Joe Krolik of Comics America in Winnipeg, Canada read the story of Upper Deck cutting up vintage comic books (see "Cutting Up Expensive Comics") and shares his own "ultimate" cutting up comics story.

Back in 1977 I was approached by Philip Fry, then curator at the Winnipeg Art Gallery, who was mounting an exhibit of original comic artwork by notables such as Jim Steranko, Gil Kane, and many others.  Phil wanted to augment the show with actual comic books, to illustrate to viewers the process of going from original artwork to the final printed product, as well as to explain the different technical terms for various types of art techniques, visualizations and perspectives used in the illustrations, and how these were affected by the printing process.  After he had made a few visits to my home, I had supplied the show with almost 100 comics, most from the period between 1960 and 1969, all in high grade because the exhibit demanded the best, and all very nice books even back then.  Titles included Strange Tales, Nick Fury Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., Invincible Iron Man, and many other books (mainly Marvel) of the period, which contained artwork by the artists in the show.  The emphasis was mainly on Steranko and Kane.

After a few months of preparation I was invited to see the finished product in a private tour of the exhibit, which as I recall opened in the summer of 1978.  Eagerly I entered the gallery to find framed pieces of original artwork accompanied by their printed counterparts... or rather PARTS of their printed counterparts, because the books had all been very carefully chopped up into separate panels and select pages and had been painstakingly mounted alongside the originals with extensive technical explanations and breakdowns of the art, angles, poses, coloration, line work, inking, shading, etc.

The show was a breakout success at that time and toured throughout Canada and later the United States.  Jim Steranko came in to open the show and then visit with me at the old Arlington store (then called Styx Comic Service), where he attracted a huge crowd on that July holiday weekend.

The exhibition resulted in the publication of the book, Graphic Narrative, and the original artwork and chopped up displays are all a part of the Winnipeg Art Gallery's permanent collection.  The exhibit was resurrected a year or two ago and I was once again called in to consult on its preparation and presentation.  Once again it attracted terrific crowds during a summer-long run at the Gallery.

So there you have what might be possibly the "ultimate cutting up comics story!"

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