Man, I hate to even mention this so early in the new year, but as folks (especially in the realm of freelancing) begin thinking about tax season, it's important to at least try to comfort your weary mind with some reassuring implications of government spending. Paved roads, working sewers and, yes - comics, are all things the United States has shelled out for over the years and now you, the taxpayer, can enjoy the fruits of your labors with a new collection of government-commissioned works.

As reported by Cartoonbrew.com, Richard Graham at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has archived 183 comic books commissioned by the United States government spanning an impressive timeline.



The titles range from generic educational stories about science and math (*Zzzzzzzzz*) to anti-drug comics starring Captain America. It's a pretty mixed bag of the wonderful and the crazy and from a historical/cultural perspective, it's interesting to consider the number of legit creators employed by Uncle Sam over the years. Will Eisner, Walt Kelly, Dr. Seuss and scads of others make appearances in this gallery.

Did I mention it's free?

The files are archived as fairly sizable .PDFs, so you may want to break out an external hard drive if you plan on downloading them to your own digital collection. I admit, the would-be librarian in me is tempted to reach for one right now.

Take a gander over at the UNL Government Comics Collection.