The Glen Keiser Collection of Comic Books, Fantasy Drawings, and Realia, 1940s-1980s consists of comic books, fantasy drawings from various publishers such as Marvel, DC Comics and other independent publishers between a span of 40 years. It also includes books about comics, oversize comics, paperback books, realia, mounted pictures and items labeled as “Other”. Each of these items are listed under these individual subcategories in alphabetical order. The finding aid gives an overview and scope of the collection, specifies the contents of the collection (however, it does not list each item individually) as well as its arrangement, where the location is stored and notes on restrictions on its use and reproduction.
Based on this archive, I would not be able to tell much besides the collector’s interest in comics and related items. Glenn Keiser was drawn to Marvel Comics and DC Comics as this is a majority of his collection. Because of the manner in which it is listed, it is difficult to come up with a narrative or context in which he collected these items. He collected items related to the comic series such as tee shirts, cards, 3-D glasses, Cerebrus medals and mounted pictures which indicate his desire to collect more than the stories but the material culture that is associated with the fan following of these different comics. Unfortunately, these are not specified on its relation to a certain comic or character.
It would be beneficial to have the exact dates and a brief synopsis of each of the comics. This would allow people that are unfamiliar with the titles to analyze and understand the collection: similarities, differences, etc. Also listing these by date would make it easier to understand the collection as a whole much better. Currently, the collection is listed by category or publisher and then alphabetically (see image below). I suppose the number and size of the boxes labeled with each of these comics would indicate the size of the collection and be helpful in finding the exact location of an item you are looking for. This is helpful when looking up a specific title but not so much when coming up with a narrative or context for the contents.
A description of the owner/ collector may give us a better picture on the kind of person that collected these items and the thought process behind it. Images of the covers and items would make it easier for someone to confirm it is the correct item. Images can also give more information on a lot of other factors like the condition of the items and the style of artwork, color, etc. that may indicate something of the time.
This collection was very interesting because it was centered on one person’s personal collection. You are right that the manner of listing makes it difficult for a viewer to discern a theme in Glen Keiser’s tastes. It is not very clear which issues of a specific title is in the collection. While this collection might be helpful for researchers who are looking for old copies of certain comics, the fact that the issues are not individually listed makes it unlikely that they will happen upon this collection, which is unfortunate.