Comics and Toys in Washington DC
Comics and toys I found while visiting Washington DC!
Rebecca and I took a trip with her side of the family to Washington DC in March.
Here’s most of the comic books and toys I found on display while visiting the Smithsonian museums in the capital; with a few other things of interest thrown in the mix as well!
The first thing we did was go to the National Zoo, which you’d think wouldn’t have a any comics, but I was surprised to find a few!
There was also a cool temporary event happening called “Think Tank” which shows “explores animal thinking, tool use and problem solving”. There were a bunch of comics in here, including a Far Side comic!
Perhaps the connection with The Far Side goes even further!
The next day, we went to the the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. This is an additional facility to the National Air and Space Museum that is less like a traditional museum, and more like a giant hanger with a ton of planes. This place is incredible. The first section of the hanger has lots of historic aircraft here like the Enola Gay and a whole section of German WW2 planes. Commercial aircraft, balloons, modern USAF planes and USCG Helicopters and a lot more.
Nevertheless, there were comics to be found here!
Hidden amongst the ranks of human-operated aircraft was a Resistance X-Wing
This X-Wing drone is the size of a car. Much more impressive in person than in this video where they rise up and then sort of descend away from the crowd.
Unfortunately, Dane Cook also made an appearance at this museum
There were more than a few insignias and patches shown on display that represented some of the Air Force Squadrons. Check out the patch on the left, I immediately recognized the slogan of MAD Magazine’s poster boy Alfred E. Neuman, but I didn’t notice until writing this that the patch shows that the cockpit is entering the runway while flying upside down!
Felix the Cat also shows up carrying a bomb!?
The first half of the building is all aircraft, while the second half is comprised completely of spacecraft.
I think modern space exploration is kind of pointless, but even I have to admit that it’s very impressive seeing all of the incredible vehicles and rockets up close. You see these shuttles and things on TV or on YouTube videos on your phone and you can’t really comprehend the scale of how massive these things are. Very amazing feats of human engineering and determination.
Anyway, back to the nerdy stuff, which is substantially less impressive!
Man, I can’t seem to escape The Far Side! First, at the Zoo, now in the middle of the spacecraft hanger!
Alright, enough of this weak stuff... lets get down to the actually impressive items in the museum…
TOYS!
.
My Brother-in-Law snapped a photo of me looking at the Star Wars figures on display at the bottom of this display cabinet. His film was in Black and White, and with me kneeling on the ground, it looks like I am paying my respects in a somber tone.
Finally, I saw one of those cool USPS mailboxes that was wrapped in vinyl for the 30th Anniversary of Star Wars back in 2007.
The next place to see comics and toys and other tomfoolery I can normally gawk at while vending at the local comic conventions, is at the National Museum of American History.
This place was pretty neat, and some of these wings and exhibits were amazing and very informative. The history of American voting and democracy, cool artifacts from the Presidents including Lincoln’s top hat the night he was assassinated, a large section on the history of transportation in America, half a floor on the US Military, different wings on immigrants, just so, so much stuff to see. They had a whole wing about freakin’ food in America!
Speaking of food, these lunchboxes were on display in the food court of the museum
Good thing we got a bite, because the first exhibit we stepped into was the one about American Food
From there, we went across the hall to ¡Presente! A Latino History of the United States. I found Love and Rockets issue 1 on display! I’ve been reading through this series and have been having a great time. Very surprised to see it in a museum!
Here’s a cartoon about the Alamo that was in this wing. I had never heard of Eric J Garcia before, but he has great art and strong lines. His website can be found here
Next, we saw a few computers and electronic games
There was a small room on women and music, which was pretty disappointing, except for this cool display on Riot Grrrl
Inside of the National Museum of American History’s National Numismatic Collection, I found a cartoon about diner cards, and Mr. Krab’s first dime
There were a ton of things to see that are notable for comics and toys inside of the American Enterprise section
Here’s some more from that exhibit
The following photos are from American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith, and
The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden
Inside of The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden, there was a whole section of political cartoons! This was cool to look at
The final section of the museum that had cartoons and toys in it was Entertainment Nation. While the items in the exhibit were cool, it was overwhelming to be in. The layout doesn’t flow very well. You are supposed to start on the left and see ephemera on big top circus events in the 1800s, but on the right side, and there’s huge screens everywhere that are BLASTING music and movie clips. I wish I could stay in there longer, but between the raucous music and stepping over kids watching the screens, I didn’t spend as much time in there as I did the other parts of the museum. This hall did have some of the coolest items in it though. Prince’s guitar, Walter White’s hazmat suit, Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers, some recreations of the original Muppets, Archie Bunker’s easy chair. All of those items are pretty cool to see, but the best of all is right up in the front
R2-D2 and C-3PO greet you at the entrance. I had no idea that they would be here! Costumes from my favorite film of the Original Trilogy, Return of the Jedi. I was actually star-struck seeing these two right there in person. I’ve known them for most of my life!
Another shot of the two movie stars, plus a scruffy looking nerf herder.
The next museum we went to was the National Museum of African American History and Culture. This museum’s first half is pretty amazing. There is an impressive number of artifacts to see. You really take a “journey” through the museum by taking an elevator underground and starting during the Middle Passage in 15th century Africa and Europe, and through early American history. As you take a winding ramp up towards the surface, you go forward time time going through the 1800s and the Era of Segregation, Civil Rights, and then the modern era of African American History.
The historical parts of the museum were great, but the cultural parts upstairs sort of fell flat for me. Lots of fun things to look at up here, but I suspect that a lot of a cooler cultural items have already been claimed by other museums and institutions. I mean, one of the main artifacts on display is Chuck Berry’s Cadillac. Really? Is Chuck Berry’s car really that important of a cultural touchstone? It’s the first thing you see when you walk into the Musical Crossroads side of the building. Maybe I am just ignorant. It wouldn’t be the first time!
Lets take a look at the 1 comic book I found on display at the museum.
THIS is their only comic book on display in the whole museum??
No Black Panther? Static Shock? Luke Cage? Spawn? Green Lantern? Blade? I found some Miles Morales coloring books in the gift shop, but come on! While not all heroes listed above were created by African Americans, many have taken the up the mantle of writing or illustrating the characters in recent years. I was very disappointed to see Robert Culp and Bill Freakin Cosby of all people shown on display. If I had to choose a Black and White duo to have on a comic book, it would have been Cloak and Dagger!
Something that I did enjoy seeing on display in the Musical Crossroads section, was a display cabinet showcasing the music of Louis Jordan and Fats Domino side by side.
American saxophonist Louis Jordan is best known for writing the song Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby, which you have most definitely heard if you have ever spent an hour or so watching classic Tom and Jerry shorts . Louis Jordan has written dozens of hits in the 1930s-’50s. He was one of the biggest names in early Rock ‘n’ Roll, Jump Blues, Swing, and Boogie Woogie. He is one of my favorite performers in the category of music that most people would recognize from playing any of the Fallout Video Games.
Fats Domino is a New Orleans legend who needs no introduction.
The reason that I was so “jazzed” to see items from both of these guys out on display next to each other, was because they both laid the foundations for reggae/ska music. Jamaicans were first exposed to American music after WW2, when American troops were still stationed over there. What were they listening to? Swing and Jump Blues! Jamaicans then bought records and got halls together to dance in. Dance Hall? See where this is going?
Before ska music was created, Jamaicans were dancing and boogying to Louis Jordan and Fats. In fact, Fats Domino is often credited with creating the standard “ska-beat” by playing on the 1s and 3s. I am not the best at describing it, but you know that distinctive ska sound once you hear it. Check out what is often credited as “the first ska song” with Be My Guest.
Anyway, I was very happy to see two musical legends on display right next to each other. They shoulda moved Chuck Berry’s Cadillac to the side and made the birth of ska music front and center!
Next up on the schedule was the National Museum of Natural History.
From what I recall from previous visits throughout the years, this museum hadn’t changed much. It was really cool back in the day, but you can only see the gems and minerals, the hall of ocean life, and the big elephant in the rotunda so many times in your life. Rebecca and I both enjoyed this museum, but we both thought it was the one of the weaker Smithsonians we went to during our trip.
Not a single comic book or toy related artifact on display here, but not all was lost! We got to see skeletons of our favorite birds!
Another highlight of this museum was that got to recreate a great photo of me sticking my finger in a Moai’s nose. The original was was taken back when I visited the museum in elementary school. I love those Moai. Full of mystery, kitsch, and now, deadpan internet humor, somehow. We probably all associate these guys with Brad Garret’s deep gravely voice. “You dum dum. You Bring me gum gum!”
The next place I found a presence of comic books was in Ford’s Theater. The place where Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, of course. You go underground into a museum and then up into the still-active theater. This place is a lot smaller than you might expect! You can see the Presidential Box right up close and everything.
Lots of cool information to see in the museum under the theater, the theater itself, and the house across the street where Lincoln died. In the part of the experience after Lincoln’s death, you go up into a room showing the legacy of ole Honest Abe.
For seemingly no reason whatsoever, there is this giant image of the cover to Spider-Man President’s Day 2009, A digital-only comic. Not sure why this is here. It’s not even the entire cover.
The final Smithsonian museum we got to experience on our trip was the National Air and Space Museum. Lots of cool stuff to see here, even if half of it was closed for renovations!
The first thing we saw as we walked in was the actual filming model of The Enterprise used for the original Star Trek series! It would even light up if you pushed a button. Very cool!
Next was one of my favorite exhibits, the Wright Brothers flyer. This thing is really cool to see in person. Rebecca seemed to be impressed at how I remembered and pointed out all the ways that the exhibit had changed since I had last seen it in high school.
I love going to the Wright Brothers memorial when I visit my grandparents on the Outer Banks. I have seen that national park a lot more times than I have seen this Smithsonian display. The history and story of the Wright Brothers is always fascinating to me. It looks like I wasn’t the only one who thinks so, either! There was a section about cartoons featuring early flight in this same exhibit.
Across the hall was a room titled Nation of Speed. If you’re not first, you’re last. There were some cool toys in here alongside some record breaking cars and small planes.
There was also a mock-up of a garage with a few surprised hidden in cabinets
I also found half of another famous duo I am fond of
All that’s missing is a FastBreak!
The last bit of toys and comics I found here were in the Destination Moon section.
To close out the Air and Space Museum and our final Smithsonian of the trip, here’s a picture of the two of us in front of one of the screen used props for Poe Dameron’s X-ing in Rise of Skywalker
Before I end this, I have to show you the comic book stores I visited while in DC! The museum artifacts were cool to see, but none of them were for sale! Time to look at some merchandise.
The first place I went to was Big Planet Comics
Lots of cool stuff to see. There was a good number of people in here for a comic store not hosting an event that night. They had weekly books, and a ton of hardcovers and collected editions. There were a few dozen shortboxes that I flipped through, and it was sort of odd. There were $100 books in the same box mixed in with $3 and $5 ones. I guess there wasn’t enough wall space with all of the tall shelves they had for trade paperbacks. I wish I had more time to look at everything, but I was able to make 1 purchase and head back out to the car.
On a different day, I managed to swing by Fantom Comics . To get to this place, you have to travel up a winding staircase, which was decorated with posters and other cool art.
Once you get into the actual shop, it’s a pretty neat space! Very comfy
Fantom comics had less boxes to dig through than Big Planet, but had a larger selection of everything else. Lots of paperbacks and hardcovers, tons of local and small press stuff, a section of Japanese trinkets, shelves of plushes, Magic and Pokemon cards, lots to see here. They even had a nice selection of events they were hosting, that I could totally see myself attending if I was local. Once again, I didn’t have enough time to see it all! I made my purchase and headed back downstairs and noticed there was a Tiki themed taco joint underneath the comic shop! So much coolness on 1 little street corner.
So what did I get from these two shops? I grabbed my first two DC Compact Editions! All Star Superman from Fantom Comics, and Batman: The Court of Owls Saga from Big Planet. At the time of writing this, I have only read All Star Superman.
Alright time to wrap this up. This trip to Washington DC was jam packed with stuff. I didn’t come here just to see comics and toys, but I thought it would be an interesting topic to use Substack to write about. We obviously saw a ton more and enjoyed a a thousand things more than just the action figures on display, but they didn’t all fit within the theme. I even allowed some non-comic book stuff to sneak in this post. We went to most of the big monuments, spent some time in the capital building, saw a tour of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, and lots more. Maybe Rebecca will write up a post showing off her side of the story
If you can believe it, I have a few more thoughts about a few specific topics within the National Museum of American History and National Museum of African American History and Culture, but they got to be too much to type out for this post. Maybe I will articulate them in a separate post.
