ZAP! POW! BAM! A day at Skirball's Golden Age of Comics exhibit

On a beautiful Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles, we schlepped down (or up -- it's atop Mulholland) to Skirball Cultural Center's ZAP! POW! BAM! The Superhero: The Golden Age of Comic Books, 1938-1950, an exhibit which explores the genesis of cultural icons such as Superman, Batman, Captain Marvel, Captain America and more.

Created by comic insiders, the one-room exhibit is a mecca for any serious collector or enthusiast. Its humble physical size belies the amazing cultural treasure that resides inside. I wasn't prepared for how moving the experience would be. For my nine-year-old son, it was the first real exposure to the comic roots of Bob Kane, Jerry Speigel, Bill Finger, Jack Kirby and Stan Lee; a legacy that he's only beginning to appreciate. It was gratifying to see realization dawn on his face: this is how it all started, these creative pioneers, during the early tumultuous years of World War II. Their heros were literally drawn from the headlines and a populist need for a balance to the very real evil that was incubating in Europe and threatening to draw in America to its crucible. Young Jewish artists and writers struggling with their own issues of cultural identity, attempting the reconcile injustice and racism through fantasy.

Juxtaposed to this exhibit, only a room away, is the powerful Visions and Values: Jewish Life from Antiquity to America, a permanent exhibition that traces the history, accomplishments and values of the Jewish people over 4,000 years. My son is now old enough to comprehend our fragile, yet growing, link to this old world through the corridors of ancient Israel, the lens of Diaspora, the fire of the Holocaust and the artistic and scientific renaissance of modern Jewish America. And thus, we come full circle to the comic book writers and artists during the Golden Age. While bloggers may debate whether Peter Parker was Protestant or Jewish (or even Objectivist), there no doubt that his creator, Stanley Martin Lieber--aka Stan Lee--was.

Back to ZAP! POW! BAM!

There are priceless originals, sketches, toys, collectables and multi-media presentations, even some movie memorabilia in an companion exhibit, like Michael Keaton's Batman costume and the Batcycle from the TV series. A gruff security guard lunged at me as I tried to take a photo with my phone--apparently everything in this exhibit could burst into flames if photographed... But great stuff nonetheless.

We finished the day with a trip to Dream World Comics (purchased: Marvel Civil War anthology, Harley Quinn: Love on the Lamm and a random Dredd Rules! #1 and a Poison Ivy collectable for my son--with whom my son is obsessed with).

Could the day get any better?

On the way home, my son had some questions about the themes from the exhibit, most notably, the many scenes of superheroes punching Hitler in the face. It's repeated over and over during the Golden Age.

Why? my son asked.

Well, I replied, during times of terror, people often wish there were heroes to save them. Where there is injustice--nay, evil--we'd like to think that there are counter-balancing forces of good in the world. It's no different now as it was then.

And that's our real link to our collective heritage: human, Jewish, American or otherwise.

Do yourself a favor and see this exhibit. It's around until August 9.