The detailed characterization and Herriman's visual and verbal creativity made "Krazy Kat" one of the first comics to be praised by intellectuals. The strip was treated as "serious" art. Critic Gilbert Seldes wrote at length about the strip in 1924, calling it "the most amusing and fantastic and satisfactory work of art produced in America today." Poet E. E. Cummings admired Herriman and wrote the introduction to the first collection of the strip in book form. "Krazy Kat" was only a modest success during its initial run. In more recent years, many modern cartoonists have cited "Krazy Kat" as a major influence on their own work.