Oscar Micheaux Stamp
Negro Leagues Stamp
The United States postal service maybe in deep financial trouble but they continue to strike gold with their entries to The Black Heritage stamp series and their stead fast recognition of Black history and culture. Please visit The Museum of UnCut Funk new acquistions page to read more about the Oscar Micheaux and Negro Leagues stamps and visit our previous blog pages to see our stamp collection.
Crimson Tide six sheet courtesy of Posteritati
The subject of Blacks in Motion Pictures provides some of the most interesting studies along with the many controversial interpretations of the roles they played on the silver screen. The messages or themes of these movies have over the years presented a mixture of images based upon what was thought to please the viewers of each particular film. However, many of those films showed Black characters in negative stereotypical roles which the average Blacks would never truly identify as being like themselves.
Black Gold three sheet courtesy of Posteritia
Independent Black Filmmakers:
Ocsar Micheaux
The early 1900’s saw for the first time the formation of the Independent Black Filmmaker who took up the cause of counter-attacking the making of The Birth of a Nation. They sought out their own financing in order to produce films with more positive images of Blacks. The Birth of a Race (ca. 1918) was the first independent Black film undertaken and produced by Emmett J. Scott, personal secretary to Booker T. Washington of the Tuskeegee Institute. The film was released in 1919 but never drew movie goers.
The Johnson Brothers, George P. and Noble Johnson, had already begun movie making as the Lincoln Motion Picture Company which opened for business in the summer of 1915. They wanted to produce movies which presented Blacks “in everyday life, human beings with human inclination, talent and intellect.” By 1916, they completed and distributed two films, The Realization of the Negro’s Ambition (1916) and A Trooper of Troop K (1916).
Two years before these films, Bert (Egbert Austin) Williams (1873-1922), the famed actor, singer and vaudevillian, became the first Black to appear as a star in a motion picture. His 1914 film, Darktown Jubilee, was not well received even though he appeared in Blackface.
By Right of Birth, 1921, was another one of the “hope for success” movies produced by The Lincoln Motion Picture Company. It covered the portrayal of Black life featuring successful middle-class Blacks.
The seeds were now planted, and 1918 brought to the forefront the legendary name of Oscar Micheaux (1884-1951). Micheaux is credited with keeping the Black independent movie production industry alive from 1918 thru 1948.
Oscar Micheaux posters courtesy of Separate Cinema
Race Movies: 1927-1948
The year of 1927 ushered in a new era in the motion picture industry. The use of sound films or the “talkies” was the new technique connecting the silent staged scenes in movies to the voices of actors and the action of those scenes. The usage of blackface in sound films was still a carry over from the silent films when depicting Blacks in movie roles. The old minstrel shows of entertainment by using exaggerated Black characters was also a continued trend.
The popular rendition of Al Jolson as the Jazz Singer, produced in 1927, and two white sisters, Rosetta Duncan (in blackface) and Vivian Duncan (in natural face), as Topsy and Eva in 1927 dealt with Whites in characterizations of Blacks. In the sound films, the actors were forced to be convincing or sensitive or silly and stereotypic. Soon the Black dialect and “suitable” musical talents of both Black and white actors had to fit into the making of “talkie” motion pictures. Entertainment had to be more convincing by phasing out the blackfaced white actors and the use of more “suitable” Blacks in Black character roles.
The roles of Blacks during the 1929’s thru 1940’s saw the rise of Black actors seeking work but only receiving roles dealing with light comedy, music, or dance. Therefore we see Stepin Fetchit getting star billing as an Black actor in a series of films as the slow-talking, lazy-like plantation Negro (Hearts in Dixie, 1929). The film, Hallelujah (1929), conveyed multiple themes of Black stereotypes exhibited in song, dance, blues, spirituals, and frivolity, making star billing with Nina Mae McKinney, a light-skinned Black woman as a standard barer for future lead roles when using Black women. Other stars to receive star billings were Ethel Waters (On with the Show, 1929) and Lorenzo Tucker, who was given the name of the Black Valentino, appearing in Wages of Sin (1928), The Black King (1931), Daughter of the Congo (1930), and Temptation (1936). The famed Bessie Smith made her only screen appearance in the short film, St. Louis Blues (1929).
Below are a few Black Cast movie posters from the collection of The Museum of UnCut Funk.
Contributor: Learn About Movie Posters
DINAH-MITE!
Often neglected by collectors, Dinah-Mite was Mego’s answer to Barbie as AJ was to GI Joe. Her advertising featured her as an incredibly poseable doll who “sits and stands”; an overt shot at Barbie, who famously cannot “stand on her own”.
Dinah seems to have fared better than AJ, as she was advertised in their catalogs up through 1975. Since most of her stock did not languish in warehouses, her accessories and outfits are much harder to find.
Although Dinah started out as a white doll, she came in a Black version as well. Mego’s bendable doll rode the wave of 70’s blaxploitation heroines like Friday Foster, Cleopatra Jones, Foxy Brown, Christie Love and my fave, Velvet Smooth.
I had the pleasure of representing Cedric Smith in my galley, Eclectic Connection, several years ago. He is one of the nicest artists I have had the opportunity to work with. I loved his art then and I love it now. I can’t get enough of that Funky Stuff!
Cedric Smith was born in Philadelphia in 1970. He grew up in Thomaston, Georgia, where he moved with his family when he was a young boy. He currently resides in Savannah, Ga.
Smith is a self taught artist who while eschewing the “so-called rules of art”, has created a personal genre of work. Smith started painting postage stamps with images of African Americans after hearing a line from Public Enemy front man Chuck D: “most of our heroes don’t appear on no stamps.” Later, he moved to painting magazine covers and now, he focuses on vintage-looking advertisements, calling attention to the lack of Black representation in advertising. He draws on a wide range of influences and sources, both traditional and contemporary, and which include landscape art, pop art, brand advertising and photography to express his poignant observations of life in the rural south. A prolific artist, Cedric works with a honed discipline on his compositions, seamlessly morphing photographic images into his richly textured pieces, applying and removing layers and lettering.
Cedric has a blog called Vintage Blood, where he posts new paintings and stunning photographs along with his vintage finds. Please visit Cedric Smith and his art at CedricSmith.com
Sting Like a Bee signed by Muhammad Ali circa 1979. Courtesy of The Museum of UnCut Funk Collection
The Art
I co-owned an art gallery for 4 years and I have the privilege to meet some fascinating collectors, dealers and celebrity artists. They have all had their opinions as to what art meant to them. In my mind if I liked what I saw and could identify with the images I made my purchase.
As my appreciation for art intensified I was contacted by an Australian art dealer who had an offering on a Muhammad Ali lithograph. He e-mailed me pictures and I was captivated by the imagery. I’m a huge fan and collector of animation and comic book art so this litho had to be in my collection.
Now art is subjective and many a art critics have panned celebrity art. Baird Jones, a critic for Artnet.com says “celebrity art combines the worst of several worlds. Since most stars who make art have little art training, their work tends to be a historical, a Hollywood version of naïve or outsider art. Furthermore, since celebrity art is shunned by top galleries, it’s usually displayed side-by-side with kitsch and low-grade prints”. He may be right in his opinion but Muhammad Ali is a cultural icon and any memorabilia from his years as a boxer, activist and humanitarian has increased in value and is extremely sought after.
You decide what art means to you but 20 to 30 years from now you’d wish you had a part of Ali’s sports history in your collection. The Ali lithos are all 18 by 24 inches, and were published in 1979 in editions of 500. Three have religious imagery and cost $8,500 each: Under the Sun, which shows a jet plane; Guiding Light, showing an image of a lighthouse; and the eponymous Mosque II. The fourth is a cartoonish scene of the boxing ring, titled Sting Like a Bee, that retails for $12,500 and by today’s standards for buying art is considered a bargain.
Although the art is hard to find and is sought after by fans and collectors alike, these are truly one of a kind pieces and should be apart of any collection.
Under The Sun signed by Muhammad Ali. Courtesy of Ro Gallery
Mosque ll signed by Muhammad Ali. Courtesy of Ro Gallery
Guiding Light signed by Muhammad Ali. Courtesy of Ro Gallery
The Man Behind the art:
Who would’ve thought that a stolen bike was the key to the beginning of the Muhammad Ali story? But it was. In 1954 in Louisville, Kentucky, 12-year-old Cassius Marcellus Clay’s bike was stolen while he and a friend were at the Columbia Auditorium.
Young Cassius found a cop in a gym, Joe Martin, and boiling with youthful rage, told Martin he was going to “whup” whoever stole his bike. Martin admonished, “You better learn to box first.” Within weeks, 89-pound Cassius had his first bout—his first win.
For the next 27 years, Cassius would be in that ring. Even in his youth, he had dreams of being heavyweight champion of the world. But his life would take turns that no seer could’ve predicted.
Young Cassius dedicated himself to boxing with fervor unmatched by other young boxers. Indeed, it was his only activity. As a teenager, he never worked. He boxed and trained. He had 108 amateur bouts. According to Joe Martin, Clay set himself apart from the other boys by two things: He was “sassy,” and he outworked all the other boys. The work paid off: 6 Kentucky Golden Gloves championships; two National Golden Gloves championships; two National AAU titles before he was 18 years old. And the son of Odessa, whom he lovingly referred to as “Bird,” and Cassius senior, “Cash,” to everyone, won the Olympic Gold Medal in 1960 in Rome months after his 18th birthday.
Although Cassius returned home to a parade, Louisville was still, in 1960 part of the segregated South. Even with a medal around his neck, Cassius was refused service at a local restaurant.
At the time, Cassius has managed by the Louisville Sponsoring Group, a consortium of wealthy local white businessmen. The LSG, as it became known, put young Cassius with veteran trainer, Angelo Dundee, after failed attempts to with the Mongoose, Archie Moore, and a turn down by Ali’s boxing idol, Sugar Ray Robinson.
With Dundee in his corner, from his Miami base, Cassius blazed a trail through the heavyweight division with his unorthodox style that defied boxing logic. He was a “headhunter.” He never threw body shots (he adopted this style in his youth because he had reach and because he didn’t want to get close enough to get hit). And he “danced.” Because of Clay’s powerful legs—maybe the strongest in the history of boxing—he literally floated in the ring. He invented the “Ali Shuffle;” a foot maneuver where he would elevate himself, shuffle his feet in a dazzling blur, and sometimes deliver a blow while dancing.
The third element that Clay brought to boxing was his mouth. He never shut up. He became known as, “The Louisville Lip.” It was more than banter; it was a constant harangue. In a time when boxers never talked to the media—their managers always spoke for them—Clay did all his own talking. He even went so far as to predict the round. “To prove I’m great he will fall in eight!”
While training for his title bout against the fearsome heavyweight champion, Sonny Liston, Clay met Cap’n Sam, a Nation of Islam minister of the local Miami mosque. Cap’n Sam introduced Cassius to NOI spokesman, Malcolm X. Malcolm and young Cassius bonded on a deep level. Malcolm brought Cassius into the Nation of Islam.
Despite the 7-1 odds, Clay upset Sonny Liston in Miami and became heavyweight champion of the world in 1964. The next day, Clay announced to the world that he was a member of the Nation of Islam and that his name was Cassius X. The X reflecting the unknown name that was taken from him by the slave owners centuries before.
The national response was immediate, negative and intense. Cassius X, soon to be given the name Muhammad Ali, by NOI founder, “The Messenger,” the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, chose to disassociate himself from his friend and mentor Malcolm X after the Messenger suspended Malcolm. Herbert Muhammad, eldest son of Elijah, was installed as Ali’s new manager as Ali continued to defend his crown against all comers.
In 1967, as the Vietnam War was escalating, Ali was called up for induction into the Armed Services. Ali refused induction on the grounds of religious beliefs. He was, in fact, a practicing Muslim minister. This refusal led to the now-famous Ali quote, “I ain’t got no quarrel with them Vietcong…”
The national furor over that comment combined with Ali’s refusal to be inducted into the Armed Services, caused virtually every state and local entity in America to cancel Ali’s boxing licenses. Ali final fight of 1967 was against Ernie Terrell, who incensed Ali at the weigh-in by calling him “Clay.” Ali pounded him in the ring with taunts of, “What’s my name?!!”
Ali did not fight again for 2 ½ years. He was stripped of his championship title, his passport taken; all his boxing licenses were cancelled. He lost an initial court battle and was facing a 5-year prison term. Ali made money during his exile by speaking to colleges. He was the first national figure to speak out against the war in Vietnam.
In 1970, after a 2 ½ year layoff, and with the mood of the country changing, Ali staged his comeback, first against Jerry Quarry in Atlanta then for what was billed as, “The Fight,” his first match against undefeated champ, Joe Frazier at Madison Square Garden on March 8, 1971.
Ali fought valiantly, but lost. The 2 ½ year exile had cost Ali his legs. He could no longer dance. He lost that night in the Garden, but months later he won his biggest fight, the Supreme Court, reversed his conviction and upheld his conscientious objector claim. Ali was free of the specter of jail, and free to travel to box anywhere in the world.
Several matches followed, including an unexpected loss to ex-Marine, Ken Norton; a win in their next bout; an uninspired win against Joe Frazier. But these matches were but window dressing for the biggest match of Ali’s career: The Rumble In the Jungle.
George Foreman was a fearsome champ. He had thunder and destruction in both hands. He had easily knocked out Ken Norton and had lifted Frazier off the mat with one blow.
Promoter Don King got the government of the African nation of Zaire to guarantee the unheard of sum of 10 million dollars for the fighters. In Kinshasa, Ali derived strength from the African people. They adored him. They yelled, Ali Bomaye! (Ali kill him).
Going into the fight, Ali was 3-1 underdog. His fight doctor, Ferdie Pacheco, had a jet ready to spirit Ali away to a neurological hospital in Spain after the fight. But Ali had other ideas.
Because of the heat, Ali realized he couldn’t dance from Foreman for the whole fight. He invented, “The Rope-A-Dope,” a strategy that allowed Foreman to pound on him until Foreman tired. His corner men yelled at him to get off the ropes, but Ali persisted with his strategy for seven rounds and then in the eighth round, when Foreman was spent, Ali came off the ropes and scored a shocking knockout! Ali was the king again.
After the legendary “Thrilla In Manila,” the rubber match against Frazier, who some have deemed, the greatest boxing match ever, Ali fought and lost to young Olympic Champion Leon Spinks. He subsequently regained his title against Spinks, thus becoming, at that time, the only man in heavyweight history to win the crown three times. Ali ended his career 56 wins (37 by knockout) and 5 defeats.
Ali has three ex-wives and nine children: Maryum, Rasheeda, Jamillah, Hana, Laila, Khaliah, Miya, Muhammad Junior, and Asaad. Ali is married to the former Lonnie Williams of Louisville. Ali has known Lonnie since her family moved across the street from the Clay family when she was 6 years old.
Ali has inspired millions worldwide. He gave people hope and proved that anyone could overcome insurmountable odds. He gave people courage. He made fighters of us all. This is Ali and never comes another.
Please visit The Muhammad Ali Center – www.alicenter.org
Contributor: Gregory Allen Howard, he is the award-winning screenwriter of Remember the Titans. He also wrote the original story for the movie, ALI.
African Barber signs from Ivory Coast courtesy of Indigo Arts Galley
The Hairdresser and Barbershop Signs of Africa are original boards from barbershops and hair-salons in the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Burkina Faso and Tofo dating from the 1970-ies to the present day.
African Barber signs from Ghana courtesy of Indigo Arts Galley
The advertising signs contain all aspects of a specific popular genre, with similarities and differences mirroring the times of their appearance – the stylistic signature, fashion trends and influences from abroad, at the same time revealing a strong respect for the traditional ways of combing hair – the starting point for almost all modern hairstyles. Inherited ideals that meet and merge with contemporary expressions, in this case, new and authentic stylizations and imported styles, create a harmonious symbiosis evident in varying formal designs in the context of elaborating hairstyles for the purpose of creating a visual embellishment of the head.
African Barber signs from Burkina Faso courtesy of Indigo Arts Galley
Advertising boards were made by specialised, self-taught artists, who used colours to paint previously determined motifs on wooden, plywood, or less commonly on metal surfaces, most often with the very expressive use of pure colours. The paintings mostly portrayed figure motifs which symbolised certain respectable professions, or certain products and brand names. Besides the pictorial, the boards also conveyed written messages and signs. This specific combination of symbol and written message which characterises African painted signs have not changed since the emergence of this art, except to the extent of corresponding to the spirit of the times.
African Barber signs from Togo courtesy of Indigo Arts Galley
Today there are a number of artists all over Africa who are specialized in the painting of advertising boards. Their work advertises a wide spectrum of products and professions – from movies, restaurants, hotels, discotheques, buses, car mechanics, cobblers, tailor shops, state, health and religious institutions to the new trendy hairstyles.
Contributor: The Museum of African Art; Belgrade, Serbia
The Museum of UnCut Funk has acquired the latest stamps from the United States Post Office Black Heritage Series, the Distinguished Soldiers stamp featuring Doris Miller and the Anna Julia Cooper stamp.
Doris Miller, known as “Dorie” to shipmates and friends, was born in Waco, Texas, on October 12, 1919, to Henrietta and Conery Miller. He had three brothers, one of which served in the Army during World War II. While attending Moore High School in Waco, he was a fullback on the football team. He worked on his father’s farm before enlisting in the U.S Navy as Mess Attendant, Third Class, at Dallas, Texas, on September 16, 1939, to travel, and earn money for his family. He later was commended by the Secretary of the Navy, was advanced to Mess Attendant, Second Class and First Class, and subsequently was promoted to Cook, Third Class.
Following training at the Naval Training Station, Norfolk, Virginia, Miller was assigned to the ammunition ship USS Pyro (AE-1) where he served as a Mess Attendant, and on January 2, 1940 was transferred to USS West Virginia (BB-48), where he became the ship’s heavyweight boxing champion. In July of that year he had temporary duty aboard USS Nevada (BB-36) at Secondary Battery Gunnery School. He returned to West Virginia and on 3 August, and was serving in that battleship when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Miller had arisen at 6 a.m., and was collecting laundry when the alarm for general quarters sounded. He headed for his battle station, the antiaircraft battery magazine amidship, only to discover that torpedo damage had wrecked it, so he went on deck. Because of his physical prowess, he was assigned to carry wounded fellow Sailors to places of greater safety. Then an officer ordered him to the bridge to aid the mortally wounded Captain of the ship. He subsequently manned a 50 caliber Browning anti-aircraft machine gun until he ran out of ammunition and was ordered to abandon ship.
Miller described firing the machine gun during the battle, a weapon which he had not been trained to operate: “It wasn’t hard. I just pulled the trigger and she worked fine. I had watched the others with these guns. I guess I fired her for about fifteen minutes. I think I got one of those Jap planes. They were diving pretty close to us.”
During the attack, Japanese aircraft dropped two armored piercing bombs through the deck of the battleship and launched five 18-inch aircraft torpedoes into her port side. Heavily damaged by the ensuing explosions, and suffering from severe flooding below decks, the crew abandoned ship while West Virginia slowly settled to the harbor bottom. Of the 1,541 men on West Virginia during the attack, 130 were killed and 52 wounded. Subsequently refloated, repaired, and modernized, the battleship served in the Pacific theater through to the end of the war in August 1945.
Miller was commended by the Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox on April 1, 1942, and on 27 May 1942 he received the Navy Cross, which Fleet Admiral (then Admiral) Chester W. Nimitz, the Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet personally presented to Miller on board aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) for his extraordinary courage in battle. Speaking of Miller, Nimitz remarked:
This marks the first time in the conflict that such high tribute has been made in the Pacific Fleet to a member of his race and I’m sure that the future will see others similarly honored for brave acts.
On December 13, 1941, Miller reported to USS Indianapolis (CA-35), and subsequently returned to the west coast of the United States in November 1942. Assigned to the newly constructed USS Liscome Bay (CVE-56) in the spring of 1943, Miller was on board that escort carrier during Operation Galvanic, the seizure of Makin and Tarawa Atolls in the Gilbert Islands. Liscome Bay’s aircraft supported operations ashore between November 20-23, 1943. At 5:10 a.m. on November 24, while cruising near Butaritari Island, a single torpedo from Japanese submarine I-175 struck the escort carrier near the stern. The aircraft bomb magazine detonated a few moments later, sinking the warship within minutes. Listed as missing following the loss of that escort carrier, Miller was officially presumed dead November 25, 1944, a year and a day after the loss of Liscome Bay. Only 272 Sailors survived the sinking of Liscome Bay, while 646 died.
In addition to the Navy Cross, Miller was entitled to the Purple Heart Medal; the American Defense Service Medal, Fleet Clasp; the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal; and the World War II Victory Medal.
Commissioned on June 30, 1973, USS Miller (FF-1091), a Knox-class frigate, was named in honor of Doris Miller.
On October 11, 1991, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority dedicated a bronze commemorative plaque of Miller at the Miller Family Park located on the U.S.
Source: The Navy Museum
Anna Julia Cooper, a woman born into slavery in North Carolina nine years prior to the Civil War, reached milestones as the first woman to publish a book on Black feminism, “A Voice from the South by a Black Woman from the South,” and one of the first Black women to earn a doctorate from world renowned University of Paris, Sorbonne.
Her accomplishments have not gone unnoticed. On Thursday, June 11, the U.S. Postal Service unveiled the Anna Julia Cooper Commemorative Stamp at the Paul Lawrence Dunbar High School in Northwest.
Cooper, who also worked as a teacher and principal at the Preparatory High School for Colored Youth (later known as M Street School and today as Paul Lawrence Dunbar High School), was honored by the Postmaster of Washington, D.C., Yverne Pat Moore, Vice President and Consumer Advocate for the United States Postal Service Delores J. Killette, Professor of English at University of Maryland Carla L. Peterson, Dunbar High School Principal R. Gerald Austin, and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton. Cooper is the 32nd honoree to be inducted into the Black Heritage Stamp Series.
“Anna Julia Cooper once said, ‘The cause of freedom is not the cause of a race or a sect, a party or a class – it is the cause of humankind, the very birthright of humanity.’ Her actions to support these memorable words during her life are the reason the Postal Service has chosen Ms. Cooper as the subject of the 32nd stamp in the Black Heritage series,” Killette said.
Cooper was freed from slavery after the Civil War and received a scholarship to attend the St. Augustine Normal School and Collegiate Institute, known today as St. Augustine’s College, in 1868. Cooper graduated and married George A.C. Cooper in 1877. Two years later, her husband died and Cooper moved to Ohio and attended Oberlin College, distinguishing her as one of the first Black women to graduate from the school. Cooper earned a degree in math and returned to St. Augustine to teach math, Greek and Latin.
In 1887, Cooper moved to the District where she was invited to teach science and math at the Preparatory High School for Colored Youth, the most prestigious high school for Black students in the country at that time. Cooper became principal of the school in 1902.
“Although Ms. Cooper was born in Raleigh, N.C., Washington, D.C. claims her as one of its own because she lived her life here and she worked as an educator, feminist, and an activist in our nation’s capital,” Moore said.
“I want to thank the postal service for holding this ceremony. For me, this is very special. This is not the quite the same Dunbar I graduated from, but it is on the same ground,” Norton said.
“This was the first public high school in America for Black children, but it became known nationally and internationally for its faculty. Dunbar would not have become Dunbar without the standards and the aspirations of teachers like Anna Julia Cooper. She set such high standards that in turn they encouraged Black children throughout the District of Columbia to believe that they could go to college and to believe that Dunbar High School would prepare them to go to the best colleges in the United States,” Norton said.
Source: The Washington Informer
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Blax
During the 1970’s, Blaxploitation moved into the horror category with a number of movies, made for Blacks, staring Blacks. One of the most important actors from this period was William Marshall. He starred as Blacula, a Black version of Dracula in two movies, Blacula and Scream, Blacula, Scream. Blacula became the Blaxploitation’s eras first prominent horror film. Blacula gets released from his coffin in the 20th century and raids the population of Los Angeles for victims. Blacula, along the way, finds a girl by the name of Tina and falls in love with her. The police find out about Blacula and track him down. In a final chase scene, Tina dies and Blacula is left to mourn. He then sacrifices his life to be with Tina.
The movie was a commercial success. There were huge premieres in Los Angeles and San Francisco in the Black community. Although Blacula does make victims out of a number of white L.A. police, critics felt it was a milder than most of the Blaxploitation films.
For the most part, Blacks do not fare well in horror films, as they are generally the first to suffer or be killed. While some may object to the negative portrayals of Blacks in many Blaxploitation films, at least in the horror films some Black actors were allowed to live until the end!
There were a number of horror films made during the Blaxploitation era. These films allowed allowed Blacks to fight evil while sticking it to the man. The Museum of UnCut Funk pays homage to the classic Blaxploitation horror flick with a few posters from our collection.
What??? Looks like champagne, pours like champagne, tastes like champagne! But it cost PENNIES more than beer! Yeah right! This ad was straight from Madison Ave…or maybe Harlem…Ad executives went further to suggest that Champale would taste better served in a stemmed glass. LOL!!! Well, actually it did if you were around during the 1970’s.
In the 1970’s, Pink and Sparkling Champale was an integral part of pop culture and a major hit in the Black community. It was my drink of choice at an age when I shouldn’t have been drinkin’. Decades later, even JayZ, Ghostface and the Beastie Boys added a line or two about Pink Champale in their lyrics.
“Grandma dressed me, plus she fed me banana puddin’, what’s in the hood then Puffin on L’s, drinkin’ pink champelle.” Jay Z – Mama Loves Me – The Blueprint
“Begosh all that Oshkosh jumpers / Pink Champale, brown paper bags, wall to wall bumpers.” Ghostface Killah – Wu-Tang’s Careful Click Click
“I got class like pink Champale.” The Beastie Boys -Ch-Check It Out – To The 5 Boroughs.
What was so cool and hip about Sparkling Champale and Pink Champale was the ads. The ads that ran in Ebony magazine were sexy and featured sexy looking Black folks drinking this malt liquor. You thought it was Champagne and you had to have some because it was cheap.
The Museum of UnCut Funk found a number of the original ads that ran in Ebony magazine.
The Museum of UnCut Funk has a warm spot in our collection for Vintage Black Advertising Memorabilia and we have a few HAMBONE pieces as a part of our collection. Whether it be crate labels, tins or posters we collect it all for the both the historical and artistic value of the items. We feel it is important to understand the racist and stereotypical way that Blacks have been portrayed in product advertising throughout history. HAMBONE is one of the many caricatures that personifies racists advertising from the last century.
Hambone was the nickname of Tom Hunley, a folk-wisdom spouting ex-slave who lived in Greenwood Mississippi. Hunley was interviewed late in his life by a young Memphis editorial cartoonist James Pinckney Alley “J.P.”
Alley who was taken by Hunley’s humorously philosophical tone, and turned the old man’s pithy observations on life into a syndicated illustrated column called “Hambone’s Meditations” which debuted in 1916 and was soon followed by two books. When J.P. died in 1934, his son Calvin took over his work, and the Hambone character continued in newspapers until 1968.
Starting in the late 1920’s, two different cigar companies (over time, not at once) were licensed to market cheap cigars under the character’s name and Alley’s illustration. The image on the cigar box label is a satire on Lindberg’s 1927 solo flight across the Atlantic ocean.
Source: Cigar History.info
Many of you may know that the Negro League was established on February 13, 1920, at a YMCA in Kansas City, Missouri. Andrew “Rube” Foster, the man who organized the league, served as its president.
Foster was known as “the father of Black baseball.” This first league was known as the Negro National League with member teams in the South and Midwest. The NNL operated successfully until 1931.
With the help of Edward Bolden as it chair, on December 16, 1923 the Eastern Colored League was formed and in 1924 the very first Negro World Series was played between the ECL and the NNL champions. The ECL collapsed in the spring of 1928 but the member teams reemerged in 1929 as the American Negro League.
The depression brought difficult times for Black baseball. In 1932, the East-West League was formed, but folded before the season ended. The Negro Southern League was the only Black professional league to survive the 1932 season. The NSL was a minor league before and after the 1932 season.
In 1933, the Negro National League was formed again. This was the only Black professional league operating until 1937. The league included teams from the East and the Midwest through 1935. By 1936, the NNL was operating exclusively in the East. As in the white major leagues, the Negro Leagues had their own World Series. Over the years, eleven inter-league Black World Series were held. The NNL and ECL played from 1924 through 1927. Champions from the second NNL and the NAL competed from 1942 through 1948. Also in 1933, the Black teams began all-star game competition. The game was known as the East-West game and was played each summer at Chicago’s Comiskey Park. This game was considered more important than the World Series and annually attracted between 20,000 and 50,000 fans.
Below is a map of some of the most prominent Negro League teams and the states that they represented.
What wasn’t uncommon about baseball then was women took part in Negro League baseball, among them Toni Stone, Mamie Johnson and Connie Morgan. Stone played from 1949 until 1955 with such outfits as the New Orleans Creoles and the Indianapolis Clowns. Johnson (nicknamed “Peanut”) was the first woman to pitch in the Negro Leagues, and built an impressive record of 38 wins and only 8 losses for her career. Morgan started in an all-women’s league (where she had a .368 batting average) before joining the Clowns in 1954.
The Museum of Uncut Funk celebrates the players and history of the Negro Leagues. The Museum Of UnCut Funk Collection includes a complete set of original pins from the Negro Leagues. Below are a few pins from the collection.
Tennessee Rats
From the minds of Jim Rugg and Brian Maruca, the Afrodisiac phenomena got it’s start in 2005 as short stories and anthologies. Jim Rugg, co-creator of the Afrodisiac comic series, recently stated in an interview with Comic Book Resources “ We try to capture the style and energy of the great Blaxploitation movies”.
Capture they did. Afrodisiac has all the energy and hipness of some of the greatest Black films to come out of the 1970’s. In addition to embodying the artistic flow of 1970‘s comic books, Afrodisiac is straight up old school funk. Afrodisiac is a pimp who can hypnotize any woman with the mere mention of his name. The Afrodisiac character has been compared to some of the coolest cats of the Blaxploitation genre like The Mack, Willie Dynamite and John Daniels from Black Shampoo. Afrodisiac is as slick as Jim Brown in Slaughter or Issac Hayes in Truck Turner, and as cool as Brother Rabbit from the classic animated live action film Coonskin. Afrodisiac is the man!
Jim Rugg and Brian Maruca have captured the true essence of what was going down in the streets of Black America during the 1970’s. With all the usual suspects, Afrodisaic has freaks, geeks, the man, hot chicks, bad ass rides and who can forget the fashion. Fashion played a huge part in Blaxploitation films. While SuperFly will go down as the flyest motherfucker in cinematic history, Afrodsiac represents on all levels, including his never out of place fro.
The Museum of UnCut Funk is thrilled that Jim Rugg shared some of the art from the soon to be released Afrodisiac graphic novel. The complete collection of Afrodisiac comics will be available in graphic novel form in December 2009. This is a must have for any comic book collector, fan of Blaxploitation films or anyone interested in comic art. Right On!!!
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Torchy Brown first appeared in the Pittsburgh Courier in the 1937-38 comic strip Dixie to Harlem, drawn by the first Black Female Cartoonist, Jackie Ormes. Torchy Brown was later syndicated around the country until it’s end in 1940. The strip was resurrected in the 1950’s as Torchy and the Heartbeats. Since then, Torchy Brown, the feisty and independent singer and dancer has appeared in her own TPB and several hardcover tributes to her creator, Jackie Ormes.
The emergence of Torchy Brown marked the first appearance of an independent Black woman in a nationally syndicated comic strip. 
Torchy’s self-reliance drove her to leave her Mississippi home at an early age and pursue her dreams of performing on stage, ultimately becoming a staple act at Harlem’s Cotton Club. Torchy Brown’s creator, Jackie Ormes is also the creator of ‘Patty-Jo ‘n’ Ginger’.
Torchy Brown was made into a popular paper doll in 1947. In keeping with Torchy Brown’s forward-thinking themes, the character often tackled hot-button issues like racism, pollution and social injustice in a comedic and approachable way. Because Torchy’s syndication was largely limited to papers with circulation extended only to Black constituents, the character has only recently gained long overdue widespread attention.
About the Cartoonist:
Zelda Jackson “Jackie” Ormes, by most accounts, became the first nationally syndicated Black woman cartoonist in 1937. The “Touchy Brown” series first appeared in the Black-owned Pittsburgh Courier in 1937, and eventually appeared in fourteen syndicated newspapers. Ormes’s strips depicted Blacks in a very different fashion which was not the norm of her day.
Typically Blacks were shown as servants or exaggerated caricatures of the “Buckwheat” or “Steppin Fetchit” variety. In contrast, Ormes’s female characters were independent and strong. Jackie Ormes said “I have never liked dreamy little women who can’t hold their own”.
Jackie Ormes The Book
Jackie Ormes: The First Black Woman Cartoonist chronicles the life of a multiply talented woman who became a successful cartoonist. Ormes’s cartoon characters–Torchy Brown, Candy, Patty-Jo, and Ginger–delighted readers of Black newspapers such as the Chicago Defender and Pittsburgh Courier between 1937-56. This biography provides an invaluable glimpse into the history and culture of that era. As a member of Chicago’s Black elite, Ormes’s social circle included leading political figures and entertainers of the day. People who knew her say that she modeled some cartoon characters after herself as beautifully dressed and coiffed females, appearing and speaking out in ways that defied stereotyped images of Blacks in the mainstream press. Ormes’s politics, which fell decidedly to the left and were apparent to even a casual reader of her cartoons and comics, eventually led to her investigation by the FBI during the McCarthy era. In the late 1940s, Ormes transformed cartoon character Patty-Jo into a doll that is now a collector’s item.
Source: Comic Vine and JackieOrmes.com
The Museum of UnCut Funk pays homage to Valerie Smith the lone Black character from the 1970’s hit Josie and the Pussy Cats cartoon. Ms Smith character was voiced by Barbara Pariot and Patrice Holloway for the singing voice.
“Josie and the Pussycats!
Long tails — and ears for hats!
Guitars in sharps and flats!
Neat, sweet, a groovy song! You’re invited, come along!”
Josie and the Pussycats was produced for Saturday moring television by Hanna-Barbera Productions, airing on CBS. The series started its life in 1970 as an all-female counterpart to the Archies, and in 1972 was re-conceptualized as Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space. The Pussycats finished their television run in 1976.
Josie and the Pussycats featured an all-girl pop music band that toured the world with their entourage, getting mixed up in strange adventures, spy capers, and mysteries. On the small-screen, the group consisted of Josie (the leader and lead singer), Valerie (the intelligent black member) and Melody (the air-headed blond drummer). Other characters included their agent Alexander, his sister Alexandra, her cat Sebastian, and hunky roadie Alan M.
The show, more similar to Hanna-Barbera’s Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! rather than the original Josie comic book, is famous for its music, the girls’ leopard print leotards (replete with “long tails and ears for hats,” as the theme song states), and for featuring the first regularly appearing female character in a Saturday morning cartoon show. Each episode invariably featured a Pussycat song played over a chase scenes which featured the group acting like animated Monkees, running after and from a selection of haplessly villainous characters.
Source: The Trades and Wikipedia
Billy Jo Jive, self-described super crimefighting ace, was a prepubescent Black detective in animated segments on Sesame Street in the late 1970s and early 80s. Along with his sidekick, Smart Susie Sunset, Billy Jo would solve crimes in his neighborhood.
The series was produced by former Terrytoons animator Ray Favata. The characters of Billy Jo and Smart Susie originated in a series of children’s books by John Shearer, with illustrations by his father Ted Shearer. The series debuted with Billy Jo Jive, Super Private Eye: The Case of the Missing Ten Speed Bike in 1976. When the sequel The Case of the Sneaker Snatcher was published in 1977, the cover boldly advertised “Don’t miss Billy Jo Jive and Susie Sunset on Sesame Street!”
Billy Jo Jive Segments:
- Lost Wig -- Billy and Suzie look for a missing wig. They find dirty hand prints at the scene of the crime, and also find them on a poster for a school play. They go there where they find the person who stole the wig, and also see his dirty hands.
- Lost Money
- Lost Guitar Strings
- The Midnight Voices -- Billy and Suzie solve the case of the midnight voices.
- Shortcakes -- Billy and Suzie search for missing shortcakes.
- Meatbone -- Billy Jo Jive and Smart Suzie Sunset search for Aunt Nellie’s dog Meatbone, not knowing that he’s been following them the whole time.
- Missing Keys
- Wrong Way Willie
- Eating Healthier
- Haunted House
- Bad News Barton
Billy Jo Jive Theme Music:
Here is the theme music from the Billy Jo Jive cartoon, a track called “Afrocat” by Richard C. Sanders, from the album Cinemaphonic: Electro Soul. Very funky!
Billy Jo Jive Animation:
The Museum of UnCut Funk Collection has recently added it’s first production cel and original drawing from the Billy Jo Jive cartoon.
As The Museum of UnCut Funk searches for items that are unique, different and funky, we continue to add items to our Black coin collection. Items that feature Blacks like our Slave Tokens are not only historically important but key acquisitions in our Black coin collection.
Am I Not A Woman
The token was issued by the Abolitionist Movement to promote the cause. Sojourner Truth with her dialect changed the question to “Ain’t I a Woman”.
“Ain’t I A Woman?” is the name given to a speech, delivered extemporaneously, by Sojourner Truth, (1797-1883), born Isabella Baumfree, a slave, in New York State. Some time after gaining her freedom in 1827, she became a well known anti-slavery speaker. Her speech, which became known as Ain’t I a Woman? was delivered at the Women’s Convention in Akron, Ohio on May 29, 1851.
Truth argued that while American antebellum (pre-Civil War) culture often placed white women upon a pedestal and gave them certain privileges (most notably that of not working), this attitude was not extended to black women.
Am I Not A Brother
Am I Not A Brother is a 1795 Anti-Slavery token minted in England by the Anti-Slavery Society.
The tokens central design motif illustrates a male slave manacled and in chains, kneeling on the ground, in supplication. Legend on reverse reads: “*MAY SLAVERY OPPRESSION CEASE THROUGHOUT THE WORLD”. The central motif is of clasped hands with a chain−decorated edge. This late 18th century British anti−slavery token propagandized the abolitionist sentiment throughout the British Empire and contributed to the ultimate outlawing of slavery in British held lands in 1833. Tokens of this pattern circulated in America and, with similar tokens of American origin, popularized and propagandized the abolitionist cause.
Good grief! Franklin’s 41!!!
It happened on a beach on July 31, 1968.
The white boy’s little sister threw his beach ball into the water. The Black boy who was swimming retrieved the ball and took it back to him. The white boy thanked the Black boy, and that was how Charlie Brown met Franklin in “Peanuts.”
With that appearance, Franklin became the first Black person in Charles Schulz’s magnificent comic strip.
HAPPY 41ST FRANKLIN!
Had Charlie truly been a blockhead, when Franklin brought him his ball, he could have said something stupid like, “Good grief! I didn’t know you people could swim.” Instead, future strips show Franklin and Charlie playing ball.
Franklin was never as big a star as Linus, Lucy, Snoopy, Schroeder or Pigpen. He didn’t have a last name and wouldn’t even win a contest for best Afro among the “Peanuts” characters.
But as the first Black in the most successful comic strip of all time, Franklin is the greatest Black cartoon figure in American history. Even though it was the end of the racially charged 1960s when Schulz introduced Franklin, the cartoonist wasn’t attempting any kind of political statement, and Franklin being darker than his friends was never something commented on in the strip. Franklin’s debut and the appearance a few months later of The Jackson 5, fronted by the otherworldly talented Michael Jackson, was a wonderful representation of Black adolescents. Franklin proved to be wise and dignified and has never done anything he should have to apologize for except for the strange dance he did with the other kids in, “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”
Like Charlie, he’s close to his grandfather and, like Linus, he quotes the Old Testament. His father was in Vietnam and, most of all, Franklin has a good heart. Nowhere was that more evident than in a 1969 strip in which Peppermint Patty cries because of shoes she’s required to wear to school. Franklin says, “All I know is any rule that makes a little girl cry has to be a bad rule.”
So here’s to a comic strip trailblazer, a thoughtful and decent lad who loves his grandfather, is loyal to his friends and never made any little girls cry.
You’re a good man, Franklin.
Source: By CARY CLACK
The Original Production Cel of Franklin drumming is a part of The Museum Of UnCut Funk Collection.
I am Curious (Black)” is the first Superman’s Girlfriend story.
Lois Lane is sent to get a story in Metropolis’s “Little Africa” but is unable to get anyone to talk to her. Little children run away from her and adults shut doors in her face. One old lady will talk to her, but only because she is blind and doesn’t realize Lois is white. She draws the particular ire of a fiery orator who uses her as an example of the enemy “whitey.”
Frustrated, Lois convinces Superman to take her to his Fortress of Solitude and use the Kryptonian Transformoflux on her to turn her Black for twenty four hours.
Back in Metropolis, her usual cabby won’t stop for her because she’s Black. She has to take the subway but is convinced that everybody is staring at her because of her skin color.
This time in Little Africa, people are happy to talk with her and help her. She meets Dave Stevens, the same firebrand she encountered before, but this time because she is Black he talks to her and even hits on her. He sees some kids run into an alley to buy drugs and runs after them. He interrupts the drug deal but is shot by a pair of gangsters straight out of Guys and Dolls.
Superman, who was conveniently nearby keeping an eye on Lois, swoops in and takes them both to the nearest hospital. The doctor there informs Superman that the patient is fading and needs a blood transfusion.
It’s understandable that small hospitals would not be able to carry every blood type because it is very expensive to buy and store blood. However, blood type O-negative is the “universal donor” and in a hospital limited to only a few types of blood, O-negative would be the one blood type they would definitely stock.
What’s with Superman? He’s donated blood before countless times, usually to Lois or Lana. It’s been established in the past that his blood is compatible with every blood type, and he’s been able to “rip open” his skin even though needles don’t work. Is this simply a continuity error for the sake of plot or is Superman a closet racist? (We can assume it’s the former since Lois doesn’t bat an eye at Superman’s statements.)
Previously, we learned from Superman #125 that Lois has a “very rare blood type”, yet this comic tells us that she has blood type O-negative. Seven percent of the U.S population is type O-negative, the most of any negative blood type, so while it may not be common it’s certainly not “very rare.” Common blood types vary quite a bit across the world, so what is common in the US is not necessarily common in other areas. Given the globalization of today’s world, this is slowly changing as populations mix.
At the end of the story, Stevens realizes that Lois was white and yet donated blood to save his life. He smiles at her and they shake hands.
So here we have another “blood transfusion redeems racist” storyline. This story is a bit schizophrenic though. The individual racist — in this case a Black man — is redeemed. However the societal prejudice against blacks — the supposed point of the entire story — is glossed over and barely mentioned.
Lois does confront Superman about whether he would ever marry a Black woman, but he never has the chance to answer fully. Dave Stevens is a complex character as he is both a racist and the best hope for his neighborhood. Still, I felt that the ending went for the easy way out and missed the big picture.
Source: Polite Dissent
The I Am Curious Comic is a part of The Museum of UnCut Funk Collection.
Return Of The Super Pimps issues 1-6 are written by Richard A. Hamilton, drawn by Ulises Carpintero and Rich Bonilla, colored and lettered by various talents, and published by Dial “C” For Comics, Richard’s company.
Truth be told, the Blaxploitation movie was not, as has been popularly put forward by certain filmmakers and documentaries, merely made up of Black crime genre stories. There were comedies and dramas made during those days starring Black folk. There were even horror movies featuring mostly or all Black casts. Yet, for many, the Blaxploitation movement is treated as a singular genre–much like manga is today–with one almost universally pervasive stereotype that stands as the purest representative of those films: the hustler, the pimp.
Richard Hamilton is old enough to know that figure from those movies. But what he does to that stereotype turns it on its ear and seemingly redeems it. By doing that he lives up to his desire to mix the nobility of superheroes with the power of Funk and Soul, as stated in his first issue afterword.
The basic plot of Return Of The Super Pimps is this: The Super Pimps, a band of urban hustlers turned superheroes, once protected The Hood, an every-ghetto, from all manner of villains. That was, until one of their number lost his life in battle. That sad turn of events caused the SP’s leader, Blackbeard, to quit the hero biz and disband the team. Decades later, in our time, Police Detective Maple learns of the death of the SP’s former faithful servant and sets out to find his childhood heroes to tell them the news. Along the way, old friendships are tested and renewed, an old foe returns, and a team of heroes is reborn
Return Of The Super Pimps is a fun read. Nothing that will change the world of comics but a good, solid adventure yarn, full of characters and situations not normally seen in the standard superhero comic.
Source: http://www.comicswaitingroom.com/vince34.html
Return Of The Super Pimps
Written by Richard Hamilton
Pencils by Ulises Roman
Colors by Jasen Smith & Maria Laura
Letters by Atlantis Studios
Blackbeard — the leader with the living ‘locks! Ghetto Blaster — wielder of the fantastic 8-Track Suit! Homboy — the sentinel with a special connection to the street! Foxy Mama — lupine lady of the night! Sidekick — rookie kung-fu master! Over twenty-five years ago these Urban Revengers, these Super Pimps, protected The Hood from the diabolical Darquefire and were working to make their neighborhood a safe place to grow up. But on a fateful night as these five funky crimefighters battled their arch nemesis, a tragedy took place so horrific that Blackbeard not only walked away from the Super Pimps, he disbanded the entire group right on the spot.
Now, Detective Maple, whose boyhood heroes were the Super Pimps, patrols the very streets his idols once did. When he is called in on a murder, he recognizes the victim as Flapjack, the trusty servant of the crimefighters who have since subsided into urban legend. Using his skills as a detective, Maple hunts down one Marcus Maddox, who used to be Blackbeard, and is now a father trying to give his kids a better life than he did. Maple’s encounter with Maddox leads to meetings with the rest of former jive justice seekers, who reunite as citizens in the streets of The Hood. They soon discover evidence that Darquefire has returned, stronger than ever, and only some superpowered playas are going to be able to stop him. The five return to The Crib, their old secret headquarters, and suit up ready to take to streets. It is time to walk the walk and talk the talk, but are these middle-aged mofos still heroes or just has-beens?
Pouring out of the mind of Richard Hamilton, whose childhood was filled with the constantly spinning records of Kool And The Gang, the cinematic badness of Shaft, and Stan Lee’s multitude of comics, comes this glorious blaX-Men-ploitation! Hamilton puts his screenwriting training to excellent use here, with a super fresh and righteous story that spills from one page to the next. You can almost hear the booming bass and see the glitter of the disco ball in each carefully penned pun and feel the real fur boas as Hamilton culls every stereotype from the street and make it his own.
Each character, as in any superhero group book, is given a specific power and personality that both works to bring the group together in a crimefighting harmony, but has enough quirk to cause strife. The book’s obvious influence are Marvel’s mutant heroes, with a slightly more subtle influence from Warren Ellis’ The Authority. Hamilton’s decision to tell the back story through the eyes of young Maple also calls to mind the outsider-looking-in mentality of Marvels or Astro City. Hamilton has also worked hard to make his characters as imperfect humans with all the insecurity and doubts that come with them. As of issue three, Hamilton has yet to dive into how these superheroes obtained their powers, but their natural aging suggests they are mortal. This plays an important part of some of the subplots and adds an element of danger to their decision to reform well past their prime.
In order to bring his creation to the page, Hamilton needed artists who were as much in touch with the style of his heroes as he was. Hamilton found a crew of pencilers, inkers, and colorists who fit the bill perfectly. The character designs are top notch, and like Blacula or Dr. Black and Mr. Hyde, each seem to find roots in a pre-established character and then given a makeover by Xzibit. The colors are particularly striking, and each page is drenched in so much purple even Huggy Bear would blush with embarrassment.
If you strip away all the flashy funk and glitz, and the seemingly hokey riff on the ghetto lifestyle, Hamilton’s story not only has heart, but has several messages that he sneakily slips in. His overt push for education and good parenting through Blackbeard should be applauded, and his warning against STDs rivals any comic book sub-context to date. These books may be a little tricky to track down in a local comic shop, and you might have to go straight to the source, but any trouble is well worth it to add these to your collection.
Source : geeksofdoom.com
Return Of The Super Pimps comics are a part of The Museum of UnCut Funk Collection.
Spoof Comics presents SoulTrek, a combination of Soul Train and Star Trek. Say What??? Okay, maybe not the best comic, but what a brilliant idea for Spoof comic book fans.
The comic takes the reader on board the USS Colt 45 as it enters the final frontier of SOUL…that right you heard me. The USS Colt 45 sails into the galaxy on her mission to seek out SOUL in every corner of the universe and to bring it to those who don’t possess it: To Boldly Go Where No Other Brother Has Gone Before.
With funky narratives, hip jive talkin’ and reminders of what happenned to various celebrities during the early 1990‘s, this is one of the funniest comics I have read in awhile. The cast of characters includes Captain Don Cornelian (Don Cornelius), Commander of the USS Colt 45. His first Officer Commander is a no talkin’, can’t understand what the fuck he is sayin’ James Brown. The ship Counselor is The Coz and the Communications Officer is Lt. Whitney Hewston…there is no mention of Bobby Brown…thank goodness!!! Security is in the hands of Mike Tysen, whose English is just as bad if not worse than Commander Brown.
As the ship sails deeper into the galaxy, Lt. Hewston get a signal from an alien ship. Captain Cornelian asks for details and Lt. Hewston says “it’s scrambled”. The Captain shouts “Then put up the scramble board and get those kids up here”. Low and behold Shawna and Malcolm appear to unscramble the message.
This comic is cool, funky and a must have in your comic collection. The images of don’t look exactly like the celebrity themselves but it is well executed and doesn’t take itself too seriously. The story is interesting and not difficult to understand. This is one of those comic books that makes you question whether or not the creators are insane or genius.
Spoof Comics presents Soul Trek are a part of The Museum of UnCut Funk Collection.
