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One of the great joys of being a comic book fan is how much of an impact they have had on popular culture. Besides “just” enjoying reading monthly issues and graphic novels, we can also play video games, watch movies, and even ride rollercoasters based on our favorite characters.
But for real, nothing beats reading a nice comic book.
Still, it’s nice being able to celebrate these characters with the world at large, and the Gaylord Texan hotel in Grapevine, TX has been hosting one of the most unique installations I’ve seen in quite some time. Dubbed Universe of Light, it’s similar to the ICE event held every year, where a specific story or property as depicted through hundreds of intricate ice sculptures. Through these figures, the stories of The Polar Express, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Peanuts, and more are presented in a walkthrough exhibit.
The difference with Universe of Light is that instead of ice sculptures, the brilliant creators and designers use another specific craft: lanterns.
Without knowing much about it beforehand, I was surprised with a ticketed reservation to attend the exhibit. Going in, I had no idea what to expect, because any pictures I’d seen and the premise of using lanterns left me a bit confused.
Without burying the lede any longer, I can confirm that this thing is really, really cool.
I’ll get the one complaint I have out of the way first, which isn’t really a fault with the presentation: parking and then locating the entrance to Universe of Light was… annoying. The parking garage where we parked (and thankfully had our ticket validated after finishing the exhibit) had signs that pointed to the hotel, where other signs kept pointing down hallways and foyers that led to the opposite end of the property. After asking several employees, we finally found where we were supposed to wait for a shuttle, which then took us back around the hotel… right beside where we parked.
But aside from that admittedly minor inconvenience, the Universe of Light show proper was a ton of fun, and better than I could have imagined.
After going through a neat little queuing area where we had our picture taken, the doors open to reveal recreations of famous comic covers that were at least two stories tall, printed on a fine silk-like material. Right away I realized that this was going to be something special, which was confirmed when we walked into the next area.
The exhibit tells narratives focused on different DC heroes, which are spread across multiple rooms. The lantern figures are incredibly impressive, capturing the likenesses of Superman, Lois Lane, Batman, Darkseid, the Joker, Krypto, and many more.
The journey takes you through the Daily Planet first leading out to the streets of Metropolis where the Man of Steel and Supergirl fight evildoers while Lois breaks her story. What impressed me the most was it wasn’t just the characters who were made out of lanterns, but almost everything in the environments. Buildings, trees, rocks, vehicles, even television cameras, computers, desks, and fans were all crafted from wire and silk.
All the more impressive was the sense of scope and scale the artists were able to capture, with a scene taking place above the Metropolis skyline, looking down at the streets “below” being a standout.
From the streets of Metropolis we head to the island of Themyscira, which had rocky terrain covered in some truly beautiful foliage. Nubia is there to greet everyone as Wonder Woman stands next to her invisible jet, and this leads to a showdown between Diana and Cheetah that is one of the most breathtaking scenes in the entire presentation.
Each character is posed on a “rocky” outcropping, with guests walking along the “chasm” between the two. Diana has thrown her lasso at Cheetah, which stretches overhead and seems to glow in the midst of their battle. Like the vertiginous fight between Superman and Luthor, this display shows how this specific medium can be used to tell its story.
A walk through the DC Universe would be incomplete without a foray into Gotham, and boy did these artists nail it. The Batcave is a massive room with rocks, computers, scaffolding, and storage units that are packed with detail. Batman and Alfred converse with one another on one end of the cave, with the signature giant penny suspended above them, and different Batsuits are on display as well. The computer has functional screens which cycle through files on Batman’s foes, and there’s a Batmobile parked in the middle of it all, serving as the obvious and deserving centerpiece.
Yes, you can sit in it.
Yes, you know I did.
Without spoiling too much more in Gotham (and I didn’t even tell you everything that was in Metropolis or Themyscira either), I will say I was delighted to see an appearance from Batgirl and Robin, along with some fun narrative captions sprinkled throughout.
Most importantly, though? We have GCPD blimps.
Fantastic.
The story culminates in a huge battle between the Justice League and Starro, which was as awesome as it was surprising. Huge tentacles break through various parts of the landscape, while the League fend off dozens of smaller starfish creatures. Each League member is rendered beautifully, with Hawkgirl and the Flash, the latter of whom has multiple faded “bodies” around the room to simulate his speed. The room is capped off with a “To Be Continued” caption, so if there’s more to come in the future, I’ll gladly come back again.
That’s not all, though. After the lantern exhibit ends, there’s a Fortress of Solitude setup with video playing on a screen. It shows the trailer for the new Superman movie, as well as some short featurettes. It was as nice a surprise as the rest of the exhibit, as was the fact that a huge crowd of people stood and watched each video. Looks like people like Superman.
Everything ends where it began, as you’re let out into a gift shop that leads to the exit. In addition to DC and Gaylord merchandise for sale, there was a glass case with some Batman collectibles that caught my eye. It was display-only, unfortunately, but it contained a Keaton Batman figure, a model of the Batpod, the Batmobile from 1989’s Batman, and a few other pieces. Not a bad way to end one of the most fun and unique comics-related experiences I’ve had in a long time.
Universe of Light will be running at the Gaylord Texan until September 1.
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