Gary Prebula’s seven-decade-long comic book obsession has finally found a permanent home at the University of Pennsylvania library, thanks to a team effort that involved Gary, his wife Dawn, and the owners of Golden Apple Comics, Ryan and Kendra Leibowitz. Prebula’s love for comics began at the age of three when his mother bought him a Superman comic book, sparking an addiction that lasted his entire life. He continued his weekly ritual of buying comic books through adolescence, college, and a career in film and television.
In the mid-1980s, Prebula discovered Golden Apple Comics, a famous comic book store on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles. The store became a regular haunt for him as he continued to grow his collection of comic books and graphic novels. Over the years, Prebula amassed nearly 80,000 comic books, but as he entered his sixth decade of collecting, he started thinking about the future of his collection. He wanted to share his passion with future generations and make his collection accessible for study.
The Leibowitzes, who had been running Golden Apple Comics since 2004, began discussing with Prebula about his plans for his collection. They were thrilled when he decided to donate his collection to the University of Pennsylvania library, as it held a special place in his heart due to his alma mater. However, donating such a large collection of comics required careful planning, organization, and cataloging, especially to maximize tax benefits and ensure the collection was available for study.
The Golden Apple Comic & Art Foundation was set up by the Leibowitzes to help facilitate the donation of private collections of comics, books, art, and collectibles to libraries and museums. The foundation raised funds through events and collaborations with famous comic book creators like Keanu Reeves, Kevin Easton, and Frank Miller. Their mission is to preserve, safeguard, and showcase private collections for future generations to enjoy.
The collection of 80,000 comic books from Prebula was shipped to the Leibowitzes’ house, where they began the process of organizing and cataloging the comics. They sent the most culturally and historically significant comics to the University of Pennsylvania library, with the rest being organized and shipped in subsequent batches. The library is now processing the collection, with the expectation that it will be available for research, teaching, and public exhibitions by next year.
For Prebula, giving away his collection was a difficult decision, but he wanted his comics to be seen and used by others. While he and his wife Dawn have embarked on a new retirement project managing a golf club in Pennsylvania, Prebula is also focusing on writing young adult books. He remains passionate about comics and hopes to visit his donated collection at Penn someday. The donation of his collection marks a significant contribution to the world of comic books and ensures that his love for superheroes will be appreciated by future generations.
