By Kasia Opara | Special to The Herald

Robert K. Elder, an award-winning author and journalist, spoke at the Arkansas State University Museum as a follow up to the “Hemingway in Comics” exhibit. He presented his newest book, discussing Hemingway’s persona as it appears in comic books.

“What you are seeing is just a fraction of my entire collection,” Elder said about choosing the works for the exhibition. “I wanted to mix things from male and female artists. I wanted to mix things from country of origin. So you will see in the exhibit an artist from Croatia, there are artists from Italy. I just wanted it to represent the totality of all of the people who were inspired by Hemingway.”

The Hemingway in Comics exhibit features artists such as Cliff Chiang, John McCrea, Steve Rolston, Chris Ware and others. It is toured by ExhibitsUSA, the national touring exhibition program of the Mid-America Arts Alliance.

Audience members said they were impressed by Elder’s knowledge of Hemingway:
“My favorite part of the lecture was just how knowledgeable he seems; the various comics, the Wolverine comics that Hemingway has been in. That was one of my favorite characters growing up so that’s a big hit for me,” said audience member Sarah Wofford.

Penny Toombs, director of the Dyess Colony: Johnny Cash Boyhood Home and Southern Tenant Farmers Museum, said she learned more about Hemingway.
“I didn’t know all these details about him being featured in so many comics, the history of it. It’s just fascinating to hear how he was the most featured person in the comics,” Toombs said.

Categories: Arts & Entertainment