Steve gerber, who created howard the duck, the dour, dyspeptic, utterly disagreeable and therefore wildly popular comicbook hero of the 1970s, died on. May 21, 2018 an unlikely forerunner to this change in the industry was steve gerber, creator of howard the duck htd. In what some say is a satire of conan and gerber taking on the subject of capitalism, howard the duck storms a tower owned by the wizard prorata who wants to become chief accountant. Created by writer steve gerber and artist val mayerik, howard the duck is probably best known these days for that horrible film in the 80s and cameos in the guardians of the galaxy films. Based on the acerbic, cigarchomping marvel comics character of the same name created. Duckworld howard the ducks altered reality homeworld. Just as the original series dealt with the important matters of the day, the new howard tackles the big issues, starting with that scourge of the modern world. Howard the duck earth791021 marvel database fandom.
He created the character for a manthing issue in 1973, then wrote the howard the duck series from 1976 1979. A letter from steve gerber of 7014 roberts court, university city 30, mo. Making the band is classic satire in the gerberhoward tradition, with all the added creative freedom that the max line allows. On the other hand, marvel is supposed to put created and written by steve gerber in all books featuring howard. Buy howard the duck 01 by gerber, steve, mayerik, val isbn. A sarcastic humanoid duck is pulled from his homeworld to earth where he must stop a hellish alien invasion with the help of a nerdy scientist and a cute struggling female rock singer who fancies him. The exact details of the arrangement between marvel and gerber have never been disclosed. Howard the duck 2002 comic read howard the duck 2002. Howard the duck, was created by steve gerber and artist val mayerik. Gerber wasnt suited for staff work, but by the time marvel realized that, theyd discovered the value of his quirky imagination as a writer. Howard the duck was hatched on duckworld, a planet in another universe, where intelligent life evolved from waterfowl.
Stephen ross gerber 2 was an american comic book writer best known for co creating the satiric marvel. In early 1981, steve gerber sued marvel comics over ownership of howard the duck. The first volume of howard the duck, the creation of writer steve gerber. Howard the duck may not be a laugh riot, but its deeply strange in a way thats never less than interesting, and that strangeness can be summed up in one word. Howard the duck by steve gerber, phil winslade, glenn fabry. Originally created in gerber s equally bizarre swampmonster book manthing, howard was originally intended as a shortterm gag character and was quickly. If all you know of howard the duck is the disastrous 1986 movie, then do yourself a favor. Its an action game, set in an arcade and licensed title themes and it was released on amstrad cpc as well. Bongs evolochamber device, howard is about to undergo an experiment conducted by dr.
A dispute with marvel over payment terms for the artist on the howard the duck newspaper strip led. You can get mark waid and evan doc shaners phenomenal standalone howard story in s. Howard the duck is a 1986 american science fiction comedy film directed by willard huyck and starring lea thompson, jeffrey jones, and tim robbins. Howard the duck returns after a break of a zillion years and in a refreshing way steve gerber doesnt try to re capture the early books but also doesnt drop the ball. But gerber himself was trapped in a vulturelike publishing industry. Howard the duck 1986 from comic book to screen mana pop. Steve gerbers manthing and howard the duck youtube. Howard the duck 1976 comic read howard the duck 1976. Duck dirk byrd dark mallard of the night master of quackfu doucheblade drakula divine drake duck man the ducknight detective feathered fury howard the human iron duck killmallard. Steve gerber on the howard the duck presidential campaign, 19760810. He was the son of a ronald and henrietta, a working class catholic couple living in new stork. It starred lea thompson, jeffrey jones, tim robbins and chip zien as the voice of howard. This article is a history of the editorial and business relationship between marvel comics, their representatives, and the late comics scriptwriter steve gerber 19472008.
A quick word of appreciation for steve gerbers howard. Steve gerber gets a chance to bring his one great marvel character that he created back to life and for most of the run turns him into a. Other notable works include omega the unknown, marvel spotlight. Released in 1986 on commodore 64, its still available and playable with some tinkering. I read it years ago, but my memory is that i was a little disappointed to put it mildly. The complete collection volume 1 by steve gerber at indigo. Interview with steve gerber december 1997 steve gerber has worked in the comics industry for many years and is well known for his creation howard the duck.
However, the film ultimately became regarded as an 80s cult classic, most notably because of its 27yearold subject, a wisetalking animal. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Steve gerber gets a chance to bring his one great marvel character that he created back to life and for most of the run turns him into a rodent. Gerber also wrote daredevil in the 70s and is currently working on a series for vertigo. Sep 23, 2002 all in all, gerbers max look at howard the duck is one of the best things to carry the max banner, and this is a real treat for older readers who have fond memories of gerbers old comics, and maybe, just maybe, we can all put those old bad memories of that movie to rest. May 09, 2011 brett leonards reviled 2005 tv movie, manthing and willard hudyks even more reviled 1986 howard the duck film are based off of two marvel comics characters.
Offbeat marvel character howard the duck is getting his own animated series, thanks to hulu. Making the band is classic satire in the gerber howard tradition, with all the added creative freedom that the max line allows. Stuck here on a planet of hairless apes, the furious fowl forges a future for himself in, of all places, get the full story of how marvels most notorious movie star became. Howard the duck is now more important for subversion of the medium than the stories themselves. Howard the duck is still considered one of the biggest cinematic disasters of all time, most likely because it had attached as producer one george lucas, whose questionable taste in wanting to bring the character to the screen speaks more about him as a filmmaker than anyone suspected in the late 1980s. A new breed of hero in europe is a 1986 liveaction film produced by lucasfilm and universal pictures, directed by willard huyck from a script by huyck and his wife gloria katz. In 2001, when marvel launched its max imprint of mature readers comics, gerber returned to write. All in all, gerber s max look at howard the duck is one of the best things to carry the max banner, and this is a real treat for older readers who have fond memories of gerber s old comics, and maybe, just maybe, we can all put those old bad memories of that movie to rest. Well, there was a court decision, and gerber does not own howard the duck. Stephen ross gerber was an american comic book writer best known for co creating the satiric marvel comics character howard the duck and a character defining run on. Howard was the archetypal outsider, able to see through the absurdities of human society. Its the polar opposite of most superhero books whereas the majority of these are about extraordinary beings doing extraordinary deeds howard is an ordinary person trying to live an ordinary life which gets complicated by strange events.
Howard the duck last edited by pikahyper on 082718 11. Howard the duck is one of the most notorious flops but it does not deserve the reputation. Legendary creators steve gerber and frank bruner present the audacious, quirky, downright filthy howard the duck in his own ongoing series. The complete collection volume 1 paperback july 14. Download one of the free kindle apps to start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, and computer. Howard s debut adventure guest stars a plethora of marvel heroes spiderman, conjurer, and many more. The common denominator of the stories was writer steve gerber, who created the character as a joke it topped a barbarian eating peanut butter and then made howard the duck the premier social satire comic book. All in all, gerbers max look at howard the duck is one of the best things to carry the max banner, and this is a real treat for older readers who have fond memories of gerbers old comics, and maybe, just maybe, we can all put those old bad memories of that movie to rest. Free shipping and pickup in store on eligible orders. Steve gerber writer frank brunner john buscema penciler stephen leialoha inker. Howard, who was displaced from duckworld, an alternate earth of anthropomorphic ducks in another dimension, via the swamps nexus of realities, later acquired his own series, which was written by gerber for the first 27 issues. Sep 23, 2002 howard the duck returns after a break of a zillion years and in a refreshing way steve gerber doesnt try to re capture the early books but also doesnt drop the ball. Great book for howard the duck fans who were put off by the whole duck part of his character. Jul 07, 2015 howard the duck takes an adventure into fear when he is plucked from duckworld and finds himself on earth, bill to proboscis with the melancholy muckmonster manthing.
He will use the at time absurd adventures of howard as a social commentary on life and politics at the time, to the point where howard was the politician america wanted rather than what. Howard the duck is mainly remembered outside of comic readers as the disastrous 1986 hollywood movie, a film that was at first eagerly anticipated but whose name became synonymous with bomb in the 1980s. Unfortunately, howard the duck isnt quite the hit the filmmakers and studio were hoping for and would end up being one of the most notorious and famous bombs in film history. Funko 26711 pop vinyl games marvel contest of champions howard the duck, multicolor. In 2002, he created a new howard the duck miniseries for marvels max line. This six issue miniseries collected into a single trade in 2002 was one of the first things to be published under the marvel max imprint, which seems tailored both to writers like steve gerber and characters like howard the duck. With penciler val mayerik, gerber created howard the duck as a secondary character in a. Howards debut adventure guest stars a plethora of marvel heroes spiderman, conjurer, and many more. Louis, missouri, the son of bernice gerber, and one of four children, with siblings jon, michael, and lisa. In early 1981, steve gerber sued marvel comics over ownership of howard the duck i wasnt at marvel when the duck first came to be. Why howard s appearance has been altered from a duck with big cartoonish eyes to. The streaming service has signed a deal with the comic book giant to bring steve gerber and val mayeriks creation to life, following an announcement at the television critics association press tour. If all you know about howard the duck is the increadibly cheesy lucasfilm production from the mid 80s then you really dont know howard the duck.
Duckworld resembles mankinds earth in an astounding number of ways, including the fact that ducks speak english. The series first run lasted until issue 31, after which it was replaced with the howard the duck magazine to attract a. September 20, 1947 february 10, 2008 was an american comic book writer best known for cocreating the satiric marvel comics character howard the duck and a characterdefining run on manthing, one of their monster properties. Writer steve gerber brought a oneofakind sense of humor and socialconsciousness to this title. Skeeb is standing, lean ing over the bench, accusing chirreep.
Steve gerber is a unique voice in marvel, whereas many creators use there work to push their own messages, its unusual for it to be as in your face as gerber. Writer steve gerber began his comics writing career at marvel, where he soon displayed a knack for social satire and surreal humor. Almost all of what was at issue happened before my time, or during the time that i was associate editor, and not involved in a management capacity. Steve gerber howard the duck obituary the new york times. Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle coronavirus. The final act of howard the duck is a clueless, sludgy display of pyrotechnics, nonexistent tension, and aggressive directorial buffoonery that takes the picture from a mild annoyance to a getthisdamnthingoutofmylife experience, making all the illwill aimed toward this picture feel immensely justified. With lea thompson, jeffrey jones, tim robbins, ed gale. Buy foom magazine 15 howard the duck issue by steve gerber isbn. Howard the duck omnibus by steve gerber new 50% off ebay. The same yet different, definitely not an add on just for the completist that is bought out of completitis. Howard the duck download free cbr, cbz comics, 0day. The screenplay was originally intended to be an animated film, but the film adaptation. More on steve gerber, howard the duck, and omega the unknown. D issue 10, and be sure to pick up the recent paperback collection of gerbers howard the.
Case in point, steve gerber s extraordinary howard the duck stories for marvel which took a suspiciously disneylooking anthropomorphised duck and turned him into an existential everyman. Born on a planet populated by talking waterfowl, howard the duck found himself trapped in a world he never made. Based on the marvel comic book of the same name, the film was produced by gloria katz and written by huyck and katz, with george lucas as executive producer. It was inspired by the marvel comics characters howard the duck and beverly switzler. What howard was, and what he allowed gerber to do has somewhat been lost over the years but over christmas i picked up a load of issues and id forgotten just how angry and subversive the comic is. The character was created by writer steve gerber and artist val mayerik. He is best known for creating the character howard the duck. Numerous and frequentlyupdated resource results are available from this search. On his presidential campaign, his enemies seem to have him up against the wall when a provocative picture of him and beverly surfaces. Howard the duck getting his own tv series with kevin smith.
Oct 12, 2016 steve gerber got his start in fanzines, worked in advertising, and then found his way to comics in 1972 when he was hired by roy thomas for a staff job at marvel. See more ideas about howard the duck, marvel and marvel comics. Mark waid restores steve gerbers origin for howard the. Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel. Created by writer steve gerber and artist val mayerik, howard was a oneshot joke, first appearing in adventure into fear when a battle against thog the. Get your kindle here, or download a free kindle reading app. How steve gerber changed comics with howard the duck. Howard the duck is a fictional character appearing in american comic books published by marvel comics.
151 1250 1286 824 160 1197 1065 1444 1401 1256 399 213 1192 758 25 940 1157 1 758 159 948 1389 595 749 912 996 29 1490 415 1508 1509 1413 1365 524 595 1200 810 999 1271 218 215