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Scarfone/Hartley Gallery Hosts New Comic Book Exhibit

A new exhibit examining the history and evolution of comic books opened at The University of Tampa’s Scarfone/Hartley Gallery on Friday, July 21. Zooming Superheroes from Dyes to DPI: The Visual and Technical Evolution of Comic Book Printing will run through Friday, Oct. 6, in the gallery at 310 North Blvd. There will be a free reception on Friday, Sept. 1, from 6-8 p.m. Tickets for the reception are available online here on Aug. 1 at 9 p.m.

Zooming Superheroes from Dyes to DPI: The Visual and Technical Evolution of Comic Book Printing will run through Friday, Oct. 6.

This interactive exhibition will take two paths, one tracing comic book history, and one detailing the evolution of color printing. First, following and noting the rise of key superheroes from DC, Marvel, Image, Dark Horse and CrossGen, visitors will trace their favorite characters as the genre responds to the socio-cultural changes in American culture from the 1930s to the present. Visitors will watch the visual metamorphosis of the comic book in style, color and feel as the media transforms with new advancements in materials, technology and artistic styles.
Visitors will also have an opportunity to try their hands at comic production and explore how the inking and coloration process has changed over the past 85 years. This path will highlight pivotal technological shifts, including Craftint paper, the use of photography for color separation and offset printing, and the rise of the Adobe Suite and Wacom Tablet as an all-in-one digital production system.
By engaging in hands-on examination of the books, interactive engagement with processes and learning more about the journeys of iconic characters, visitors will leave with a sense of the artistic universes that have and will continue to be the source material for numerous blockbuster films and TV series.
The Scarfone/Hartley Gallery is open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 1-4 p.m. on Saturdays. For more information, contact Jocelyn Boigenzahn, director of the College of Arts and Letters galleries, at jboigenzahn@ut.edu .