"I've been waiting a lifetime for this book! Howard Cruse is one of the most important cartoonists of the 20th century but has never gotten his due because he mostly worked in the LGBTQ comics underground. Andrew Kunka has written a thoughtful, thorough, and celebratory examination of Cruse's life and remarkable oeuvre. He has paid homage to Howard's legacy as the Godfather of Queer Comics, who broke up the doors for so many of us queer artists and forever changed the world of comics."
— Justin Hall, editor of No Straight Lines: Four Decades of Queer Comics
"This book is a lovingly rendered portrait of Howard Cruse, often called the godfather of queer comics. Andrew J. Kunka showcases the range of Cruse's comics, pairing nuanced analysis of previously overlooked comics with deft contextual details about Cruse's life."
— Margaret Galvan, University of Florida
"Kunka produced a much-needed critical biography that makes clear exactly how courageous and ground-breaking Howard Cruse had been, in both his comics and his eloquent, impassioned activism. It is essential reading, connecting the dots of a career arc understood primarily as going from 'Gravy on Gay' to Gay Comix to Stuck Rubber Baby, and detailing Cruse's influence on emerging and future generations of queer cartoonists."
— Karen L. Green, Curator for Comics and Cartoons, Columbia University
"Pioneering cartoonist Howard Cruse's genius and fascinating career is vividly brought to life in Andrew Kunka's highly readable and thoroughly entertaining biography."
— Denis Kitchen, founder of Kitchen Sink Press
"Kunka balances narrative analysis with comics analysis, pointing out where Cruse uses panel borders unconventionally, or how his work with stippling and cross-hatching was groundbreaking. Kunka's commentary balances Cruse's storytelling with his drawing work, showing how Cruse was the complete package, a true cartoonist. Kunka's work and critical commentary is an essential read for those interested not only in Howard Cruse, but in how his work impacted a generation of artists, especially in how important Cruse was to helping create the genre of queer comics."
— International Journal of Comic Art Blog
— New Books Network - New Books in LGBTQ+ Studies
"Pioneering cartoonist Howard Cruse's genius and fascinating career is vividly brought to life in Andrew Kunka's highly readable and thoroughly entertaining biography."
— Denis Kitchen, founder of Kitchen Sink Press
"I've been waiting a lifetime for this book! Howard Cruse is one of the most important cartoonists of the 20th century but has never gotten his due because he mostly worked in the LGBTQ comics underground. Andrew Kunka has written a thoughtful, thorough, and celebratory examination of Cruse's life and remarkable oeuvre. He has paid homage to Howard's legacy as the Godfather of Queer Comics, who broke up the doors for so many of us queer artists and forever changed the world of comics."
— Justin Hall, editor of No Straight Lines: Four Decades of Queer Comics
"Kunka balances narrative analysis with comics analysis, pointing out where Cruse uses panel borders unconventionally, or how his work with stippling and cross-hatching was groundbreaking. Kunka's commentary balances Cruse's storytelling with his drawing work, showing how Cruse was the complete package, a true cartoonist. Kunka's work and critical commentary is an essential read for those interested not only in Howard Cruse, but in how his work impacted a generation of artists, especially in how important Cruse was to helping create the genre of queer comics."
— International Journal of Comic Art Blog
— New Books Network - New Books in LGBTQ+ Studies
"This book is a lovingly rendered portrait of Howard Cruse, often called the godfather of queer comics. Andrew J. Kunka showcases the range of Cruse's comics, pairing nuanced analysis of previously overlooked comics with deft contextual details about Cruse's life."
— Margaret Galvan, University of Florida
"Kunka produced a much-needed critical biography that makes clear exactly how courageous and ground-breaking Howard Cruse had been, in both his comics and his eloquent, impassioned activism. It is essential reading, connecting the dots of a career arc understood primarily as going from 'Gravy on Gay' to Gay Comix to Stuck Rubber Baby, and detailing Cruse's influence on emerging and future generations of queer cartoonists."
— Karen L. Green, Curator for Comics and Cartoons, Columbia University
