“Through never-before exhibited art and objects culled from private and institutional collections, ZAP! POW! BAM! The Superhero: The Golden Age of Comic Books, 1938-1950 explores the genesis of cultural icons such as Superman, Batman, Captain Marvel, Wonder Woman, and Captain America.” That’s how the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, California describes their Golden Age of Comic Books Exhibition that is running between now and August 9, 2009.
Guest curator of the exhibition is none other than the great Jerry Robinson who was one of the early artists on Batman, hired as a teenager by Bob Kane. One rare item at the exhibit is Robinson’s concept sketch for his most memorable Batman family creation, The Joker.
Robinson's Joker concept sketch
Not only is Jerry a Golden Age pioneer, he is also a comic book historian who spends much of his time working on the preservation of of the history of the early days of comic books. I was fortunate to meet Jerry at the 2006 Heroes Con where I interviewed him for the Golden Age of Comic Books Podcast.
Interestingly, with Batman celebrating his 70th anniversary this year, and comics generally being in the media spotlight with the success of various comic book themed movies, CNN.com ran a story today about the exhibit where Jerry was interviewed.
The exhibit at the Skirball Museum is similar to the original show that ran at the Breman Museum in Atlanta, Georgia a couple of years ago. It’s a great glimpse at the Golden Age of Comic Books, and a homage to the creators of today’s cultural icons. If you are in the Los Angeles area between now and August 9, 2009, stop by and visit this exhibit.
