Titled "Pow! The Art of Comics", this exhibit was a good look at the experience running from comic strips to comic books, the memorabilia and props as well as their impact on popular culture.
Above and beyond the animation cels and model sheets, what I enjoyed the most was the frames upon frames of concept art and storyboards for feature films. They definitely hit some of my favorites including the Matrix films, the live-action Speed Racer, and a couple of the Marvel films.
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| 'Nebuchadnezzer' The Matrix, 1999 |
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| 'Mach 5 and Racer X Trading Paint' by Warren Manser Speed Racer, 2008 |
A classic painting by artist Julie Bell shows the far reaching nature of comic book art as inspirations stretch into the realm of fantasy.
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| Pegasus Befriends the Muses 2018, Julie Bell |
And it wouldn't be a comic book exhibit without Batman!
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| The Batcave, complete with the Batmobile, circa 2015 |
The Super Friends cartoon from back in the 1970's. Boy does that take me back. Hal Jordan as Green Lantern, who remembers? I love looking at model sheets from animated films. Really shows the thought that went into developing the characters and ensuring consistency across a series.
Ah, Red Sonja, the 'She Devil with a Sword'. I'm only three issues from completing the 1977-1979 Marvel series and two issues away from having their 1983-1986 series completed in my collection. Below is a classic John Buscema panel from the first Marvel series, circa 1979.
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| Red Sonja Vol.1 #15 Page 7, 1979 |
Loved perusing their section on Vintage comic strips, especially the section on Terry and the Pirates. The skill that is displayed in the rendering of these images still leaves me breathless. I'm consistently in awe of the drafting skills that these men and women developed back in the days before computers.
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| Terry and the Pirates, George Wunder, 1951 |
For years, I've looked to the larger more well known museums for special exhibitions and rare film screenings. As of late, I have been learning to appreciate the smaller regional museums and keep their calendars on my radar for those exhibits that are closer to my interests.
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