Groundbreaking comics writer, artist, and editor Howard Cruse has passed away, according to a post by his daughter on Facebook.  He was 75. His first comic work was the underground comic Barefootz, published by Kitchen Sink Press between 1975 and 1979.  In 1979 he began editing Gay Comix, an anthology with stories by gay and lesbian cartoonists, also published by Kitchen Sink Press.

 Perhaps his magnum opus was Stuck Rubber Baby, published under DC’s Paradox Press imprint in the 90s, in a Vertigo edition in 2010, and due for a new edition from First Second next May.

Cruse was the first out gay comic creator we remember emerging from the underground comics scene; his creations told the stories of gay characters and his editing gave visibility to a generation of LGBT writers and artists.

Cruse is survived by his husband, Eddie Sedarbaum, other family members, and friends and colleagues.