American writer, publisher, and critic (1952?2021)
David Anthony Kraft
(May 31, 1952
[1]
[2]
? May 19, 2021) was an American comic book writer, publisher, and critic. He was primarily known for his long-running journal of interviews and criticism,
Comics Interview
, as well as for work for
Marvel Comics
in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Writing career
[
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]
Before his comics career, Kraft worked as a
rock and roll journalist
.
[3]
In September 1976, he became editor of
FOOM
with issue #15,
[4]
Marvel's self-produced
fan magazine
, lasting as editor until the magazine's final issue (#22) in 1978.
[5]
Known for his offbeat approach, Kraft first made a name for himself as a comic book author with his work on
Marvel Comics
'
The Defenders
,
[6]
particularly the 1977 "Scorpio Saga" story-arc (issues #46, 48?50).
[7]
In
The Defenders
, Kraft wrestled with large philosophical issues: the temptations of power, the Cold War and nuclear power, sibling rivalry, and growing old alone. Scorpio also listened to a record by
Edgard Varese
.
[8]
Kraft also merged his interests in music and comics by inserting multiple references to the band
Blue Oyster Cult
into his
Defenders
stories specifically the "Xenogenesis: Day of the Demons" storyline, issues #58?60.
[9]
Kraft combined music and comics in his scripting of the
Marvel Super Special
#4 featuring
The Beatles
.
[3]
Marvel Super Special
#7, an adaptation of the film
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
, by Kraft and artists
George Perez
and
Jim Mooney
was promoted on the "
Bullpen Bulletins
" page in Marvel Comics cover-dated January 1979. It was
never published
in the U.S. "because the book was late and the movie proved to be a commercial failure," according to a contemporaneous news account.
[10]
Kraft wrote the
Man-Wolf
feature in
Creatures on the Loose
and
Marvel Premiere
and featured the character in
The Spectacular Spider-Man
Annual
#3 (1981).
[11]
He wrote the entire run, except the first issue, of
Savage She-Hulk
, which ran from 1980 to 1982. Kraft worked on such titles as
Captain America
and scripted the first story drawn by
John Byrne
for Marvel Comics: "Dark Asylum," published in
Giant-Size Dracula
#5 (June 1975).
[12]
In the early to mid-1980s Kraft wrote children's storybooks featuring Marvel characters such as
Spider-Man
, the
Hulk
, and the
Fantastic Four
for the
Children's Press
,
Marvel Books
and
Simon & Schuster
.
[3]
During this same time he wrote the interactive game books
Ghost Knights of Camelot
for Avon, and
Robot Race
for Scholastic books. In 1983?1984, Kraft wrote
World's Finest Comics
for
DC Comics
,
[13]
including that series' issue #300 (Feb. 1984).
[14]
After that, Kraft did occasional comics writing, but mostly focused his energies on publishing and criticism. In 1995, Kraft worked as story-editor and scripter for the short-lived animated series
G.I. Joe Extreme
. Kraft was the co-writer and editor of
Yi Soon Shin: Warrior and Defender
by Onrie Kompan Productions, LLC.
Publisher, critic and literary agent
[
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]
Fictioneer Books
[
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]
In 1974, Kraft founded the specialty science fiction publisher Fictioneer Books. Over the years, Fictioneer published books by such authors as
A. E. van Vogt
,
Robert E. Howard
,
Jack London
,
Otis Adelbert Kline
, and
Don McGregor
.
[3]
Fictioneer and its imprint
Comics Interview Group
published magazines including
David Anthony Kraft's Comics Interview
, the newspaper-comic-strip reprint magazine
Comics Revue
, and trade journals such as the trade text
100 Hot Tips from Top Comics Creators
(1994). In early 1985 Comics Interview Group branched out into comic books by taking on Henry and Audrey Vogel's
Southern Knights
(previously a self-published series). In 1986 they expanded their comics lineup with
M.I.C.R.A.
and
Aristocratic Xtraterrestrial Time-Traveling Thieves
, and began publishing a number of
Southern Knights
reprints in the form of graphic novels, one-shots, and limited series. Though 1988 saw them also introduce
Julie Woodcock
and
Brian Stelfreeze
's
CyCops
, none of their comics publications sold as well as
Southern Knights
, and by the end of that year they had stopped publishing any other titles. In mid-1989
Southern Knights
was canceled as well, and the Comics Interview imprint was again devoted solely to magazines and trade publications although they would co-publish
Southern Knights
No. 35 and 36 in 1992.
- Comics Interview
In 1983, Kraft founded
David Anthony Kraft's Comics Interview
, which ran for 150 issues
[15]
between 1983 and 1995,
[16]
and garnered
Eisner
and
Eagle Award
nominations. As suggested by the title, each issue of
Comics Interview
was filled entirely with in-depth creator interviews.
Literary agent
[
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]
Since 1974, Kraft was the
literary agent
for the estate of pulp author
Otis Adelbert Kline
.
Influences and personal life
[
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]
Kraft counted science fiction author
Leigh Brackett
,
Stan Lee
, and writer
E. Hoffmann Price
as mentors.
[3]
He lived in
Clayton, Georgia
.
[
citation needed
]
Kraft died from
COVID-19
on May 19, 2021.
[17]
He is survived by his wife, Jennifer Bush-Kraft and son, Bryce William Davidson Bush.
[18]
Bibliography
[
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]
Books
[
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]
- Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
(Junior Press, 1979)
- The Compleat OAK Leaves: Volume One of the Official Journal of Otis Adelbert Kline and his Works
(editor) (Fictioneer Press, 1980)
- Stan Lee Presents the Incredible Hulk
pop-up book (Marvel Comics Group, 1980)
- Captain America: The Secret Story of Marvel's Star-Spangled Super Hero
(Children's Press, 1981)
- The Fantastic Four: The Secret Story of Marvel's Cosmic Quartet
(Children's Press, 1981)
- The Incredible Hulk: The Secret Story of Marvel's Gamma-powered Goliath
(Children's Press, 1981)
- Attack of the Tarantula
(Intervisual Communications, 1982)
- The Dark Crystal
(Marvel Books, 1982)
- Stan Lee Presents the Incredible Hulk Pop-up Book, "Trapped"
(Marvel Comics Group, 1982)
- Fantastic Four vs. the Frightful Four
coloring book (Marvel Books, 1983)
- Heathcliff, #1 Cat at the Show
coloring and activity book (Marvel Books, 1983)
- Heathcliff at The Circus
coloring book (Marvel Books, 1983)
- The Treasure of Time
(Marvel Books, 1983)
- The Amazing Spider-Man: The Big Top Mystery
(Marvel Books, 1984)
- The Amazing Spider-Man and Wolverine in The Crime of the Centuries
(Marvel Books, 1984)
- Ghost Knights of Camelot
(Avon Books, 1984)
ISBN
978-0-380-89276-1
- Micro Adventure
no. 6: Robot Race
(Scholastic, 1984)
ISBN
0-590-33170-1
- Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars: Captain America and Iron Man in Escape from Doom
(Budget Books, 1986)
- Marvel Super Heroes Jumbo Coloring & Activity Book
(Marvel Books, 1987)
Short stories
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]
Comic books
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]
Atlas/Seaboard Comics
[
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]
DC Comics
[
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]
Marvel Comics
[
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Television
[
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References
[
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]
- ^
Home, Beck Funeral.
"Obituary for David Anthony Kraft | Beck Funeral Home"
.
Obituary for David Anthony Kraft | Beck Funeral Home
. Archived from
the original
on May 22, 2021.
- ^
Bails, Jerry
(n.d.).
"Kraft, Dave"
.
Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928?1999
.
Archived
from the original on May 10, 2017.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
"David Anthony Kraft"
.
Dragon Con
. 2007. Archived from
the original
on May 20, 2011
. Retrieved
August 17,
2008
.
- ^
Ruby, Sam (Fall 1976).
"
FOOM
#15"
. Archived from
the original
on January 31, 2010.
- ^
Ruby, Sam (Fall 1978).
"
FOOM
#22"
. Archived from
the original
on February 18, 2012.
- ^
DeAngelo, Daniel (July 2013). "The Not-Ready-For-Super-Team Players A History of the Defenders".
Back Issue!
(65). Raleigh, North Carolina:
TwoMorrows Publishing
: 9?11.
- ^
Latta, D. K.
"Who Remembers Scorpio?"
. The Masked Bookwyrm. Archived from
the original
on November 13, 2006
. Retrieved
August 15,
2008
.
- ^
"The Defenders (1972) #48 - Read the Defenders (1972) Issue #48 Page 4"
.
- ^
Swartz, John (December 10, 2001).
"Blue Oyster Cult FAQ"
. Archived from
the original
on February 9, 2007
. Retrieved
September 17,
2008
.
References to Blue Oyster Cult songs are sprinkled throughout the "Xenogenesis: Day of the Demons" storyline in Marvel's
The Defenders
comic. The issues are Vol.1, 58?60 dated April, May and June 1978. The story is by David Anthony Kraft and the first comic in the trilogy is "Dedicated to Eric Bloom and BOC!"
- ^
"The Sgt. Pepper Snafu".
The Comics Journal
(44). Stamford, Connecticut: Fantagraphics Books: 12. January 1979.
- ^
Manning, Matthew K.; Gilbert, Laura, eds. (2012). "1980s".
Spider-Man Chronicle Celebrating 50 Years of Web-Slinging
. London, United Kingdom:
Dorling Kindersley
. p. 121.
ISBN
978-0756692360
.
John Jameson and his werewolf alter ego Man-Wolf returned in this yarn by writer David Kraft and penciler Jim Sherman.
- ^
Isabella, Tony
(May 4, 2001).
"Tony's Tips"
.
Comics Buyer's Guide
(1433). Iola, Wisconsin:
Krause Publications
. Retrieved
September 17,
2008
.
- ^
Addiego, Frankie (July 2014). "The Final Days of
World's Finest
".
Back Issue!
(73). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 66?67.
- ^
Manning, Matthew K.; Dolan, Hannah, eds. (2010). "1980s".
DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle
. London, United Kingdom:
Dorling Kindersley
. p. 206.
ISBN
978-0-7566-6742-9
.
In the tradition of DC's anniversary editions,
World's Finest Comics
#300 was an extra-length issue contributed to by a variety of comic book talent. Written by David Anthony Kraft, Mike W. Barr, and Marv Wolfman, and illustrated by Ross Andru, Mark Texeira, Sal Amendola, and George Perez.
- ^
"Newswatch:
Comics Interview
Gives Up the Ghost".
The Comics Journal
(183). Seattle, Washington:
Fantagraphics Books
: 28. January 1996.
- ^
"Index to the Comic Art Collection"
.
Michigan State University Libraries
.
Archived
from the original on June 16, 2010.
- ^
"David A. Kraft, Iconic Defenders Writer, Comics Journalist, Has Passed Away"
.
CBR
. May 20, 2021
. Retrieved
May 20,
2021
.
- ^
Fassett, Ryan (May 20, 2021).
"Writer and Publisher David Anthony Kraft Has Passed Away"
.
Bleeding Cool News And Rumors
. Retrieved
May 20,
2021
.
External links
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