The once lowly and despised comic strip and comic book media have earned increasing respect in recent years as libraries fill their shelves with graphic novels and manga, while the prestigious New York Times Book Review now regularly reviews graphic novels (see 'Absolute Watchmen in NY Times Book Review') and a continuing comic strip by Chris Ware graces the pages of the Times' staid Sunday Magazine.  Comics reached another milestone this week as a two-pronged Masters of American Comics exhibit opened in two Los Angeles museums, the Hammer Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art.

The exhibits include more than 500 original drawings and explore the work of 15 different artists who have influenced the development of the comic strip and the comic book (and graphic novel) in America.  The Hammer Museum's exhibit covers the great comic strip innovators from Winsor McCay and George Herriman to Chester Gould and Charles Schultz, while the Museum of Contemporary Art focuses on the rise of comic books and graphic novels with original drawings from Jack Kirby, R. Crumb and Art Spiegelman.