...oh. Why didn't you say so? I thought you were riffing on him.
Howard the Duck was created by Steve Gerber in the late '70s. He was a Marvel Comics character but he wasn't a superhero, though he occasionally crossed paths with one (including Spider-Man). Howard often got himself into trouble inadvertently and often became a hero with more reluctance than enthusiasm. A cosmic accident left him stranded on Earth and he contemplated suicide until he met a human woman named Beverly who became his only friend.
The Howard the Duck comics were always written tongue-in-cheek and emphasized humor over action, but always had rich character development and good stories. Marvel treated Gerber badly, however, and even ended up firing him from his own comic book due to their disagreements. Without Gerber, Howard's comic lost its edge and wound up cancelled.
A live-action movie was made in 1986, with Lea Thompson as Beverly and Chip Zien as the voice of Howard. Tim Robbins and Jeffery Jones were also in it. It was written by Gloria Katz and Willard Huyck (who wrote Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom) and directed by Huyck. George Lucas executive-produced it but doesn't look back fondly on it mainly due to disagreements with Katz and Huyck over how the film should have been done. Thomas Dolby did the songs for the film. It bombed big-time and became one of the most notorious movie bombs in history. I confess, though, that I love that movie AND its soundtrack, and I really do hope they release it on DVD someday.
In the early 2000s, Marvel created its adult-targeted MAX line of comics and actually brought Steve Gerber back to do a Howard mini-series. Gerber wrote some of the hardest-hitting humor ever (DEFINITELY not for the easily-offended) and put poor Howard through the emotional wringer, but I found that mini-series hysterical and I still regard it as one of the best comics I have ever read. Since then Howard has been absent from the comic scene, but maybe they'll bring him back again. I hope they do, anyway.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2006-05-23 02:17 am (UTC)Howard the Duck was created by Steve Gerber in the late '70s. He was a Marvel Comics character but he wasn't a superhero, though he occasionally crossed paths with one (including Spider-Man). Howard often got himself into trouble inadvertently and often became a hero with more reluctance than enthusiasm. A cosmic accident left him stranded on Earth and he contemplated suicide until he met a human woman named Beverly who became his only friend.
The Howard the Duck comics were always written tongue-in-cheek and emphasized humor over action, but always had rich character development and good stories. Marvel treated Gerber badly, however, and even ended up firing him from his own comic book due to their disagreements. Without Gerber, Howard's comic lost its edge and wound up cancelled.
A live-action movie was made in 1986, with Lea Thompson as Beverly and Chip Zien as the voice of Howard. Tim Robbins and Jeffery Jones were also in it. It was written by Gloria Katz and Willard Huyck (who wrote Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom) and directed by Huyck. George Lucas executive-produced it but doesn't look back fondly on it mainly due to disagreements with Katz and Huyck over how the film should have been done. Thomas Dolby did the songs for the film. It bombed big-time and became one of the most notorious movie bombs in history. I confess, though, that I love that movie AND its soundtrack, and I really do hope they release it on DVD someday.
In the early 2000s, Marvel created its adult-targeted MAX line of comics and actually brought Steve Gerber back to do a Howard mini-series. Gerber wrote some of the hardest-hitting humor ever (DEFINITELY not for the easily-offended) and put poor Howard through the emotional wringer, but I found that mini-series hysterical and I still regard it as one of the best comics I have ever read. Since then Howard has been absent from the comic scene, but maybe they'll bring him back again. I hope they do, anyway.