Chaykin, Howard
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Howard Victor Chaykin (; born October 7, 1950) is an
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...
comic book artist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comics illustrators/artists in that they produce both the literary ...
and writer. Chaykin's influences include his one-time employer and mentor,
Gil Kane Gil Kane (; born Eli Katz , ; April 6, 1926 – January 31, 2000) was a Latvian-born American comics artist whose career spanned the 1940s to the 1990s and virtually every major comics company and character. Kane co-created the modern-day vers ...
, and the mid-20th century illustrators
Robert Fawcett Robert Fawcett (1903–1967) was an English artist. He was trained as a fine artist but achieved fame as an illustrator of books and magazines. Born in England, he grew up in Canada and later in New York. His father, an amateur artist, encoura ...
and
Al Parker Al Parker (born Andrew Robert Okun; June 25, 1952 – August 17, 1992) was a gay American porn star, producer, and director. He died from complications of AIDS at the age of 40. Early career Parker was born in Natick, Massachusetts. After arri ...
.


Early life

Howard Chaykin was born in
Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...
, to Rosalind Pave and Norman Drucker, who soon separated. Chaykin was initially raised by his grandparents in
Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...
, New York City, until his mother married Leon Chaykin in 1953 and the family moved to
East Flatbush East Flatbush is a residential neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. East Flatbush is bounded by Crown Heights and Empire Boulevard to the north; Brownsville and East 98th Street to the east; Flatlands, Canarsie and the Lon ...
and later to 370 Saratoga Avenue,
Brownsville, Brooklyn Brownsville is a residential neighborhood in eastern Brooklyn in New York City. The neighborhood is bordered by Crown Heights, Brooklyn, Crown Heights to the northwest; Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, Bedford–Stuyvesant and the subsection of ...
. At 14, Reprinted in Chaykin moved with his now divorced mother to the
Kew Gardens Kew Gardens is a botanical garden, botanic garden in southwest London that houses the "largest and most diverse botany, botanical and mycology, mycological collections in the world". Founded in 1759, from the exotic garden at Kew Park, its li ...
section of
Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...
. He said in 2000 he was raised on
welfare Welfare may refer to: Philosophy *Well-being (happiness, prosperity, or flourishing) of a person or group * Utility in utilitarianism * Value in value theory Economics * Utility, a general term for individual well-being in economics and decision ...
after his parents separated and that his absent biological father eventually was declared dead, although Chaykin, as an adult, located him alive. Chaykin's "nutty and cruel" adoptive father, whom Chaykin until the 1990s believed was his natural father, encouraged Chaykin's interest in drawing and bought him sketchbooks. He was introduced to comics by his cousin, who gave him a refrigerator box filled with them. He graduated from
Jamaica High School Jamaica High School was a four-year public high school in Jamaica, Queens, New York. It was operated by the New York City Department of Education. Jamaica High School was founded as the Union Free School in 1854, and located within a three-stor ...
at 16, in 1967, and in mid-1968 worked at Zenith Press. He attended Columbia College in Chicago that fall, but left school and returned to New York the following year. Chaykin said that after high school, "I hitchhiked around the country" before becoming, at 19, a "gofer" for the New York City–based comic book artist
Gil Kane Gil Kane (; born Eli Katz , ; April 6, 1926 – January 31, 2000) was a Latvian-born American comics artist whose career spanned the 1940s to the 1990s and virtually every major comics company and character. Kane co-created the modern-day vers ...
,Chaykin, ''Comic Book Artist'' #8, p. 63. Reprinted in ''Comic Book Artist Collection, Vol. 3'' p
177
/ref> whom he would name as his greatest influence.


Career

Chaykin's earliest work with comic books was under the tutelage of Gil Kane, whom he would later call his mentor. In 1970, he began publishing his art in comics and science-fiction
fanzine A fanzine (blend word, blend of ''fan (person), fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) for the pleas ...
s, sometimes under the
pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...
Eric Pave. Leaving Kane, he began working as an assistant to comics artist
Wally Wood Wallace Allan Wood (June 17, 1927 – November 2, 1981) was an American comic book writer, artist and independent publisher, widely known for his work on EC Comics's titles such as ''Weird Science (comic), Weird Science'', ''Weird Fantasy'', an ...
in the studio he shared with
Syd Shores Sydney Shores (1916 – June 3, 1973) was an American comic book artist known for his work on Captain America both during the 1940s, in what fans and historians call the Golden Age of comic books, and during the 1960s Silver Age of comic books. B ...
and
Jack Abel Jack Abel (July 15, 1927 – March 6, 1996)
at the
Valley Stream Valley Stream is a village in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population in the Village of Valley Stream was 40,634 at the time of the 2020 census. The Incorporated Village of Valley Stream is within the Town of ...
,
Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...
. He worked there for a "couple of months", and in 1971 published his first professional comics work, for the adult-theme
Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...
feature ''Shattuck'' in the military newspaper the ''
Overseas Weekly The ''Overseas Weekly'' was an English-language newspaper published in Frankfurt, Germany, from 1950 to 1975. Its primary audience was American military personnel stationed in Europe, especially enlisted men and especially in Germany, reaching a c ...
'', one of Wood's clients. He also " ghosted some stuff" for
Gray Morrow Dwight Graydon "Gray" Morrow (March 7, 1934 – November 6, 2001)Gray Morrow
at the S ...
: "I penciled a
Man-Thing The Man-Thing (Dr. Theodore "Ted" Sallis) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writers Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, and Gerry Conway and artist Gray Morrow, the character first appeared in ' ...
story he did or Marvel Comics' ''Fear (comics)">Fear Fear is an unpleasant emotion that arises in response to perception, perceived dangers or threats. Fear causes physiological and psychological changes. It may produce behavioral reactions such as mounting an aggressive response or fleeing the ...
'' #10 (cover-dated Oct. 1972)], and I penciled a thing for [the magazine] ''National Lampoon (magazine), National Lampoon'' called "Michael Rockefeller and the Jungles of New Guinea." He then apprenticed under
Neal Adams Neal Adams (June 15, 1941 – April 28, 2022) was an American comic book artist. He was the co-founder of the graphic design studio Continuity Associates, and was a Creator ownership, creators-rights advocate who helped secure a pension and re ...
, working with the artist at Adams' home in
The Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...
. This led to his first work at
DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
, one of the two largest comics companies: The "one-page filler", titled "Strange Neighbor", was inventoried and eventually published in the Boltinoff-edited ''
Secrets of Sinister House ''Secrets of Sinister House'' was a horror-suspense anthology comic book series published by DC Comics from 1972-1974, a companion to '' Forbidden Tales of Dark Mansion''. Both series were originally inspired by the successful ABC soap opera ''D ...
'' #17 (May 1974). His other earliest known DC work was penciling and inking the three-page story "Not Old Enough!" in ''
Young Romance ''Young Romance'' is a romantic comic book series created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby for the Crestwood Publications imprint (trade name), imprint Prize Comics in 1947 in comics, 1947. Generally considered the first Romance comics in the United ...
'' #185 (Aug. 1972), and penciling the eight-page supernatural story "Eye of the Beholder" in ''
Forbidden Tales of Dark Mansion ''Forbidden Tales of Dark Mansion'' was a horror-suspense- romance anthology comic book series published by DC Comics from 1971 to 1974, a companion to ''Secrets of Sinister House''. Both series were originally inspired by the successful ABC soap ...
'' #7 (Oct. 1972) and the one-page "Enter the Portals of Weird War" in ''
Weird War Tales ''Weird War Tales'' is a war comic book title with supernatural overtones published by DC Comics. It was published from September - October 1971 to June 1983. Publication history The original title ran for 12 years and 124 issues. It was an an ...
'' #9 (Dec. 1972). At one point Chaykin lived in the same Queens apartment building as artists
Allen Milgrom Allen L. Milgrom (born March 6, 1950) is an American comic book artist (penciller and inker), writer, and editor, primarily for Marvel Comics. He is known for his 10-year run as editor of ''Marvel Fanfare''; his long involvement as writer, pencil ...
,
Walter Simonson Walter Simonson (born September 2, 1946) is an American comic book writer and artist, best known for a run on Marvel Comics' ''Thor'' from 1983 to 1987, during which he created the character Beta Ray Bill. He is also known for the creator-owned w ...
, and
Bernie Wrightson Bernard Albert Wrightson (October 27, 1948 – March 18, 2017) was an American artist, known for co-creating the Swamp Thing, his Bernie Wrightson's Frankenstein, adaptation of the novel ''Frankenstein'' illustration work, and for his other ho ...
. Simonson recalls, "We'd get together at 3 a.m. They'd come up and we'd have popcorn and sit around and talk about whatever a 26, 27, and 20-year-old guys talk about. Our art, TV, you name it. I pretty much knew at the time, 'These are the good ole days.'"Warner, Meredith (March 25, 2017)
"How Bernie Wrightson uncovered the soul of the monster in his work"
''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
''.


1970s

Chaykin's first major work was for
DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
drawing the 23-page "The Price of Pain Ease"—writer
Denny O'Neil Dennis "Denny" Joseph O'Neil (May 3, 1939 – June 11, 2020) was an American comic book writer and editor, principally for Marvel Comics and DC Comics from the 1960s through the 1990s, and Group Editor for the Batman family of titles until h ...
's adaptation of author
Fritz Leiber Fritz Reuter Leiber Jr. ( ; December 24, 1910 – September 5, 1992) was an American writer of fantasy, horror, and science fiction. Along with Robert E. Howard and Michael Moorcock, Leiber is one of the fathers of sword and sorcery. Life ...
's characters
Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser are two sword-and-sorcery heroes appearing in stories written by American author Fritz Leiber. They are the protagonists of what are probably Leiber's best-known stories. One of his motives in writing them was to hav ...
—in ''
Sword of Sorcery ''Sword of Sorcery'' was an American sword-and-sorcery comics anthology featuring Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, heroes and rogues created by Fritz Leiber. Published bi-monthly by DC Comics, it ran for five issues in 1973, with a cover price of 20 ...
'' #1 (March 1973). Although the title was well received, it lasted only five issues before cancellation. Chaykin drew the character
Ironwolf Ironwolf is a fictional character who appeared in the last three issues of '' Weird Worlds'', a comics anthology series published by American company DC Comics from 1972 to 1974. Ironwolf was created by Howard Chaykin, with Dennis O'Neil and Walt ...
in the science fiction anthology title '' Weird Worlds'' for DC, and did the pencils and ink for a 12-page Batman story written by Archie Goodwin and published in ''
Detective Comics ''Detective Comics'' (later retitled as ''Batman Detective Comics'') is an American comic book series published by Detective Comics, later shortened to DC Comics. The first volume, published from 1937 to 2011 (and later continued in 2016), is ...
'' #441 in 1974. In 2018 he looked back on this Batman story as one of the worst things he had ever drawn, adding, "Anything of value in that story was Archie's." Moving to
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
, he began work as co-artist with Neal Adams on the first Killraven story, seen in ''
Amazing Adventures ''Amazing Adventures'' is the name of several anthology comic book series, all but one published by Marvel Comics. The earliest Marvel series of that name introduced the company's first superhero of the late-1950s to early-1960s period fans and h ...
'' #18 in 1973. After this, Chaykin was given various adventure strips to draw for Marvel, including his own creation,
Dominic Fortune Dominic Fortune is the name of two different fictional characters appearing in American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comic ...
(inspired by his
Scorpion Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the Order (biology), order Scorpiones. They have eight legs and are easily recognized by a pair of Chela (organ), grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward cur ...
character, originally drawn for
Atlas Comics Atlas Comics may refer to: * Atlas Comics (1950s), one of the two comic publishing companies that would be the forerunner of Marvel Comics * Atlas/Seaboard Comics Atlas/Seaboard Comics is a line of comic books published by the American company S ...
), now in the pages of ''
Marvel Preview ''Marvel Preview'' is a black-and-white comics magazine published by Magazine Management for fourteen issues and the affiliated Marvel Comics Group for ten issues. The final issue additionally carried the imprint Marvel Magazines Group. Publica ...
''. In 1978, he wrote and drew his Cody Starbuck creation for the anthology title ''
Star Reach ''Star Reach'' (also spelled ''Star*Reach'') was an American science fiction and fantasy comics anthology published from 1974 to 1979 by Mike Friedrich. Publication history One of the first American mainstream independent comic books, ''Star*R ...
'', one of the first independent titles of the 1970s. These strips saw him explore more adult themes as best he could within the restrictions often imposed on him by editors and the
Comics Code Authority The Comics Code Authority (CCA) was formed in 1954 by the Comics Magazine Association of America as an alternative to government regulation. The CCA enabled comic publishers to self-regulate the content of American comic book, comic books in the ...
. The same year, he produced for Schanes & Schanes a six-plate portfolio showcasing his character. In 1976, Chaykin landed the job of drawing the
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
adaptation In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the p ...
of the first ''Star Wars'' film, written by
Roy Thomas Roy William Thomas Jr."Roy Thomas Checklist" ''Alter Ego'' vol. 3, #50 (July 2005) p. 16 (born November 22, 1940) is an American comic book writer and editor. He was Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics and possibly bes ...
. Chaykin left after 10 issues to work in more adult and experimental comics, and to do paperback book covers. In late 1978, Chaykin,
Walt Simonson Walter Simonson (born September 2, 1946) is an American comic book writer and artist, best known for a run on Marvel Comics' ''Thor'' from 1983 to 1987, during which he created the character Beta Ray Bill. He is also known for the creator-owned ...
,
Val Mayerik Val Mayerik (born March 29, 1950) is an American comic book and commercial artist, best known as co-creator of the satiric character ''Howard the Duck'' for ''Marvel Comics''. Biography Early life and career Val Mayerik was born in Youngstown, ...
, and
Jim Starlin James P. Starlin (born October 9, 1949) is an American comics artist and writer. Beginning his career in the early 1970s, he is best known for space opera stories, for revamping the Marvel Comics characters Captain Marvel and Adam Warlock, an ...
formed
Upstart Associates Upstart Associates, sometimes known as Upstart Studios, was the name of an artists' studio at 231 West 29th Street in New York City formed in late 1978 by four comic book creators. Those artists were Howard Chaykin, Walt Simonson, Val Mayerik, an ...
, a shared studio space on West 29th Street in New York City. The membership of the studio changed over time. Chaykin penciled DC Comics' first miniseries, ''
World of Krypton ''World of Krypton'' is an American three-issue comic book limited series written by Paul Kupperberg and penciled by Howard Chaykin. It was the comics industry's first limited series, which addressed DC's problem of newly launched ongoing series ...
'' (July–September 1979). In the next few years he produced material for '' Heavy Metal'', drew a
graphic novel A graphic novel is a self-contained, book-length form of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and Anthology, anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comics sc ...
adaptation of
Alfred Bester Alfred Bester (December 18, 1913 – September 30, 1987) was an American science fiction author, TV and radio screenwriter, magazine Editing, editor and scriptwriter for comics. He is best remembered for his science fiction, including ''Th ...
's ''
The Stars My Destination ''The Stars My Destination'' is a science fiction novel by American writer Alfred Bester. Its first publication was in book form in June 1956 in the United Kingdom, where it was titled ''Tiger! Tiger!'', named after William Blake's 1794 poem ...
'', and produced illustrations for works by
Roger Zelazny Roger Joseph Zelazny (May 13, 1937 – June 14, 1995) was an American fantasy and science fiction writer known for his short stories and novels, best known for '' The Chronicles of Amber''. He won the Nebula Award three times (out of 14 nominatio ...
. Chaykin collaborated on two original graphic novels—'' The Swords of Heaven, the Flowers of Hell'' with writer
Michael Moorcock Michael John Moorcock (born 18 December 1939) is an English writer, particularly of science fiction and fantasy, who has published a number of well-received literary novels as well as comic thrillers, graphic novels and non-fiction. He has wo ...
, and ''
Empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...
'' with
Samuel R. Delany Samuel R. "Chip" Delany (, ; born April 1, 1942) is an American writer and literary critic. His work includes fiction (especially science fiction), memoir, criticism, and essays on science fiction, literature, sexual orientation, sexuality, and ...
—and found time to move into film design with work on the movie version of '' Heavy Metal''.


1980s

In 1980 he designed the album cover of '' The Legend of Jesse James'', a concept album about legendary outlaw
Jesse James Jesse Woodson James (September 5, 1847April 3, 1882) was an American outlaw, Bank robbery, bank and Train robbery, train robber, guerrilla and leader of the James–Younger Gang. Raised in the "Little Dixie (Missouri), Little Dixie" area of M ...
. Chaykin had a six-issue run on Marvel's ''
Micronauts Micronauts is a North American science fiction toyline manufactured and marketed by Mego from 1976 to 1980. The ''Micronauts'' toyline was based on and licensed from the '' Microman'' toyline created by Japanese-based toy company Takara in 1974 ...
'' series, drawing issues from #13 (January 1980) to #18 (June 1980). He went back to Cody Starbuck with a story in ''Heavy Metal'' between May and September 1981, in the same painted art style he'd used for the Moorcock graphic novel. In June 1980, a story that he collaborated on with Samuel R. Delany, called "Seven Moons' Light Casts Complex Shadows" was published in Marvel's ''
Epic Illustrated ''Epic Illustrated'' was a comics anthology in magazine format published in the United States by Marvel Comics. Similar to the US-licensed comic book magazine ''Heavy Metal (magazine), Heavy Metal'', it allowed explicit content to be featured, un ...
'' #2. In 1983, Chaykin launched ''
American Flagg! ''American Flagg!'' is an American comic book series created by writer-artist Howard Chaykin, published by First Comics from 1983 to 1989. A science fiction series and political satire, it was set in the U.S., particularly Chicago, Illinois, in t ...
'' for
First Comics First Comics is an American comic book publisher that was active from 1983 to 1991 and then from 2011 to present (stylized as 1First Comics), known for titles like '' American Flagg!'', '' Grimjack'', ''Nexus'', ''Badger'', '' Dreadstar'', and '' ...
. With Chaykin as both writer and artist, the series was successful for First and proved highly influential, mixing all of Chaykin's previous ideas and interests—jazz, pulp adventure, science fiction and sex. Chaykin made wide use of Craftint Duoshade illustration boards, which in the period before computers allowed him to add a shaded texture to the finished art. ''American Flagg!'' made a huge splash at the 1984
Eagle Awards The Eagle Awards were a series of British awards for comic book titles and creators. They were awarded by UK fans voting for work produced during the previous year. Named after the UK's seminal boys' comic ''Eagle'', the awards were launched in ...
, the United Kingdom's pre-eminent comics awards. Chaykin and ''American Flagg!'' were nominated for ten awards,"Eagle Nominations Announced," ''The Comics Journal'' #89 (May 1984), p. 11. eventually winning seven. After the first 26 issues of ''American Flagg!'', Chaykin started work on new projects. Chaykin's involvement in his original run of the series was that of writer for 29 issues, interior artist for issues #1–12 and 14–26, and cover artist for issues #1–33. He returned to full art and writing for the ''American Flagg! Special'' one-shot in 1986. In 1987, a four-issue run was released, then the title was cancelled and relaunched as ''Howard Chaykin's American Flagg!'', which ran 12 issues. The first new project was a revamp of ''
The Shadow The Shadow is a fictional character created by American magazine publishers Street & Smith and writer Walter B. Gibson. Originally created to be a mysterious radio show narrator and developed into a distinct literary character in 1931 by Gibs ...
'' in a four-issue miniseries for
DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
in 1986. Rather than setting the series in its traditional 1930s milieu, Chaykin updated it to a contemporary setting and included his own style of extreme violence. In a 2012 interview, Chaykin stated, "The reason I pulled him out of the period was because I thought it would be commercial suicide to do a period character at that point." The ''American Flagg! Special'' one-shot introduced Chaykin's '' Time²'', a two-volume graphic-novel series with a heavy dose of jazz,
film noir Film noir (; ) is a style of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood Crime film, crime dramas that emphasizes cynicism (contemporary), cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of Ameri ...
and a fantasy version of New York City: ''Time²: The Epiphany'' () and ''Time²: The Satisfaction of Black Mariah'' ()). In 1987, Chaykin described plans for a third volume, saying, "It's probably going to be grossly different from the first two, because I'm taking things in another direction ... I want to do a story that is both very funny ... and at the same time very, very ugly. Really nasty and unpleasant. Because frankly, it's the place to do that sort of thing." Although Chaykin hoped it would be available in 1988, the third volume will be included in the Time² Omnibus, released in February, 2024 through
Image Comics Image Comics is an independent American American comic book, comic book publisher and is the third largest direct market comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry by market share. Its best-known publications include ''Spawn (comics) ...
. Chaykin has described ''Time²'' as the single work about which he is most proud. "To tell you the truth, my first interest would be to do another ''Time²'' because that was a very personal product for me," he said in 2008. "It's a fantasia of my family's story." Before returning to ''American Flagg!'', Chaykin revamped another DC Comics character with ''
Blackhawk Black Hawk and Blackhawk may refer to: Animals * Common black hawk, ''Buteogallus anthracinus'' * Cuban black hawk, ''Buteogallus gundlachii'' * Great black hawk, ''Buteogallus urubitinga'' * Mangrove black hawk, ''Buteogallus (anthracinus) s ...
'', a three-issue miniseries about a team of heroic aviators, set in the 1930s. In 1987, DC proposed a system of labeling comics for violent or sexual content, Chaykin with
Alan Moore Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including ''Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', ''The Ballad of Halo Jones'', Swamp Thing (comic book), ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman: The Killing Joke' ...
and
Frank Miller Frank Miller (born January 27, 1957) is an American comic book artist, comic book writer, and screenwriter known for his comic book stories and graphic novels such as his run on ''Daredevil'', for which he created the character Elektra, and ...
boycotted DC and refused to work for the company. In 1988, Chaykin created perhaps his most controversial title: '' Black Kiss'', a 12-issue series published by
Vortex Comics Vortex Comics is a Canadian independent comic book publisher that began operation in 1982. Under the supervision of president, publisher, and editor Bill Marks, Vortex was known for such titles as Dean Motter's '' Mister X'', Howard Chaykin's '' B ...
that contained his most explicit depictions of sex and violence, with a story of sex-obsessed
vampires A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...
in
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...
. Though ''Black Kiss'' shipped sealed in an "adults only" clear plastic bag, its content drew much criticism. This did not stop it from selling well enough for Chaykin to describe it as "probably, on a per-page basis, the most profitable book I've ever done."


1990s

Chaykin returned to DC to write the three-issue
miniseries In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...
''
Twilight Twilight is daylight illumination produced by diffuse sky radiation when the Sun is below the horizon as sunlight from the upper atmosphere is scattered in a way that illuminates both the Earth's lower atmosphere and also the Earth's surf ...
'', drawn by
José Luis García-López José Luis García-López (born March 26, 1948) is a Spanish people, Spanish-Argentines, Argentine comics artist who works in the United States, particularly in a long-running relationship with DC Comics. In addition to his storytelling art, he pr ...
and revamping some of DC's science-fiction heroes of the 1950s and 1960s, such as
Tommy Tomorrow Tommy Tomorrow is a science fiction hero published by DC Comics in several of their titles from 1947 to 1963. He first appeared in ''Real Fact Comics'' #6 (January 1947). He was created by Jack Schiff, George Kashdan, Bernie Breslauer, Virgil Finl ...
and Space Cabby. Later, Chaykin collaborated twice with artist
Mike Mignola Michael Mignola (; born September 16, 1960) is an American comic book writer best known for creating ''Hellboy'' for Dark Horse Comics, part of a Hellboy Universe, shared universe of titles including ''B.P.R.D.'', ''Abe Sapien'', ''Lobster Johns ...
: In 1990–1991, they produced the ''
Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser are two sword-and-sorcery heroes appearing in stories written by American author Fritz Leiber. They are the protagonists of what are probably Leiber's best-known stories. One of his motives in writing them was to hav ...
'' miniseries for
Epic Comics Epic Comics (also known as the Epic Comics Group)Shooter, Jim. "Bullpen Bulletins: The Truth About the Epic Comics Group!" Marvel comics cover-dated November 1982. was an imprint of American publishing company Marvel Comics, active from 1982 to ...
with co-writer John Francis Moore and inker
Al Williamson Alfonso Williamson (March 21, 1931 – June 12, 2010) was an American cartoonist, comic book artist and illustrator specializing in adventure, Western, science fiction and fantasy. Born in New York City, he spent much of his early childhood in ...
. This was followed with the '' Ironwolf: Fires of the Revolution'' graphic novel in 1992. Chaykin then wrote and illustrated ''Midnight Men'' for Marvel's Epic imprint in 1993. He co-created/designed
Firearm A firearm is any type of gun that uses an explosive charge and is designed to be readily carried and operated by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see legal definitions). The first firearms originate ...
for
Malibu Comics Malibu Comics Entertainment, Inc. (launched as Malibu Graphics) was an American comic book publisher active in the late 1980s and early 1990s, best known for its Ultraverse line of superhero titles. Notable titles published by Malibu included ''Th ...
that same year, and then with several colleagues formed the creator-owned ''Bravura'' imprint for Malibu Comics. Chaykin created the four-issue miniseries ''Power and Glory'' in 1994, a superhero-themed
public relations Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. Pu ...
satire. In 1996, DC's
Helix A helix (; ) is a shape like a cylindrical coil spring or the thread of a machine screw. It is a type of smooth space curve with tangent lines at a constant angle to a fixed axis. Helices are important in biology, as the DNA molecule is for ...
imprint published '' Cyberella'', a
cyberpunk Cyberpunk is a subgenre of science fiction in a dystopian futuristic setting said to focus on a combination of "low-life and high tech". It features futuristic technological and scientific achievements, such as artificial intelligence and cyberwa ...
dystopia A dystopia (lit. "bad place") is an imagined world or society in which people lead wretched, dehumanized, fearful lives. It is an imagined place (possibly state) in which everything is unpleasant or bad, typically a totalitarian or environmen ...
written by Chaykin and drawn by Don Cameron. Chaykin began to drift out of comics by the mid-1990s. With the exception of several ''
Elseworlds Elseworlds is the publication imprint (trade name), imprint for American comic books produced by DC Comics for stories that take place outside the DC Universe Canon (fictional), canon. Elseworlds publications are set in alternate realities that ...
'' stories he wrote for DC Comics, including ''Batman: Dark Allegiances'' which he wrote and drew in 1996, his comic output became minimal as he became more involved in film and television work. He was executive script consultant for the 1990–1991 ''
The Flash The Flash is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date, cover-dated Jan ...
'' television series on
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
, and later worked on action-adventure programs such as ''
Viper Vipers are snakes in the family Viperidae, found in most parts of the world, except for Antarctica, Australia, Hawaii, Madagascar, New Zealand, Ireland, and various other isolated islands. They are venomous and have long (relative to non-vipe ...
'', '' Earth: Final Conflict'' and '' Mutant X''. Near the end of the decade, Chaykin returned to comics and co-wrote with
David Tischman David Tischman is an American comic book writer who has been active since 2000, writing for such series as ''American Century'', ''Cable'', '' Bite Club'', and ''Star Trek'', as well as the web comic ''Heroine Chic''. Biography Tischman wrote '' ...
the three-issue miniseries '' Pulp Fantastic'' for the
Vertigo Vertigo is a condition in which a person has the sensation that they are moving, or that objects around them are moving, when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. It may be associated with nausea, vomiting, perspira ...
imprint of DC, with art by
Rick Burchett Rick Burchett (born March 9, 1952) is an American comic book artist known for his work on such characters as Batman and Superman. Career Burchett began his artistic career in St. Louis, Missouri, and did his early professional comics work at Firs ...
.


2000s

Chaykin began co-writing ''
American Century The American Century is a characterization of the period since the middle of the 20th century as being largely dominated by the United States in political, economic, technological, and cultural terms. It is comparable to the description of the p ...
'' with David Tischman for Vertigo. This story, set in post-war America, would be a pulp-adventure strip inspired by the likes of ''
Terry and the Pirates ''Terry and the Pirates'' is an action-adventure comic strip created by cartoonist Milton Caniff, which originally ran from October 22, 1934, to February 25, 1973. Captain Joseph Patterson, editor for the Chicago Tribune New York News Syndica ...
'' as well as the
EC Comics E.C. Publications, Inc., (doing business as EC Comics) is an American comic book publisher. It specialized in horror fiction, crime fiction, satire, military fiction, dark fantasy, and science fiction from the 1940s through the mid-1950s, nota ...
war stories created by
Harvey Kurtzman Harvey Kurtzman (; October 3, 1924 – February 21, 1993) was an American cartoonist and editor. His best-known work includes writing and editing the parodic comic book ''Mad (magazine), Mad'' from 1952 until 1956, and writing the ...
. That year, Chaykin became part of the creative team on '' Mutant X'', a television series inspired by the
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
series of mutant titles. His next work was ''Mighty Love'', a 96-page original graphic novel published in 2004 and described as "''
You've Got Mail ''You've Got Mail'' is a 1998 American romantic comedy film directed by Nora Ephron, and starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan alongside Parker Posey, Jean Stapleton, Dave Chappelle, Steve Zahn, and Greg Kinnear. Inspired by the 1937 Hungarian ...
'' with super-powers". This was acclaimed as a return to the type of work he did on ''American Flagg!'' and contained his first art in a title since the early 1990s. That year, Chaykin and Tischman revamped ''
Challengers of the Unknown The Challengers of the Unknown is a fictional group of adventurers appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The quartet of adventurers explored paranormal occurrences while facing several fantastic menaces. The characters' provenance is ...
'' in a six-issue mini-series for DC, as well as writing a mini-series about
gangster A gangster (informally gangsta) is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from ''Organized crime, mob'' and the suffix ''wikt:-ster, -st ...
vampires called '' Bite Club'' for Vertigo. The pair wrote '' Barnum!: In Secret Service to the USA'', a graphic novel in which real-life showman
P. T. Barnum Phineas Taylor Barnum (July 5, 1810 – April 7, 1891) was an American showman, businessman, and politician remembered for promoting celebrated hoaxes and founding with James Anthony Bailey the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. He was ...
comes to the aid of the U.S. government. In 2005, Chaykin produced the six-part ''
City of Tomorrow A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...
'', a DC/
Wildstorm Wildstorm Productions (stylized as WildStorm) is an American comic book imprint. Originally founded as an independent company established by Jim Lee and Brandon Choi to publish through Image Comics, Wildstorm became a publishing imprint of DC C ...
production involving a futuristic city populated by gangster
robot A robot is a machine—especially one Computer program, programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions Automation, automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the robot control, co ...
s. Chaykin described the mini-series as "''
The Untouchables Untouchable or Untouchables may refer to: People * Untouchability, the practice of socially ostracizing a minority group of very low social status * Untouchables, word for the Dalits or Scheduled Castes of India * Untouchables (law enforcement), ...
'' meets '' West World'' at Epcot." That same year, he wrote the four-issue mini-series ''
Legend A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess certain qualities that give the ...
'' updating the character
Hugo Danner Hugo Danner is a fictional character and the protagonist of Philip Wylie's 1930 novel ''Gladiator''. Born in the late 19th century with superhuman abilities via prenatal chemical experimentation, Danner tries to use his powers for good, making h ...
for Wildstorm. He illustrated ''24 College Ave.'', a story serialized online in 54 chapters for
ESPN.com ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN. It is owned by ESPN Internet Ventures, a division of ESPN Inc. History Since launching in April 1995 as ESPNET.SportsZone.com (ESPNET SportsZone), the website has developed numerous sections including ...
's Page 2 section. ESPN.com columnist Jim Caple wrote the text, each episode of which was accompanied by a single-panel Chaykin drawing. In 2006, he began working on his first superhero title for DC Comics, pencilling ''
Hawkgirl Hawkgirl is the name of several superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original Hawkgirl, Shiera Sanders Hall, was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, and first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' ...
'', with
Walter Simonson Walter Simonson (born September 2, 1946) is an American comic book writer and artist, best known for a run on Marvel Comics' ''Thor'' from 1983 to 1987, during which he created the character Beta Ray Bill. He is also known for the creator-owned w ...
writing, starting with issue #50. With issue 56, he stopped drawing the series, mainly to get time to work on Marvel's ''
Blade A blade is the Sharpness (cutting), sharp, cutting portion of a tool, weapon, or machine, specifically designed to puncture, chop, slice, or scrape surfaces or materials. Blades are typically made from materials that are harder than those they a ...
'' with Marc Guggenheim, although he continued to draw ''Hawkgirl'' covers for eight more issues. Also in 2006, DC Comics published a two-page Black Canary
origin story In fiction, an origin story is an account or backstory revealing how a character or group of people become a protagonist or antagonist. In American comic books, it also refers to how characters gained their superpowers and/or the circumstances ...
drawn by Chaykin for the series '' 52''. Later that year, DC released ''
Guy Gardner Guy Gardner may refer to: * Guy Gardner (astronaut) (born 1948), United States Air Force officer and former astronaut * Guy Gardner (character) Guy Darrin Gardner, one of the characters known as Green Lantern, is a superhero appearing in American ...
: Collateral Damage''. The two-issue series, written and drawn by Chaykin, revolves around the
Green Lantern Corps The Green Lantern Corps is a intergalactic Peacekeeping, peace keeping agency appearing in comics published by DC Comics. They patrol the farthest reaches of the DC Universe at the behest of the Guardians, a race of immortals residing on the plan ...
' role in an interstellar war. After ''Blade'' was cancelled with issue 12, he pencilled issue 50 of ''
Punisher The Punisher (Francis "Frank" Castle, born Castiglione) is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru. The Punisher ma ...
'', '' Wolverine (vol. 3)'' #56–61, '' Punisher War Journal (vol. 2)'' (#16–24) and an issue of ''
Immortal Iron Fist ''The Immortal Iron Fist'' was a comic book series published by Marvel Comics and starring the superhero Iron Fist. Publication history The series was written jointly by Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction from issues #1-14 with artists Travel Foreman ...
''. Chaykin illustrated the 2008
Marvel MAX MAX Comics is an imprint of Marvel Comics specializing in comic book media aimed at adult-only readers. It was launched in 2001 after Marvel broke with the Comics Code Authority and established its own rating system. History The MAX Comics imp ...
comic '' War Is Hell: The First Flight of the
Phantom Eagle Phantom Eagle is the name used by two fictional aviator heroes appearing in American comic books. The first character to use the name was teenaged Mickey Malone, a young aviator who appeared in the 1940s in Fawcett Comics publications depicting ...
'', scripted by
Garth Ennis Garth Ennis (born 16 January 1970) is a Northern Irish-American comics writer, best known for the Vertigo series ''Preacher'' with artist Steve Dillon, his nine-year run on Marvel Comics' ''Punisher'' franchise, and '' The Boys'' with artist Dar ...
. He wrote ''
Supreme Power The Squadron Supreme is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, of which there are several notable alternate versions. The original team was created by Roy Thomas and John Buscema, derived from the previously ...
'' vol. 3 #1–12 (Sep. 2008 – July 2009) for Marvel. In 2009, he wrote and penciled ''
Dominic Fortune Dominic Fortune is the name of two different fictional characters appearing in American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comic ...
''.


2010s

In 2010 he wrote '' Die Hard: Year One'', a comic about
John McClane John McClane Sr. is a fictional character and the protagonist of the ''Die Hard'' franchise, based on Joe Leland from Roderick Thorp's action novel '' Nothing Lasts Forever''. McClane was portrayed in all five films by actor Bruce Willis, and ...
from the ''Die Hard'' series for
Boom! Studios Boom! Studios (stylized as BOOM! Studios), is an American comic book and graphic novel publisher. They are headquartered in Los Angeles, California, United States. The company is a subsidiary of Random House division of Penguin Random House sin ...
. Marvel in June 2010 published a
Rawhide Kid The Rawhide Kid (real name: Johnny Bart, originally given as Johnny Clay) is a fictional Old West cowboy appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. A heroic gunfighter of the 19th-century American West who was unjustly wanted a ...
miniseries drawn by Chaykin and written by Ron Zimmerman. Chaykin wrote and drew the ''Avengers 1959'' five-issue miniseries, a spinoff of a storyline introduced in ''
New Avengers The New Avengers are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The title has been used for four American comic book series. The first two were written by Brian Michael Bendis and depicted a version of Ma ...
''. The first issue was released in October 2011. Chaykin helmed a reboot of the science-fiction character ''
Buck Rogers Buck Rogers is a science fiction adventure hero and feature comic strip created by Philip Francis Nowlan first appearing in daily American newspapers on January 7, 1929, and subsequently appearing in Sunday newspapers, international newspapers, b ...
'' beginning in August 2013, again in the capacity of both artist and writer. In 2018, Chaykin began ''Hey Kids! Comics!'', a cynical parody of the history of the rise of the comics industry and the many creators exploited in the process (particularly those exploited by
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
). This
Image Comics Image Comics is an independent American American comic book, comic book publisher and is the third largest direct market comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry by market share. Its best-known publications include ''Spawn (comics) ...
series was completed in September 2023 after three volumes and 17 total issues.


2020s

In April 2022, Chaykin was reported among the more than three dozen comics creators who contributed to
Operation USA Operation USA (also known as OpUSA, Operation California, or OpCal) is a non-profit humanitarian organization supporting health, education, and relief programs at home and abroad. The Organization is privately funded, receiving no assistance ...
's benefit anthology book, ''Comics for Ukraine: Sunflower Seeds'', a project spearheaded by
IDW Publishing IDW Publishing is an American publisher of comic books, graphic novels, art books, and comic strip collections. It was founded in 1999 as the publishing division of Idea and Design Works, LLC (IDW) and is recognized as the fifth-largest comic ...
Special Projects Editor
Scott Dunbier Scott Dunbier is an American comic book editor, best known as the Special Projects Editor at IDW Publishing. Career Dunbier rose to prominence in the comic book industry as executive editor of the Wildstorm comic book line. After several years ...
, whose profits would be donated to relief efforts for Ukrainian refugees resulting from the February
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...
. Chaykin's contribution was a story featuring
American Flagg! ''American Flagg!'' is an American comic book series created by writer-artist Howard Chaykin, published by First Comics from 1983 to 1989. A science fiction series and political satire, it was set in the U.S., particularly Chicago, Illinois, in t ...
.


Personal life

In 1972, Chaykin married Daina Graziunas. The marriage ended in 1977, and the following year he married Leslie Zahler. That marriage ended in 1986, and in 1989, in Los Angeles, Chaykin married Jeni Munn, a union that lasted through 1992. In November 2002, in Ventura, Chaykin married Laurel Beth Rice. As of 2013, Chaykin serves on the Disbursement Committee of the comic-book industry charity
The Hero Initiative The Hero Initiative, formerly known as A Commitment to Our Roots, or ACTOR, is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping comic book creators, writers, and artists in need. Founded in late 2000 by a consortium of comic book and trade pu ...
.


Awards

* 1977
Inkpot Award The Inkpot Award is an honor bestowed annually since 1974 by Comic-Con International. It is given to professionals in the fields of comic books, comic strips, animation, science fiction, and related areas of popular culture, at Comic-Con Internati ...
* 1978 Eagle Award nomination for Favourite Continued Story for ''
Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...
'' #1–6—"Film Adaptation" * 1984 Eagle Award for Favourite Penciler * 1984 Eagle Award for Favourite Inker * 1984 Eagle Award for Favourite Writer * 1984 Eagle Award for Favourite Comic (''
American Flagg! ''American Flagg!'' is an American comic book series created by writer-artist Howard Chaykin, published by First Comics from 1983 to 1989. A science fiction series and political satire, it was set in the U.S., particularly Chicago, Illinois, in t ...
'') * 1984 Eagle Award for Favourite Single or Continued Story (''American Flagg''! #1–2, "Hard Times") * 1984 Eagle Award for Favourite New Comic Title (''American Flagg!'' * 1984 Eagle Award nomination for Favourite Character ( Reuben Flagg) * 1984 Eagle Award nomination for Favourite Supporting Character ( Raul the cat) * 1984 Eagle Award nomination for Favourite Comic Cover (''American Flagg!'' #2, "Back in the U.S.A.") * 1984 Eagle Award nomination for Favourite Comic Cover (''American Flagg!'' #3, "Killed in the Ratings") * 2006 Eagle Award for Favourite Comics Writer/ArtistPrevious Winners: 2006
at the official Eagle Awards website, archived at the Wayback Machine. (Retrieved 16 January 2020.)


Bibliography

His work as an artist (interior pencil art, except where noted) includes:


DC Comics

*''
Forbidden Tales of Dark Mansion ''Forbidden Tales of Dark Mansion'' was a horror-suspense- romance anthology comic book series published by DC Comics from 1971 to 1974, a companion to ''Secrets of Sinister House''. Both series were originally inspired by the successful ABC soap ...
'' #7 (1972) *''
Sword of Sorcery ''Sword of Sorcery'' was an American sword-and-sorcery comics anthology featuring Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, heroes and rogues created by Fritz Leiber. Published bi-monthly by DC Comics, it ran for five issues in 1973, with a cover price of 20 ...
'' (
Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser are two sword-and-sorcery heroes appearing in stories written by American author Fritz Leiber. They are the protagonists of what are probably Leiber's best-known stories. One of his motives in writing them was to hav ...
) #1–4 (1973) *''
Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, a feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer. Creat ...
'' (backup story) #216 (1973) *'' Weird Worlds'' (Ironwolf) #8–10 (1973–74) *''
Detective Comics ''Detective Comics'' (later retitled as ''Batman Detective Comics'') is an American comic book series published by Detective Comics, later shortened to DC Comics. The first volume, published from 1937 to 2011 (and later continued in 2016), is ...
'' (Batman &
Robin Robin most commonly refers to several species of passerine birds. Robin may also refer to: Animals * Australasian robins, red-breasted songbirds of the family Petroicidae * Many members of the subfamily Saxicolinae (Old World chats), inclu ...
) #441 (1974); (
Human Target The Human Target is the name of two characters in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first is Fred Venable, while the second is private investigator and bodyguard Christopher Chance who assumes the identities of clients targeted by a ...
) #483 (1979) *''
Adventure Comics ''Adventure Comics'' is an American comic book series published by DC Comics from 1938 to 1983 and revived from 2009 to 2011. In its first era, the series ran for 503 issues (472 of those after the title changed from ''New Adventure Comics''), ...
'' (
Shining Knight Shining Knight (; ) is the name of multiple fictional superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original version was created by Creig Flessel and first appeared in ''Adventure Comics'' #66 (September 1941). Fict ...
) #438 (1975) *''
Weird War Tales ''Weird War Tales'' is a war comic book title with supernatural overtones published by DC Comics. It was published from September - October 1971 to June 1983. Publication history The original title ran for 12 years and 124 issues. It was an an ...
'' #40, 61–62, 67, 69, 76, 82 (1976–79) *''
Batman Family ''Batman Family'' is an American comic book anthology series published by DC Comics which ran from 1975 to 1978, primarily featuring stories starring supporting characters to the superhero Batman. An eight-issue miniseries called ''Batman: Famil ...
'' #14 (1977) *''
Weird Western Tales ''Weird Western Tales'' is a Western genre comics anthology published by DC Comics from June–July 1972 to August 1980. It is best known for featuring the adventures of Jonah Hex until #38 (Jan.–Feb. 1977) when the character was promoted to hi ...
'' (
Cinnamon Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus ''Cinnamomum''. Cinnamon is used mainly as an aromatic condiment and flavouring additive in a wide variety of cuisines, sweet and savoury dishes, biscuits, b ...
) #49 (1978) *''
Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes The 1958 version of the Legion of Super-Heroes (also called the original/Preboot Legion) is a fictional superhero team in the 31st century of the . The team is the first incarnation of the Legion of Super-Heroes, and was followed by the Legion of ...
'' #240 (1978) *''Men of War'' (
Enemy Ace ''Enemy Ace'' () is a DC Comics property about the adventures of a skilled but troubled German anti-hero and flying ace in World War I and World War II, Hans von Hammer, known to the world as "The Hammer of Hell". Debuting in 1965, the comic wa ...
) #9–10, 12–14, 19–20 (1978–79) *''
World of Krypton ''World of Krypton'' is an American three-issue comic book limited series written by Paul Kupperberg and penciled by Howard Chaykin. It was the comics industry's first limited series, which addressed DC's problem of newly launched ongoing series ...
'' (1979) *''
Time Warp Time travel is a common theme in fiction, mainly since the late 19th century, and has been depicted in a variety of media, such as literature, television, and film. The concept of time travel by mechanical means was popularized in H. G. Wells' ...
'' #2 (1979) *''
House of Mystery ''The House of Mystery'' is the name of several horror comics, horror, fantasy comics, fantasy, and mystery fiction, mystery comics anthology, comics anthologies published by DC Comics. It had a companion series, ''The House of Secrets (DC Comi ...
'' #277 (1980) *''
Blackhawk Black Hawk and Blackhawk may refer to: Animals * Common black hawk, ''Buteogallus anthracinus'' * Cuban black hawk, ''Buteogallus gundlachii'' * Great black hawk, ''Buteogallus urubitinga'' * Mangrove black hawk, ''Buteogallus (anthracinus) s ...
'' #260 (1983) *''
The Shadow The Shadow is a fictional character created by American magazine publishers Street & Smith and writer Walter B. Gibson. Originally created to be a mysterious radio show narrator and developed into a distinct literary character in 1931 by Gibs ...
'', miniseries, #1–4 (1985) *''
Suicide Squad The Suicide Squad is an antihero/supervillain team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first version of the Suicide Squad debuted in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #25 (September 1959) and the second and modern version, cre ...
'' #1 (1987) *''Blackhawk'', miniseries, #1–3 (writer/artist, 1988) *''
Twilight Twilight is daylight illumination produced by diffuse sky radiation when the Sun is below the horizon as sunlight from the upper atmosphere is scattered in a way that illuminates both the Earth's lower atmosphere and also the Earth's surf ...
'' (writer, 1990) *''
Ironwolf Ironwolf is a fictional character who appeared in the last three issues of '' Weird Worlds'', a comics anthology series published by American company DC Comics from 1972 to 1974. Ironwolf was created by Howard Chaykin, with Dennis O'Neil and Walt ...
'', script, with John Francis Moore (1992) *''
Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...
Houdini Erik Weisz (March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926), known professionally as Harry Houdini ( ), was a Hungarian-American escapologist, illusionist, and stunt performer noted for his escape acts. Houdini first attracted notice in vaudeville in ...
, The Devil's Workshop'' (1993) *''
Son of Superman ''Son of Superman'' is a comic book Elseworlds story, published by DC Comics. Written by Howard Chaykin and David Tischman, with art by J. H. Williams III and Mick Gray. Fifteen years after the disappearance of Superman, Clark Kent and Lois La ...
'' OGN (co-writer, 1996) *''
Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...
: Dark Allegiances'' (writer/artist, 1996) *''
Batman Black and White ''Batman Black and White'' refers to the comic book limited series published by DC Comics featuring 8-page black and white Batman stories. Volumes 1, 4 and 5 of the series feature all-new stories (published in 1996, 2013–14, and 2020–21, respe ...
'', miniseries, #1 (writer/artist, 1996) *'' Cyberella'' (writer, 1996) *'' Batgirl & Robin: Thrillkiller'' (writer, 1997) *''
Orion Orion may refer to: Common meanings * Orion (constellation), named after the mythical hunter * Orion (mythology), a hunter in Greek mythology Arts and media Fictional entities Characters and species * Orion (character), a DC Comics c ...
'' #7 (co-writer/artist, 2000) *''
American Century The American Century is a characterization of the period since the middle of the 20th century as being largely dominated by the United States in political, economic, technological, and cultural terms. It is comparable to the description of the p ...
'' (co-writer, 2001–2003) *''Barnum!'', Original Graphic Novel (co-writer, 2003) *'' JSA: All-Stars'', miniseries, #5 (2003) *''
Challengers of the Unknown The Challengers of the Unknown is a fictional group of adventurers appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The quartet of adventurers explored paranormal occurrences while facing several fantastic menaces. The characters' provenance is ...
'', miniseries, #1–6 (writer/artist, 2004) *'' Bite Club'', miniseries #1–6 (co-writer, 2004) *''Mighty Love'' graphic novel (writer/artist, 2004) *''City of Tomorrow'', miniseries, #1–6 (writer/artist, 2005) *''Solo'' #4 (writer/artist, 2005) *''Bite Club: Vampire Crime Unit'', miniseries, #1–6 (co-writer, 2006) *''
Hawkgirl Hawkgirl is the name of several superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original Hawkgirl, Shiera Sanders Hall, was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, and first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' ...
'' #50–56 (2006) *''
Guy Gardner Guy Gardner may refer to: * Guy Gardner (astronaut) (born 1948), United States Air Force officer and former astronaut * Guy Gardner (character) Guy Darrin Gardner, one of the characters known as Green Lantern, is a superhero appearing in American ...
: Collateral Damage'', miniseries, #1–2 (2007) *''
Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...
/
Catwoman Catwoman is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, she debuted as "the Cat" in ''Batman (comic book), Batman'' #1 (spring 1940). She has become one of the superhero Batman' ...
: Follow the Money'' (2010) *''DC Holiday Special '09'' (
Enemy Ace ''Enemy Ace'' () is a DC Comics property about the adventures of a skilled but troubled German anti-hero and flying ace in World War I and World War II, Hans von Hammer, known to the world as "The Hammer of Hell". Debuting in 1965, the comic wa ...
) #1 (2010) *''Justice Society of America 80-Page Giant'' #1 (among other artists) (2011)


Marvel Comics

*''
Adventure Into Fear ''Adventure into Fear'' is an American horror comic book series published by Marvel Comics from cover dates November 1970 through December 1975, for 31 issues. This is its trademarked cover title for all but its first nine issues, though the serie ...
'' #10 (1972) *''Chamber of Chills'' #4 (1973) *'' Sub-Mariner'' (Tales of Atlantis) #62-64 (writer/artist)(1973) *''
Amazing Adventures ''Amazing Adventures'' is the name of several anthology comic book series, all but one published by Marvel Comics. The earliest Marvel series of that name introduced the company's first superhero of the late-1950s to early-1960s period fans and h ...
'', vol. 2, ( Killraven) #18 (with
Neal Adams Neal Adams (June 15, 1941 – April 28, 2022) was an American comic book artist. He was the co-founder of the graphic design studio Continuity Associates, and was a Creator ownership, creators-rights advocate who helped secure a pension and re ...
), 19 (1973) *''Kull and the Barbarians'' (
Red Sonja Red Sonja is a sword-and-sorcery character created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Barry Windsor-Smith for Marvel Comics in 1973, partially inspired by Robert E. Howard's character Red Sonya of Rogatino. A warrior from the Hyborian Age of Ear ...
) #2–3 (1975) *''
Marvel Spotlight ''Marvel Spotlight'' is a comic book anthology series published by Marvel Comics as a try-out book. It stood out from Marvel's other try-out books in that most of the featured characters made their first appearance in the series. The series or ...
'' (
Nick Fury Colonel (United States), Colonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury Sr. is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, he first appeared in ''Sgt. Fury and ...
) #31 (1976) *''
Marvel Presents ''Marvel Presents'' was an American comic book anthology series published by Marvel Comics. Twelve issues were published from October 1975 to August 1977. Publication history Bloodstone ''Marvel Presents'' began publication with an October 1975 ...
(Guardians of the Galaxy) #5 (1976) *''
Conan the Barbarian Conan the Barbarian (also known as Conan the Cimmerian) is a fictional sword and sorcery hero created by American author Robert E. Howard (1906–1936) and who debuted in 1932 and went on to appear in a series of fantasy stories published in ''We ...
'' #79–83 (1977–78) *''
Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...
'' #1–10 (1977–1978) *''
Marvel Team-Up ''Marvel Team-Up'' is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series featured two or more Marvel characters in one story. The series was originally published from March 1972 through February 1985, and featured Spider-Man as ...
'' (
Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...
) #76–77 (1978) *''
Marvel Premiere ''Marvel Premiere'' is an American comic book anthology series that was published by Marvel Comics. In concept it was a tryout book, intended to determine if a character or concept could attract enough readers to justify launching their own ser ...
'' #32 ( Monark Starstalker) writer/artist (1976) #56 (
Dominic Fortune Dominic Fortune is the name of two different fictional characters appearing in American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comic ...
) plot/layouts (1980) *''
Marvel Comics Super Special ''Marvel Comics Super Special'' was a 41-issue series of one-shot comic-magazines published by American company Marvel Comics from 1977 to 1986. They were cover-priced $1.50 to $2.50, while regular color comics were priced 30 cents to 60 cents, Be ...
'' #9, 19 (1978–81) *'' Hulk!'' (
Dominic Fortune Dominic Fortune is the name of two different fictional characters appearing in American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comic ...
) #21–25 (1980–81) *''
Marvel Preview ''Marvel Preview'' is a black-and-white comics magazine published by Magazine Management for fourteen issues and the affiliated Marvel Comics Group for ten issues. The final issue additionally carried the imprint Marvel Magazines Group. Publica ...
'' (Dominic Fortune) #2, #20 (1980) *''James Bond for Your Eyes Only'' #2 (1981) *'' Wolverine/Nick Fury: The Scorpio Connection'' (1989) *''
Fritz Leiber Fritz Reuter Leiber Jr. ( ; December 24, 1910 – September 5, 1992) was an American writer of fantasy, horror, and science fiction. Along with Robert E. Howard and Michael Moorcock, Leiber is one of the fathers of sword and sorcery. Life ...
's
Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser are two sword-and-sorcery heroes appearing in stories written by American author Fritz Leiber. They are the protagonists of what are probably Leiber's best-known stories. One of his motives in writing them was to hav ...
'' #1–4 (adaptation and script), Epic, (1990–91) *'' Captain America and Nick Fury: Blood Truce'' (1995) *''
Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. ''Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' is a comic book miniseries written by Howard Chaykin and drawn by Corky C. Lehmkuhl. Published by Marvel Comics in 1995. Publication history The first three issues were marketed with at least one tagline, "The Legendary ...
'' (1995) *''
Blade A blade is the Sharpness (cutting), sharp, cutting portion of a tool, weapon, or machine, specifically designed to puncture, chop, slice, or scrape surfaces or materials. Blades are typically made from materials that are harder than those they a ...
'' #1–12 (2006–07) *''
The Immortal Iron Fist ''The Immortal Iron Fist'' was a Comic book, comic book series published by Marvel Comics and starring the superhero Iron Fist (character), Iron Fist. Publication history The series was written jointly by Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction from issues ...
Annual'' #1 (among other artists) (2007) *''
New Avengers The New Avengers are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The title has been used for four American comic book series. The first two were written by Brian Michael Bendis and depicted a version of Ma ...
'' #21 (2007) *'' War is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle'', (pencils/inks) #1–5 (2008) *''
Punisher War Journal ''The Punisher War Journal'' or ''Punisher War Journal'' is the title of two Marvel Comics comic book series featuring the character Frank Castle, also known as the Punisher. The first volume, published from 1988 to 1995, was spun off of a self- ...
'', vol. 2, #16–25 (2008–09) *''Captain America Theater of War: America First!'' (2009) *''
Captain America Captain America is a superhero created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby who appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in '' Captain America Comics'' #1, published on December 20, 1940, by Timely C ...
'' #600, 616 (among other artists) (2009–11) *''
Dominic Fortune Dominic Fortune is the name of two different fictional characters appearing in American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comic ...
'', #1–4 (2009) *''X-Men vs. Vampires'', miniseries, #2 (2010) *''Magneto (Marvel Comics), Magneto'' #1 (2010) *''Iron Man'', vol. 5, (Tony Stark) #503 (2011) *''Avengers 1959'', miniseries, #1–5 (writer/artist) (2011) *''New Avengers'', vol. 2, #9–on (with Mike Deodato, doing "Avengers 1959" flashbacks) (2011)


Other publishers

*''Creepy (magazine), Creepy'' #64 (Warren Publishing, 1974) *''Star*Reach'' #1, 4–5 (1974–76) (Star Reach, Star*Reach) *''Scorpion (Atlas/Seaboard Comics), The Scorpion'' #1–2 (writer/artist) (Atlas/Seaboard Comics, Atlas/Seaboard, 1975) *''Eerie (magazine), Eerie'' #72 (with
Bernie Wrightson Bernard Albert Wrightson (October 27, 1948 – March 18, 2017) was an American artist, known for co-creating the Swamp Thing, his Bernie Wrightson's Frankenstein, adaptation of the novel ''Frankenstein'' illustration work, and for his other ho ...
) (Warren Publishing, 1976) *''Cody Starbuck'', (writer/artist), (Star Reach, 1978) *''
American Flagg! ''American Flagg!'' is an American comic book series created by writer-artist Howard Chaykin, published by First Comics from 1983 to 1989. A science fiction series and political satire, it was set in the U.S., particularly Chicago, Illinois, in t ...
'' #1–12, 14–26, Special #1 (writer/artist); #13, 27–29 (writer) (First Comics, First, 1983–86) *''Time²'' (writer/artist) (First Comics, First, 1986–87) *'' Black Kiss'' (writer/artist) (Vortex Comics, Vortex, 1988–89) *''Power & Glory'', miniseries, #1–4 of 4 (writer/artist) (Malibu Comics, Malibu/Bravura, 1994) *''Black Kiss II'' #1–6 (writer/artist) (2012–13,
Image Comics Image Comics is an independent American American comic book, comic book publisher and is the third largest direct market comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry by market share. Its best-known publications include ''Spawn (comics) ...
) *''Marked Man'' (2012, Dark Horse Comics originally serialized in ''Dark Horse Presents'' #1–8) *''
Buck Rogers Buck Rogers is a science fiction adventure hero and feature comic strip created by Philip Francis Nowlan first appearing in daily American newspapers on January 7, 1929, and subsequently appearing in Sunday newspapers, international newspapers, b ...
'' #1–4 (2013, Hermes Press) *''Dark Horse Presents Volume 2 ''#22 George Armstrong Custer (writer/artist) (2013) *''Eerie'' #4 (2013, Dark Horse Comics) *''Satellite Sam'' (2013–15, Image Comics) *''Black Kiss Christmas Special'' (writer/artist) (2014, Image Comics) *''
The Shadow The Shadow is a fictional character created by American magazine publishers Street & Smith and writer Walter B. Gibson. Originally created to be a mysterious radio show narrator and developed into a distinct literary character in 1931 by Gibs ...
: Midnight in Moscow'' #1–6 (2014, Dynamite Entertainment) *''Midnight of the Soul'' #1–5 (2016, Image Comics) *''The Divided States of Hysteria'' #1–5 (2017, Image Comics) *''Hey Kids! Comics!'' #1–5 (2018, Image Comics)


Television

*''
The Flash The Flash is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date, cover-dated Jan ...
'' (1990) ** Episode 3: "Watching the Detectives" (co-written with John Francis Moore) ** Episode 4: "Honor Among Thieves" (plotted with Moore, teleplay by Danny Bilson and Paul De Meo) ** Episode 7:"Child's Play" (teleplay co-written with Moore, plot by Stephen Hattman and Gail Morgan Hickman) ** Episode 8: "Shroud of Death" (plotted with Moore, teleplay by Michael Reaves) ** Episode 9: "Ghost in the Machine" (co-written with Moore) ** Episode 12: "The Trickster" (co-written with Moore) ** Episode 16: "Deadly Nightshade" (co-written with Moore) ** Episode 19: "Done with Mirrors" (co-written with Moore) ** Episode 22. "The Trail of the Trickster" (co-written with Moore) *'' Mutant X'' (2001) (Seasons 1 and 2) ** Season 1: *** Episodes 1 and 2: "The Shock of the New" *** Episode 8: "In the Presence of Mine Enemies" *** Episode 18: "Ex Marks the Spot" (co-written with Mark Amato and David Newman) *** Episode 22: "A Breed Apart" ** Season 2: *** Episode 1: "Past as Prologue"


References


External links


Official Facebook page
*
"DC Profiles #44: Howard Chaykin"
at the Grand Comics Database *
Howard Chaykin
at Mike's Amazing World of Comics

at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators * *


Interviews

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chaykin, Howard 1950 births Living people 20th-century American illustrators 21st-century American illustrators 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American male writers American album-cover and concert-poster artists American comics artists American comics writers American satirical comics artists American satirical comics writers American satirists American television writers Artists from Newark, New Jersey DC Comics people Inkpot Award winners Jamaica High School (New York City) alumni Jewish American comics writers Jewish American comics artists Jewish American illustrators Jewish American television writers Marvel Comics people People from Brownsville, Brooklyn People from Flatbush, Brooklyn People from Kew Gardens, Queens People from Staten Island Writers from Newark, New Jersey