If you’ve been hanging around here for any length of time, you already know how much I despise Roy Lichtenstein and those who I feel treat comic book artists the same way he did. So I was delighted to learn via Bleeding Cool that UK comic book artists were planning to protest the Lichtenstein exhibition at the Tate Modern with an exhibition of their own.

Image Duplicator is the name of a show which will appear at the Orbital Gallery in Leicester Square from May 16th-31st, gathering together the works of artists commenting on Lichtenstein’s treatment of the original creators he never credited.

Here’s what they’ve been invited to do:

Every interested comic artist (or illustrator, graphic designer or other “commercial artist”) should “re-reappropriate” one of the comic images Lichtenstein used, and rework it, using some of their ‘commercial art’ drawing skills, to warp and twist it into something interesting and original, and in the process to comment on this type of appropriation.

The first response I spotted was by Dave Gibbons, who tackled one of Lichtenstein’s most famous copyings. First, here’s the Lichtenstein, titled “Whaam!”

Before taking a look at what Gibbons did, check out Irv Novick’s original panel from All-American Men of War #89 (Jan.-Feb. 1962).

And now Gibbons’ brilliant commentary, which I hope I’ll have hanging on my wall once prints become available (with the proceeds going to benefit the Hero Initiative).

I love the transformation of the sound effects into questions, but I love the fact that the background dots are now dollar signs even more.

If you check out the Image Duplicator Facebook page, you’ll find many other contributions to the cause. Fufu Frauenwahl chose to comment on Lichtenstein’s “Drowning Girl” …

… and went back to the original by artist Tony Abruzzo at below left—which appeared in Secret Hearts, no. 83 (November 1962)—to provide the wonderful commentary at the right.

But back to Dave Gibbons, who endeared himself to me even more with his responses during a discussion of Lichtenstein back in February. As reported by Paul Gravett, Gibbons was interviewed by Alastair Sooke about “Whaam!” and had this to say:

Sooke: “Lichtenstein has not only transformed it, he’s seriously improved it.”

Gibbons: “I would disagree. This to me looks flat and abstracted, to the point of view that to my eyes it’s confusing. Whereas the original has got a three-dimensional quality to it, it’s got a spontaneity to it, it’s got an excitement to it, and a way of involving the viewer that this one lacks. For instance, the explosion here just looks to me like a collection of flat shapes, whereas the explosion in the original, because there are no lines in there, because it’s all left to the colour, seems to me to have to me much more of the quality of an explosion.”

There’s plenty more like that, so make sure to go read it all. I’ll just leave you with the final exchange, which made me smile, because I couldn’t agree with Gibbons more.

Sooke: “Be honest. Is there any part of you that is narked by the fact that I could buy this comic book for £5.95 and clearly, if this [painting] ever came up on the market, it would be worth tens and tens of millions of pounds.”

Gibbons: “It doesn’t nark me at all. I mean, this is worth, to me, far more than that.”

Sooke: “What, for real? If you were offered this, you wouldn’t have this? You’d take the Irv Novick original?”

Gibbons: “Absolutely.”

You and me, pal. You and me.