Richard
"Grass"
Green
Presents with pride....
Tributes
A lifetime ago, when there was still promise
in the prospects of becoming a comic book
tradesman for me, I was working in a small
comic book shop in Schaumburg, IL for an
up and coming company called Moondog's. It
was new comics day and I was busy
cleaning up from the day's shipment when a
tall, smiling, black man walked in.

He was the first to say hello as he walked to
the comics racks and we started a
conversation. I didn't recognize him as a
regular customer and I asked him what kind
of comics he was interested in.

"Anything Kirby," he said, "that's my guy."

Well, anybody who liked Jack Kirby was a
friend of mine and we continued going over
the finer points of The Fighting American, In
The Days Of The Mob, Kamandi, Tales To
Astonish, The Demon, Forever People,
O.M.A.C. and the rest of the Kirby Pantheon.

As we spoke I had the sense that this nice
stranger knew comics as something more
than just a fan. He had insights to the
workings of comics, how they were
designed, how to tell a story before the
dialogue was lettered, how to bring
dimension to a two dimensional medium.

In the middle of the country, far away from the
"Professional Comics" Mecca of New York, I
was starving for contact with comic book
creators and kindred spirits.

We hadn't really introduced ourselves and so
I offered my name. "I'm Chris," I said, "What's
your name?"

"Grass Green", he said.

My jaw dropped and I grabbed a copy of The
Comics Buyers Guide and opened it to a
comic strip inside.

"You mean this Grass Green?, I said as I
pointed to Wild Man and Rubberroy.

A grin the likes of which I've never seen on
anyone this side of Bill Cosby came over his
face and a sly "Yup" came out.

From that point on, Grass made me feel like
we'd always been friends. He was like some
really cool older cousin that was always there
to talk to, to encourage you, to plot with you, to
teach you. And the more you learned from
and about him, the more you liked him.

I'll miss that.

Chris Ecker 08/07/02
At 6:45 pm on the 5th day of August, I
recieved word from a Miss
Candice Green, that my friend , Richard
"Grass" Green has passed on due to
complications of lung cancer.
He was FAR TOO YOUNG TO DIE...
I AM PROUD TO HAVE SPENT THE PAST
SEVERAL YEARS WORKING WITH HIM ON
SEVERAL PROJECTS, many of which have
never been seen, so we are lucky
he has left us this WONDERFUL legacy to
keep him alive in our hearts!
God Bless you Grass, Thank you for all
you've taught me
....Angel Gabriele
Richard Edward "Grass" Green

Fort Wayne - 1939-2002

Richard Edward "Grass" Green, 63,
of Fort Wayne, who taught art
classes at Indiana
University-Purdue University
<http://www.ipfw.indiana.edu/> Fort
Wayne, died Monday, Aug. 5, 2002.
"His greatest talents were exhibited
when he was expressing himself as
an artist, cartoonist, musician and
singer." The Fort Wayne native was
a member of Greater Progressive
Baptist Church, where he served on
the usher board, taught art classes
to the youth and served two years in
an administrative capacity. He was a
member of Men of Vision and an
all-around comedian. Surviving are
his devoted wife, Janice; daughters
Roxanne E. Green of Atlanta and
Yvonne LaGrone; a son, Ernest R.
Spradley; a sister, Debbie Cassell of
Fort Wayne; brothers Aaron of Fort
Wayne and Joe of Washington, D.C.;
and five grandchildren. He was
preceded in death by three sisters
and two brothers. Services are 11
a.m. Thursday at Greater
Progressive Baptist Church, 2215
John St., with calling from 6 to 8 p.m.
today. Burial will be at Concordia
Cemetery Gardens.

Information provided by Carmichael
Funeral Service, 831 E. Jefferson
Blvd..
Dear Angel & Other Friends of Grass--

For all I know, by calling him "Grass," I
probably give away my roots in comics, since
it was comics fandom that knew Richard
Green mainly by that name, wasn't it?  At
least it was his good friend, the late Ronn
Foss (who, by a sad irony, passed away
within a year of the time that Grass, too,
would leave us), who gave him that name,
apparently.

I've known Grass, though mostly by mail,
since about 1962-63, when he first worked
with Ronn on early issues of ALTER EGO
and COMICOLLECTOR, including his
"Frantic Four" parody that really knocked me
out.  I immediately suggested we team up so
that my Bestest League of America could
meet Da Frantic Four, and the resulting
collaboration still holds up fairly decently, I
think, nearly forty years later.  Probably
because Grass added some gags in the
pages he drew... they're easy to spot for
anyone who knows his work.

The first time we met, I think, was when he
came to a comics convention in NYC circa
1967-68, and crashed one night at my
apartment.  Don't think I saw him again till
1997, at a comics fandom reunion luncheon
in Chicago, and even then we didn't talk a lot.  
We were always colleagues, but never to the
extent that Ronn and I were, or that I was with
some others.

Still, I recall that in 1965-66, soon after I
moved to NYC to enter the comic book field, I
had this idea for a sort of alien Plastic Man I
called The Shape, for which I designed a
look.  I sent the picture and the concept and
story idea off to Grass, figuring it would be a
way to help him break into the field-- even if it
was at the small and ill-paying comic
company, Charlton.  Grass got carried away
and did dialogue for the story as he plotted it
out... and it was so good (and besides, since
I was on staff at Marvel, I'd have had to use a
pseudonym anyway) that I told the editor at
Charlton to just use Grass' dialogue.  I forget
it The Shape's one story came out before or
after the super-hero parodies he did in
Charlton's GO-GO COMICS, which my friend
Gary Friedrich wrote.  But I'm pleased that
Grass, who wanted at that time to be a pro
comics artist, got his shot... even if he made
his real name in alternative comics and
fanzines.  

He almost drew another story, though-- for
Marvel, this time.  I sent him a plot for a
feature I called "The Outcasts," which dwelt
with a handful of men who left the Alamo
before it was stormed and were forever
reviled for it, whatever heroic deeds they
performed later.  But somehow, things didn't
work out... I have no memory why... and I think
there was one "Outcasts" story, drawn by
another artist, Tom Sutton.  But I still have a
xerox copy of one of my letters to Grass about
the strip, and I've never had the heart to throw
it away.  It serves as a connection, I guess.

Later, I hoped to have him draw something
for our MAD-type comic, NOT BRAND ECHH--
and Ronn actually did draw a few pages--but
the mag was cancelled before I got a chance
to give him an assignment.  The subject?  I
dunno... but I'll bet it would have had to do
with the Fantastic Four!

A story about Grass that makes me smile?  
His self-deprecating humor would do it, of
course.  But mostly, I'll just remember some
of the humorous stories he did-- especially
the two with the Frantic Four, and one with a
takeoff on the Avengers-- and they'll always
bring a smile to my face.  I have the splash of
"Bestest League Meets Da Frantic Four"
hanging on the wall in our gym in the guest
house-- it's actually two pages, a front and
back view of a scene-- and I see it every
morning, along with some art by Ronn and a
few other favored pieces.  And it often does
make me smile.

He was a real talent, and no less so
because he worked in alternative comics
instead of the "pro" ones.  Quality is quality,
wherever you find it... in "Da Frantic Four" or
"Wildman" or "Human Cat" or wherever.  All
that, and a nice guy, too.

Best wishes,
Roy Thomas
I first saw "Grass" Green's work back
in the 1970s. I should say I was first
amazed by the images that Bro.
Green created back then. I couldn't
believe that someone was creating
such funny, truthful, and
straightforward messages in a
medium I had been reading for years.
And then he had the nerve to have
Black people not only present but
winning? Who needed "Shaft!"

I didn't finally get to meet Bro. Grass
until last year, after we had been
corresponding via telephone and
e-mail for a couple of years I'm afraid
I could keep from gushing. The man
was my idol, and yet he always went
out of his way to make me feel
comfortable. He was like that.

One of the main reasons I decided to
write a book about  Black Comic Book
Creators was so that the brilliant work
of artists of color would never be lost.
I am more determined than ever to
make that dream come true. I am only
sorry that there is one signed edition
of the completed project I won't be
hand delivering.

Thank you, Brother Grass for your
support and friendship. You may be
gone, but you are not forgotten.

Peace,

Prof. William H. Foster III
Comic Book Historian
For the past few years or so, it has been my
honor to be an aquaintance of "Grass"
Green. Listening to stories of old, and being
priveliged enough to watch his artistry in
action, was an experience not to be taken too
lightly. It was a pleasure, no more of a treat,
to whatch Grass and his friend / colleague
Angel Gabriele pass quips amongst
themselves as they worked on what would
soon be some of Grass' final projects. When
Grass passed away, we all knew it was too
soon for this talent to be taken from us. But,
his work stands as a legacy not only for
himself, his family, friends, and fans, but to
future generations that will discover the
magic found within his art......................
.........................We'll all miss you
Grass..........and thanks.
                                           --Jeff Newman
I met Dick [ Grass Hoppa ] Green in
High School. I watched him on Ted
Mac's Amateur Hour. When I got
discharged from the Navy we formed
a band called the Satyrs. He created
the logo for our cards. Even in those
early days, he was torn between his
music and his art. Too much talent
can be a curse. Over the years, I lost
touch with Grass due to time, distance
and being on the road for 15 years
playing music. I settled here in
Phoenix about twenty years ago and
became a barber. Two years ago
health forced me to sell my shop and
left me with a lot of time on my hands.
I found a letter and a Xal-Kor comic
book that Grass had sent me and I
had saved for over twenty years.
I wrote him a letter to the return
address on the envelope in hopes it
would find it's way to him. Thankfully it
did, and we have been corresponding
with letters and E-mail since then.  
His letters were always full of his art
work and written in dialect, as he
always did. I enjoyed reading them
more than anyone could ever know.
He was one of the most talented, kind
and caring men I've ever known.
He will be missed. I am proud to have
called him my friend. Our loss is
Heavens gain!   Thanks,
John [Wicked Dick] Makin
I've loved Grass Green's art since I was a
teen-ager in the mid-60s, when he was
doing his great fanzine stories.   Grass's
work was a charming cross between the two
Jacks: Kirby and Cole!  It was brilliant, really.  
And his love of comics came through on
each and every panel.  I'm only sorry he didn't
get to draw more comic books. Man, I'll miss
his work - and him!

Jeff Gelb
More Grass
tributes will
appear soon in
this space.
Thanx-Powerslam
E-mail: green@powerslamcollectibles

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