Howard the Duck Ongoing Series Announced

Greg

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=57254

"Marvel Comics has announced via Entertainment Weekly that a new ongoing "Howard the Duck" series is on its way. The comic, Howard's first starring role since a 2007 miniseries, will be written by "Sex Criminals" artist Chip Zdarsky and illustrated by Joe Quinones ("Black Canary and Zatanna: Bloodspell") and feature the titular duck jumpstarting his career as a private investigator. In an interview with EW, Zdarsky says that he considers Howard to be an everyman who happens to be a duck."

Torchsong

Bring it on or I guess I should say "Get Down"

SolitaireRose

If it ain't Gerber, I don't care. The last time Howard showed in the Marvel U, he was leading at attack in a Marvel Zombies series which was about as smart as making Spider-Man a bloodthirsty killer.

Howard WAS Steve Gerber.

Brack

SolitaireRose said:

If it ain't Gerber, I don't care. The last time Howard showed in the Marvel U, he was leading at attack in a Marvel Zombies series which was about as smart as making Spider-Man a bloodthirsty killer.

Howard WAS Steve Gerber.

While I tend to agree that non-Gerber Howard tends to be not that great, that particular Marvel Zombies series was the third part of Fred Van Lente's Nexus of All Realities (another Gerber creation) themed trilogy, and that's something Howard thematically fits right into, seeing as that's how he emerged into this world he never made.

The Van Lente Marvel Zombies series (3,4,5) were a whole different kettle of fish to Kirkman's. Much more along the lines of 70s Marvel output, and under-rated due to the perceived over exposure of the franchise.

Anyway, back to the new Howard the Duck. If we must have a new Howard the Duck series (and it is a constant inevitability), then Chip Zdarsky is a fine choice of writer.

[Deleted User]

Get Down, America! Maybe we can write him in for 2016!!

LibraryBoy

The original Howard the Duck series is one of those books I always think I should like a lot better than I do. I appreciate it as a work, and I can see why people connect with it, but it just feels a little too "of its time" to me; although I remember the 70s, I was still awfully young when they ended. I wonder if that's how people today feel going back and reading Bloom County if they were born after, say, 1988?

Matt

Somewhere Lea Thompson & Tim Robbins are rocking out.

http://youtu.be/e0oeY1KMY9U

M

Chuck_Melville

SolitaireRose said:

If it ain't Gerber, I don't care. The last time Howard showed in the Marvel U, he was leading at attack in a Marvel Zombies series which was about as smart as making Spider-Man a bloodthirsty killer.

Howard WAS Steve Gerber.

Boy, but I do absolutely agree with that! I'd love to see a new HTD series, but without Gerber's unique satirical mind behind it, would it really be worth it?

[Deleted User]

LibraryBoy said:

The original Howard the Duck series is one of those books I always think I should like a lot better than I do. I appreciate it as a work, and I can see why people connect with it, but it just feels a little too "of its time" to me; although I remember the 70s, I was still awfully young when they ended. I wonder if that's how people today feel going back and reading Bloom County if they were born after, say, 1988?

I can definitely agree with this... although I do love the old series. However, I'm now in my 40's, and quite often I feel like I'm "trapped in a world I never made"... I'm sure the sentiment is still valid, and there's still PLENTY (if not more) in the 21st century that's ripe for parody in the patented HTD manner.

dubbat138

I will give this a shot once the first trade comes out. But so far all non-Gerber written Howard I have read hasn't been good. Heard the Templeton mini from a few years back is really good.

bats00

Chuck_Melville said:

SolitaireRose said:

If it ain't Gerber, I don't care. The last time Howard showed in the Marvel U, he was leading at attack in a Marvel Zombies series which was about as smart as making Spider-Man a bloodthirsty killer.

Howard WAS Steve Gerber.

Boy, but I do absolutely agree with that! I'd love to see a new HTD series, but without Gerber's unique satirical mind behind it, would it really be worth it?

I'm of two minds on this. I do agree with what I quoted above but would love to see new, good Howard material. Of course It's been a while since I read the Essential so I can always go back to reread that.

Torchsong

With all respect to the man and what he created, and the legacy he left behind, Steve Gerber is dead.

Let me repeat that first part for everyone firing up their counter arguments because I just seemingly pissed on a comic sacred cow: With all respect to the man and what he created, and the legacy he left behind...

I'm in the camp of Melville and bats00...I would like to see new Howard material, if done correctly. We have seen what happens when it isn't. We get a movie that shall not be named. We get one-shots that miss the point completely. We get near-misses a la the magazine (which I liked, but I'm a big Mantlo-fanboy, so take that with a grain of salt).

The real question here is will the new creative team grasp what Gerber was trying to do with it?

Hex

Torchsong said:

I would like to see new Howard material, if done correctly. We have seen what happens when it isn't. We get a movie that shall not be named. We get one-shots that miss the point completely. We get near-misses a la the magazine (which I liked, but I'm a big Mantlo-fanboy, so take that with a grain of salt).

Yes...
Howard or not, this statement applies to ALL comic characters. We've all read many awesome Captain America stories, along with plenty of terrible ones. Yeah, yeah... we can all agree, Gerber's Howard is untouchable. But the reality is Marvel owns the Duck, and they are going to use him (especially after his cameo in Guardians of the Galaxy). I truly believe there is another storyteller somewhere out there that has an awesome yarn to share about the Duck and the "world he never made".

Let's try to keep an open mind (and fingers crossed) that this latest attempt will be a good one. This interview with Chip Zdarsky from Newsarama reads as promising.

Maybe now that Disney owns Marvel, Howard will be free of the pants.
(uh... that sounds weirder than I intended).

SolitaireRose

Torchsong said:

With all respect to the man and what he created, and the legacy he left behind, Steve Gerber is dead.

Let me repeat that first part for everyone firing up their counter arguments because I just seemingly pissed on a comic sacred cow: With all respect to the man and what he created, and the legacy he left behind...

I'm in the camp of Melville and bats00...I would like to see new Howard material, if done correctly. We have seen what happens when it isn't. We get a movie that shall not be named. We get one-shots that miss the point completely. We get near-misses a la the magazine (which I liked, but I'm a big Mantlo-fanboy, so take that with a grain of salt).

The real question here is will the new creative team grasp what Gerber was trying to do with it?

I hear what you are saying, and completely understand why Marvel is going to do what they are going to do. I just won’t be giving a damn about it.

Howard was a RICHLY personal creation, and in many ways was the first time in my life I saw an “author avatar” type of story. Howard voiced what Gerber was thinking and going through as he wrote the character (to the point when Gerber brought the character back for the MAX line, he had a security job much like Gerber’s before he worked in comics). It wasn’t like Kirby’s work, in that Kirby didn’t pour himself into the character to that degree.

Some characters can be continued by others…but the 70’s was a time when comics creators, especially young creators at marvel, were echoing the style and creativity of the undergrounds, and while it gave us some great books, it also gave us books that weren’t suited for the shared ongoing universe as well as others.

So, yes, Marvel can do it. I won’t read it, nor do I care about it. It would be like if Frank Cho did a continuation of Calvin and Hobbes, Jim Davis won the contract to continue Peanuts, Fabian Nicieza could be asked by DC to continue Sandman (Neil Gaiman is the only creator to work on that series because DC has a policy on it, not because of any rights) and a bunch of people could do prequels and sequels to Watchmen, but I won’t read them. I couldn’t care less if they exist.

Seeing how they used Howard in the Marvel Zombies stuff (on in Generation X, or in the 80’s, or in the gawdawful magazine that contradicted Gerber’s stuff right and left) I have no faith at all in what Marvel will do with the character. And that’s fine. They own it, they can do what they want with it. I don’t care if people like it, other than I hope it leads them to the originals and they read those.

Torchsong

I *was* thankful the sudden re-interest got them to trot the Omnibus edition out so I could get my hands on it at a fair price. :)

bralinator

SolitaireRose said:

Seeing how they used Howard in the Marvel Zombies stuff (on in Generation X, or in the 80’s, or in the gawdawful magazine that contradicted Gerber’s stuff right and left) I have no faith at all in what Marvel will do with the character. And that’s fine. They own it, they can do what they want with it. I don’t care if people like it, other than I hope it leads them to the originals and they read those.

BTW This reads like perfect "freakin'" material Corey. I bet you could do an entire episode on Gerber and the Duck.

I have recently been enlightened to the comparison of Gerber's Howard the Duck to Dave Sim's Cerebus the Aardvark. These two talking animals, surrounded by humans, who, despite different milieus, weirdly echo each other. Ripe for satire and deeper meaning.

mwhitt80

Torchsong said:

I *was* thankful the sudden re-interest got them to trot the Omnibus edition out so I could get my hands on it at a fair price. :)

Putting out an omnibi in 2008 hampered me being able to get a copy

DoctorDoom

Howard the Duck is safe and sound in the Image-verse anyway.

jaydee74

I like Howard the Duck. I remember reading the book back in the day and really taking a liking to it without ever realizing how personal the material was. I think it was because of what I loved about the comic that I disliked the movie so much. There are certain characters that can over time be written by anyone. Characters like Batman or Captain America can be done by anyone with a varied range of success or failure. I do highly believe though that there are certain characters that are so personal to the creators that when done by someone else, even if it sounds like the character's voice, it loses something by not being THE voice of the creator. I like those Peanuts comics that have been coming out but as much as I like them, they aren't THE voice of the characters. I'll be curious to see the first issue of this new Howard the Duck and it could be good but it won't have the same magic as when Gerber was doing the book. It will be different and for some, it will make it less enjoyable. I reserve judgement until I see it.

DoctorDoom

The only Howard the Duck I really know is from the current stuff, with the recent Marvel Zombies stuff he's been in. I'll give the new series a shot.

(My first exposure was back in the 90's, with Spider-Man's webcomic on Marvel's site. Remember that?)

SolitaireRose

bralinator said:

SolitaireRose said:

Seeing how they used Howard in the Marvel Zombies stuff (on in Generation X, or in the 80’s, or in the gawdawful magazine that contradicted Gerber’s stuff right and left) I have no faith at all in what Marvel will do with the character. And that’s fine. They own it, they can do what they want with it. I don’t care if people like it, other than I hope it leads them to the originals and they read those.

BTW This reads like perfect "freakin'" material Corey. I bet you could do an entire episode on Gerber and the Duck.

I have recently been enlightened to the comparison of Gerber's Howard the Duck to Dave Sim's Cerebus the Aardvark. These two talking animals, surrounded by humans, who, despite different milieus, weirdly echo each other. Ripe for satire and deeper meaning.

Sounds like a good idea to me! ^_^

bralinator

Excellent ~ thanks for the link @SolitaireRose‌! For some reason, my podcast feed doesn't go back very far.

kiwijase

bralinator said:

SolitaireRose said:

Seeing how they used Howard in the Marvel Zombies stuff (on in Generation X, or in the 80’s, or in the gawdawful magazine that contradicted Gerber’s stuff right and left) I have no faith at all in what Marvel will do with the character. And that’s fine. They own it, they can do what they want with it. I don’t care if people like it, other than I hope it leads them to the originals and they read those.

BTW This reads like perfect "freakin'" material Corey. I bet you could do an entire episode on Gerber and the Duck.

I have recently been enlightened to the comparison of Gerber's Howard the Duck to Dave Sim's Cerebus the Aardvark. These two talking animals, surrounded by humans, who, despite different milieus, weirdly echo each other. Ripe for satire and deeper meaning.

Dave Sim was actually approached by Marvel in the 1980's to do a reboot of Howard The Duck. He even drew a couple of sample pages before the deal fell through.