Nice to have you back, Australia-Dave.
1. I kind of like that aspect of Chaykin's work, that his characters, even his futuristic and S-F characters have a retro 1930's/1940's kind of look. To me it gives them a timeless look that doesn't become dated.
2. I was unaware of Chaykin's communist/socialist ideology. I always thought Chaykin's constant use of Nazis stemmed from his 1930's-era focus, and also the fact that he is Jewish. It never occurred to me he was averse to negatively portraying communists. Chaykin's 3-issue BLACKHAWK storyline had both Soviets and Nazis.
My main complaint about Chaykin's work is that it can at times be choppy and incoherent, in much the same way as Frank Miller's work. I'm thinking in particular of AMERICAN FLAGG, his 1986 THE SHADOW four-issue series, his BLACKHAWK series, TIME SQUARED, and the 1992 IRONWOLF:THE FIRES OF REVOLUTION graphic novel, to name a few I can think of. I like a lot of these series, but these were points off for otherwise good reading. The least coherent was IRONWOLF.
My favorite from Chaykin remains his 1978-1982 painted artwork.
I think for most, Chaykin's AMERICAN FLAGG is his masterwork and best remembered series. So you're not alone there. It's a fun and intelligent series from Chaykin, there's just others I like as much or more.
