Comic book fantasy thrives in New York
In a dark alley in Gotham City, Batman is trapped by an enemy who has finally discovered his Achilles heel -- at least on paper, where the latest escapades of the superhero remain for now.
"This is top secret," said artist Neal Adams with a smile, when asked about the caped crusader`s weakness. He is currently working on six new editions of Batman for publishers DC Comics from his New York apartment.
Comic books are an important part of life in the Big Apple. The city epitomizes the urban landscape of the modern superhero, is home to annual comic fairs and now, a new exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum starting in May.
The "Comic-Con" fair, which brings together about a hundred comic-book professionals, took place April 18 to 20 in New York, while the city will also be home to a new exhibit this year, "Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy."
Adams, 66, is considered a living legend in the world of North American comics, having created the dark and brooding version of Batman in the 1970s as well as many other superheroes, including Superman and Green Lantern.
Many people look back at that time as the golden era of comics, but he sees it only as a starting point.
"Today there are many people out there doing good work," Adams told AFP. "My Batman is history. What is important is what happens from now on with young creators."
Adams has drawn for both DC Comics and its publishing rival, New-York based Marvel, which has given birth to X-Men, Captain America and Spiderman.
"DC Comics started with a traditional approach, like Superman, but the Marvel characters were not perfect people," he said.
Italian designer Giorgio Armani will be present at the opening of the May 7 exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum and the Costume Institute, which will feature about 60 film items from films, haute couture and high-end sportswear.
Organizers said it would "reveal how the superhero serves as the ultimate metaphor for fashion and its ability to empower and transform the human body."
"Comics now are spreading into other things, and comics are everywhere in other forms," said Adams, noting that The Matrix films are "still comics."
With its gothic and art-deco skyscrapers, New York is the perfect backdrop for superheroes to battle arch-villains, and councilman Hiram Monserrate last month proposed the city take `Gotham City` as its official nickname.
Several experts believe Gotham, Batman`s stomping ground, is New York, and in particular Manhattan at night, while Metropolis, where Superman is based, is thought to correspond best to the city during the day.
But Adams said Gotham City was more like Chicago, "because in New York there are no alleys."
"New York is anyway a beautiful city to do comics, with its skyline, and a lot of crazy people -- maybe less than a few years ago, but we like them all," he added.
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