An employee at the British Library adjusting a model wearing a mask from the comic V for Vendetta.

A medieval comic, original manuscripts and artworks from celebrated stories, and Judge Dredd’s helmet from a blockbuster movie have gone on display at the British Library as it celebrates the literary contribution of the comic world.

The venue in London is staging Comics Unmasked: Art and Anarchy in the UK, said to be Britain’s biggest exhibition devoted to the art form, featuring work from notable titles such as Watchmen, V for Vendetta and Batman and Robin among an array of items.

Artwork from the occult figure Aleister Crowley and editions of the underground counter-culture publication Oz will also be on display until mid-August.

A previously-unheard recording of the early 1970s ‘Oz trial’, in which the magazine was successfully prosecuted for obscenity, also features in the exhibition.

Leading figures who have contributed to the success of the contemporary comic world such as Neil Gaiman, Mark Millar, Dave Gibbons and Grant Morrison are among those who have loaned artwork and scripts.

The exhibition continues until August 19.