Colorized Edition

Por: Grass Green

Richard Eugene Green

1939 — 2002

His pseudonym “Grass” was based on the nickname “Grasshopper”, thought up by his childhood friend and later collaborator Ronn Foss. Green loved superhero comics and wrote a letter to Jack Kirby in 1961, receiving a reply with technical advice and support. This encouraged him to get his work published. Originally his comics could be read in low-budget fanzines like Alter Ego, The Buyer’s Guide to Comics Fandom, Fantasy Illustrated, Komix Illustrated, Masquerader, Rocket’s Blast Comicollector, Super-Hero and Star-Studded Comics. He was an American underground comix artist and part of the pioneer generation of the 1960s. His best known for creating superhero parodies like ‘Xal-Kor the Human Cat’ (1964) and ‘Wildman and Rubberroy’ (1969), as well as erotic stories for underground comic books and the Eros Comix line by Fantagraphics. Green holds historical significance for being the first black underground comix artist and as such paved the way for later African-American underground artists such as Larry Fuller. Later in life he and writer Michael Vance often collaborated together, including on a comic named ‘Holiday Out’ (1980). During the 1980s, Green’s characters Plastic Man and Rok were published in ‘Holiday Out’ by Renegade Press, while Megaton Comics released a twelve-issue ‘Wildman’ comic book series in 1987. Grass Green remained active until the early 1990s, when he produced mostly adult-oriented comic books through Rip Off Press (four black&white issues of ‘Horny Stories and Comix’) and for Fantagraphics’ Eros Comix line (the one-shots ‘Marooned!’, ‘Sinnin’’ and ‘The Decorator’). In 2022, Morromatto Comics presents a new, remastered full-color edition of Horny Stories and Comix #1 as a tribute to one of the world’s greatest underground creative artists. Be amazed!