He must have done something right. Not only was Karen really enthusiastic about going to a museum but she was fully aware of what the exhibition was going to be – Comic Books and Lego. Wow, I guess 8 years of subtle pressure and influence does pay off. Also we had a wee bit of history with the subject matter…

The Art of the Brick:DC Comics  uses over a million bricks to create more than 120 large-scale sculptures of DC Comics’s biggest characters. It is the by-product of the fever dreams of New York  artist Nathan Sawaya and was full of dramatic pieces showcasing the transformation of man, good vs evil and reinvention.

I am vengeance…

Since the late eighties there have been few constants in this ever changing world. One of these is Bruce Wayne / Batman. It started with saturday mornings  spent watching re-runs of  the goofy adventures of the Bill Dozier Batman, (what is now dubbed Batman 66′) with Adam West donning the caped cowl. Then it progressed to nearly destroying the VHS player with repeated rewinding of Tim Burton’s 1989 homage to the caped crusader all the way up to the latest incarnation in Ben Affleck (‘Batfleck’) and his Bat Tank. The character always has and will always be the symbol of justice and the necessary tool to fight evil. Punching his way to victory one bad guy at a time.

And for the record – Kevin Conroy is my Batman!! No one comes close. I recently rewatched Batman:Mask of the Phantasm and he is the best.

Bird, Plane or Other?

That’s how it starts – an idea. Slowly but surely it is given shape, purpose and an outlet to inspire. In April 1938 Action Comics #1 featured the protogenic superhero – the man of steel Superman! No other superhero has reached his cultural impact (not even Batman) so it was fitting that he had a big part to play in the exhibition.

She stops a bullet cold

It was not just the boys who had heroes growing up. For many girls they had Diana Prince, aka Wonder Woman to look up to. But with her indestructible braces and her Lasso of Truth she became a fan favourite and one of the original members of the Justice League.She also got her movie debut in Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice this year (portrayed by Gal Gadot).

“No one can outrun the Flash”

Thanks to the amazing CW Series of the Flash and enough homages in the Big Bang Theory the Flash is back on top! I remember there being a TV show in the 90s about him and thinking he was just a gimmick character. After reading the comics – boy was I wrong – with the Flash being an integral part of the various ‘Crisis’ Storylines.

Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?

Not this guy but it is his neighbourhood. So looking forward to seeing Jason Momoa do this guy justice in the upcoming movies.

In Brightest Day, In Darkest Night

Hal Jordan or John Stewart? It’s a tough choice.

I Robot

Victor Stone is more remembered as a Teen Titan than a member of the Justice League, but all that would change in 2011 when, as part of the new 52 Lineup, he was ret-conned to become a founding member of the Justice League.

And thus I clothe my naked villany

Jim Lee sums the darker side of DC perfectly; “One of the strengths of the DC Universe has been the strength of the rogues’ gallery. Often times they’re as famous – if not more infamous – than our heroes”. And what a rogues gallery it is. So good in fact that it got it’s own section within the exhibition.

Overall this was a great exhibition. Mixing some jaw-dropping Lego sculptures with cool decor and odds and ends from DC folklore. With so many characters to choose from it was a tough ask to balance quantity over quality and I feel that Nathan did an amazing job. The setting was pretty funky too being based in the Powerhouse Museum – which itself has become almost an allegory for Good vs Evil with vested interests having nefarious plans for the future of the Museum and it’s prime real estate.

The only gripe would be that there was not nearly enough Green Arrow going on or Hawkman with only one sculpture each 😦

But the last word on all this undoubtedly belongs to Grant Morrison…