As a reporter, it can often be difficult to shed personal biases that have shaped you into the person you currently are, as our job is to remain objective in our mission to inform the public; that said, you will find no such abstinence here when I tell you the new superhero and comic-inspired exhibition coming to the Muskegon Museum of Art starting February 7th has me absolutely ecstatic.
“It dives deep into pop culture in ways whatever we might not necessarily have done in the past,” said Art Martin, the director of collections and exhibitions for the MMA. “Specifically with the big focus not just on comics, but on Hollywood films. The fun part about it is just such a different perspective that people don’t necessarily get. Superhero movies are huge now. People who were never into comic books enjoy the movies… Now you can see how those comics were made, where those stories came from, and then with the concept path, you get to see that artists were intimately involved in making all these things a reality.”
Featuring hundreds of artifacts, artwork, action figures, collector’s items, comic book pages pulled straight from pop culture’s most iconic superheroes, concept art for Hollywood and science fiction flicks throughout the ages, and costume designs inspired by the mediums most well-known, this exhibition brings to life and honors the illustrious, pun intended, history comics have had in not only influencing contemporary culture, but also in fostering an entirely new culture. From the most iconic figures of Marvel, DC Comics, Star Wars, and much more, this limited time exhibition has something for everyone to experience and witness how these diverse universes have evolved.
“This is a chance to get [tourists] in with something they recognize,” said Martin. “While you’re in the building, it exposes [tourists] to things that you haven’t been before. And it’s West Michigan in the winter; this is a good way to get everybody out of the house.” 
The exhibition will feature work that spans from the 1960s all the way to present day. The MMA is most excited to feature the iconic Batsuit worn by Adam West in his classic iteration of Batman from the late 1960s along with a recreation of the 1989 Batmobile and Batsuit complimenting a Batcave exhibit produced entirely from scratch by the MMA team.
As a fellow enjoyer of superheroes and comics alike, Megan Dewitt, the new marketing director of the MMA also took personal interest in what the exhibition has to offer.
“I am most excited about the Adam West Batman costume. That was my favorite TV show as a toddler. So, my inner child is happy about that [part of the exhibition]. It’s really cool to see original illustrations and original artwork from these comic books that go back to the 1960s and just to see that multi-generational feel. You have people from the whole family [who] will Enjoy this, from grandparents to parents to the kids to the teens who might recognize some of those Hollywood recent Hollywood movies.”
Audience-goers will also have an entirely unique opportunity to dress up and cosplay as their favorite superheroes from a diverse array of costumes provided by the MMA while having their photograph taken.
“I think there’s certainly some spectacle to it,” said Martin. “I think the focus is to just increase the ways in which people get to experience a show. In this case, we’re looking for that higher level of interactivity, that moment where you can immerse yourself in a different way than just looking.”
The “POW! The Art of Comics” exhibition will be in rotation through May 17. The opening reception will be hosted on February 5, from 5 to 7 pm, which will also be in partnership with the West Michigan Symphony and the Muskegon Lumberjacks. To learn more about the highly anticipated exhibition, visit https://muskegonartmuseum.org/calendar/.
