Comic book writer and artist Alex Ross has brought superheroes to life for the last 30 years. With the recent trend of superhero movies, Ross’s work is more popular than ever. The longtime Chicago-area resident is the subject of Marvelocity: The Art of Alex Ross, an exhibition at Elmhurst Art Museum.

Opened last Friday and running through Aug. 20, Marvelocity features more than 50 pieces of original artwork including cover art, sketches, life-sized busts and more. From childhood drawings and preliminary sketches to full-color, larger-than-life paintings, Marvelocity reveals the journey of Ross becoming a world-renowned illustrator.

Joining the opening weekend crowd, my friend Tony Feddeler, a big fan of Ross, and I inspected every piece in the exhibition with childlike glee. Continuing a long-running joke, Tony took special notice of a painting of Namor, the Marvel version of Aquaman, my favorite superhero.

Coinciding with Marvelocity, Elmhurst Art Museum recently unveiled Superheroes in Wilder Park. Located in adjacent Wilder Park, eight life-sized superhero sculptures created by area students and artists are on display through July.

Marvelocity is a really cool exhibit. Seeing comic book art displayed as fine art in a museum is an interesting concept. Fans of superheroes will love it, but anyone can really enjoy Marvelocity.

The museum itself has quite a history. Established in 1981, Elmhurst Art Museum initially focused on works of local artists before expanding to include nationally and internationally recognized artists. In 1992 the foundation bought Mies van der Rohe-designed McCormick House and moved it to the museum campus. After a new building was designed to incorporate the unique addition, the new facility, featuring more than 15,000 square feet of exhibition space, opened in 1997.

— John Wroblewski, online writer