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Adventure Into Fear #19
Howard the Duck Omnibus
Get down, America Vote Howard the Duck in 2008 That's right, folks. It's an election year, and what better way to celebrate than to cast your vote for the one candidate who'll tell it like it is. Born on a planet populated by talking waterfowl, Howard the Duck found himself trapped in a world he never made: ours Howard was the archetypal outsider, able to see through the absurdities of human society in the 1970s with uncanny accuracy and an acerbic wit. His adventures presented writer Steve Gerber with a platform from which to engage in an ongoing critique of contemporary fools and pretenders, from power-mad capitalist wizard Pro-Rata to cult leader Reverend Joon Moon Yuc to the dreaded Doctor Bong Experience for yourself the complete comic adventures of Howard in this Omnibus collection, reprinting his first appearances and the entire run of his first series. Collecting stories from Adventures Into Fear #19, Man-Thing #1, Giant-Size Man-Thing #4-5, Howard the Duck #1-33, Marvel Treasury Edition #12, and Marvel Team-Up #96.
788 pages, Hardcover
First published August 6, 2008
20 people are currently reading
264 people want to read
About the author
Steve Gerber
637 books65 followersSteve Gerber graduated from the University of Missouri with a degree in communications and took a job in advertising. To keep himself sane, he wrote bizarre short stories such as "Elves Against Hitler," "Conversion in a Terminal Subway," and "...And the Birds Hummed Dirges!" He noticed acquaintance Roy Thomas working at Marvel, and Thomas sent him Marvel's standard writing test, dialoguing Daredevil art. He was soon made a regular on Daredevil and Sub-Mariner, and the newly created Man-Thing, the latter of which pegged him as having a strong personal style--intellectual, introspective, and literary. In one issue, he introduced an anthropomorphic duck into a horror fantasy, because he wanted something weird and incongruous, and Thomas made the character, named for Gerber's childhood friend Howard, fall to his apparent death in the following issue. Fans were outraged, and the character was revived in a new and deeply personal series. Gerber said in interview that the joke of Howard the Duck is that "there is no joke." The series was existential and dealt with the necessities of life, such as finding employment to pay the rent. Such unusual fare for comicbooks also informed his writing on The Defenders. Other works included Morbius, the Lving Vampire, The Son of Satan, Tales of the Zombie, The Living Mummy, Marvel Two-in-One, Guardians of the Galaxy, Shanna the She-Devil, and Crazy Magazine for Marvel, and Mister Miracle, Metal Men,
The Phantom Zone
, and The Immortal Doctor Fate for DC. Gerber eventually lost a lawsuit for control of Howard the Duck when he was defending artist Gene Colan's claim of delayed paychecks for the series, which was less important to him personally because he had a staff job and Colan did not.
He left comics for animation in the early 1980s, working mainly with Ruby-Spears, creating Thundarr the Barbarian with Alex Toth and Jack Kirby and episodes of The Puppy's Further Adventures, and Marvel Productions, where he was story editor on multiple Marvel series including Dungeons & Dragons, G.I. Joe, and The Transformers. He continued to dabble in comics, mainly for Eclipse, including the graphic novel Stewart the Rat, the two-part horror story "Role Model: Caring, Sharing, and Helping Others," and the seven-issue Destroyer Duck with Jack Kirby, which began as a fundraiser for Gerber's lawsuit.
In the early 1990s, he returned to Marvel with Foolkiller, a ten-issue limited series featuring a new version of a villain he had used in The Man-Thing and Omega the Unknown, who communicated with a previous version of the character through internet bulletin boards. An early internet adopter himself, he wrote two chapters of BBSs for Dummies with Beth Woods Slick, with whom he also wrote the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode, "Contagion." During this period, he also wrote The Sensational She-Hulk and Cloak and Dagger for Marvel, Cybernary and WildC.A.T.s for Image, and Sludge and Exiles for the writer-driven Malibu Ultraverse, and Nevada for DC's mature readers Vertigo line.
In 2002, he returned to the Howard the Duck character for Marvel's mature readers MAX line, and for DC created Hard Time with Mary Skrenes, with whom he had co-created the cult hit Omega the Unknown for Marvel. Their ending for Omega the Unknown remains a secret that Skrenes plans to take to the grave if Marvel refuses to publish it. Suffering from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis ("idiopathic" meaning of unknown origin despite having been a heavy smoker much of his life), he was on a waiting list for a double lung transplant. His final work was the Doctor Fate story arc, "More Pain Comics," for DC Comics'
He left comics for animation in the early 1980s, working mainly with Ruby-Spears, creating Thundarr the Barbarian with Alex Toth and Jack Kirby and episodes of The Puppy's Further Adventures, and Marvel Productions, where he was story editor on multiple Marvel series including Dungeons & Dragons, G.I. Joe, and The Transformers. He continued to dabble in comics, mainly for Eclipse, including the graphic novel Stewart the Rat, the two-part horror story "Role Model: Caring, Sharing, and Helping Others," and the seven-issue Destroyer Duck with Jack Kirby, which began as a fundraiser for Gerber's lawsuit.
In the early 1990s, he returned to Marvel with Foolkiller, a ten-issue limited series featuring a new version of a villain he had used in The Man-Thing and Omega the Unknown, who communicated with a previous version of the character through internet bulletin boards. An early internet adopter himself, he wrote two chapters of BBSs for Dummies with Beth Woods Slick, with whom he also wrote the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode, "Contagion." During this period, he also wrote The Sensational She-Hulk and Cloak and Dagger for Marvel, Cybernary and WildC.A.T.s for Image, and Sludge and Exiles for the writer-driven Malibu Ultraverse, and Nevada for DC's mature readers Vertigo line.
In 2002, he returned to the Howard the Duck character for Marvel's mature readers MAX line, and for DC created Hard Time with Mary Skrenes, with whom he had co-created the cult hit Omega the Unknown for Marvel. Their ending for Omega the Unknown remains a secret that Skrenes plans to take to the grave if Marvel refuses to publish it. Suffering from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis ("idiopathic" meaning of unknown origin despite having been a heavy smoker much of his life), he was on a waiting list for a double lung transplant. His final work was the Doctor Fate story arc, "More Pain Comics," for DC Comics'
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December 18, 2022Executive summary: you cannot use ChatGPT to write steamy kiss-and-tell exposés for downmarket tabloids. Or if you want the details...
April 25, 2016
The Omnibus edition of Howard the Duck's 1970s comic run has been around in two different editions. I think the first was published around 2008. After this went out of print, the Guardians of the Galaxy movie with Howard's appearance in the post credits spurred a new printing. I resisted all of this until Rich Johnston reported that Marvel was clearing out many Omnibus' and letting them go out of print. I snapped it up for less than $50, not sure if I would keep it for selling later or reading. But yesterday during Dewey's 24-Hour Readathon I decided to unwrap it and read it!
It's kind of joy to read, a real trip down memory lane. Steve Gerber wrote a nice introduction back in 2008 for the first printing, where he describes Howard's publishing history, even talking briefly about the lawsuit. He seemed to be very proud of his creation and was glad it was reprinted in the Omnibus.
The first three stories by Frank Brunner, from Giant Size Man-Thing #4-5 and Howard the Duck #1, are jaw droppingly gorgeous. His artwork translates well to these oversized pages, and I always loved the light hearted nature of these first Howard tales.
You can see a longer more detailed review of this, with images, on Giant-Size Marvel: Howard the Duck Omnibus
It's kind of joy to read, a real trip down memory lane. Steve Gerber wrote a nice introduction back in 2008 for the first printing, where he describes Howard's publishing history, even talking briefly about the lawsuit. He seemed to be very proud of his creation and was glad it was reprinted in the Omnibus.
The first three stories by Frank Brunner, from Giant Size Man-Thing #4-5 and Howard the Duck #1, are jaw droppingly gorgeous. His artwork translates well to these oversized pages, and I always loved the light hearted nature of these first Howard tales.
You can see a longer more detailed review of this, with images, on Giant-Size Marvel: Howard the Duck Omnibus
February 22, 2018
Had the entire run been written by Gerber, this would probably get four stars, as for the most part the Gerber-penned issues are amusing and innovative. However, the last hundred pages or so are by other hands, and the writers especially can't measure up to Gerber's offbeat sensibility--and, for that matter, the artists (even though I generally admire their work--Paul Smith's especially) can't measure up to Gene Colan, who drew the lion's share of the original run. According to an interview appended to the collection, he found his work on Howard the most satisfying of his career, which surprised me somewhat, as I wouldn't say it's his best work, though it certainly is distinctively Colan and always admirable. Perhaps the inkers didn't quite do it justice (Al Milgrom certainly didn't for the pages he inked). Anyway, the stories offer a hodge-podge of satire of comics as well as of society generally and politics specifically (notably in Howard's multi-issue run for President--apparently, nobody checked HIS birth certificate), along with occasional appearances from Marvel mainstays (no doubt mandated by Marvel). Well worth reading for the Gerber material (though even it has its ups and downs), but one can easily skip the final two or three issues reprinted. The interview from FOOM is a nice and surprising bonus, though; given that the mag was Marvel's official fanzine, I am surprised they let Gerber get away with a few of the things he said about mainstream comics.
November 30, 2016
I like Howard as a character and I can appreciate that there's probably a lot of quality satire here, but I just didn't get it. It was weird, which I like, but it was also confusing, boring, and not funny. I assume I'd appreciate it more if I understood all of the '70's references. Someone get me an annotated edition!
September 9, 2013
I remember haggling with a vendor at a convention in Boston in the late 80s for a full run of Howard the Duck, offering up numerous other books to get the price down, and still ending up $5 short. So getting my hands on this book years later, containing better reproductions of all those issues, plus more, was a bit of a rush. Still, it took a while for me to get around to reading it.
First, be aware that the Howard the Duck comic only shares a few character names with its movie adaptation. The original Howard is firmly rooted in the Marvel Universe, along with Spider-Man and Doctor Strange (both of whom he encounters in the stories here). I had read most of the Steve Gerber run on Howard before, but it never looked as good as it does here. These issues are the true Howard the Duck canon. Gerber's Howard is often not a happy camper, just trying to live life with a very small group of "hairless ape" friends. The stories are satire heavy, when not focusing on Howard essentially loosing his mind. the book is hilariously absurd most of the time, but it does get a bit bogged down wallowing in Howard's unhappiness and at times the book was a bit hard to read, but ultimately worth it. Unfortunately Gerber's departure happened in the middle of a story that was obviously building towards something other than where the book ended up going, and that was pretty jarring. Everything after that point is a bit of a mixed bag.
Once I got used to the changes, I was able to enjoy the Bill Mantlo stories presented here. Unfortunately much of Mantlo's run, from the black & white Howard book, are missing from this collection. There's probably 400-500 pages of Howard's adventures that happen between issues 31-32 just ignored (excepting a single panel flashback in issue 32). Issue 32 reads like a failed attempt to relaunch the color book, and 33, which came out 9 months later was probably the weakest thing in the book.
But rather than end on a sour note there's a great interview with Steve Gerber and Gene Colan (who drew the vast majority of the color and black & white Howard issues).
First, be aware that the Howard the Duck comic only shares a few character names with its movie adaptation. The original Howard is firmly rooted in the Marvel Universe, along with Spider-Man and Doctor Strange (both of whom he encounters in the stories here). I had read most of the Steve Gerber run on Howard before, but it never looked as good as it does here. These issues are the true Howard the Duck canon. Gerber's Howard is often not a happy camper, just trying to live life with a very small group of "hairless ape" friends. The stories are satire heavy, when not focusing on Howard essentially loosing his mind. the book is hilariously absurd most of the time, but it does get a bit bogged down wallowing in Howard's unhappiness and at times the book was a bit hard to read, but ultimately worth it. Unfortunately Gerber's departure happened in the middle of a story that was obviously building towards something other than where the book ended up going, and that was pretty jarring. Everything after that point is a bit of a mixed bag.
Once I got used to the changes, I was able to enjoy the Bill Mantlo stories presented here. Unfortunately much of Mantlo's run, from the black & white Howard book, are missing from this collection. There's probably 400-500 pages of Howard's adventures that happen between issues 31-32 just ignored (excepting a single panel flashback in issue 32). Issue 32 reads like a failed attempt to relaunch the color book, and 33, which came out 9 months later was probably the weakest thing in the book.
But rather than end on a sour note there's a great interview with Steve Gerber and Gene Colan (who drew the vast majority of the color and black & white Howard issues).
September 20, 2017
My brief review to justify my rating:
The 5 stars are for Gerber's work and pretty much his alone. Outside the Status Quo issues every writer collected in here that isn't Gerber completely misses the point of Howard's character and is often at best cringe-worthy. If you're interested in reading this book or any Howard I strongly recommend reading only Gerber's issues, and supplementing with the Status Quo arc if you'd like to see a decent take on the character by someone who at least understood the whole point of the comic.
The 5 stars are for Gerber's work and pretty much his alone. Outside the Status Quo issues every writer collected in here that isn't Gerber completely misses the point of Howard's character and is often at best cringe-worthy. If you're interested in reading this book or any Howard I strongly recommend reading only Gerber's issues, and supplementing with the Status Quo arc if you'd like to see a decent take on the character by someone who at least understood the whole point of the comic.
October 30, 2017
I was never a fan of this series. I tried reading it off and on as it was published but just never seemed to get into the character. I does have some nice humor in it. Not recommended
December 16, 2012
Poor Howard, born in a world he never made... But wait, aren't we all?
Steve Gerber was a genius. He created Howard the Duck, a duck, an actual duck, that couls talk, mind you, in a universe filled with velcro-clad super-heroes. He challenged the powers that be by making this duck fall in love with a woman, oh, excuse me, an hairless ape female. He inserted satire, wether it be against the super-hero genre or the political movement of the day and made it all entertaining.
No writer since has been able to do Howard the Duck properly and I doubt any will ever... those that could probably know that they shouldn't even try!
The only other satirical funny animal set in a world of humans that can even compare is Cerebus the Aardvark... and that, my friends, is high praise indeed!
Steve Gerber was a genius. He created Howard the Duck, a duck, an actual duck, that couls talk, mind you, in a universe filled with velcro-clad super-heroes. He challenged the powers that be by making this duck fall in love with a woman, oh, excuse me, an hairless ape female. He inserted satire, wether it be against the super-hero genre or the political movement of the day and made it all entertaining.
No writer since has been able to do Howard the Duck properly and I doubt any will ever... those that could probably know that they shouldn't even try!
The only other satirical funny animal set in a world of humans that can even compare is Cerebus the Aardvark... and that, my friends, is high praise indeed!
November 23, 2014
Yes, it starts strong and then kind of peters out, but so what? It's still one of the most essential Marvel Omnibuses ever published. And I realize it's out of print, but again: that's why there's an internet.
I won't go into the specifics of the actual book: it's a Marvel Omnibus, so it sort of speaks for itself (though I know that later editions have been "cheaping out," this isn't one of them). And Steve Gerber was one of the best writers ever to work in comics--it's hard for me to choose between his various projects, because I love each and every one of them. His Defenders work was glorious. But Howard the Duck was, perhaps, the most autobiographical, and so deserves a place on the shelf of anyone who truly loved him.
I won't go into the specifics of the actual book: it's a Marvel Omnibus, so it sort of speaks for itself (though I know that later editions have been "cheaping out," this isn't one of them). And Steve Gerber was one of the best writers ever to work in comics--it's hard for me to choose between his various projects, because I love each and every one of them. His Defenders work was glorious. But Howard the Duck was, perhaps, the most autobiographical, and so deserves a place on the shelf of anyone who truly loved him.
December 27, 2013
Howard the Duck will always have a bad rap because of the awful, Lucas-produced film. But the original, Steve Gerber series the movie was (loosely) based off holds up well. The series is an excuse for Gerber to satirize any and everything and made the book a big hit with college students upon its initial release.
March 18, 2018
I’ll break from my ban on rating books in honor of the late, great Steve Gerber. My five star rating applies only to the first twenty-seven issues he authored; after he was pushed aside, the quality tanked — Gerber was the voice of Howard, and the last few issues of this omnibus feel like a cheap knock-off. I don’t think that his successors (or Marvel) understood what Gerber set out to accomplish.
But those twenty-seven issues, man... We’ve got those. They are funny, endearing, gloriously subversive. They are a loud shouting out into the dark; they are a dissection of 1970s politics, society — and comic books as an artistic medium — from an outsider’s perspective. And they represent one of the most exuberantly inventive runs in the history of comics.
But those twenty-seven issues, man... We’ve got those. They are funny, endearing, gloriously subversive. They are a loud shouting out into the dark; they are a dissection of 1970s politics, society — and comic books as an artistic medium — from an outsider’s perspective. And they represent one of the most exuberantly inventive runs in the history of comics.
October 15, 2021
Steve Gerber was an absolute genius. This series was some of the best, smartest, and deepest satire ever put to page (although very of its time- if you dont remember the 70s you will likely miss a lot). So i highly recommend this- BUT!!! skip the last 2 issues. The writers did not have an understanding of the character- and the final issue ends with a series of blatant homophobic slurs against a horribly represented gay character. What a shit way to end a phenomenal series.
December 26, 2020
Actually, just have the individual issues. Discovered this title as a kid and collected all of them except the last "Iron Duck" issue as an adolescent. What to say? Creepy, surreal, hilarious, groundbreaking both due to the amazing writing, wonderful artwork, and historic litigation that ended the initial run. Unique!
June 8, 2022
The story behind Howard and the trials and tribulations of this turbulent duck are fairly fascinating, but the stories here are mostly average. A bit pompous, and very self-indulgent. Pretentious? Sure. And yet, Howard's story, both on page and behind the scenes does manage to maintain my interest.
December 27, 2023
Not for everyone but this irreverent cartoon series was ground-breaking satire in its 1970s heyday. A dissection of America’s ills at the ti e that mostly chimes true today.
Howard the Duck is an anti-hero and nis opponents are the most bizarre collection of miscreants a warped imagination could conceive. a giant space turnip, for example.
Surreal, zany but cutting satire.
Howard the Duck is an anti-hero and nis opponents are the most bizarre collection of miscreants a warped imagination could conceive. a giant space turnip, for example.
Surreal, zany but cutting satire.
August 2, 2020
I like the fact that Steve Gerber tried to do things differently than Marvel usually does and I quite enjoyed his and Gene Colan's interviews but the content of this book is also a bit dated and sometimes the philosophical references seem to be pretentious and needless.
August 2, 2020
Αρκετά διαφορετικό από τα συνηθισμένα της Marvel και θα έλεγα ότι είναι από τα πιο σημαντικά Marvel Omnibus, αλλά και πάλι, είναι κάπως παρωχημένο και το/η χιούμορ/σάτιρά του απευθύνεται κυρίως στους αναγνώστες της εποχής στην οποία κυκλοφόρησε.
September 20, 2017
I was really surprised by how topical and contemporary the writing (especially by Gerber) is. The first 20 or so issues of the Howard the Duck comic alone is well worth reading!
February 1, 2015
The 70's were a weird, experimental and incredibly underrated era for mainstream comics. Case in point, Steve Gerber's extraordinary "Howard The Duck" stories for Marvel which took a suspiciously Disney-looking anthropomorphised duck and turned him into an existential everyman. Originally created in Gerber's equally bizarre swamp-monster book "Man-Thing", Howard was originally intended as a short-term gag character and was quickly removed from the story. However, something in his irascible, sarcastic personality hit a chord with readers and he was brought back as a back up feature and, eventually in his own series which is re-printed here in it's entirety.
Steve Gerber was an intellectual ex-hippie who's work was infused with the post-sixties paranoia of Thomas Pynchon and the impish absurdity of Tom Robbins. It soon became apparent that Howard had become his creator's mouthpiece to rail against the societal ills of the day, including political corruption, fundamentalism, faddish new-ageism and, above all, rampant consumerism. The cigar chomping street philosopher even gained his own rogues gallery, including the likes of capitalist wizard Pro-Rata, insane galactic conqueror B'zzk Joh, and the powerful but sexually insecure Dr. Bong. His primary sidekick and companion was a buxom red-head named Beverly Switzer who never quite blossoms as a character, but at least provides Howard with a sympathetic sounding board for his angry rants. Their will-they or won't-they relationship must have caused Marvel editors some sleepless nights back in the day.
If I only give this book 4 stars it's for two reasons. First of all, the last few issues included are not written by Steve Gerber and range from serviceable to forgettable. Secondly, despite the intelligence and on-point satire, it's never quite as funny as you hope it will be.
Still, this is a remarkable comic book by any measure, and a high water mark for satire and experimentation. Forget the terrible 80's movie, this is the real Howard.
ps- Did you see him at the end of the credits for Guardians of the Galaxy? No? Well, get on that!
Steve Gerber was an intellectual ex-hippie who's work was infused with the post-sixties paranoia of Thomas Pynchon and the impish absurdity of Tom Robbins. It soon became apparent that Howard had become his creator's mouthpiece to rail against the societal ills of the day, including political corruption, fundamentalism, faddish new-ageism and, above all, rampant consumerism. The cigar chomping street philosopher even gained his own rogues gallery, including the likes of capitalist wizard Pro-Rata, insane galactic conqueror B'zzk Joh, and the powerful but sexually insecure Dr. Bong. His primary sidekick and companion was a buxom red-head named Beverly Switzer who never quite blossoms as a character, but at least provides Howard with a sympathetic sounding board for his angry rants. Their will-they or won't-they relationship must have caused Marvel editors some sleepless nights back in the day.
If I only give this book 4 stars it's for two reasons. First of all, the last few issues included are not written by Steve Gerber and range from serviceable to forgettable. Secondly, despite the intelligence and on-point satire, it's never quite as funny as you hope it will be.
Still, this is a remarkable comic book by any measure, and a high water mark for satire and experimentation. Forget the terrible 80's movie, this is the real Howard.
ps- Did you see him at the end of the credits for Guardians of the Galaxy? No? Well, get on that!
March 18, 2015
it's tough to review a book this extensive b/c it spans pretty much the entire lifespan of a character w/ all its ups and downs. but I really did love this damn book. at 800 pages it's a whole lotta book but really worth your time (well, maybe not so much once Steve Gerber leaves the series but... ) and really truly Howard the Duck is an unbelievable series that must be experienced by comic book fans. the fact that something this subversive and weird and heady was published by Marvel at all is amazing. Howard subverts all expectations when it comes to story lines and follows more of a stream of consciousness vibe than any comic of that era did. there was also a fair bit of experimentation involved, especially an issue that's essential an essay about how creativity can fail. but as I alluded to early there is a noticeable drop in quality once Gerber inevitably left the book and if anything else it shows how deeply embedded the character of Howard was to its creator. that isn't to say the book gets awful w/out him just noticeably different and explains why relaunching this guy into the Marvel universe has proven so tricky. the book also includes some interviews w/ Gerber that show just how ahead of the curve and neurotic the guy was. overall this is an incredible (and heavy) package that anyone wondering what that dude at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy was about should pick up. of if you're just interested in Marvel comics during the 70s, it's an intriguing piece of work that remains just as silly and readable as ever.
May 27, 2016
A colossal tome consisting of the first run of Howard the Duck, this omnibus illustrates the rich character's Kafkaesque existentialism and Cadmusian absurdism. While many know this Marvel character from the nearly universally panned Lucasarts movie from the 1980s, it is not nearly as well known that the character has a complexity that his creator, Steve Gerber, used to satirizes Capitalism, comic book writing, censorship, and politics. The Gerber titles in the volume are the best, with the non-Gerber titles lacking the punch and philosophical spirit that Gerber uses to question the nature of reality and elements of narratives. Thankfully these non-Gerber comics in here are sparse. The amount of quality material in here is too rich for that to reflect on my rating. My main complaints are a) the treatment of women are sometimes objectified (which is not uncommon for the era), b) there is an evil Canadian story arc that is somewhat convoluted, c) there is no satisfying exposition for what ever happened to the evil Dr. Reich, and d) there is no reason given as to why a certain character has psychic powers but never uses them except once- a solid 4.5.
January 5, 2017
3.5 stars.
This was an interesting read. Id heard of howard the duck before but never read any anything about him. I got this as an impulse buy when i saw it for 75% off and im glad i did.
Steve Gerber is the creater and main writer of howard the duck. His work was very enjoyable and i really enjoyed what he wrote. He was the writer for the first 29 issues of this book before he left. but from that point it went downhill. Steve Gerber left write at the end of an arc which had lasted for many issues and Bill Mantillo took over for the next 2 issues to finish it off. These two issues were fine and brang a nice close to this big arc, but then a slew of other wroters came in and "did their thing" with the character and it just wasnt very good at all.
I really enjoyed the story of Howard running for president, it really holds up today especially with what has been happening with the most recent election.
The art for this book was generally good, there were a few issues where quality dropped but overall if you enjoy the old style of comic book art then you would like it.
Overall this book was good for the most part (Steve Gerbers works mainly) before it went downhill.
This was an interesting read. Id heard of howard the duck before but never read any anything about him. I got this as an impulse buy when i saw it for 75% off and im glad i did.
Steve Gerber is the creater and main writer of howard the duck. His work was very enjoyable and i really enjoyed what he wrote. He was the writer for the first 29 issues of this book before he left. but from that point it went downhill. Steve Gerber left write at the end of an arc which had lasted for many issues and Bill Mantillo took over for the next 2 issues to finish it off. These two issues were fine and brang a nice close to this big arc, but then a slew of other wroters came in and "did their thing" with the character and it just wasnt very good at all.
I really enjoyed the story of Howard running for president, it really holds up today especially with what has been happening with the most recent election.
The art for this book was generally good, there were a few issues where quality dropped but overall if you enjoy the old style of comic book art then you would like it.
Overall this book was good for the most part (Steve Gerbers works mainly) before it went downhill.
October 9, 2016
Finally sat down to read this monster, and I do like it very much. I think I might enjoy Steve Gerber's weird stories, like Omega the Unknown or Man- Thing a bit more than Howard. While Howard stories are strange, they lean more toward self effacing humor which is well done, but tends to repeat the same themes time and again.
Another minor thing I had a problem with is Gene Colan's art. Don't get me wrong, Gene Colan was a genius. He is my favorite artist for Tomb of Dracula, Daredevil, and especially Dr. Strange. But his style is not quite right for Howard the Duck. I think that both art and stories were best when Gerber was working with Frank Brunner. Unfortunately that only lasted for about 4 issues. This is all just my opinion.
But despite my four stars, this should be in the top ten for anyone who loves classic 70's Marvel at it's best. They really went out on a limb for Gerber to allow him to write this stuff. There wasn't anything else like it from Marvel at the time. And a lot of modern stuff owes a lot to Gerber's imagination.
Another minor thing I had a problem with is Gene Colan's art. Don't get me wrong, Gene Colan was a genius. He is my favorite artist for Tomb of Dracula, Daredevil, and especially Dr. Strange. But his style is not quite right for Howard the Duck. I think that both art and stories were best when Gerber was working with Frank Brunner. Unfortunately that only lasted for about 4 issues. This is all just my opinion.
But despite my four stars, this should be in the top ten for anyone who loves classic 70's Marvel at it's best. They really went out on a limb for Gerber to allow him to write this stuff. There wasn't anything else like it from Marvel at the time. And a lot of modern stuff owes a lot to Gerber's imagination.
April 3, 2015
Whew. This was a long one, and rather unlike most other comics of the era that I have read. There are a few nods to super-heroes and other comic book ideas, but mostly, this just does its own thing, looking at the absurdity of life and various genres of fiction along the way. Apart from a big change in direction at the end (which I am led to believe is because the comic was dropped for some time and then picked up again like nothing ever happened), it's witty, fast-paced, and profound. I'm sure I must have missed some of the jokes, if they were current events at the time, but I got an awful lot of what was going on, including some pretty niche references and absurdist wordplay. Since my exposure to Howard the Duck was limited before this (consisting of the movie, a few issues of Generation X, and a random bit in Original Sin), I definitely have a better grasp of how the character fits in (or really, doesn't fit in) to the Marvel universe. It's weird and interesting.
December 6, 2015
As a whole, I thought the book was probably overrated. Howard the Duck fans do a better job of imagining the book than would appear. A lot of the really philosophical/social commentary parts of the book get written up, but they're not as strong as it would appear.
One of the book's strongest and weakest points is that it's clear that the authors/creative teams worked without a plan. So there are big jumps and unwillingness to get bogged down in certain details or plots. But it also means that things don't carry much weight.
There are some good comedy moments (the plans of the Canadian villain) and some funny secondary characters (Kidney Lady, Winda Wester).
The book also seems to treat many of its women as disposable cheesecake, which is too bad. It would be more interesting with a strong Beverly Switzler. By the end, it's clear that the title has totally run out of momentum.
One of the book's strongest and weakest points is that it's clear that the authors/creative teams worked without a plan. So there are big jumps and unwillingness to get bogged down in certain details or plots. But it also means that things don't carry much weight.
There are some good comedy moments (the plans of the Canadian villain) and some funny secondary characters (Kidney Lady, Winda Wester).
The book also seems to treat many of its women as disposable cheesecake, which is too bad. It would be more interesting with a strong Beverly Switzler. By the end, it's clear that the title has totally run out of momentum.
October 31, 2016
A few things:
1. The "Howard for President" arc is as relevant now as it was in 1976, if not more so. "Get down, America!"
2. I feel like I've gotten to know the young Steve Gerber by reading the adventures of his best-known protagonist. That being said, "Howard the Duck" is perhaps at its most poignant when it completely breaks down: when the author reveals his anxieties in his own voice, completely disregarding the conventions of the genre.
3. As for the plot, it is unaccountably inchoate for as long as it sticks to the aforementioned conventions. I was fairly shocked that the editors did not see fit to intervene sooner; it seems Gerber was allowed to pursue a train of thought without any clear objective. I don't think that was terribly wise.
4. Gerber's spray-and-pray satire will no doubt disappoint contemporary readers with contemporary expectations, but it has the merit of being without precedent in the comics mainstream.
1. The "Howard for President" arc is as relevant now as it was in 1976, if not more so. "Get down, America!"
2. I feel like I've gotten to know the young Steve Gerber by reading the adventures of his best-known protagonist. That being said, "Howard the Duck" is perhaps at its most poignant when it completely breaks down: when the author reveals his anxieties in his own voice, completely disregarding the conventions of the genre.
3. As for the plot, it is unaccountably inchoate for as long as it sticks to the aforementioned conventions. I was fairly shocked that the editors did not see fit to intervene sooner; it seems Gerber was allowed to pursue a train of thought without any clear objective. I don't think that was terribly wise.
4. Gerber's spray-and-pray satire will no doubt disappoint contemporary readers with contemporary expectations, but it has the merit of being without precedent in the comics mainstream.
February 15, 2013
Actually, I've read all these stories before - 30 years ago! Love the real Howard the Duck (ignore the movie). Steve Gerber died in early 2008 (after he wrote the introduction to this mega volume) and is sorely missed.
September 27, 2012
These stories got me through adolescence. I mean who, as a teen, hasn't felt like a duck in a land of hairless apes, in a world you never made?... It's a damned shame that Howard the Duck's legacy in the memory of pop culture is that film.
October 8, 2008
It's totally insane! I love it! Pokes fun at everything. Offensive only to those with no sense of humour.
July 1, 2014
Possibly the most important piece of literature from the last fifty years!(except for those last few non-Gerber issues)
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