Legendary comic book artist Joe Kubert and his son Adam will be guests of the Israeli Museum of Comics and Caricature, in honor of “Heroes” an exhibition of works by Joe, Adam and Andy Kubert which will display original drawings, texts and films. Joe Kubert will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at the festive opening of the exhibition.
A tribute to the Kuberts moderated by Nimrod Reshef will be held on August 17, 2011 at 19:00 at the Holon Mediatheque. Kubert, recently nominated for the 2011 Eisner Best Writer/Artist award for his graphic novel DONG XOAI, Vietnam 1965 began his prolific career in the early 1940s and is known for his work on signature figures such as Sgt. Rock and Hawkman. The evening’s program will include a retrospective of Kubert’s work from images of heroes such as Tarzan and Tex, through his more personal work on graphic novels. Adam Kubert will discuss his work on figures such as Superman, Xmen, and Batman. The talks will be accompanied by selections from films and live demonstrations by Kubert. Tickets for the event are 50NIS and include entrance to the invitation only exhibit opening at the museum; the tribute will take at the Holon Mediatheque, 6 Golda Meir Street, Holon, 03-5021552.
This is the Kubert’s first international exhibit and it will be open to the public from August 18, 2011 until January 27, 2012, the exhibit is curated by Dorit Maya Gur and Yuval Sharon. Fans will have several opportunities to meet the Kuberts. There will be a book signing at the Israeli Museum of Comics and Caricature store on August 19, 2011 from 10:30 – 11:30, free and open to the public. Later that day at 13:00, Curator Dorit Maya Gur will host a Q & A with Joe Kubert as part of Animix 2011 at the Tel Aviv Cinematheque, 2 Sprintzak Street, Tel Aviv, 03-6060800 (tickets are 37NIS). Kubert will also meet with Israeli comic artists during his stay in Israel.
Joe Kubert, who is celebrating his 85th birthday, has worked with major comic book publishers Marvel and DC Comics and received numerous awards. Kubert’s graphic novel Fax From Sarajevo, based on the experiences of his friend and European agent Ervin Rustemagic, received the 1997 Eisner Award for “Best Graphic Album: New” and the 1997 Harvey Award for “Best Graphic Album of Original Work.” Rustemagic was trapped in a ruined building with his family during the siege on Sarajevo for two and a half years; his only contact with the outside world was via a fax machine. Kubert created a documentary comic from the faxes he received from his friend.
Two thought-provoking personal projects are the graphic novels Yossel: April 19, 1943 and Jew Gangster. In Yossel, Kubert, born in Poland in 1926, reflects imaginatively on what his life would have been like had his family not been able to immigrate to the United States after his birth. Jew Gangster follows a young man growing up in a poor neighborhood in New York during the depression years, whose desperate circumstances lead him into a life of crime. Kubert was inducted into the Harvey Awards’ Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1997, and Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 1998.
Kubert’s visit is sponsored by the U.S. Embassy, the Holon Municipality, the Israel Museum for Comics and Caricature, Holon Mediatheque, and JCVA, the Jerusalem Center for Visual Arts.
