David Anthony Kraft

David Anthony Kraft (May 31, 1952 – 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 Before his comics career, Kraft worked as a rock and roll journalist. In September 1976, he became editor of FOOM with issue #15, Marvel's self-produced fan magazine, lasting as editor until the magazine's final issue (#22) in 1978.

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, particularly the 1977 "Scorpio Saga" story-arc (issues #46, 48–50). 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. Kraft also merged his interests in music and comics by inserting multiple references to the band Blue Öyster Cult into his Defenders stories specifically the "Xenogenesis: Day of the Demons" storyline, issues #58–60. Kraft combined music and comics in his scripting of the Marvel Super Special #4 featuring The Beatles.

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). 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).

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. including that series' issue #300 (Feb. 1984). 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

Fictioneer Books 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. 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. The concept was pitched to Kraft by Jim Salicrup, who was inspired to have a magazine which explored the comics industry in the same way that the magazine Interview explored the film industry, through interviews of people within the industry.

Literary agent Since 1974, Kraft was the literary agent for the estate of pulp author Otis Adelbert Kline.

Influences and personal life Kraft counted science fiction author Leigh Brackett, Stan Lee, and writer E. Hoffmann Price as mentors. He is survived by his wife, Jennifer Bush-Kraft and son, Bryce Bush.