Sparring With Gil Kane: Debating The History and Aesthetics of Comics

The Legendary Intellectual and Raconteur Talks to Hal Foster, Walt Kelly, Harvey Kurtzman, Howard Chaykin, Robert Crumb, and Other Artists.

Gil Kane drew every major comic book character in his 50-year career — from Spider-Man and the Hulk to Superman and Batman — and conceived and drew independent "graphic novels" long before the term had any meaning to the larger public. He was also a fascinating raconteur and a formidable analyst, critic, and theorist of comics, a medium he loved. Included in this collection are interviews Kane conducted with a wide array of cartoonists: newspaper strip artists such as Hal Foster (Prince Valiant) and Walt Kelly (Pogo); fellow comic book creators such as Harvey Kurtzman; underground cartoonists Robert Crumb and Jack Jackson; and the literary critic Donald Phelps.