Just opened at the O2 in London is this amazing look at the history of DC in print and on screen through its art, costumes and props. We were lucky enough to get to go explore the exhibition so we can show you just some of what to expect if you get to go yourself!
‘DC Exhibition: Dawn of Super Heroes’ features more than 200 original comic pages, around 300 preparatory sketches and concept artworks for the cinema, together with 45 original costumes, models and props used in the iconic films. See exhibits from the history of DC including Christopher Reeve’s Superman cape. Burton’s Batman & Catwoman, Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn outfit and Lynda Carter’s iconic Wonder Woman costume from the 1970s. There is also art from a huge range of artists including Jim Lee, Bob Kane, Neal Adams, Frank Miller, Alex Ross and many more. Nothing really compares to seeing these incredible works in person. Every pencil line, brush stroke, stitch or seam is a part of DC history and this collection gathers exhibits from as early as Action Comics cover sketches right through to costumes from the brand new universe of DC films.
Just a few of the highlights for us were seeing the original costume sketches with fabric swatches for Wonder Woman, the wall of Alex Ross watercolours including pages from ‘Kingdom Come’, oh and of course THAT batcycle from the Nolan Batman trilogy. A few other noteworthy exhibits (although to be fair everything in the building is well worth seeing) includes architectural miniatures for the Daily Planet & Gotham, a huge Batman statue and some rather cute tiny costumes used for the special effects scenes in the first Superman movie!
Parts of this exhibition can be enjoyed purely for its art – even if you aren’t caught up in the nostalgia of seeing costumes from Burton’s or Schumacher’s Batman films or Harley Quinn’s guns from ‘Suicide Squad’ there is still plenty to enjoy. And, of course, for DC fans its an absolute must see all round. Our only comment would be that the exhibits are mostly on the walls or in cabinets set too high for very young children to see and there aren’t any interactive elements as with the O2’s Star Wars exhibition we covered previously – so probably one for kids of 7 years all the way up to big kids like us.
It’s on until the 9th September 2018 at the O2 & there are family and friend group discounts available as well as single tickets!
Get your ‘DC Exhibition: Dawn of Super Heroes’ tickets here.
