witchy Zinester's Pocket Book of Spells. [2016?]
