!Sandy Plunkett Fantastic! The Comic Art of Sandy ... - Ohio University

“A self-taught illustrator and comic book artist, Plunkett came of age in New York City
during the ‘60s and ‘70s and began drawing for Marvel Comics at eighteen. Throughout
his ongoing career he has drawn for several other major publishers, including
DC. His trademark look can be seen in countless posters, albums covers, and political
cartoons, as well as in those comic books treasured by collectors.”
-Text from, The World of a Wayward Comic Book Artist, Ohio University Press: Athens, OH
(2010)
About the Exhibition
Fantastic! The Comic Art of
Sandy Plunkett
Athens-based cartoonist Sandy Plunkett has spent a
substantial portion of his professional life as a cartoonist
working within the comic book industry. Even while working
within large companies such as DC and Marvel where
creativity is often constrained by prescribed styles, designs,
and characters, Plunkett was able to produce a body of work
that reflects his highly refined talents as an illustrator and
comic artist. Featuring roughly 50 works, Fantastic! The
Comic Art of Sandy Plunkett traces Plunkett’s career from his
early days within the industry to more recent commercial
and independent works that display his highly fluid, often
romantic stylization that lends itself to the fantasy and adventure
genres. One dilemma in presenting any exhibition
of comic art is the fact that the work is typically created as
part of a narrative and hanging any individual page on the
wall of a gallery removes it from its context and the intended
manner in which it was to be experienced by the reader. As
a gesture to the inherent narrative quality of comic art, the
exhibition includes one complete story from an issue of
Rocketeer Adventures so visitors can experience not only the
panel-to-panel interplay that makes comics a unique art
form but also the page-to-page interaction present in any
multiple page story. It’s a wonderful example of Plunkett’s
work, relying entirely upon his gifts as a visual storyteller.
Reflecting Plunkett’s deep appreciation for the history of his
medium, the exhibition also includes a selection of original
work by artists he considers influences or inspirations including
Alex Raymond (Flash Gordon), Hal Foster (Prince Valiant),
George Herriman (Krazy Kat), Winsor McCay (Little Nemo in
Slumberland), Bud Fisher (Mutt and Jeff), George McManus
(Bringing Up Father), Frank King (Gasoline Alley), Billy DeBeck
(Barney Google, Snuffy Smith), and Frank Godwin (Rusty Riley).
ANTASTIC!Sandy Plunkett
Sandy Plunkett
Detail, Rocketeer Adventures,
vol.2 #1, pg. 1, 2011
Brush and ink with Zip-A-Tone
overlay
17 x 11
-Exhibition Text by guest
curator, Dave Filipi, Wexner
Center for the Arts, Director of
Film/Video

ANTASTIC!
About the Artist
Sandy Plunkett
Sandy Plunkett, Detail, Rocketeer Adventures, vol.2 #1, pg. 2,
2011
Pen, brush and ink, 17 x 11
Sandy Plunkett was born in 1955 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, to artistically inclined
parents. The family moved to Mexico for four years and then to New York City, where
Sandy developed an affinity for drawing and a passion for comic books (especially Marvel)
at a young age. Partly due to peer pressure, he lost interest in both upon entering
junior high. For reasons even he finds difficult to explain, his passion was rekindled near
the end of high school, and the notion of becoming a professional cartoonist was born.
Plunkett spent a year of college studying art but ultimately found his interests at odds
with what the school had to offer. In the late 1970s, Plunkett found work within the
comic industry at Marvel, DC, and Gold Key comics, working on such titles as The
Defenders, The Savage Sword of Conan, House of Mystery, The Unknown Soldier, and Boris
Karloff Tales of Mystery.
After more than a decade working with some of the largest comic book companies, and
despite growing up in New York, Plunkett soured on life in the big city as an adult. With
the advent of overnight delivery and increasingly efficient modes of communication,
Plunkett realized he could continue his career from anywhere he desired. His choice?
Athens, and the rolling hills of southeastern Ohio, where he has lived since 1990.
Plunkett is the first to acknowledge that he works at a relatively slow, contemplative
pace that is often at odds with the volume of work and strict deadlines of the bigger
comic book houses. After more than two decades in Athens, Plunkett supplements his
now more occasional work on comic books with a wide variety of freelance projects,
including posters, album covers, T-shirt designs, calendars, editorial cartoons, and
drawings commissioned by admiring fans.
In 2010, Swallow Press published The World of a Wayward Comic Book Artist: The Private
Sketchbooks of S. Plunkett, which includes a rich array of Plunkett’s unpublished artwork
as well as an extensive interview between Sandy and collector Tim Barnes.
Sandy continues to live in Athens and relies exclusively on his bicycle to run errands or
to simply enjoy the back roads surrounding his adopted hometown.
Guest Curator, David Filipi, Wexner Center for the Arts, Director of Film/Video

ANTASTIC!
About the Curator
Dave Filipi
David Filipi has been with the Wexner Center’s Film/Video Department since 1994
and has served as the director since 2010. During this time, Filipi has organized
several retrospectives and visits by filmmakers such as Richard Linklater, the Quay
Brothers, Milos Forman, Peter Bogdanovich, Pedro Costa, Philip Kaufman, Claire
Denis, Olivier Assayas, Ellen Kuras, D. A. Pennebaker, Arnaud Desplechin, Gus Van
Sant, Guy Maddin, Babak Payami, and Frederick Wiseman. He also has organized
residencies with cartoonist Art Spiegelman and filmmaker Guy Maddin, which
resulted in the film Keyhole (2011). In 2008, Filipi co-curated an exhibition devoted
to comic book artist Jeff Smith, titled Jeff Smith: Bone and Beyond. This exhibition
received national coverage and acclaim. Since 2004, he has organized the
annual program “Rare Baseball Films” with the National Baseball Hall of Fame in
Cooperstown and, last year, with the UCLA Film & Television Archive, and tours it
to numerous cities around the country each year.
In addition to serving on several panels for regional and national art organizations,
David Filipi is a member of the film studies committee at The Ohio State University
and teaches animation history. He also is a member of The Ohio State’s Billy Ireland
Cartoon Library and Museum advisory board. Filipi holds a master’s degree in film
studies from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Sandy Plunkett, Detail, Rocketeer Adventures, vol.2 #1, pg. 2,
2011
Pen, brush and ink, 17 x 11
Jessica Law, Associate Curator, Kennedy Museum of Art

ANTASTIC!
Associated Programming
Guest Curator Walk & Talk, January 25, 5 – 6 pm
Dave Filipi, Wexner Center for the Arts Director of Film/Video
Opening reception, January 25, 6 – 8 pm
“Black Comic Book Superheroes” Lecture by Michael Gillespie, Assistant Professor in
School of Interdisciplinary Arts, School of Film, and Department of African American
Studies at Ohio University.
Thursday, February 21, 6 – 7 pm, KMA
Noon Talk: Gallery Q & A with Sandy Plunkett
Wednesday, March 13, 12:10 – 12:50 pm, KMA
A Conversation with Sandy Plunkett
Interview with Jared Gardner, Professor of English and Film Studies and Director of
Popular Culture Studies at Ohio State University
Thursday, April 11, 7 – 8 pm, The Ridges Auditorium
Sandy Plunkett, Detail, Rocketeer Adventures, vol.2 #1, pg. 6,
2011
Pen, brush and ink, 17 x 11

ANTASTIC!
Workshops with Sandy Plunkett
KENNEDY MUSEUM OF ART
FANTASTIC! The Comic Art of Sandy Plunkett
January 25 – June 2, 2013
Workshops with Sandy Plunkett
$45/workshop (includes materials)
Teens and Adults
Free for OU students with pre-registration funded by Arts for Ohio
Rendering for Comics
Saturday, March 16, 1 – 3 pm
Introduction to traditional methods of rendering for comic strips and comic books using India ink. Tools
will include dip pen nibs, markers and brush with attention paid to rendering for good reproduction.
Registration deadline: March 8
Comic Page Layouts
Saturday, April 13, 1 – 3 pm
Translate a story idea into a comic. This workshop looks at the basics such as perspective and composition,
and how to use them for clarity and dramatic effect. Participants are encouraged to bring samples of their
work for critique.
Registration deadline: March 29
Maximum 15 students per workshop. Priority registration will be given to OU students. Workshops
take place at Kennedy Museum of Art, located on The Ridges in Athens, Ohio. For more information:
740.593.0953 delgado@ohio.edu www.ohio.edu/museum
Sandy Plunkett
Detail, Rocketeer Adventures, vol.2 #1, pg. 1,
2011
Brush and ink with Zip-A-Tone overlay
17 x 11