An Exhibition Featuring Vintage Black Comic Strips From The 1950’s
The Vintage Black Heroes exhibition features the first Black heroes to ever appear in comic strips.
The Museum Of UnCut Funk has acquired exclusive licensing rights to four Vintage Black comic strips published by the Smith-Mann Syndicate during the 1950’s: Guy Fortune, Mark Hunt, Neil Knight and The Chisholm Kid.
These characters were featured in a first time ever color comic newspaper insert featuring Black comic strips in the Pittsburgh Courier, the only Black newspaper to carry the insert, from 1950 through 1954.
The first Black U.S. Secret Agent to appear in a comic strip.
Spy who conducts secret missions for U.S. Intelligence all over the world.
The first Black Private Investigator to appear in a comic strip.
Fights crime in the big city.
The first Black Astronaut / Space Adventurer to appear in a comic strip.
Character was originally known as Neil Knight Of The Air, a famed stunt pilot reminiscent of the Tuskegee Airmen, before he became the first Black space traveller
The first Black Cowboy to appear in a comic strip.
Pays homage to the 5,000 to 9,000 Black Cowboys who drove cattle along the Chisholm Trail from Texas to Kansas after the Civil War.
As the original art and newspapers were not preserved, very few copies of these comic strips, if any at all, currently exist. We believe we have access to the largest collection of, and for some of these comics, the only color copies that remain. These comic strips have not been seen since the 1950’s.
The Museum Of UnCut Funk has curated panel exhibitions featuring these Vintage Black comic strips
You can learn more about and see some of these vintage comic strips here:
- Guy Fortune – http://museumofuncutfunk.com/2013/12/14/comics-of-the-smith-manb-syndicate-part-i-guy-fortune/
- Mark Hunt – http://museumofuncutfunk.com/2013/12/15/comics-of-the-smith-mann-syndicate-part-v-mark-hunt/
- Neil Knight – http://museumofuncutfunk.com/2013/12/15/comics-of-the-smith-mann-syndicate-part-vlll-neil-knight/
- The Chisholm Kid – http://museumofuncutfunk.com/2013/12/15/comics-of-the-smith-mann-syndicate-part-iv-the-chisholm-kid/
The Vintage Black Heroes exhibition will tour to museums, libraries, schools, colleges and universities and other cultural institutions.
Vintage Black Heroes Exhibition Schedule
- The Chisholm Kid – March 14 – April 30, 2016 – Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site – Little Rock, Arkansas
- Guy Fortune – May 18 – June 18, 2016 – Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site – Little Rock, Arkansas
- The Chisholm Kid – July 21 – September 17, 2017 – National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- The Chisholm Kid – January 13 – April 1, 2018 – UTSA Institute Of Texan Cultures – University Of Texas At San Antonio – San Antonio, Texas
- The Chisholm Kid – December 14, 2018 – May 5, 2019 – Gilcrease Museum – Tulsa, Oklahoma
- The Chisholm Kid – June 10 – August 31, 2019 – Black History Museum Of Virginia – Richmond, Virginia
- The Chisholm Kid – January 20 – June 6, 2020 – Western Folklife Center – Elko, Nevada
Exhibition Installation Images
Vintage Black Heroes Exhibition Specs
The Vintage Black Heroes exhibition includes reproductions of the original full, three quarter and half page comic strips that feature all four heroes.
Exhibition material options:
- Custom installation printed on fabric wall mural material, produced to wrap museum display units or adhere to museum walls, including text, comic strip images, graphics
- White banner panels with snap clip holders
Exhibition configuration options:
- Custom installation – (TBD depending on wall space)
- Vintage Black Heroes Exhibition – All Four Comic Strips – Up to 178 Comic Strips – Up to 144 – Full Page Strips (TBD), 2 – 3/4 Page Strips (TBD), 23 – Half Page Strips (TBD), 9 – Special Comic Feature Strips (TBD), Opening / Text / Character Graphics (TBD)
- Guy Fortune – Up to 44 Comic Strips – 44 – Full Page Strips (TBD), Opening / Text / Character Graphics (TBD)
- Mark Hunt – Up to 39 Comic Strips – 38 – Full Page Strips (TBD), 1 – Half Page Strip (TBD), Opening / Text / Character Graphics (TBD)
- Neil Knight – Up to 52 Comic Strips – 22 – Full Page Strips (TBD), 2 – 3/4 Page Strips (TBD), 19 – Half Page Strips (TBD), 9 – Skanning The Skylanes With Neil Knight Comic Feature Strips (TBD), Opening / Text / Character Graphics (TBD)
- The Chisholm Kid – Up to 43 Comic Strips – 40 – Full Page Strips (TBD), 3 – Half Page Strips (TBD), Opening / Text / Character Graphics (TBD)
- White banner panels with snap clip holders:
- Vintage Black Heroes Exhibition – All Four Comic Strips – 101 panels – 64 – Full Page Strips (36×24), 2 – 3/4 Page Strips (28×24), 19 – Half Page Strips Printed On 14 Full Page Panels (18×24), 21 – Text / Character Panels
- Guy Fortune – 25 Panels – 20 – Full Page Strips (36×24), 5 – Text / Character Panels
- Mark Hunt – 25 Panels – 20 – Full Page Strips (36×24), 5 – Text / Character Panels
- Neil Knight – 25 Panels – 4 – Full Page Strips (36×24), 2 – 3/4 Page Strips (28×24), 19 – Half Page Strips Printed On 14 Full Page Panels, 5 – Text / Character Panels
- The Chisholm Kid – 25 Panels – 20 – Full Page Strips (36×24), 5 – Text / Character Panels
Approximate space required:
- Custom installation – TBD depending on wall space
- White banner panels with snap clip holders:
- Full Exhibition – 101 panels – 240 running feet
- Solo Comic Strip Exhibition – 25 panels – 60 running feet
Vintage Black Heroes Exhibition Additional Information
For more information and rental fees or to book our Vintage Black Heroes exhibition please contact the Curator, Sista ToFunky.
Curators are available for Curator’s Talks, Curated Tours, Expert Panels, Lectures. For more information or to book the Curators please contact the Curator, Sista ToFunky.
1 Comment
Wonderful!
Have just discovered this and am very proud to learn about this.
Well done and keep up the good work, y’all.