Howard Cruse

Howard Cruse is a cartoonist and gay activist from Springville.

He attended Indian Springs School and edited the "ISSINFO" school newspaper. In high school he worked as a camp counselor at Utopia School Camp. The already-prolific teenager carried on a correspondence with Milton Caniff, the creator of "Terry and the Pirates" and "Steve Canyon" comic strips. His week-long visit to New York City highlighted by lunch at Sardi's with Caniff (and a two day stay at the Sloane House YMCA) made the Post-Herald.

He went on to Birmingham-Southern College where a four-page comic strip satirizing the John Birch society earned the disdain of the faculty advisor to the Quad literary magazine. It ran, but with a full-page disclaimer. He was a contributor to the 'zine "Granny Takes a Trip founded by fellow student Julie Brumlik.

Cruse was active in the Birmingham-Southern theater under director Arnold Powell, performing in "The Visit", "One Way Pendulum", "The Imaginary Invalid", and Samuel Beckett's "Endgame". He also met "the first love of his life" Don Higdon, while at college. Cruse's mainstay comic strip, "Barefootz" got its first serial run in the University of Alabama's Crimson White and survived the 1970s in a variety of publications, and was reincarnated as a web comic .

After graduating, he worked as an assistant art director for WAPI 13 and co-created a children's show for the start-up ETV public educational tv network. From there he moved on to become the puppeteer on the Sergeant Jack Show on WBMG 42.

In 1977, Cruse moved to New York to try his hand at becoming a full-time cartoonist. There he met his current partner Eddie Sedarbaum (a gay activist and 1998 candidate for New York State Senate). The couple moved to North Adams, Massachusetts in 2003 and were married in 2004.

From 1983-1985 and 1986-1989 Cruse drew a gay-themed strip called "Wendel" that was published in The Advocate

Cruse's 1995 graphic novel "Stuck Rubber Baby" has garnered favorable critical comparisons to landmarks of the genre like Maus.

Publications

• Cruse, Howard. (1985) Wendel New York: Gay Presses of New York. ISBN 0914017101
• Cruse, Howard. (1986) Howard Cruse's Barefootz: The Comix Book stories Renegade Press. ASIN B00072X5YY
• Cruse, Howard. (1987) "Dancin' Nekkid with the Angels St Martin's Press. ISBN 0312011040
• Cruse, Howard. (1989) Wendel on the Rebound St Martin's Press. ISBN 0312030029
• Cruse, Howard. (1990) Early Barefootz Fantagraphics Books. ISBN 1560970529
• Cruse, Howard. (1995) Stuck Rubber Baby Paradox Press. ISBN 1563892553
• Cruse, Howard. (2001) Wendel All Together Olmstead Press. ISBN 1587540126
• Shaffer, Jeanne E. (April 2004) "The Swimmer with a Rope in his Teeth" illustrated by Howard Cruse. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books. ISBN 1591021812

External links

• Howard Cruse website

References

• "Young Artist Lunches With Great One" (July 18, 19__) Birmingham Post-Herald.