Rythm Mastr: This Is How It Begins

"Rythm Mastr" is a comic series created by Kerry James Marshall, developed from 1999 to the present in response to the historical absence of black characters in comics. Set in the community surrounding Marshall's Chicago studio, the narrative is rooted in reality but incorporates elements of fantasy, created using India ink drawings. The series debuted at the 1999/2000 Carnegie International, published as single illustrated panels in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's magazine for eight weeks. Marshall papered the Carnegie Museum's display windows with 20 segments printed on newsprint and installed it in the museum's Treasure Room to explore how value is assigned to objects. Copies were distributed to the public for a nominal fee to ensure wide access. The story features an old man named Rythm Mastr and his young protégé, Farell. Meeting in a museum of ancient Egyptian art, Rythm Mastr teaches Farell traditional African drumming that brings ancient African and Egyptian statues to life. These animated statues possess superhuman powers derived from the seven gods of the Yoruba pantheon. The narrative addresses contemporary issues, including the spike in violence in 1990s Chicago and the demolition of high-rise public housing on the city's South Side. Over the years, the series has evolved through various formats. In 2003, it was featured as a daily comic strip in "One True Thing: Meditations on a Black Aesthetics" at MCA Chicago. In 2008, it was presented at the Wexner Center at Ohio State University with puppets inspired by traditional Japanese Bunraku puppetry, including live performances with jazz drummer Kahil El'Zabar. The series appeared in Issue 14 of Esopus magazine in 2010. From 2015 to 2017, it was included in light-box displays in "Mastry," Marshall's 30-year retrospective, and inspired "Above the Line," a hand-painted mural on New York's High Line from 2015 to 2016. Marshall's work was influenced by The Black Panther comic he encountered at ten years old. His goal was to create black superheroes in a context where they matter, with a Homeric epic structure achieving cultural impact similar to Star Wars. His long-term ambition is to diversify the art historical canon with more images of black people in museums. Marshall envisions the series as a graphic novel and feature animated film. This comprehensive volume, edited by Michele Robecchi (Rizzoli Electa, 2025), represents the most complete documentation of the character, its genesis, and evolution over two decades, featuring Marshall's sophisticated debates about history, philosophy, and politics in vernacular Black English, creating an empowering blend of science fiction and Afrofuturism.