‘MARVEL’-OUS
MSI reopens with exhibit that aims to satisfy both hardcore comic fans and those who love franchise’s blockbuster films
The Museum of Science and Industry is back with a BANG! And a POW! After closing in November when the coronavirus pandemic worsened, the MSI reopens to the public Sunday with the superhero-themed special exhibit “Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes.” (Members of the museum will get a sneak peek beginning Thursday.)
Ben Saunders, chief curator of “Universe of Super Heroes,” is a professor at the University of Oregon, where he founded the first U.S. undergraduate minor in comic book studies. Saunders says the challenge was to create an exhibit that would satisfy both hardcore comic fans and those who only know the Marvel Universe through its blockbuster films.
“We have intentionally created multiple tracks for multiple audiences,” he says. “The exhibit is built for those who want an immersive 45 minutes, four hours or even the ‘I need to come back another day’ person.”
The exhibit features 300 artifacts spanning Marvel’s 80-year history, from the “Golden Age” of comics in the 1930s and ’40s when Marvel was known as Timely Comics. The company became Atlas Comics in 1951 before rebranding a final time to Marvel Comics in 1961.
Timely Comics’ first book was titled Marvel Comics No. 1 (cover dated October 1939), featuring the first appearance of the android superhero The Human Torch (not to be confused with Marvel’s own character Johnny Storm from the “Fantastic Four,” who also carries this moniker), as well as the first appearance of the oceanic anti-hero Namor the Submariner.
“The exhibit features the only known surviving page of original art from the Submariner origins story from that book,” Saunders says. “It’s considered the comic book industry’s Dead Sea Scrolls. Only a few thousand copies of the original comic book exist and this is the only surviving artwork from that issue.”
The scarcity of original artwork is due to an act of charity. In the 1980s, Marvel emptied out its archives, returning artwork to the various original artists. Most of the artists then sold that artwork to private collectors, and Saunders says it was a Herculean effort to track down the original art featured in the show. The result is an exhibit that has been billed as the largest and most comprehensive comic book art and memorabilia exhibit in the world.
When the touring exhibit opens in Chicago, it also will feature 20 to 30 pieces new to the exhibit.
“The exhibit isn’t static because the Marvel Universe isn’t static,” Saunders says.
The additions include a section on the character Riri Williams, a 15-year-old African American from Chicago who builds her own version of Tony Stark’s Iron Man armor and begins to fight crime as the superhero Ironheart. Chicagoan Eve Ewing was a writer for the series, and the exhibit will feature original cover art from her run of the comic.
Though Marvel characters are more closely associated with New York, the exhibit does feature other characters that call the Chicago area home. Tough as nails S.H.I.E.L.D. operative Maria Hill (played by Cobie Smulders in the “Avengers” films) is Chicago born and raised. The city of Waukegan’s official website even lists Marvel’s Johnny Blaze (also known as the spirit of vengeance called Ghost Rider) as one of its famous Waukeganites.
“That tells you everything you need to know about the cultural impact comic books have had,” Saunders says. The exhibit also features photo opportunities courtesy of some life-size characters from the Marvel Universe including The Thing from “Fantastic Four.”
At the exhibit, it won’t just be superheroes wearing masks, says Jeff Buonomo, the Musuem of Science and Industry’s senior manager of special exhibitions and business partnerships.
“Masks will be required [of all guests and employees],” he says. “We are also offering plenty of hand sanitizer and disposable styluses for use on the touch screens in the exhibit.”