Here are three Graphic Heroes of mine, and they have three things (or more) in common. All are known more for their drawings than their paintings. All shook up the status quo. And all have known prolificity.

About twenty years ago, the Phoenix Art Museum hosted a show featuring Walt Disney, Keith Haring and Andy Warhol. Here’s what David Bryant of THE LIBRARY JOURNAL had to say about the book made from the catalog of that show: “This book is the catalog of the Phoenix Art Museum exhibit of the same title. Brilliantly colorful, this well-designed paperback is full of whimsy, fantasy, and the engaging simplicity of its images, the work of three extremely popular American artist/illustrators. The late Haring regarded Andy Warhol and Walt Disney as two of his art heroes. Kurtz, curator of 20th-century art at the Phoenix Art Museum, gathered the works for this show, many previously unseen. Haring’s exuberant, lovable cartoon art serves as the glue uniting the work of the three artists. Brief but well-constructed essays on Disney, Haring, and Warhol serve to clarify the role of each in American popular culture. Recommended for academic, museum, and public library collections.” My trio is not as household-namey as theirs, but the Kollwitz/Adams/Crumb trio has influenced me enormously, and I hope more art lovers become acquainted with them.