Scott McCloud is awesome. Well, you knew that, already. But, yikes, is he awesome.
Paul and I hauled out to Ypsi on Monday to hear him talk at EMU, my alma mater. See, the thing about Eastern is that they somehow manage to land some of the most devoted, caring, intelligent professors you could ever hope to meet. Enter Richard Rubenfeld.
I had Richard for a Modern Art History class, twelve years ago (good God, I feels old!). He’s quite possibly the only person who could have convinced me at that point that modern art was worth a damn. I’m still too much of a linear thinker to truly appreciate abstract art, but Richard instilled in me a genuine understanding of what modern art meant, something I never had before. I am still very thankful that he helped pry open my relatively closed mind. He’s the kind of professor that everyone remembers positively, long after they leave college.
In the years since I’ve graduated, Richard’s gone far, far out of his way to encourage me, and has contributed several very kind statements about my work to the press. He’s also managed to pull together some of the most awesome art shows ever held at EMU. The first comic show, he got Art Speigelman to come, the most recent one he got Marie Severin, Len Wein, Al Feldstein and Dave Coverly, and now he managed to land Scott McCloud for seven weeks to teach classes at EMU and lecture. Oh, how I wish I could take those classes — the chance to learn with one of comicdom’s true visionaries.
Scott’s lecture was hilarious; I’d never heard him speak before, and boy, what a treat. He put my lousy powerpoint presentation to shame with a fast-paced, quick-witted slideshow that ran concurrently with his talk, emphasizing rather than re-stating what he was saying. Afterwards we rounded up all the Detroit area artists who came and headed over to Abe’s Coney Island for some eats. We made jam comics and ate gyros until all of us west-staters had to trek home. What a great time! Thanks, Richard, for making truly awesome things happen at Eastern. Thanks, Scott, for being one of those truly awesome things.