A new exhibition, Kapow – The Art of Making Comics and Film, featuring a wide range of comic art, has just opened at Rugby Art Gallery and Museum, featuring work by Frank Bellamy, Ben Oliver, Frank Quitely and many others.
The exhibition, tracing the artistic journey from concept to comic strip and from sketchbook to the silver screen, also includes a host of classic and collectible comic books, including the first issues of Spider-Man and Incredible Hulk comics, both created by Stan Lee, the mastermind behind a string of legendary Marvel superheroes.
“Kapow aims to challenge perceptions of what we traditionally think ‘art’ to be,” say the organisers, “and considers whether the likes of Marvel and manga should be embraced in a similar way to Monet and Matisse.”
Works by leading lights of the comic book art world are also on display, including Frank Bellamy (Thunderbirds, Garth), Ben Oliver (Judge Dredd, Wolverine), Ian Churchill (X-Men, Deadpool), Jock (2000AD, Batman) and Frank Quitely (All-Star Superman, Judge Dredd).
Iconic characters from British comics feature in the exhibition, with strips including Count Duckula, Danger Mouse, Roy of the Rovers, Bananaman and Desperate Dan.
The Gallery has also have teamed up with Aardman to showcase models, puppets and concept art from the studio’s archive, including the original model of Wallace and Gromit’s motorcycle and sidecar from A Close Shave, the original Snowmanotron model from Wallace and Gromit’s Cracking Contraptions, and the Morph resin puppet from the Epic Adventures of Morph.
Kapow also includes concept art created by Bob Cheshire, who has worked on a string of Hollywood blockbusters, including Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Jurassic World: Dominion.
In addition to the exhibition, the Gallery is hosting tie-in workshops: Visual Storytelling – The Silent Dialogue, with Bob Cheshire on Saturday 24th June; and two Manga Workshops with artist Chie Kutsuwanda on Saturday 1st July; and Aardman Model Making Workshops on 1st August. Full details are here and booking links on the Rugby Art Gallery web site.
Chie Kutsuwada was born and brought up in Japan. After graduating from the printmaking department of the Royal College of Art, London, she is now based in Brighton, working as a professional manga artist. Her work Moonlight (2008, collected in The Mammoth Book of Best New Manga 3 by Constable & Robinson) was shortlisted in the Manga Jiman competition organized by the Japanese Embassy in the UK.
One of her latest projects is a series of illustrated columns for Mainichi Weekly (published every two months by one of the major Japanese newspaper companies) about life and culture in UK. Her books are available in most English-speaking countries and Japan, and some are translated into Turkish, French, Italian and Spanish.
Besides creating manga comics, she runs manga workshops at schools, libraries, and museums, such as the British Museum, the British Library and Victoria and Albert Museum. She has also have worked on projects for Channel 4 and CNN.
Families, adults and children can discover, create, learn and enjoy their visit as they explore the area’s strong cultural heritage and bright artistic future at the Gallery.
The heritage journey spans Roman times, Rugby’s rich industrial heritage, and the birth of the famous game. Three changing gallery spaces showcase exciting exhibitions of contemporary and modern art as well the talents of local artists and craftspeople.
On permanent display in the Archaeology Gallery is the Tripontium collection – a showcase for the artefacts from the Romano-British town of Tripontium, which was located five miles from the centre of modern Rugby. The gallery, in the style of a Roman market place, is an interactive space where children can have fun as they learn about Roman life.
Admission is free, and there’s always something fun to see and do for the whole family.
• Kapow – The Art of Making Comics and Film runs until 9th September 2023 at Rugby Art Gallery and Museum, Little Elborow Street, Rugby CV21 3BZ | Admission Free | Web: ragm.co.uk | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: 2000AD, British Comics, Comic Art, Comics, Creating Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Events, Exhibitions
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