Athens, Ga. – Comic book industry veteran Sid Jacobson will give a lecture on his latest feat-a graphic novel adaptation of the 9/11 Commission report-on Friday, Nov. 9 at the University of Georgia. His presentation, “More than Superman: The History of Comics from Yellow Journalism to the 9/11 Report,” will be at 3 p.m. in room 214 of the Student Learning Center. The event is free and open to the public.
Jacobson will talk about the evolution of comic books, leading to his recent collaboration with fellow comics artist Ernie Colón to tackle a serious and complicated national security issue. They took the voluminous narrative of the 9/11 Commission report and turned it into a digested version with poignant story panels and text from the report to reflect the history behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the nation’s immediate response to the tragedy.
As a result, The 9/11 Report-A Graphic Adaptation, published in September 2006, was named a New York Times best seller and received numerous literary awards, including a Pulitzer Prize nomination.
“Jacobson and Colón took a 500-page government report, compressed its essence into an accessible and powerful format and, in doing so, created a new genre of the graphic book,” said Steve Elliott-Gower, associate director of UGA’s Honors Program. “It is an amazing accomplishment.”
Jacobson has taken on many different roles in his illustrious career that spans more than four decades. He is a former editor at Harvey Comics where he helped develop such lovable characters as Richie Rich and Spooky the Tuff Little Ghost with artist Warren Kremer. At Marvel Comics, he created the Star Line series for children and characters Top Dog and Planet Terry. He also is a prolific songwriter, having penned at least 100 popular songs that have been recorded, a dozen of which have become hits. His three published novels include a biography on 1940s legendary baseball outfielder Pete Reiser.
Upcoming projects for Jacobson and Colón include a book for the Department of Defense for returning veterans, an illustrated version of the War on Terror, and a graphic novel on Vlad the Impaler, who was the inspiration behind Bram Stoker’s literary classic Dracula.
