Comic Book Guys

Life isn’t fair, even in the comic book world. Heroes like Superman and Batman get the glory, the girls, and a ton of adoring fans. Meanwhile, the artists and authors whose imaginations give the heroes their powers are rarely recognized. The comic book kingdom’s unsung heroes will get their due...

By Wynter Holden

September 22, 2011

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Life isn’t fair, even in the comic book world. Heroes like Superman and Batman get the glory, the girls, and a ton of adoring fans. Meanwhile, the artists and authors whose imaginations give the heroes their powers are rarely recognized.

The comic book kingdom’s unsung heroes will get their due when editor and critic Dan Nadel, author of several books on visionary cartoonists, discusses the future of the genre on Thursday, September 22, at Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, 7374 East Second Street. Local artist Jon Haddock, whose work is featured in the museum’s ongoing graphic art exhibition IDIOS KOSMOS: KOINOS KOSMOS, will also weigh in.

Not all comic book art is worthy to be displayed in a museum, but Haddock believes that there’s a viewer out there for all types of illustrations, from basic caricatures to beautifully rendered graphic novels. “Under the right circumstance, there aren't any comics that don't belong in some show somewhere,” he says. “Sometimes I like looking at stuff I liked as a kid, even though I know it's crap.”

Thu., Sept. 22, 7 p.m., 2011

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