Witty City

Witty City The Current | February 22, 1999

'WITTY CITY' SHOWS COMIC LEGACY OF FUNNY PAGES

by Anne Porter

staff associate

The postcard which served as the announcement for the show

The comic section of the paper compiles many comics to create the finished product that many people consider to be the real comics. The real comics, in their original form, before duplication and the production process are currently on exhibit in the "Witty City: A Celebration of the Fine Art of Humor."

The idea of "Witty City" was the concept of Ed Dyson. Dyson, the former director of art from Ralston Purina, now teaches design at UM-St. Louis and is a freelance designer as well. Bob Staake, best known for his illustrations in Forbes, had previously worked with Dyson. Through this connection, Dyson knew of Staake's original humorous art collection. Dyson and Staake then worked together with Dan Younger, the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) Coordinator at UM-St. Louis, to create the "Witty City" exhibit.

Mort Drucker, known for his MAD Magazine, has included in the "Witty City" a six-page parody of Michael Jackson's "Beat It" video that was featured in MAD Magazine, issue #254. The episode in the original form shows the blue marking lines and the paste marks, which provides a genuine opportunity for students to learn from "Witty City."

Staake, a cartoonist based in St. Louis, is known for his 1950-era style work that has been featured in The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, and for television such as Nickelodeon, and Hanna-Barbara.

"['Witty City'] shows the entire process," Staake said. "[What] students learn there is more than one road to take in cartoon and illustrating."

Younger is the coordinator of the BFA program for UM-St. Louis.

"For anyone interested in cartooning, this is a show designed for them because it is an education," Younger said. "The original art work is the real value."

By placing the comics in an exhibit, it shows the value that they have as real art and not just "funnies."

"Artwork not serious, is not taken seriously," Younger said.

By placing the comics in an exhibit form, however, the comics are credited with the same seriousness wtih which other forms of art already have been credited.

In "Witty City," many comics are on display for the first time. There is an original of "Mother Goose and Grimm" by Mike Peters and an editorial cartoon by Jim Borgman, who has won a Pulitzer Prize for his work. In total, there are over 50 original comics on display in "Witty City."

Some other extraordinary pieces are a group caricature of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and

Sammy Davis, Jr. for Playboy magazine, circa 1965, by Bill Utterback. There is also a caricature of Elvis Presley for Entertainment Weekly by David Cowles.

The "Witty City" exhibit is on display until Mar. 5, at the FAB Gallery in the Fine Arts Building at UM-St. Louis. The gallery hours are Monday through Thursday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information on the "Witty City" exhibit, call (314)516-6967.