In case the post about Isotope didn’t tip you off, I was recently in San Francisco. And after years of trying, I finally made it to the Cartoon Art Museum.
It’s a cute little museum with rotating exhibits. While the emphasis is more on cartoons (hence the name) than comics, there’s plenty for comic-lovers here, too.
I imagine that the Phil Frank exhibit is something I’d need to be a native of SF to appreciate since the context for me was mostly lost. While Keith Knight’s work felt more universal, it’s really not my thing. Having said that, I still liked looking at both exhibits.
The Harvey Comics exhibit was plenty of fun. I loved seeing the process from drawing to print and reading some of the stories behind these creations. I’m never going to love Harvey Comics, but I think this exhibit made me appreciate them and their place in comic book history.
There are other exhibits — a display of animation production art and a short history of comics, mostly of the funny-pages sort — which I assume are ongoing. The artistry that goes into someone that’s on the screen for a few seconds or is discarded with Monday’s trash is amazing to me.
It’s a fun little museum. It’s only $6 for adults and worth checking out if you’re in San Francisco. I’ll probably go back when I get the chance.
