Super Soul Comix No. 1: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

Super Soul Comix No. 1 written by Richard "Grass" Green and published by Kitchen Sink Press. The comic book has thirty-four pages including back cover page. The comic is printed on the interior newsprint paper and the glossy back cover. The front cover of the comic book has graphic text and cartoon characters printed against a black and blue background. The masthead at the top of the front cover is printed in stylized red, yellow, and white text that reads [SUPER / SOUL / COMIX No 1] in varying fonts and sizes against a black background. Also at the top left is the round logo with an illustration of a man’s head. He is wearing a flat cap and is baring his teeth. The logo has a yellow circular band around it, outlined in green, with green text that reads [KITCHEN SINK / ENTERPRISES] printed in the band. The price is printed in red text in the top right corner, [50¢]. Below the masthead is the main image, a detailed illustration of Soul Brother American on the right and Eric Private on the left. Soul Brother American is wearing a blue and black superhero costume with a red cape and gloves, a red belt, and a circular yellow logo on his chest with a black power fist. A speech bubble above his head reads [GIVE IT TO ‘EM / GOOD, ERIC, BABY!]. On the left is Eric Private, wearing a trench coat, a banded fedora, and clutching a firing gun in his proper right hand. A speech bubble above his head reads [TAKE THIS, / YOU / MUTHAS!]. In the foreground are four men running away from Soul Brother American and Eric. They are depicted in yellow outlined in black. The back cover of the comic book also features a large illustration depicting an explosion. Illustrated text in varying colors, fonts and sizes radiate out from the center that read [BA-HOOM!], [PHOOW], [THOOM], [CRUMB!], [BAAMM!], and [BLOOEY]. A blue figure in the foreground, Eric, is running away from the explosion holding a diary in his proper right hand.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: October 1972
• Written by: Grass Green, American, 1939 - 2002
• Published by: Kitchen Sink Press, American, 1969 - 1999
• Subject of: Krupp Comic Works, American, 1970 - 1975
• Type: comic books
• Medium: ink on newsprint and paper (fiber product) with metal
• Dimensions: H x W x D (Closed): 10 1/16 × 6 7/8 × 1/16 in. (25.5 × 17.4 × 0.2 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W x D (Open): 10 1/16 × 13 1/2 × 1 3/16 in. (25.5 × 34.3 × 3 cm)
• Place printed: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Activism
• Topic: Black power
• Topic: Comics and graphic novels
• Topic: Race discrimination
• Topic: Sexuality
• Object number: 2019.22.11
• 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: © 1972 by Grass Green Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.