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188 still Chaykin after all these years: a Life in american Comics Jon B. cooKe / 2004 From Comic Book Artist vol. 2 #5, december 2004, pp. 34–37, 72–102. reprinted by permission of Jon B. Cooke. “a man in the middle.” that’s one way to look at veteran comic-book writer/ artist Howard v. Chaykin’s position in the field. on the one hand, he’s an accomplished mainstream chronicler of boffo superhero yarns and, on the other, the man is also a cutting-edge, smart storyteller, able to weave sophisticated tales that can appeal to the most adult and urbane tastes. science fiction, crime, western, romance, war, mystery, and—yes—costumed heroes are genres the Brooklyn-raised raconteur has mastered over his three and a half decades in the business, but often a Chaykin story blurs categorical labels. (You try shoe-horning his American Flagg! exploits, for instance!) though his dialogue and characters are witty and intelligent, Howard’s work is rarely pretentious and always entertaining, revealing perhaps that at the heart of it all, HvC is a showman. Plus, like the best double-threats in american comic books, Howard (at one’s dire peril, unless he is neal adams or walter simonson, does anyone call Mr. Chaykin “Howie”) has a completely individualistic style, both as writer and artist, difficult to imitate with an approach so uniquely his own it would be folly to even attempt. another laudable and obvious talent in HvC’s arsenal is the creator’s masterful design sense, undoubtedly honed from a lifelong appreciation—and now full-blown obsession, judging from his extraordinary collection of vintage original art—for the supreme artists who reigned during the golden age of american magazine illustration, as well as a deep appreciation for the art of typography, another “real world” influence clearly evident in Howard’s work (especially his innumerable collaborations with one of comics’ greatest letterers, ken Bruzenak). Come to think of it, perhaps Howard’s greatest achievement in jon b. cooke / 2004 189 funny-books (besides paving the way for creator-owned, independent comics with his breakaway 1980s hit, American Flagg!) has been to help usher in a profound and professional appreciation for the greater world of illustration and graphic design. still, i’m betting, in the end, it will be HvC’s outrageous excess of personality that just might be remembered best. Loud, scatological, abrasive, biting, acidic, sarcastic, droll, opinionated, and—above all—hilariously truthful, HvC is simply fearless in telling it like he sees it. and, again in this humble editor’s mind, the comics world is exceptionally lucky to have had the likes of this feisty, short, angry, smart new york Jewish kid bless its ranks with his oh-so-necessary and vital presence. now, on with our chat! — y.e. the following interview took place at Mr. Chaykin’s Los angeles home on January 21, 2004, and was transcribed by steven tice. HvC copyedited the final transcript. Comic Book Artist: How old are you, Howard? Howard Chaykin: I’m fifty-three years old, and that means I lie about my age in show business, but not in comic books, because it’s easy to track it down in this field. I can be Googled up the ass. CBA: “Chaykin,” what does the name mean? Howard: It means “seagull” in Russian. I found out about six years ago that my name isn’t really Chaykin, because I learned the man I thought was my father was actually my adoptive father. My real father’s name was Norman Drucker, no relation to Mort Drucker. I found this out due to a series of weird events that took place. I was raised in Brooklyn, and my mother and adoptive father split up when I was a kid, so I hadn’t seen him since I was a little boy. I sought him out, expecting to find his grave. Instead I found this seventy-eight-year-old guy, alive and well, living in Phoenix. My mother never knew I had found my father, and my brothers never knew either. But a couple of months after my mother died, and as I started to make peace with this situation, I get a phone call from a woman, a cousin of mine on my father’s side. When my mother split with my dad, she divorced herself entirely from his side of the family. This woman, in the course of the conversation, remarks about my adoption , and...

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