Dynamite Dairyland Comic Art Show!

This Saturday a real gem of a gallery show of original comic art opens at the Kenosha Public Museum in Kenosha, WI… and when I say a “gem” I really mean it.

The show is an extension of the Kenosha Festival of Cartooning, an annual weekend featuring guest cartoonists doing panels, presentation, workshops and meet and greets organized by Anne Hambrock. Anne’s husband John is a cartoonist who does the syndicated daily strip “The Brilliant Mind of Edison Lee”, and the Hambrocks live in the picturesque little town of Kenosha on the shores of Lake Michigan. This is why this small Wisconsin town hosts some pretty big names from the cartooning world… and can put on a show like this.

From the Kenosha Festival of Cartooning Website:

It is with great excitement that we announce the opening of the first gallery show of comic art for the Kenosha Festival of Cartooning 2014!!

The show opens Saturday, June 7th 2014 and will run until Saturday September 27th 2014 at the Kenosha Public Museum. 5500 1st Avenue Kenosha WI. (click the link for museum hours)

We are tremendously excited to be able to offer comic fans in the greater Milwaukee and Chicago area the opportunity to see, not only original comic artwork from some of the most popular cartoonists working today, but a glimpse of the genius of iconic artists from Comic Books, Newspaper Comics, and MAD Magazine from years gone by. (Be sure to scroll through the whole list – it’s a great line-up!!)

Featured will be the work of festival guest speakers:

• Jeff Keane (Family Circus)
• Lincoln Peirce (Big Nate)
• Todd Clark (Lola)
• Scott Stantis (Prickly City, Editorial Cartoons)
• Terri Libenson (The Pajama Diaries)
• Rick Stromoski (Soup To Nutz)
• Denis Kitchen (Kitchen Sink Press and Underground Comic Artist)

Also featured will be work by living artists with ties to Wisconsin:

• Tom Richmond (MAD Magazine)
• Ed Steckley (Humorous Illustrator)
• Joe Martin (Mr. Boffo, Willy and Ethel, Porterfield, Cats With Hands)
• John Hambrock (Brilliant Mind of Edison Lee)
• Phil Hands (Editorial Cartoons)
• Dan Pavelich (Just Say Uncle and Kenosha County)

And historic artists with ties to Wisconsin (On Loan From The George Hagenauer Collection):

• Carl Anderson (Henry)
• Ham Fisher (Joe Palooka)
• Mike Grell (Jon Sable)
• Frank O King (Gasoline Alley)
• Steve Rude (Nexus)
• Sidney Smith (The Gumps)
• Erwin Hess (Big Little Book – Roy Rodgers)
• Trina Robbins (Last Human)
• Jules Feiffer (Hold Up)

AND iconic comic book artists: (On Loan From The George Hagenauer Collection)

• Frank Frazetta (Planet – Comic Book Interior)
• Jack Kirby (Human Torch)
• Joe Kubert (Hawkman, Tarzan)
• Frank Robbins (Johhny Hazard)
• Jerry Robinson (Green Hornet)
• Joe Shuster (Superman)
• Joe Simon (Phantom)
• Bill Sienkewicz (Hulk)

As well as MAD magazine’s:

• Sergio Aragones (Groo) (On Loan From The George Hagenauer Collection)
• Dave Berg
• Jack Davis
• Mort Drucker
• Will Elder
• Wally Wood

And FINALLY Newspaper greats from days gone by: (On Loan From The George Hagenauer Collection)

• Ernie Bushmiller (Nancy)
• Gus Arriola (Gordo)
• Milton Caniff (Steve Canyon, Terry and the Pirates)
• Roy Crane (Captain Easy)
• Billy DeBeck (Barney Google and Snuffy Smith)
• Bud Fisher (Mutt and Jeff)
• Hal Foster (Prince Valiant)
• Chester Gould (Dick Tracy)
• Harold Gray (Little Orphan Annie)
• George Herriman (Krazy Kat)
• Walt Kelly (Pogo)
• Winsor McKay (Buster Brown)
• George McManus (Bringing Up Father)
• Virgil Partch (Big George)
• Chic Young (Blondie)

As you can see much of the art comes from the collection of George Hagenauer, who has a serious collection of original comic and cartoon artwork. This is a show not to be missed if you have any inkling of being nearby during the run.