Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art exhibits
Michael Uslan: The Boy Who Loved Batman, Bat-Manga: The Secret History of Batman in Japan, The Art of Howl: A Collaboration between Eric Drooker and Allen Ginsberg
Part of the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (Feb. 2012)
Michael Uslan: The Boy Who Loved Batman
It was interesting to note how the influence of one fan had on the portrayal of Batman as seen with the case of Michael Uslan. Displayed in the museum was the literature that depicted the so called vile nature of comic books, the various rejections from film producers to make a Batman film and the triumphant posters of publishing on those Batman films that came. It was clear that there were many hardships to making Batman the icon we know of him today, as roughly quoted from our tour guide on Michael’s undying diligence to bring Batman to a more serious tone as with the graphic novels, “it wasn’t about being at the right place at the right time as much as continuing to pursue a goal until the right time made itself available.” However, it was noted that his efforts did pay off as the posters displaying the gritty Batman we know of contemporarily were hung, as with the case of “The Dark Knight Rises” poster, the poster of the Batman film done by Tim Burton and the acclaimed animated series movie poster of Batman that hung not too far from the displays of Uslan’s papers with rejections and the like. What was notable about the exhibit is that the transition of Batman’s theme was done not by an artisan or a writer who necessarily worked on hand for Batman’s change. Rather, it was someone who worked hard to influence the tone of his favorite comic book superhero as seen by the public eye.
Bat-Manga: The Secret History of Batman in Japan
While in contemporary times the transition of an American superhero series to a Japanese manga may seem less unusual nowadays, there existed a time during the late 1960’s where Batman was adapted into a manga done by the now defunct Shonen King. During an age where artisans were still inspired by the narrative and artistic styles of the influential Osamu Tezuka, it was an interesting artifact of a Western concept brought to the East. As with most Shonen manga magazines of the time, the original prints were more likely to have been discarded once read; however, Chip Kidd, an influential novelist, managed to receive the raw drafts of the series from the archives of Shonen King, which was displayed to great detail at the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art. While it may not seem plausible nowadays, but back when the manga was published in Japan Batman was a sensation amongst the Japanese. This was evident with the artifacts of Batman Japanese toys that were with the display. In fact, the series would return to a cult piece of trivia in Batman lore with a Bat-Manga plot written with the television series Batman: the Brave and the Bold. In said show, they took a chapter of the original Bat-Manga, the tale of Lord Deathman, and transitioned it for a Western audience.
The Art of Howl: A Collaboration between Eric Drooker and Allen Ginsberg
As the poem Howl was considered risqué at its time, it was interesting to see how the illustrations for the animated version were made in relations to its adaption as a solo series and its shoehorned state in the Howl film starring James Franco. It was interesting to note that the animated segments were made before the film was even conceived, which has its own connotations as to Drooker and Ginsberg’s interpretation before Ginsberg’s death. Some reviewers have noted that the animations had nothing to do with the movie, and as the status of it being originally intended to be its own thing existed it can be seen why that is so. It was noted that the phallic imagery displayed existed to coincide with the phallic poetry in Ginsberg’s poems. Statements about sex were followed with almost cosmic pictures of reproduction, with sperm as constellations circling a lover’s embrace and the like. Overall, such an adaptation for what was for a spoken monologue could have been done terribly had it not been for animator and poet both working together to make said animation. It is then a pity that such works were not noted for its elegance of balance between the two creators when taken into account for the third factor: the film, where a third party took that animation and used it to interpretation of a different note.
Bibliography:
“The Art of Howl: A Collaboration between Eric Drooker and Allen Ginsberg.” New York, NY. Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art. Feb. 9, 2012
“Bat-Manga: The Secret History of Batman in Japan.” New York, NY. Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art. Feb. 9, 2012
“Michael Uslan: The Boy Who Loved Batman.” New York, NY. Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art. Feb. 9, 2012.
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