Upcoming Event: Superheroes of Comic Books and Music

Superheroes of Comic Books and Music flyer: Zoom on Feb 17. | Washtenaw Community College

by WILLOW SYMONDS
Staff Writer

The Bailey Library hosts an award-winning comic book creator and a music journalist this Thursday on Feb 17.

Jim Ottaviani is the New York Times best-selling author of comic books about science. Jas Obrecht writes about rock and blues musicians, and he teaches WCC English classes. The two of them will present their career experience over Zoom.

Jas Obrecht (left) and Jim Ottaviani get together to discuss their work. (Courtesy of Obrecht and Ottaviani)

Librarian Maureen Perault organized this event, “Superheroes of Comic Books and Music”, after going through the University of Michigan Record, a publication for faculty and staff.

“One article profiled Jim Ottaviani, a librarian, who wrote graphic novels about superheroes in science,” Maureen said over email. “I immediately thought of Jas Obrecht, who writes about superheroes in music. [He] has been a friend to the library [since he presented] his book, Stone Free: Jimi Hendrix in London.”

Jas Obrecht on the left with Al Hendrix, Jimi Hendrix’s father, in May 1998. (Courtesy of Obrecht)

Perault thought a discussion between the two would be interesting. Ottaviani and Obrecht agreed.

“This is a great opportunity to discuss how [comic books] work and why they’re great for communicating about science,” Jim Ottaviani said over email. “I hope this will prompt a few in the audience to read something in a genre they haven’t considered before. Or, better still, try at doing their own book about something they know and love.”

Reading The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes, a historian, journalist, and author, compelled Ottaviani to start writing himself. He began his comic book career with the 1997 graphic novel, Two-Fisted Science. The stories of famous scientists, such as Neils Bohr, Werner Hesienberg, Galileo, and Richard Faymann, inspired him. The book won a Xeric Award and an Eisner nomination.

Since then, he has written over a dozen comics and graphic novels. His most recent is the Naturalist: A Graphic Adaptation (2020), illustrating Edward O. Wilson’s life exploring and protecting the natural world.

When asked about the upcoming event, Ottaviani said, “I’m interested in hearing what Jas Obrecht has to say about his work. […] The research and writing he does is truly interesting but something I don’t know much about.”

Jas Obrecht writes extensively about rock and blues guitarists. His work has appeared in many publications, such as Rolling Stone, Living Blues, and Guitar Player. He was the latter’s editor in the ‘70s and ‘80s.

In 1978, he got his first major interview: Eddie Van Halen. This was also Van Halen’s first official interview and was included in Obrecht’s book, Talking Guitar: Conversations with Musicians Who Shaped 20th Century American Music.

Jas Obrecht (left) with Eddie Van Halen after his first ever interview on June 26, 1978, captured by Jon Sievert. (Courtesy of Obrecht)

Obrecht started teaching WCC English Composition and Creative Writing classes in 2001.

“I’ve spoken in my classes about how students can harness their creativity and perfect their writing in ways that can transform their lives,” he said. “[I hope listeners at the talk will] make that journey inward to find what’s special about themselves and then decide, ‘I can do something with this, too!’ […] If just one person comes away from the event thinking this way, it will be all worthwhile.”

The Superheroes of Comic Books and Music talk starts at 2:00pm on Feb 17. Event-attendees can find the Zoom Link here. Email Maureen Perault at mperault@wccnet.edu, or scan the flyer’s QR Code.