these american comics and their masters

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Have any of you been to that Masters of American Comics exhibit that used to hang out in LA? Now it's in Manhattan and Newark. I'll be down that way this weekend, and will definitely take in the Eisner/Kirby/superhero stuff at the Jewish Museum. I'd love to see the comic strip exhibit, but don't know if it's worth trying to find transportation to Newark.

― barefoot manthing (Garrett Martin), Thursday, 26 October 2006 15:52 (nineteen years ago)

I went to it in Milwaukee, it was pretty great. I esp. remember the Winsor McCay and Kirby sections.

― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 26 October 2006 16:02 (nineteen years ago)

Saw the Newark/comic strip half: great stuff, worth the trip. Dick Tracy and Feininger and Gasoline Alley color pages are real must-see revelations. Maybe even better than the NY half? I know that's heresy, but Spiegelman pulled his pieces from the Jewish Museum because the display was too cramped.

If you take NJ Transit - the train from NY Penn Station to Broad Street is 20 minutes and $3.75 each way - then it's 2 for 1 admission with the coupon on the museum website. Definitely go.

― dad a (dad a), Thursday, 26 October 2006 20:01 (nineteen years ago)

I also saw it in Milwaukee, and second/third the recommendation for the early strip stuff. For me at least, seeing the full size original Little Nemo, Feininger, and Gasoline Alley would be worth mass transit hassles. The new stuff is essential too- those fantastic Jimbo's Inferno Giant-Size pages with their intricate borders and layout really blew my mind. There was also a beautiful Kirby page from Devil Dinosaur. Ah, it was all pretty great.

― mich (Mich), Thursday, 26 October 2006 22:14 (nineteen years ago)

I saw it in Milwaukee too and the comic strip half was maybe my favorite even though I don't really care for Gould or to a lesser extent Caniff. But the comic book half was also amazing! In conclusion yeah it was all pretty great.

― Adrienne Begley (sparklecock), Friday, 27 October 2006 01:49 (nineteen years ago)

I'm going to this next week with Laurel!

― disappointing goth fest line-up (orion), Friday, 27 October 2006 12:57 (nineteen years ago)

Okay, yes, this was/is excellent. Didn't make it to Newark, but I hope to head back down that way before it's over. The NY exhibit space really was cramped, though, and although that secondary Superheroes exhibit was kinda cool, I'd rather have seen some Spiegelman. I can't fault him for backing out. That Superheroes exhibit is seperate from the official Masters business, yes? There was definitely some fine work in that room, but they could've devoted a portion of that space to the guy who's probably the most mainstream-acclaimed comic artist of the day. And who I think also would have been the only Jew among the alternative / indie comic guys featured.

Anyway, the Eisner, Kirby, and Kurtzman stuff is fantastic, of course. That Devil Dinosaur double-splash and a Komandi drawing were both incredible. And the exhibit kinda hits home the fact that Chris Ware is in many ways far beyond much of what has come before him. He's the best synthesis of art and story around. Obviously his design skills are amazing, but of the three featured indie dudes he's most capable of writing a story that hits on an emotional level.

― barefoot manthing (Garrett Martin), Monday, 30 October 2006 14:41 (nineteen years ago)

Saw this tonight, had a great time. Especially impressed with Eisner, the giant sized Panters and the Kurtzman stuff.

― calvin johnson has ruined rock for an entire generation (orion), Thursday, 2 November 2006 03:24 (nineteen years ago)

Also, I really don't like Chris Ware and my appreciation of him wasn't heightened by the exhibit at all.

― calvin johnson has ruined rock for an entire generation (orion), Thursday, 2 November 2006 03:26 (nineteen years ago)

I was pretty impressed with the Ware originals but I wanted to smack this scarfy thirtysomething dude who LOL'ed loudly several times while reading one of them

― Adrienne Begley (sparklecock), Thursday, 2 November 2006 04:05 (nineteen years ago)

> this scarfy thirtysomething dude who LOL'ed loudly several times while reading one of them

This could be me, except I'm not anywhere near there.

― It's the lazy and immoral way to become super hip. (Austin, Still), Thursday, 2 November 2006 04:15 (nineteen years ago)

Lurker question: I'm curious to know what ILC thinks are the best artists NOT in the exhibit. Who would your next ten be? And is there anyone who should have been in instead of one of the arists included?

― totph (Totph), Friday, 3 November 2006 18:36 (nineteen years ago)

I'd nominate Steve Ditko, Lynda Barry, Hal Foster, Jaime Hernandez, Jim Woodring, Bill Watterson, Alison Bechdel, Charles Burns, Garry Trudeau, and either Bill Sienkiewicz or Neal Adams. All Americans, I believe--I kept thinking of Canadians!

― Douglas (Douglas), Friday, 3 November 2006 21:07 (nineteen years ago)

I'd rather have seen some Spiegelman. I can't fault him for backing out. That Superheroes exhibit is seperate from the official Masters business, yes? There was definitely some fine work in that room, but they could've devoted a portion of that space to the guy who's probably the most mainstream-acclaimed comic artist of the day. And who I think also would have been the only Jew among the alternative / indie comic guys featured.

Wasn't Kirby Jewish?

I remember the Ware exhibit increasing my respect for his design chops but it didn't convince me at all wrt storytelling.

― Jordan (Jordan), Friday, 3 November 2006 21:14 (nineteen years ago)

Ditko, J. Hernandez, and Bill Watterson were the first to come to mind.

― barefoot manthing (Garrett Martin), Friday, 3 November 2006 21:22 (nineteen years ago)

Wasn't Kirby Jewish?

Yeah, and I believe Eisner, as well. I don't think any of the still active "masters" are, though (maybe Crumb?); Spiegelman would've been the only one. The Superheroes side-exhibit is specifically about Jewish involvment in the industry, so it's kind of ironic and unfortunate that it perhaps bumped Spiegelman from the main show.

― barefoot manthing (Garrett Martin), Friday, 3 November 2006 21:28 (nineteen years ago)

Crumb isn't Jewish

― Ward Fowler (Ward Fowler), Friday, 3 November 2006 22:41 (nineteen years ago)

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