Howard Cruse Paintings & Artwork for Sale | Howard Cruse Art Value Price Guide

Aug. 19, 2021
HOWARD CRUSE (1944-2019) "Gay is Good" * We're Here, We're Queer, Get Used to it!"
Est: $350 - $500
HOWARD CRUSE (1944-2019) "Gay is Good" * We're Here, We're Queer, Get Used to it!" Together, two gay rights illustrations for unknown publications. Pen and ink on paper. 215x278 mm; 8 1/2x11 inches. Unsigned. Provenance: The Estate of Howard Cruse. The American alternative cartoonist known for the exploration of gay themes in his comics, Cruse 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.
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Aug. 19, 2021
HOWARD CRUSE (1944-2019) "Felton, Show Father Morris that Newspaper I Gave You." Stuck Rubber Baby.
Est: $1,000 - $1,500
HOWARD CRUSE (1944-2019) "Felton, Show Father Morris that Newspaper I Gave You." Original 10-panel cartoon for Stuck Rubber Baby, page 122. Ink and marker on stiff paper. 587x450 mm; 23x17 3/4 inches, sheet. Unsigned, but with artist's stamp on verso. Provenance: The Estate of Howard Cruse. Stuck Rubber Baby, which celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2020, was Cruse's best-known work. The groundbreaking graphic novel chronicled his coming of age and coming out in Jim Crow, pre-Stonewall 1960s Birmingham, Alabama. The story follows lead character, Toland, who is closeted, scared, and aware of the corruption and discrimination around him. It is only when he meets Ginger Raines, who introduces him to civil rights activists and people who embrace their authentic selves despite equally conformist and hostile environments, that he is emboldened enough to do the same. Stuck Rubber Baby was the winner of Eisner and Harvey Awards in the U.S. and (in translation), a Comics Critics Award in Spain, a Luchs Award in Germany, and a Prix de la critique at the International Comics Festival in Angoulême, France. 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 Stuck Rubber Baby.
Swann Auction Galleries
Aug. 19, 2021
HOWARD CRUSE (1944-2019) "They Torched Your Car??" Stuck Rubber Baby.
Est: $1,000 - $1,500
HOWARD CRUSE (1944-2019) "They Torched Your Car??" Original 9-panel cartoon for Stuck Rubber Baby, page 121. Ink and marker on stiff paper. 587x450 mm; 23x17 3/4 inches, sheet. Unsigned, but with artist's stamp on verso. 1995. Provenance: The Estate of Howard Cruse. Stuck Rubber Baby, which celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2020, was Cruse's best-known work. The groundbreaking graphic novel chronicled his coming of age and coming out in Jim Crow, pre-Stonewall 1960s Birmingham, Alabama. The story follows lead character, Toland, who is closeted, scared, and aware of the corruption and discrimination around him. It is only when he meets Ginger Raines, who introduces him to civil rights activists and people who embrace their authentic selves despite equally conformist and hostile environments, that he is emboldened enough to do the same. Stuck Rubber Baby was the winner of Eisner and Harvey Awards in the U.S. and (in translation), a Comics Critics Award in Spain, a Luchs Award in Germany, and a Prix de la critique at the International Comics Festival in Angoulême, France. 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 Stuck Rubber Baby.
Swann Auction Galleries
Aug. 19, 2021
HOWARD CRUSE (1944-2019) Wendell. "Yet Another Sociable Evening at the Torrid Tush."
Est: $1,500 - $2,500
HOWARD CRUSE (1944-2019) "Yet Another Sociable Evening at the Torrid Tush." Together, original two-sheet cartoon for Wendel, published in The Advocate, 1989. Ink and marker with correction fluid on stiff paper; title is printed and collaged onto the first page. Each sheet measures 587x450 mm; 23x17 3/4 inches. Signed ©1989 by H. Cruse in ink, lower margin of first page and artist's name and address handwritten on verso. Provenance: The Estate of Howard Cruse. The American alternative cartoonist known for the exploration of gay themes in his comics, Cruse 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.
Swann Auction Galleries
Jun. 24, 2021
HOWARD CRUSE (1944-2019) "Pandemic Civility." [CARTOONS / HEALTH / GAY ARTIST]
Est: $600 - $900
HOWARD CRUSE (1944-2019) "Pandemic Civility." Cover Illustration for UAB Public Health Magazine, published (apparently in color) Fall 2006. Pen and ink over graphite on thin board mounted to black foam core. 535x435 mm; 21x17 inches, on 24x18 3/4-inch sheet. Signed "Cruse" in lower right image. Mounted to foam core with double-sided tape. 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.
Swann Auction Galleries
Jun. 24, 2021
HOWARD CRUSE (1944-2019) "Auntie Moo's Typewriters." [CARTOONS / GAY ARTIST]
Est: $600 - $900
HOWARD CRUSE (1944-2019) "Auntie Moo's Typewriters." Cartoon published in the cartoon anthology Juicy Mother: Number One - Celebration edited by Jennifer Camper (Brooklyn, N.Y.: Soft Skull Press, 2004). Pen and ink with collaged text on thin board. 510x385 mm; 20x15 1/4 inches, on 22x16-inch sheet. Signed "H. Cruse" and dated 1998 [copyright], 1999 in second panel. Dedication in final panel "For Irma Cruse, taken by Alzheimer's in 2002." Tipped to foam core with double-sided tape at upper corners. 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.
Swann Auction Galleries
Jun. 24, 2021
HOWARD CRUSE (1944-2019) "Honey for Foot Care." [CARTOONS / HEALTH / GAY ARTIST]
Est: $300 - $400
HOWARD CRUSE (1944-2019) "Honey for Foot Care." Cartoon for UAB Public Health Magazine. Mixed media, including pen, ink, gouache, and colored pencil on thin board. 320x115 mm; 12 1/2x4 1/2 inches, on 15 3/4x7 1/4-inch board. Unsigned, but with artist's name and address written on verso. 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.
Swann Auction Galleries
Jun. 24, 2021
HOWARD CRUSE (1944-2019) Boxing Ring. * Chess Game. [CARTOONS / GAY ARTIST]
Est: $300 - $400
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.
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