Howard Chaykin

Howard Chaykin is an American comic book artist and writer born in 1950 in New Jersey, raised in Brooklyn, New York. He apprenticed under Gil Kane, Wally Wood, and Neal Adams in the early 1970s before launching his own career with work on "War of the Worlds" for Marvel and "Sword of Sorcery" for DC.

Chaykin's most influential creation is American Flagg! (1983), a science fiction political satire published by First Comics and set in a dystopian 2030s Chicago. The series was acclaimed for its sophisticated storytelling, mixing jazz, pulp adventure, and sex into a densely designed visual style that proved highly influential on subsequent comics design. He followed it with Black Kiss (1988), a deliberately provocative 12-issue series for Vortex Comics featuring explicit content. His other notable work includes the original adaptation of Star Wars for Marvel, The Shadow for DC, and the creator-owned series Hey Kids! Comics!