HOWARD CRUSE (1944-2019) Boxing Ring. * Chess Game. Together, two cartoons for unknown publication. Mixed media, including ink, colored pencil, and tempera on thin board. Side-by-side, images measure 178x385 mm; 7x15 1/4 inches, together on 9x19-inch sheet. Unsigned; not dated.
Cruse, the American alternative cartoonist known for the exploration of gay themes in his comics, first gained attention in the 1970s during the underground comix movement and was the founding editor of Gay Comix in 1980. He created "Wendel," a gay-themed strip during the 1980s but reached a more mainstream audience in 1995 when an imprint of DC Comics published his graphic novel Stuck Rubber Baby.
![HOWARD CRUSE (1944-2019) Boxing Ring. * Chess Game. [CARTOONS / GAY ARTIST]](https://catalogue.swanngalleries.com/full//170\784170.jpg)