Make Mine Marvel!

Ok, back to comics...

Alex Ross, "Marvels" hardcover dust jacket illustration, 1994, courtesy of the artist, ™ & © 2012 Marvel and Subs.

I have really been getting into this new book I picked up last week: Marvel Comics: The Untold Story, by Sean Howe, takes a detailed and revealing look at the entertainment company that I have loved since I was just a kid. Marvel Comics actually had its start back during World War II (Captain America, Human Torch, Submariner), then fell on some hard times during the 1950s (Senate subcommittee hearings about comics' supposed influence on juvenile delinquency didn't help), and then came into their own--in a big way--during the swinging '60s. Of course I started my journey in the 1970s... as long as I can remember, there's been a Spider-Man, Iron Man, Incredible Hulk... so many characters and books that filled my imagination. I even created my own series of comic books based on these heroes as young, crime-fighting kids (ask my Mom... she must still have some copies lying around!).

Anyway, it was with some trepidation that I picked up this book, since I had heard stories about disagreements between artists, writers, and businessmen over who owned what creations. There is sort of a dark (or poorly managed) side to early comic book history... in fact, I watched an interesting BBC documentary earlier in the week about Steve Ditko, the artist who first worked on and should probably be better credited with much of the creation of my all-time fave superhero, Spider-Man:




Anyway, the book is a fun read... I have made it through to the late sixties, when writer/editor/entertaining company man Stan Lee has already successfully introduced the world to a new gang of superheroes, full of everyday angst, real-world problems, and cross-over stories, filled with equal parts humor and pathos. It's fun to learn more about the humble and creative beginnings of the company that is just now finally producing blockbuster movies of its heroes. It is also interesting to learn all the behind-the-scenes... again, hope I don't get too upset learning about these artists' struggles... creative types not getting the credit they deserve... can't "imagine" what that's like (sarcasm intended).

On that note, I discovered a nice shout-out this morning on Alex Ross' website. Everyone I have talked to had such a great time at the Heroes & Villains opening last week, which managed to attract over 450 visitors! That's the largest I have seen at the Museum for one of these events. Tomorrow we continue the fun with a mini comic convention at the Museum. We will have several artists, collectors, and historians on-hand... and I'll be putting on my Spidey suit again. Should be fun.

Me and Joltin' Joe Sinnott at the 2012 Albany Comic Con.
Face front, true believers! Photo ©Jeremy Clowe.
All rights reserved.

At the Albany Comic Con last week, I happened to run into artist Joe Sinnott, who actually worked at Marvel Comics for many years, inking over the legendary Jack Kirby's Fantastic Four, and nearly every other major title for the publisher... looking at his website, I realize I have many issues that he worked on that I owned at one time or another, as he had been with the Marvel Bullpen for 60 years! He continues to work on a weekly Spider-Man Sunday comic strip for the newspapers, and was just the nicest guy! He signed a couple pieces of art for me, and insisted that we get our picture taken together.

Joe also had a fun story about meeting Norman Rockwell, while the late illustrator was doing a book signing for his Willie Was Different children's book (even has a photo). I would love to get him out to Stockbridge to help out with a program during the run of the Heroes & Villains exhibition... maybe even a Q&A. I might be just the man to do it, as I brush up on my Marvel through these pages of The Untold Story... not quite into the 1970s yet, but that should be one I'm largely familiar with... yet another interesting decade for "The House of Ideas!"


Related Links:

www.joesinnott.com

Marvel Comics: The Untold Story: http://seanhowe.tumblr.com

www.alexrossart.com

http://marvel.com

The Art of Documentation

Continuing on yesterday's thread about the Museum's upcoming exhibition on illustrator Howard Pyle, It turns out there is a documentary about the artist that was just released. It looks well-done... here is a preview:




The feature was produced by filmmaker Paul Mento from Silver Hand Productions. According to the Delaware Art Museum, which organized the exhibition and screened the documentary, Mento has been a lifelong fan of the artist. His name sounded familiar to me, and now I realize that he had actually been in touch with me at the Museum a couple years back, looking for information about Pyle's influence on Norman Rockwell. I'll have to check out the documentary--no doubt it will be useful in learning more about Pyle's work and how to promote the exhibition.


There is another new artist documentary coming out, which is also worth mentioning. Gregory Crewdson: Brief Encounter follows the work of acclaimed photographer Gregory Crewdson, who creates haunting, surreal, and stunning photographs, that have an eerie, cinematic feel to them. Think Edward Hopper born again as a filmmaker who is taking still photos, and that it what Crewdson's world looks like:






I first discovered the photographer's work when I started working in Massachusetts. He has set many of his scenes there (including my former town of Lee), and spends a bit of time in the Berkshires. There is even something of a twisted mirror on the work that Rockwell is known for, and I have met the photographer on a couple of occasions while I have worked at the Museum; the last time was during a lecture he gave at Norman Rockwell Museum a couple years ago, where this documentary filmmaker, Ben Shapiro was also present. 


The film is having a screening on the final night of this year's Berkshire International Film Festival. My friend Stephanie, a talented actress, actually posed for one of the photographs in the series that is being examined in this documentary (it even made the cover of the catalogue for the series). I wonder if she will make it into the documentary... go Stephanie!

My "Crewdson-wannabe" photo shoot with Sarah following
the photographer's lecture at Norman Rockwell Museum, March 27, 2010.
Photo ©Jeremy Clowe. All rights reserved.

I would love to see the documentary (maybe even work with Crewdson sometime), but we are scheduled to meet our wedding photographer this Sunday--he's also a creative guy... I just hope the wedding photos don't look like Crewdson's! Hopefully there will be other screenings of the film to catch.

Hmm... these documentaries make me jealous really... I'm not sure how they are totally financed and produced, but what a great gig--I could get into doing work like this (and I'll keep trying!). Looking for time, money, and a good HD camera... please!

Related Links:


www.howardpyledvd.com


www.gregorycrewdsonmovie.com


www.biffma.com

Artist Portrait

This week at the Museum we have been busy preparing for an upcoming exhibition on portrait artist Everett Raymond Kinstler, who began his career as an illustrator. I believe the Museum is offering an auction to have your portrait done by the artist during the run of the exhibition--I'll see about filming that. 

This past summer we had a special exhibition featuring a local artist named Sol Schwartz, who sketches at the various cultural events in the Berkshires. You could say that he is a portrait artist of a different sort, documenting musicians, actors, and dancers in action. I added some music and clips from Tanglewood, one of the locations Sol frequents--the footage was originally filmed for my TV music show Berkshire Soundstage (if you look closely at the opening sequence you will see Martin Scorsese sitting in with John Williams and the Boston Pops during their annual film night!).

It was nice to learn more about Sol's work-- over the years he and his wife Elayne had been pretty active supporters of the arts in the Berkshires. Sadly, Elayne passed away this past fall. I had the chance to meet her when we filmed the interview with Sol earlier in the year, and even had her sit in to have her portrait created by her husband. Sol's family appreciated the document, and requested a copy of the footage to play during her memorial service. I also reedited the exhibition video slightly to pay tribute to Elayne during the remainder of the show's run at the Rockwell Museum. One of the instances where my work has served an even greater purpose, and it made me feel good to do so.

The artist's website: solschwartz.com