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Laughing at His Chamber Door

The Edgar Allan Poe Museum in Shockoe Bottom is a spectacular year-round tribute to the Master of the Macabre. Currently, however, the museum has on display another form of tribute to Poe -- dozens of comic books featuring Poe and his tales.

The exhibit, " Poe in Comic 1943 – 2007 ," is on display until October 31, a fitting day to bid farewell.

Museum curator Chris Semtner walked me through the dark exhibit rooms and we explored the history, the laughs and the horrors of Poe in comics.

Poe and his famous stories have appeared in pop culture for decades, but comic books are a unique art form where art and literature meet.

The earliest appearances of Poe stories in comic form came in the series "Classics Illustrated," which was a series dedicated to giving classic literature the comic treatment. The museum has on display the first issue to include a Poe tale, No. 21, as well as the first issue dedicated entirely to Poe, No. 40. For a time, Classics went out of business and didn't publish but the series returned in 1990 and dedicated the first issue to Poe.

Poe's stories aren't the only ones in the comic limelight, though. Poe himself has guest cameos and even starring roles in some of the books.

In a 2003 series, Poe worked alongside Batman (some time displacement was necessary) and he also helped solve mysteries with Scooby-Doo and the gang.

Poe has also taken a trip into the realm of the true "funny books" with inclusions in The Simpsons comics, the "Mutts" syndicated comic strip, a Mad Magazine take on "The Raven," and "The Tell-Tale Fart."

Jason Asala wrote and illustrated an eponymous Poe series published under his House of Usher imprint. The man is ripe with homage to Poe.

"It's kind of an underground comic version of Poe," Semtner said.

Roman Dirge created a series called "Lenore: The Cute Little Dead Girl," a story of dark humor based on the character Lenore from Poe's poem of the same title.

The exhibit is jam packed with original artwork by some of the best artists who have ever touched Poe's material.  The museum received so much artwork and original comic books that it has been rotating material out and will continue to do so throughout the exhibit's run. Right now, some of the artwork includes original page proofs and portraits. One of the most impressive is a quick sketch by famous comic artist Gahan Wilson . It is a portrait of Poe and his raven looming over George W. Bush quoting "Nevermore."

Another outstanding aspect of this exhibit is how well the sounds of Poe are captured in comic book sound-effect balloons. It's like the classic "Batman" series, but instead of "Kapow!" it's more "Thump, thump, thump" and "Creak." 



If you want to check out the "Poe in Comics" exhibit or any of the other wonders of the Poe Museum , you can visit them at 1914-16 E. Main St. Hours are Sundays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Mondays. Admission is $6.