A very worthwhile discussion with James L. Hussey, director of BLAAM! WHAM! Roy Lichtenstein and the Art of Appropriation.
Category: Comic Books
A MAD Scroll-Down
Stephen Colbert’s heartfelt tribute to MAD cartoonist Al Jaffee.
Saying Al died at 1012 is only a slight exaggeration. He was 102. This is Stephen’s introduction to the book he talked about last night.
https://www.amazon.com/Tall-Tales-Al-Jaffee/dp/0810972727
Jaffee autographed my copy of the book in 2012.
Dog Rat’s Soap Box
That’s what I was listening to then, so lemme see… what about the comic books was I reading? Oh, this one was a very big deal for me. Spectacular Spider-Man #1, a new magazine format comic, on sale April 9. Costing as much as three regular comics (minus a penny), with Spidey in black & white? Sure, why not!
Marvel was finally free of its oppressive 10-year distribution deal with competitor DC, setting the stage for the big DC implosion that year. Editor Stan Lee was expanding the Marvel lineup like crazy with new titles, while publisher Martin Goodman was working a deal to sell the company, and screwing people in the process.
Fabulous Flo Steinberg didn’t get a well-deserved raise, so she quit. Jack Kirby didn’t get a promised contract and Stan gave the new Silver Surfer book to John Buscema, putting the wheels in motion for Jack’s departure two years later.
https://seanhowe.tumblr.com/post/177947385267/martin-goodman-sells-marvel-comics-to-perfect-film
The Wealthy Land of Lichtenstein
Michael Cavna at The Washington Post reviews WHAAM! BLAM! Roy Lichtenstein and the Art of Appropriation.
Now, long after Lichtenstein’s death in 1997, the U.S. Postal Service is issuing a stamp set to commemorate his birth centennial; its release will be celebrated April 24 in a ceremony at the Whitney Museum of American Art.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/comics/2023/04/05/roy-lichtenstein-documentary/
I didn’t know the USPS is issuing stamps this month in Lichtenstein’s honor. The timing of the documentary’s release couldn’t be better.
The Fantastic Five
Johnny Storm, Ben Grimm, Reed Richards, Sue Storm and… Stephen Colbert??
Lichtenstein POP ART Productions
Whaam! Blam! Roy Lichtenstein and the Art of Appropriation is now available for online viewing. The documentary receives my highest recommendation, not only for setting the record straight, but for how it presents both sides of the case.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BVJSVN18/
Much of Lichtenstein’s appeal depends on scale, so I recommend watching the documentary on the largest screen possible. Seeing the giant canvases displayed at auctions, in museums and galleries, only to be brought down to size both literally and figurately, makes the praise heaped on Lichtenstein by his apologists in the high art world seem laughable.
This documentary became not only necessary, but possible, by research that’s been done by fellow Westfield State alum David Barsalou. The reference David makes in this brief video clip is to an Art History course that was taught by Barbara Harris.
In this clip Russ Heath, one of the all-time great comic book illustrators, talks about Stan Lee giving him his start in comics.
Whether or not Stan realized that he had, in an indirect way, helped to make Lichtenstein’s fame possible, in 1965 he briefly embraced the Pop Art label, as seen in the corner box at the top of this post.
It’s disappointing that Bill Griffith, who I’m very much a fan of, doesn’t see a problem with Lichtenstein’s comic book appropriations. Griffith, who attended Pratt Institute during Lichtenstein’s initial burst of fame, seems to be expressing more of an art student’s view than one coming from a cartoonist. It was almost sad for me, seeing Griffith’s position undercut so deftly.