Kurt Vonnegut, America's greatest living author (and I'll take you all on to prove it), has died. I don't know that he influenced anyone in comics, though certainly, "Siren of Titan" would be a great name for a Saturn Girl story, and Harrison Bergeron could have given Batman a fight.
My favorite novel of his is _Mother Night_.
Posted by Mike Chary at April 12, 2007 10:33 AM
Okay. Prove to me that he was America's Greatest Living Author as of yesterday.
(Not saying that he wasn't; I just want to see you prove it).
I don't know how you'd go about proving it objectively, but my gut tells me Mike is right about Vonnegut. Certainly, if I were putting together an all-time greatest American authors roster, I'd want Vonnegut on there (he'd play shortstop. Hemingway in left field, Hawthorne at first, Twain in center, and Fitzgerald in the pitching rotation).
I think my favorite Kurt Vonnegut story is probably either Cat's Cradle or Bluebeard, but really ... you can't go wrong with Vonnegut.
Did Vonnegut ever get his picture on a bubble gum card? How can you say someone is great who's never had his picture on bubble gum cards?
Twain in center? Let him pitch with Fitzgerald; he can start, Ftiz can close. Put Steinbeck in center.
I could have sworn someone did a "SF Authors Trading Card Set", but I can't find it. But Vonnegut does have a Tarot card:
http://www.facade.com/celebrity/Kurt_Vonnegut/
And he is a "birth mate" to Chuck Norris. That's better than Airwolf.