Just as “Captain America: Civil War” touches down in movie theaters, the Marvel hero is taking up residence at the ToonSeum, which on Friday opened “Captain America: 75 Years of the Sentinel of Liberty.”
In March 1941, “Captain America Comics #1” landed on newsstands with a red-white-and-blue superhero punching Adolph Hitler in the face, and in the decades since has been a vehicle to “hold a metaphorical mirror to American politics and culture.”
The exhibit features pages by creators Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, plus John Romita, Sal Buscema, Mike Zeck, Frank Miller, John Byrne and Tim Sale. Also featured are rare vintage comic books, a movie prop replica shield and more.
“This may be the coolest superhero original art exhibit we have ever had at the ToonSeum, with collectors from all over the country and Canada loaning us some incredible examples of Captain America art, showing how he has changed through the decades,” said curator Stuart Neft. “It includes two very rare pages from the 1950s belonging to renowned Captain America collector Charles Costas, of which maybe only a dozen or so are still in existence.”
“Captain America: 75 Years of the Sentinel of Liberty” runs through Aug. 14. More at 412-232-0199 or www.toonseum.org.
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Today is the annual Free Comic Book Day, with titles including “CIVIL WAR II #1. The Marvel prequel is billed as, “Before hero stands against hero, Brian Michael Bendis and Jim Cheung bring you a snapshot of the conflict that will split the Marvel Universe in two.” Find participating stores at www.freecomicbookday.com/storelocator.
— Sharon Eberson: seberson@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1960. @SEberson_pg.
First Published: May 7, 2016, 4:00 a.m.
