The topic will be one near-and-dear to Lucas’ heart, despite having gone a little quiet in recent years: The Lucas Museum Of Narrative Art, which the filmmaker has been working on, pretty steadily, since he sold his lil’ Mom & Pop multi-billion-dollar film brand to Disney back in 2012. (At least, once he finally found a city willing to take it, with folks in Chicago and San Francisco both making big stinks when the cities expressed interest in building the gigantic museum on public land.) Slated to open some time next year, the museum is being built in Los Angeles, and has apparently gotten close enough to completion that Lucas is willing to take the trip to San Diego to show off his work.
(It’s a little surprising to learn that Lucas has never made a formal presentation at Comic-Con, although the timeline makes sense if you think about it: The Con’s transformation into an engine of blockbuster brand management was still ongoing by the time he sold off Star Wars—and the existence of the SW-focused Celebration, which started running in 1999, presumably scratched any “show up and watch thousands of people lose their minds at him being George Lucas” itch he might have had.)
Per an official description, the sneak peek panel “of iconic creators will discuss the power of illustrated stories and the role of narrative art in society. From ancient cave drawings and hieroglyphics to paintings, murals, illustrations, comics, digital media, and sculptures, this panel will delve into the universal language of illustrated storytelling.” The museum is expected to host works from dozens of artists in multiple mediums, including Norman Rockwell, Kadir Nelson, Jessie Willcox Smith, N. C. Wyeth, Beatrix Potter, Judy Baca, Frida Kahlo, and Maxfield Parrish, with an especial focus on the work of comic artists, including Winsor McCay, Jack Kirby, Frank Frazetta, Alison Bechdel, Chris Ware, and R. Crumb; and photographers Gordon Parks, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and Dorothea Lange. It also will play host to the Lucas Archives, Lucas’ own collection of props, scripts, costumes, and more from his movie-making career.
San Diego Comic-Con runs this year from July 24 to 27; timing for the Lucas panel is still TBD.
