Steve Gerber: Conversations

Conversations with Artists

by Jason Sacks (Editor)

Steve Gerber (1947-2008) is among the most significant comics writers of the modern era. Best known for his magnum opus Howard the Duck, he also wrote influential series such as Man-Thing, Omega the Unknown, The Phantom Zone, and Hard Time, expressing a combination of intelligence and empathy rare in American comics.

Gerber rose to prominence during the 1970s. His work for Marvel Comics during that era helped revitalize several increasingly clich�d generic conventions of superhero, horror, and funny animal comics by inserting satire, psychological complexity, and existential absurdism. Gerber's scripts were also often socially conscious, confronting, among other things, capitalism, environmentalism, political corruption, and censorship. His critique also extended into the personal sphere, addressing such taboo topics as domestic violence, racism, inequality, and poverty.

This volume follows Gerber's career through a range of interviews, beginning with his height during the 1970s and ending with an interview with Michael Eury just before Gerber's death in 2008. Among the pieces featured is a 1976 interview with Mark Lerer, originally published in the low-circulation fanzine Pittsburgh Fan Forum, where Gerber looks back on his work for Marvel during the early to mid-1970s, his most prolific period. This volume concludes with selections from Gerber's dialogue with his readers and admirers in online forums and a Gerber-based Yahoo Group, wherein he candidly discusses his many projects over the years.

Gerber's unique voice in comics has established his legacy. Indeed, his contribution earned him a posthumous induction into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame.

Genres: Comics

280 pages, Hardcover

Published June 27, 2019

Reviews

[Brian Keene · Rating 5 out of 5]

There have been almost as many words written about the early Marvel Comics architects -- Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and Jim Steranko -- as the words they wrote themselves during their careers. This book finally spotlights one of the second generation of architects, and it's in his own words. Steve Gerber, alongside such peers as Roy Thomas, Scott Edelman, Jim Starlin, David Anthony Kraft, and many more, came to Marvel in the 1970s and took the company's shared universe to new heights. Guardians of the Galaxy. The Defenders. Man-Thing. Howard the Duck. Sub-Mariner. The Son of Satan. No matter which character or book they saddled him with, Gerber worked his magic--writing a deft blend of politics, humor, horror, science-fiction, and daring (for the time) social commentary into each and every issue. More than any other writer, Gerber is the connective tissue between the Lees and Kirbys and today's legends like Alan Moore, Warren Ellis, and Frank Miller. A long-deserved compilation, and a fascinating read. Well worth it!

[David Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gerber remains my favorite comics writer, so my interest is obvious and unabashed. The existence of such a book -- a compendium of interviews with a second-tier comic book writer (and first-rate talent) -- is nothing short of miraculous. The interviews can be repetitive, and it's too bad there weren't more (if they exist) from his 1970s heyday. But his wit, intelligence and prickliness jump off the page. Docked half a star for not including my CBG interview with Gerber from 1988, haha.

[Mark Schlatter · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a solid --- if not entirely comprehensive --- reference work on Steve Gerber, the idiosyncratic comic book writer best known for creating Howard the Duck for Marvel Comics and then unsuccessfully suing to gain rights to his creation. I wanted the book for my own research purposes (trying to understand the appearance of a character called "the elf with a gun" in Gerber's Defenders run) and was rewarded with two discussions of the character (only one of which appeared in the index).

Since the work is primarily a collection of interviews, the quality of each piece depends a lot on the interviewer. The editors have done a good job of selecting pieces from throughout Gerber's career, but some interviews are definitely more probing, and a few just seem like promos for Gerber's next project. I'm a little confused why Gerber's interview in The Comics Journal with Gary Groth was not included, but that may be a question of rights.

In the end, I am struck by how Gerber may have been the first comics writer to have an ownership issue with his publisher publicly covered. There were certainly comics creators who were screwed over by companies before, but Gerber's fight over Howard took place under the eyes of comic book journalism, and it's clear from the interviews that neither Gerber nor the press were ever going to leave the issue unexplored or undiscussed, even decades later.

[Solitairerose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Steve Gerber Conversation is an excellently curated collection of interviews with, and internet posts from comics writer Steve Gerber. The interviews run from his early days at Marvel to the final few series of his career and show a man who was creative, opinionated, and changed over time.

The most fascinating this as I read these interviews was getting a sense of where he was at the moment, and seeing what changed in his worldview and what didn’t. I was also interested in how little things said about him over the years by others came up in his interviews again and again, such as the accusations that his work was “self-indulgent”. He is at first irritated and in later interviews seems almost bemused by it as time went on.

Steve Gerber was a unique creator in the world of super-hero comics, and while the book could have been improved with a long, career spanning interview, Gerber passed away in 2007, and never sat down for one. This book is a perfect companion to his work and a must read for people who enjoy his writing.

[Bruno Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recopilación de entrevistas y actividad en foros de internet donde Gerber se muestra como una persona extremadamente inteligente, con las ideas muy claras sobre los medios en los que ha trabajado, humilde con sus fracasos y fiel creyente de una especie de justicia cósmica que te hace pagar las putadas que haces a otros.

Cuenta su lucha por los derechos de los personajes que creó en Marvel y por expresarse en la opresiva industria de los dibujos animados televisivos infantiles. Aún con todas las derrotas, se muestra al final de su carrera esperanzado por los proyectos en los que trabaja siendo consciente que no las tiene todas consigo pero contento de los avances que ha hecho la industria del comic en cuanto a libertad de expresión y derechos de autor desde que empezó su carrera.

Imprescindible si eres fan del guionista.

[Dutch Leonard · Rating 4 out of 5]

There isn't that much information on Steve Gerber out there. Although this book is not a biography, enough is revealed to give a reasonable picture to who Steve Gerber was: a stubborn, idealistic, and highly creative character.
Because some of these interviews take place around the same time period, there is a little repetition, but it's not really off-putting. Steve Gerber has some very interesting things to say about creativity as well as the process of writing, and it's great to have them in this collection.