George Lucas made his San Diego Comic Con debut on a packed panel in Comic Con’s famous Hall H programming room. Lucas was joined by creatives “Oscar-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro and legendary artist and production designer Doug Chiang, and moderated by iconic artist, actress, and producer Queen Latifah.”
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The panel discussed the museums mission to celebrate narrative art in all its forms including comic books. Designer Doug Chiang shared his passion for comics at a young and his despair at learning they were often discounted as a true art form. Doug also shared how his collaborations with George changed how he looked at art as he realized that the narrative of the story was integral in how the art should be presented.Guillermo who is one of the board members of the museum shared the importance of protecting art that consistently be under attack in times of political and social upheaval.
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Lucas shared with the audience his style of collecting and how he never looked at it for an eye to reselling. He also reflected on arts ability to have a unifying effect on society even though we all come from different heritages. George is very passionate about the museum being an important resource for everyone and the diversity in his collection highlights that. The moderator Queen Latifah, a fan of science fiction and longtime friend of George’s wife Mellody, commented on the museum’s shape and that the design is completely curved throughout the space.
The audience was also shown a video highlighting George and Mellody’s involvement in every stage of the museum from design to artistic choices. There will also be an extensive library available to guests as well as a café and restaurant.
A cover of DC comic Mystery in Space, featuring the first appearance of Adam Strange; the first-ever Flash Gordon comic strip; a cover of 1950s EC comic Tales Drom the Crypt; strips of Peanuts and Garfield; art by artists ranging from Brian Bolland and Hellboy creator Mike Mignola to underground cartoonist Robert Crumb, Windsor McKay and Moebius; art of Astro Boy and Scrooge McDuck. But there were also images of art by Norman Rockwell, N.C. Wyeth and Frida Kahlo.
Also in the museum will be concept and storyboard art from Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark by Ralph McQuarrie and Jim Steranko, as well as the props of starships and speeders from various Star Wars movies.
Chiang explained that comic art in particular had long been discounted. “It’s not taken seriously,” he said, adding that when he was younger, he was told, “You will outgrow it one day.”
“I’m so glad I didn’t,” he said, before driving home the point that one of the strengths of narrative art is that it’s driven by story. “Story comes first. Art comes second.”
Hear Mark Newbold and Mark Mulcaster discuss this and much more on tomorrow’s 229th episode of Making Tracks.
