December 10, 2012

Motion picture studios have long recognized the rich potential in adapting comic strips and comic books to film, as well as the potent impact of utilizing cartooning in movie advertising. Panels & Screens: Comics & Cartoonists in Movie Advertising & Ballyhoo is a gallery exhibition that embraces both aspects of the relationship between comics, cartoonists, and the movies, presenting a selection of rare memorabilia from movies either adapted from comic strips or comic books, or movie ad campaigns using comics imagery and/or comics artists to lure audiences into movie theater; curated by Jon Chad and Stephen R. Bissette (from his SpiderBaby Archives collection).

The exhibition will be on display in the CCS Gallery, in the Colodny Building, through March 1st.

Gallery Hours: Fridays, noon-5PM

For details about what’s on the walls, click “more.”

PANELS & SCREENS:
Comics & Cartoonists in Movie Advertising & Ballyhoo
January 18 – March 1st

MAIN GALLERY SPACE

FRITZ THE CAT (1972; artist unknown, working from a Robert Crumb Fritz the Cat cover drawing)

FLASH GORDON (1936, Mexican lobby card; based on Alex Raymond’s “Flash Gordon”)
BLONDIE PLAYS CUPID (1940; lobby card, based on Chic Young’s “Blondie”)
JIGGS & MAGGIE in IN SOCIETY (1947; lobby card, based on George McManus’s “Bringing Up Father”)

POPEYE (1980; lobby card, screenplay by Jules Feiffer)
LITTLE MURDERS (1971; pressbook, art by Jules Feiffer)
LITTLE MURDERS (1971; lobby card screenplay by Jules Feiffer)

DANGER: DIABOLIK (1968; pressbook based on the fumetti neri Diabolik by Angela and Luciana Giussani; ad
art by Frank McCarthy)
DIABOLIK aka DANGER: DIABOLIK (1968; lobby card, based on the fumetti neri Diabolik by Angela and
Luciana Giussani; signed by star John Phillip Law, who played Diabolik; art by Frank McCarthy)

GRIZZLY (1976, one-sheet poster, Neal Adams art)
HORROR OF THE BLOOD MONSTERS (1970; pressbook, art by Neal Adams)
Note: American comic strip and comic book artist Neal Adams created movie advertising art for many
low-budget 1970s movies, including various Shaw Brothers martial arts films, WESTWORLD (1973),
PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE (1974), and more.
CAVEMAN (1981; Japanese 映画パンフレット / eiga panfuretto (movie pamphlet art) by Ed Koren)

ALAKAZAM THE GREAT (1961 US release of 西遊記 / SAIYU-KI / JOURNEY TO THE WEST, 1960; artist

unknown), based on the manga ぼくのそんごく/ Boku no Son Gokū / My Son Goku by Osamu Tezuka

HOW TO MAKE A MONSTER (comic herald, artist uncredited)
THAT CERTAIN FEELING (1956; comic herald by Al Capp, creator of “Li’l Abner”)
THE LONG GOODBYE (1973; one-sheet poster art by Jack Davis, in the style of Mad magazine’s movie parodies)
THE LONG GOODBYE (1973; pressbook, art by Jack Davis,)
Note: Jack Davis was among the most popular of all American cartoonists to create advertising art for the
movies, including the poster and ad art for IT’S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD (1963), THE RUSSIANS
ARE COMING, THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING (1966), VIVA MAX! (1969), KELLY’S HEROES (1970),
BANANAS (1971), THE BAD NEW BEARS (1976), and many more.

HALLWAY WALLS

CAPTAIN AMERICA (1944; lobby card, rerelease title RETURN OF CAPTAIN AMERICA; based on the Marvel
Comic created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby)
THE KILLING GAME (1967; US release of Alain Jessua’s JEU DE MASSACRE, in which a French comics writer
and his cartoonist/illustrator wife are visited by an eccentric anarchist who “lives” out their comics
creations to dangerous extremes)

DRACULA VS. FRANKENSTEIN (1971; pressbook, art by Gray Morrow)
BLAZING STEWARDESSES (1975; pressbook, art by Gray Morrow)
Note: Illustrator and cartoonist Gray Morrow created ad art for many Independent-International movie ad
campaigns throughout the 1970s.

FANTASTIC PLANET (1973; pressbook, US release of LA PLANÉTE SAUVAGE directed by René Laloux and
designed by cartoonist Roland Topor; ad artist uncredited, based on Roland Topor’s imagery for the film)

DR. CYCLOPS (1940; full-color comic art advertisement, artist unknown)

CONGO BILL, KING OF THE JUNGLE (1948; pressbook, artist unknown, based on the National Periodicals/
DC Comics character and series)

SWAMP THING (1982; half-sheet poster, French Affiche Moyenne, artist unknown):
SWAMP THING (1982; lobby cards: US release, four lobbies, ad art by Richard Hescox)