Rythm Mastr: Bulletin!: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This is an issue of the comic book “RythmMastr: Every Beat of My Heart" formed out of two newsprint sheets folded together to create an eight-page unbound booklet. At the top of the first (cover) page are two small white rectangles with black text that read “Story & Pictures: K.J. Marshall” and “Colors: Tim Fielder” above the title “RHYTHM/ MASTR” in large green text. The rest of the page depicts a single scene of a soundstage with a woman in a pink dress broadcastings the news. The words “SPECIAL REPORT” appear on a large screen behind her. At the bottom of the scene in a large yellow oblong is the word “BULLETIN!” in large black text. Text bubbles reveal the special report is about mysterious violence in the city. In the interior pages, the story continues with the rest of the broadcast as seen on the television of a couple watching from their living room while discussing their daughter, Stasha. They then go upstairs to Stasha's room, where she crashes through the window. The last (back cover) page has a one large panel depicting windows open on Stasha's computer screen, with text including [CODE NAME / CONGOTRONICS] and [MELECTRONICS / LABORATORIES]. A small panel in the bottom right corner depicts Stasha with thought bubbles reading "Too soon for this kind of workout," and "The biomechanical cell stimulator hasn't completely fused yet." At the bottom of this panel is a white rectangle with the text [TO BE CONTINUED.] and small text reading [© K.J.M. 99].

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1999-2000
• Illustrated by: Kerry James Marshall, American, born 1955
• Written by: Kerry James Marshall, American, born 1955
• Published by: Carnegie Museum of Art, American, founded 1895
• Type: comics
• Medium: ink on paper (fiber product)
• Dimensions: H x W (closed): 17 3/16 × 11 9/16 in. (43.7 × 29.4 cm)
• Place made: United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Art
• Topic: Comics and graphic novels
• Topic: Design
• Topic: Graphic design
• Object number: 2020.57.3.3ab
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: © Kerry James Marshall Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.