"Pop Art" no longer

Big-name hero comics alongside “traditional” art at FIA

The “Man of Steel” and “The Dark Knight” have new temporary homes at The Flint Institute of Arts (FIA), along with the most famous character of Detective Comics (DC) and Marvel, and of some of the most beloved super heroes from the early 20th century to the late 1990s. In the Hodge Gallery, there are more than 80 original paintings and drawings by some of the most renowned artists in the comic strip and comic book genres.

Crystal Boone, 29 of Davison, is a huge fan of comic books, but was disappointed that many of her favorites were not present. “I really like seeing how the comic industry has evolved,” Boone said. “I just wish that there was more here than just DC and Marvel.” Some of Boone’s favorites include The Crow, Sandman, Preacher and Death.

Chris Ringler, 34 of Flint was much more excited about the exhibit. Being a huge fan of graphic novels and comic book art, Ringler said, “I was impressed by the diversity of big name artists that are on display.”

Throughout the exhibit, there are many familiar comic book characters. Dick Tracy, Captain Marvel, Spiderman, Iron Man and Krazy Kat are also included in the “Comics, Heroes and American Visual Culture” exhibit. Famous black artists will be featured in “Beyond the Frame: African American Comic Book Artists” exhibiting all original drawings, paintings, and computer generated prints. “Beyond the Frame,” was commissioned by the FIA with the help of artist John Jennings. This art reinterprets traditional comic book themes and ideas. The exhibit as a whole runs through April 26.

The bulk of the exhibit is comic books and graphic novels, with the focus on the two biggest comic book publishers in the world, Marvel and DC, and their more popular characters. This display shows the timeline of Batman and Superman, the biggest icons for both of these publishers, and how they have evolved with each new generation.

The first part of the exhibit is political cartoons from the early 20th Century, “which have pretty prevalent social issues of the times,” said Michael Martin, Coordinator of Collections and Exhibitions at the FIA. Martin says these cartoons began to have power in the political and cultural world and leant credence to the importance of this art. From political cartoons the exhibit moves into comic strips which show the art forms’ birth. These comic strips took every day scenarios and events and turned them into punch-lines, often using animals as human stand-ins. The animals were allowed to do and say things the human characters wouldn’t have been able to say.

A former professor of art at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Dan Howard first donated “Comics, Heroes and American Visual Culture” to the Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery in 1999. Howard believed that instead of being perceived as “popular” art, that it should be appreciated as a part of art and art history. As a child, Howard looked to the works of Chester Gould, Milton Caniff, Roy Crane and Will Eisner, who said, “Comics are the original American art form.” This love for comic book art caused Howard to write to Milton Caniff, the creator of Terry and the Pirates and Steve Canyon. What he received in return was a hand-colored portrait of the character Terry, and was his first collected piece of original comic art work.

The FIA is located at 1120 E. Kearsley St. as a part of the Cultural Center. The gallery hours are Tue-Sat, 10am-5pm and Sun, 1pm-5pm. Saturdays are now free thanks to a partnership with Target, also many of the colleges have partnered together with the FIA for full-time college students to be eligible for free membership, for more information on the free College Town Membership students can contact Valarie Shook at vshook@flintarts.org.

C.C. Beck, Captain Marvel, watercolor and ink on board, 1977.