Superheroes on display at UO comics exhibit

From the Oregonian
EUGENE -- Ben Saunders is all too familiar with the stereotypes associated with comics and superheroes.

There's the moldy oldie: Comics are "funny books," suitable only for kids.

The next version: Comics are trivial because they're only about superheroes, i.e., men in tights. Snicker.

And the most recent, highfalutin' edition: Comics are an art form, sophisticated, complex and varied, so anybody who brings up superheroes is an unenlightened boob who clearly doesn't get it.

Saunders, however, does get it. The University of Oregon associate professor of English thinks it's high time superheroes were rescued from their low-prestige status in the comics pantheon.

"In the last three years," as Saunders says, "comic studies has grown as an emergent discipline within the academy. And a lot of attention has been placed on what you'd call 'comics lit,' the Art Spiegelman version of the form." Spiegelman is the former underground comics creator who won a Pulitzer Prize in 1992 for "Maus: A Survivor's Tale," his comic book memoir of the Holocaust.

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New Eisenhower Library exhibit rich in history

ABILENE, Kansas – A new exhibit opened Friday at the Eisenhower Presidential Library in Abilene. It’s called Gem on the Plains and looks at the town of Abilene during Eisenhower’s youth.

"This was the original church,” said Abilene resident Don Feller.

Feller points out the old picture of his church. He’s been a member there for 40 years, but never had the chance to see what it once looked like until now.

"Our church steeple was blown off before we arrived in town, but we'd always heard about it,” he said.

Feller, along with 100 other Abilene residents, was the first to see Gem on the Plains -- an exhibit full of old pictures, toys and clothes, illustrating Eisenhower’s days in Abilene.

 “We're proud of our history, we preserve our history, and we want to share it with other people,” said resident Judy Burgess. “That's what we're doing with this exhibit. We're sharing it with people who've never been here before, and those that have lived here their lifetime."

Gem on the Plains is part of Ike's Abilene -- a signature program at the Eisenhower Library that spotlights Ike's childhood years in Kansas that led him down the path to leadership.

The older generation says it’s their duty to keep President Eisenhower’s accomplishments alive and share them with today’s youth.

"These people that do great things, come from very common backgrounds,” Burgess said. “We all need to appreciate that and learn about it."

Gem on the Plains will be on exhibit through February 21, 2010.

From: http://www.ksn.com/content/news/bureaus/story/New-Eisenhower-Library-exhibit-rich-in-history/TSZ5dQoFekC8FEhLK80UKA.cspx