Howard the Duck
Howard the Duck #8 (Jan. 1977), art by Gene Colan & Steve Leialoha.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Adventure into Fear #19 (Dec. 1973)
Created by	Steve Gerber and Val Mayerik
In story information
Alter ego	Howard
Team affiliations	Defenders All-Night Party
Notable aliases	Son of Satan (former)
Abilities	Master of Quack-Fu

Howard the Duck is a comic book character in the Marvel Comics universe created by writer Steve Gerber and artist Val Mayerik. The character first appeared in Adventure into Fear #19 (Dec. 1973) and several subsequent series have chronicled the misadventures of the ill-tempered, anthropomorphic, "funny animal" trapped on human-dominated Earth. Howard's adventures are generally social satires, and also often parodies of genre fiction with a metafictional awareness of the medium. Howard the Duck (also known as Howard: A New Breed of Hero in Europe), is a 1986 live-action film produced by Lucasfilm and Universal Pictures, directed by Willard Huyck from a script by Huyck and his wife Gloria Katz. ... Cover of Howard The Duck #8. ... Gene Colan (born September 1, 1926, the Bronx, New York City, New York) is an American comic book artist who sometimes worked under the name Adam Austin. ... Cover for Spider-Woman #8 (November 1978). ... This article is about the comic book company. ... In comic books, first appearance refers to first comic book to feature a character. ... Adventure into Fear #20 (February, 1974). ... Stephen Ross Gerber (born 20 September 1947, St. ... Val Mayerik (born 1950, Youngstown, Ohio) is an American comic-book and commercial artist, best known as co-creator of Marvel Comics satiric character Howard the Duck. ... The Defenders are a Marvel Comics superhero group — usually presented as a non-team of individualistic outsiders each known for following their own agendas — that usually battles mystic and supernatural threats. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Son of Satan can refer to: a 1922 movie; see Son of Satan (film). ... A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... This article is about the comic book company. ... This article is about the shared universe setting used by many Marvel Comics titles. ... Stephen Ross Gerber (born 20 September 1947, St. ... Val Mayerik (born 1950, Youngstown, Ohio) is an American comic-book and commercial artist, best known as co-creator of Marvel Comics satiric character Howard the Duck. ... Adventure into Fear #20 (February, 1974). ... Anthropomorphism, also referred to as personification or prosopopeia, is the attribution of human characteristics to inanimate objects, animals, forces of nature, and others. ... Bugs Bunny, a typical funny animal character Funny animal is a cartooning term for the genre of comics and animated cartoons in which the main characters are humanoid or talking animals. ... 1867 edition of Punch, a ground-breaking British magazine of popular humour, including a good deal of satire of the contemporary social and political scene. ... In contemporary usage, a parody (or lampoon) is a work that imitates another work in order to ridicule, ironically comment on, or poke some affectionate fun at the work itself, the subject of the work, the author or fictional voice of the parody, or another subject. ... Genre fiction is a term for fictional works (novels, short stories) written with the intent of fitting into a specific literary genre in order to appeal to the fans of that genre. ... Look up metafiction in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Publication history

Howard the Duck was created in 1973 by Steve Gerber and Val Mayerik in Adventure into Fear as a secondary character in that comic's Man-Thing feature. He graduated to his own backup feature in Giant-Size Man-Thing, confronting such bizarre horror-parody characters as the Hellcow and the Man-Frog, before acquiring his own comic book title with Howard the Duck #1 in 1976. Adventure into Fear #20 (February, 1974). ... The Man-Thing is a fictional comic book creature created by Stan Lee, Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway, and featured in various Marvel Comics titles, the most prominent of which was written by Steve Gerber. ...

Gerber wrote 27 issues of the series, illustrated by a variety of artists, beginning with Frank Brunner, who left because he considered Howard a cartoon in the real world, which Gerber did not, with Gene Colan eventually becoming the regular penciller. The series gradually developed a substantial cult following, possibly amplified by Howard's entry into the 1976 U.S. presidential campaign under the auspices of the All-Night Party (an event later immortalized in a brief reference in Stephen King's The Tommyknockers). Marvel attempted a spin-off with a short-lived Howard the Duck newspaper strip from 1977 to 1978, at first written by Gerber and drawn by Colan and Mayerik, later written by Marv Wolfman and drawn by Alan Kupperberg. American comic book artist, particularly known for his work at Marvel Comics in the 1970s. ... For other uses, see Cartoon (disambiguation). ... Gene Colan (born September 1, 1926, the Bronx, New York City, New York) is an American comic book artist who sometimes worked under the name Adam Austin. ... A penciller (or penciler) is one of a number of artists working within the comic industry. ... This article does not discuss cultist groups, personality cults, or cult in its original sense of religious practice. See cult (disambiguation) for more meanings of the term cult. A cult following is a group of fans devoted to a specific area of pop culture. ... Presidential electoral votes by state. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... For other persons named Stephen King, see Stephen King (disambiguation). ... The Novel The Tommyknockers is a 1987 horror novel by Stephen King. ... Cover to Crisis on Infinite Earths #1, which was written by Wolfman. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Gerber gained a degree of creative autonomy when he became Howard the Duck's editor in addition to his writing duties (as evidenced by the credits on later issues), which was unusual for mass-market comics writers of the time, and the stories became increasingly experimental. At one point, unable to meet the deadline for his regular script, Gerber substituted an entire issue of text pieces and illustrations satirizing his own difficulties as a writer. One of those illustrated text pieces inspired Gerber's Vertigo series Nevada. Nevada is the title of a limited series of comic books published by DC under its Vertigo imprint. ...

In 1978, the writer and publisher clashed over issues of creative control, and Gerber was abruptly removed from the series. This was the first highly publicized creator's rights case in American comics, and attracted support from major industry figures, some of whom created homage/parody stories with Gerber to dramatize the case; these included Destroyer Duck with Jack Kirby. Destroyer Duck was an anthology comic book published by Eclipse Enterprises in 1982, as well as the title of its primary story, written by Steve Gerber and featuring artwork by Jack Kirby. ... Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg, August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was one of the most influential, recognizable, and prolific artists in American comic books, and the co-creator of such enduring characters and popular culture icons as the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, the Hulk, Captain America, and hundreds...

Disney also threatened to sue Marvel for infringing Donald Duck's copyright and enforced a different design, including the use of pants (as seen in the movie and some later comics).^[1]

The series continued for four more issues with stories by Marv Wolfman, Mary Skrenes, Mark Evanier, and Bill Mantlo. Gerber returned briefly to write, though not plot, #29 as part of a contract fulfillment. Cover to Crisis on Infinite Earths #1, which was written by Wolfman. ... Mark Evanier (born March 2, 1952 in Santa Monica, California) is an American writer. ... Bill Mantlo (born November 9,[1] 1951) is an American comic-book writer, primarily at Marvel Comics, and an attorney, best-known for his work on two licensed toy properties whose adventures occurred in the Marvel Universe: the Eagle Award-winning Micronauts and the long-running Rom. ...

Issue #31, dated May 1979, announced on its letters page that it would be the final issue of Howard the Duck as a color comic. Marvel then relaunched the series that year as a bimonthly magazine, with scripts by Mantlo, art by Colan and Michael Golden and unrelated backup features by others; this series was canceled after nine issues. Articles in these issues claimed that Howard was Mayerik's idea, though this is contrary to statements by both Gerber and Mayerik. The first story of issue #9, written by Bill Mantlo, had Howard walk away from Beverly. Steven Grant followed this with a story in Bizarre Adventures #34, in which the suicidal Howard is put through a parody of It's a Wonderful Life. Cover for Marvel Fanfare #1 by Michael Golden. ... Bill Mantlo (born November 9,[1] 1951) is an American comic-book writer, primarily at Marvel Comics, and an attorney, best-known for his work on two licensed toy properties whose adventures occurred in the Marvel Universe: the Eagle Award-winning Micronauts and the long-running Rom. ... Steven Grant is a writer of comics who has worked for both Marvel and DC, as well as various independent companies. ... For other uses, see Its a Wonderful Life (disambiguation). ...

The original comic book series reappeared in early 1986 with issue #32, written by Grant. Issue #33, a parody of Bride of Frankenstein, written by Christopher Stager, appeared nine months later, along with a three-issue adaptation of the movie. Bride of Frankenstein is a horror/science fiction film released on April 22, 1935, a sequel to the 1931 film Frankenstein. ...

In a story rejected by Jim Shooter, Marvel's then-editor-in-chief, Gerber explained that a Krylorian Cyndi Lauper named Chirreep had made up the events in the Mantlo stories much like the events in The Rampaging Hulk magazine were considered made up by Bereet, though those stories, as originally conceived, were intended to fill in material left by the publication gap between Incredible Hulk #6 and the Hulk's appearances in Tales to Astonish. Shooter considered this an insult to Mantlo (as well as to himself, as the story lampooned Shooter's Secret Wars), not regarding the insult Mantlo's stories may have been to Gerber, and Gerber's story was never illustrated. He also identified Howard's parents as Dave and Dotty, names that differ from the Mantlo and later DeMatteis stories, in which his parents are named Ronald and Henrietta.^[2] This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Editor in chief is a publications primary editor. ... There are several different extraterrestrial races in the Marvel Comics universe. ... Cynthia Ann Stephanie Cyndi Lauper (born June 22, 1953) is an American Grammy Award- winning singer, MTV VMA-winning video and Emmy Award-winning film, television and theatre actress. ... Bereet is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe. ... The Incredible Hulk The Hulk, often called The Incredible Hulk, is a Marvel Comics superhero. ... Tales to Astonish #44 Tales to Astonish is the name of several comic book series published by Marvel Comics. ... Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars is the name of a twelve-issue Marvel Comics comic book limited series produced between 1984 and 1985, and a Mattel toy line that reflected the series. ...

Gerber brought back Howard in The Sensational She-Hulk #14-17, again living with Beverly, now working as a rent-a-ninja. How they got back together is never explained, and Beverly is not involved as She-Hulk takes Howard on a trip through several dimensions with a theoretical physicist from Empire State University. She-Hulk (Jennifer Walters-Jameson) is a Marvel Comics superheroine. ... Jiraiya, ninja and title character of the Japanese folktale Jiraiya Goketsu Monogatari. ... Empire State University (ESU) is a fictional university in the Marvel Comics Universe. ...

Gerber returned to Howard with Spider-Man Team-Up #5, around the same time he was writing a "Savage Dragon/Destroyer Duck" crossover for Image. He had the idea to create an unofficial crossover between the two issues, where the characters would meet momentarily in the shadows, but which would not affect either story. Soon after, Gerber discovered that Howard was also scheduled to appear in Ghost Rider vol. 2, #81 (Jan. 1997) alongside Devil Dinosaur and Moon Boy, and issues of Generation X leading up to issue #25 and the Daydreamers miniseries by J.M. DeMatteis. Gerber was not pleased with this development, and decided to change the “unofficial crossover” somewhat.^[3] Ghost Rider may refer to: Ghost Rider (comics), the supernatural comic book character(s). ... Devil Dinosaur is a Marvel Comics character who resembles a tyrannosaurus rex. ... Moon Boy is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe and constant companion of Devil Dinosaur. ... Generation X was a Marvel Comics superhero team, a 1990s-era X-Men junior team. ... John Marc DeMatteis is an American writer of comic books. ...

Promotional art for Howard the Duck #1 (2007), by Ty Templeton and Juan Bobillo.

In the Spider-Man comic, Spider-Man and Howard meet two shadowy figures (presumed to be Savage Dragon and Destroyer Duck) in a darkened warehouse, then leave shortly afterwards. But in the Savage Dragon comic, a villain creates hundreds of clones of Howard during a fierce battle. As Savage Dragon and Destroyer Duck escape the warehouse with a character hidden in a bag, they reveal that they rescued the “real” Howard, while Spider-Man left with one of the clones. Howard has his feathers dyed green, and is renamed “Leonard the Duck,” which is now a character owned by Gerber, who went on to appear in Image Comics and Vertigo comics. Gerber considers this the real Howard, and Marvel's Howard an empty shell. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 395 × 600 pixelsFull resolution‎ (550 × 835 pixels, file size: 157 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Howard the Duck modern day. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 395 × 600 pixelsFull resolution‎ (550 × 835 pixels, file size: 157 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Howard the Duck modern day. ... Ty Templeton is a popular Canadian comic book artist and writer who has drawn a number of popular mainstream titles, TV-associated titles and his own series. ... Image Comics is an American comic book publisher. ... Vertigo logo Vertigo is an imprint of comic book and graphic novel publisher DC Comics. ...

In 2001, when Marvel launched its MAX imprint of "mature readers" comics, Gerber returned to write the six-issue Howard the Duck miniseries, illustrated by Phil Winslade and Glenn Fabry. Featuring several familiar Howard the Duck characters, the series, like the original one, parodied a wide range of other comics and pop culture figures, but with considerably stronger language and sexual content than would have been allowable 25 years earlier. The series has Doctor Bong causing Howard to go through multiple changes of form, principally into a rat (possibly as a parody of Mickey Mouse, in retaliation for the earlier lawsuit), and entering a chain of events parodying comics such as Witchblade, Preacher and several others. MAX is an imprint of Marvel Comics for adult audiences, launched in 2001 after Marvel broke with the Comics Code Authority and established its own rating system. ... A miniseries (sometimes mini-series), in a serial storytelling medium, is a production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. ... Phil Winslade is a comic book artist. ... Popular culture, or pop culture, is the vernacular (peoples) culture that prevails in a modern society. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Preacher was a comic book series created by writer Garth Ennis and artist Steve Dillon, published by the American comic book label Vertigo imprint of DC Comics, with painted covers by Glenn Fabry. ...

Howard had cameo appearances in She-Hulk vol. 1, #3 (February 2005) and vol. 2, #3/100 (February 2006, the 100th issue of all the various She-Hulk series). He returned in a series by writer Ty Templeton and artist Juan Bobillo in 2007. This series is rated for all ages, though it has also been published with a Marvel Zombies tie-in cover with a parental advisory claim. She-Hulk (Jennifer Walters) is a Marvel Comics superheroine. ... Ty Templeton is a popular Canadian comic book artist and writer who has drawn a number of popular mainstream titles, TV-associated titles and his own series. ... Marvel Zombies is a set of comic book miniseries published by Marvel Comics beginning in 2005. ...

Fictional character biography

Howard is abducted from his native world and dropped into the Florida Everglades by the demonic Thog the Overmaster of the dread realm Sominus.^[4] There, he meets the Man-Thing and Korrek the Barbarian.^[5] Shortly thereafter, Howard meets Dakimh the Enchanter and Jennifer Kale as well, but then falls off a set of inter-dimensional stepping stones.^[6] Before long, he materializes in Cleveland, Ohio. There he battles Garko the Man-Frog,^[7] and battles a vampire cow, Bessie the Hellcow.^[8] An Anhinga perched on the boardwalk railing The Florida Everglades is a subtropical marshland located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, specifically in parts of Monroe, Collier, Palm Beach, Miami-Dade, and Broward counties. ... Thog is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. ... The Man-Thing is a fictional comic book creature created by Stan Lee, Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway, and featured in various Marvel Comics titles, the most prominent of which was written by Steve Gerber. ... Korrek is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe. ... Dakimh the Enchanter is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Cleveland redirects here. ... Vampires are fictional characters found in the Marvel Universe. ...

Howard soon meets Beverly Switzer and a bizarre series of encounters follows. He battles Pro-Rata, and then meets Spider-Man.^[9] He battles Turnip-Man and the Kidney Lady.^[10] He then learns Quak Fu,^[11] encounters the Winky Man,^[12] becomes a wrestler,^[13] and battles an animated Gingerbread Man.^[14] Spider-Man swinging around his hometown, New York City. ...

After a short time in Cleveland, Howard and Beverly take to the road, eventually ending up in New York City, where Howard is nominated for U.S. president by the All-Night Party.^[15] A doctored-photo scandal leads him to Canada, and the defeat of a supervillain, Le Beaver, who falls to his death.^[16] Howard then suffers a nervous breakdown, and flees Bev and their situation on a bus. Unfortunately, the passengers are all believers in various weird cults, and try to interest Howard in them. His seatmates are Winda Wester (afflicted with an Elmer Fudd-like speech impediment) and S. Blotte the Kidney Lady. After the bus crashes, Howard and Winda are sent to a mental institution. There he meets Daimon Hellstrom, and is briefly possessed by Hellstrom's demonic soul, becoming the Son of Satan.^[17] Beverly and Paul Same (an artist for whom Beverly does nude modeling) get them both back to Cleveland. Later, while on a cruise ship returning from scenic Bagmom, Howard and Beverly are taken captive by the supervillain Doctor Bong,^[18] who marries Beverly against her will and transforms Howard into a human.^[19] After escaping back to New York and being restored to his natural form, Howard is hired as a dishwasher by Beverly's uncle and namesake, who goes by Lee. Howard battles Sudd,^[20] and then battles Soofi.^[21] Howard is then reunited with the Man-Thing, Korrek, and Jennifer Kale, and they all battle Bzzk'Joh.^[22] He then attends a party on Long Island, where he is abducted by the Ringmaster and his Circus of Crime.^[23] After defeating them, Howard, plagued by pessimistic dreams, goes his way alone, as he had at the beginning of the series. New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... For the pop band, see Presidents of the United States of America. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A psychiatric hospital (also called a mental hospital or asylum) is a hospital specializing in the treatment of persons with mental illness. ... Daimon Hellstrom, also known as the Son of Satan and Hellstorm, is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. ... A cruise ship or a cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ships amenities are considered an essential part of the experience. ... This article is about the island in New York State. ... The Ringmaster (real name Maynard Tiboldt) is a fictional supervillain who is featured in Marvel Comics. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this comics-related article or section may require cleanup. ...

Howard battles the Band of the Bland — Dr. Angst, Sitting Bullseye, Tillie the Hun, the Spanker, and Black Hole — alongside the Defenders.^[24] The Band of the Bland,is a group of mediocre super villains in the Marvel Universe. ... The Defenders are a Marvel Comics superhero group — usually presented as a non-team of individualistic outsiders each known for following their own agendas — that usually battles mystic and supernatural threats. ...

Mantlo, beginning with Issue #30, returned the series to its former status quo, bringing Beverly back into the picture and having her divorce Doctor Bong, and getting Paul, who has been shot by the Ringmaster, out of the hospital. Lee Switzler brings everyone back to Cleveland and employs Howard as a cab driver, while Paul, back to being a somnambulist after his release from the hospital, seems to have become Winda's boyfriend. Howard dons a suit of "Iron Duck" armor, and battles Doctor Bong.^[25] He later battles Morton Erg and the Gopher.^[26] He encountered Dracula,^[27] and even returns to Duckworld at one point.^[28] At the end of the magazine series, Howard walks away from Beverly (at her request). After that, he is mistaken for "Duck Drake, Private Eye", meets CeCe Ryder when hitchhiking, and is later offered a genetically constructed mate whom he does not take to. Somnambulist means: a person who engages in somnambulism (sleepwalking) the song Somnambulist (Simply Being Loved) by BT the remix single disc Somnambulist (Simply Being Loved) a term used in hypnosis to indicate someone of high enough suggestibility to follow suggestions without the need for a formal trance. ... Dracula is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. ... For other uses, see Hitch hike. ...

She-Hulk accidentally pulls him though a cosmic wormhole, and along with theoretical physicist Brent Wilcox, they prevent other universes from crowding out Earth-616. By this point, Beverly is working as a rent-a-ninja. Howard met the Critic, and traveled to the Baloneyverse, and battled Dr. Angst and his cohorts.^[29] She-Hulk (Jennifer Walters) is a Marvel Comics superheroine. ... Theoretical physics attempts to understand the world by making a model of reality, used for rationalizing, explaining, predicting physical phenomena through a physical theory. There are three types of theories in physics; mainstream theories, proposed theories and fringe theories. ... In the fictional Marvel Universe, Earth-616 or Earth 616 is the name used to identify the primary continuity in which most Marvel Comics titles take place. ... Jiraiya, ninja and title character of the Japanese folktale Jiraiya Goketsu Monogatari. ...

The sorceress Jennifer Kale, in an attempt to return Howard to his home world, inadvertently teleports Devil Dinosaur and Moon Boy into her New York apartment. The disoriented dinosaur rampages through the city before being subdued by Ghost Rider (Daniel Ketch). To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Devil Dinosaur is a Marvel Comics character who resembles a tyrannosaurus rex. ... Moon Boy is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe and constant companion of Devil Dinosaur. ... Daniel Ketch, also known as Ghost Rider, is a fictional, supernatural superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. ...

After meeting two mutants from X-Men mentor Charles Xavier's Massachusetts Academy, Howard and Beverly (apparently back together with Howard again working as a driver) spend some days at the Academy, becoming friends with the mutants Artie, Leech, Franklin Richards, Synch and Chamber. During a battle with a rampaging Black Tom Cassidy, Howard and some others escape with the help of the Man-Thing.^[30] The X-Men are a group of comic book superheroes featured in Marvel Comics. ... Professor X Professor X (full name Charles Francis Xavier) is a comic book character in the Marvel Comics universe. ... The Massachusetts Academy is a fictional prep school in the Marvel Universe. ... This article is about the Marvel Comics character. ... Black Tom Cassidy (Thomas Samuel Eamon Cassidy) is a Marvel Comics supervillain, an enemy of the X-Men, and archenemy of Banshee. ... The Man-Thing is a fictional comic book creature created by Stan Lee, Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway, and featured in various Marvel Comics titles, the most prominent of which was written by Steve Gerber. ...

Back with Beverley, he undergoes further shape-shifting experiments from Doctor Bong.

Sometime later, Howard attempts to register under the Superhero Registration Act, but learns his socially disrupted life has created so many bureaucratic headaches that the government's policy is that Howard does not exist. This lack of government oversight delights him: "No more parking tickets, no taxes, no jury duty." In this story, as well, Howard says he was pressured to give up his cigars.^[31] In Marvel Comics fictional Marvel Universe, the Registration Acts - the Mutant Registration Act (or MRA) and Super-human Registration Act (SRA or sometimes SHRA) - are legislative bills which, when passed into law, enforce the mandatory registration of super-powered individuals with the government. ...

However, after he defeats the supervillain M.O.D.O.K.'s scheme to control the public through mass media, his attorney, Jennifer Walters, successfully restores his citizenship including all relevant responsibilities.^[32] MODOK is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. ... She-Hulk (Jennifer Walters) is a Marvel Comics superhero. ...

Powers and abilities

Howard has no superhuman powers, but he does possess some knowledge of the little-known martial art known as Quak Fu.

Characters

Howard the Duck, as his name suggests, is a three-foot-tall anthropomorphic duck. He generally wears a tie and shirt, and is almost always found smoking a cigar. Originally, like many cartoon ducks, he wore no pants; Disney threatened legal action due to Howard's resemblance to Donald Duck, and Marvel redesigned that aspect of character. 7th millennium BC anthropomorphized rocks, with slits for eyes, found in modern-day Israel. ... Subfamilies Dendrocygninae Oxyurinae Anatinae Aythyinae Merginae Duck is the common name for a number of species in the Anatidae family of birds. ... For other uses, see Cigar (disambiguation). ... Disney redirects here. ... Donald Duck is an animated cartoon and comic-book character from Walt Disney Productions. ...

Howard has an irritable and cynical attitude to the often bizarre events around him; he feels there is nothing special about him except that he is a duck, and though he has no goals other than seeking comfort and to be left alone, he is often dragged into dangerous adventures simply because he is visibly unusual. His series' tagline, "Trapped in a world he never made", played off the genre trappings of 1950s science fiction. A common reaction to meeting Howard the first time is a startled, "You...you're a DUCK!" For the gay mens lifestyle magazine, see Genre (magazine). ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ...

His near-constant companion and occasional girlfriend is former art model and Cleveland native Beverly Switzler. Like Howard, Beverly wants an ordinary life but is frequently singled out for her appearance, though she is a beautiful and sexy woman rather than a duck. Their only other friends are Paul Same (a painter who briefly became a sleepwalking crime-fighter) and Winda Wester (a lisping ingénue with psychic powers); he has also worked with Spider-Man and the Man-Thing and associates on various occasions. Cleveland redirects here. ... Sleepwalking (also called somnambulism or noctambulism[1]), under the larger category of parasomnias or sleep disorders where the sufferer engages in activities that are normally associated with wakefulness while he or she is asleep or in a sleeplike state. ... A lisp is a speech impediment. ... Edgar Cayce (1877 – 1945) was one of the best-known American psychics of the 20th century and made many highly publicized predictions. ... Spider-Man swinging around his hometown, New York City. ... The Man-Thing is a fictional comic book creature created by Stan Lee, Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway, and featured in various Marvel Comics titles, the most prominent of which was written by Steve Gerber. ...

Howard found himself on Earth due to a shift in "the Cosmic Axis". In the black-and-white Howard the Duck magazine series, writer Bill Mantlo theorized that Howard came from an extra-dimensional planet called Duckworld, a planet similar to Earth where ducks, not apes, had evolved to become the dominant species. In 2001, Gerber dismissed this idea, calling it "very pedestrian" and 'comic-booky' — in the worst sense of the term." He believes Howard came from an alternate Earth populated by a variety of cartoon animals.^[33] A panel in Fear #19, prior to Howard's introduction, depicts Howard or someone like him near an anthropomorphic rat and an anthropomorphic dog, in a hypothetical panel about other dimensions. Bill Mantlo (born November 9,[1] 1951) is an American comic-book writer, primarily at Marvel Comics, and an attorney, best-known for his work on two licensed toy properties whose adventures occurred in the Marvel Universe: the Eagle Award-winning Micronauts and the long-running Rom. ... Alfeim - First appeared in Thor #277 (Nov 1978) by Roy Thomas and John Buscema Alter-Earth - First appeared in Fantastic Four #118 (Jan 1972) by Archie Goodwin and John Buscema Ankh Dimension - First appeared in Iron Man #35 (Mar 1971) by Allyn Brodsky, Gerry Conway, and Don Heck Asgard - First...

His antagonists, who usually appear in a single story each, are often parodies of science fiction, fantasy, and horror characters, and sometimes political figures, but also include ordinary people simply making life difficult for Howard. The chief recurring villain, Lester Verde, also known as Doctor Bong - modeled on Doctor Doom and writers Bob Greene and Lester Bangs - is a former tabloid reporter who has the power to "reorder reality" by smashing himself on his bell-shaped helmet; his main goal is to marry Beverly. After several issues, she agrees to marry him to save Howard from Bong's evil experimentation, and remains married to him for some time. Doctor Bong would reappear in issues of She-Hulk and Deadpool in the mid-1990s. Other recurring villains include the Kidney Lady (S. Blotte) who has been convinced by her former lover that the soul is in the kidneys and attacks anything she sees as a threat to them, and Reverend Jun Moon Yuc and his Yuccies, a parody of Reverend Sun Myung Moon and the Unification Church "Moonies". Another important villain was the Sinister S.O.O.F.I. (Save Our Offspring from Indecency) organization, whose leader was implicitly Anita Bryant, though she looked like an old, fat Elvis Presley with a smiley face/orange on her head. Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... For other uses, see Fantasy (disambiguation). ... “Horror story” redirects here. ... Doctor Bong is a supervillain in the Marvel Universe. ... Doctor Doom (Victor von Doom) is a fictional Marvel Comics supervillain created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. ... This article is about the modern journalist and author. ... Lester Bangs during an interview Leslie Conway Bangs (December 14, 1948 – April 30, 1982) was an American music journalist, author and musician. ... This article is about the newspaper size. ... A bell is a simple sound-making device. ... She-Hulk (Jennifer Walters) is a Marvel Comics superheroine. ... For other uses, see Dead pool (disambiguation). ... Sun Myung Moon (born February 25, 1920; lunar: January 6, 1920) founded the Unification Church (later renamed Family Federation for World Peace and Unification) on May 1, 1954, in Seoul, South Korea. ... The Unification Church is a new religious movement started by Sun Myung Moon in Korea in the 1940s. ... Anita Jane Bryant (born March 25, 1940, in Barnsdall, Oklahoma) is a American singer. ... Elvis redirects here. ... The smiley has gone through many incarnations over the years, but it consistently retains the same features. ... Binomial name (L.) Osbeck[1] Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults. ...

Other Marvel Comics characters occasionally appeared, including Spider-Man, Daimon Hellstrom, and the Ringmaster. Also, Omega The Unknown appeared to him in a dream, as did Spider-Man, whom he had previously met for real, unlike Omega. Spider-Man swinging around his hometown, New York City. ... Daimon Hellstrom, also known as the Son of Satan and Hellstorm, is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. ... The Ringmaster (real name Maynard Tiboldt) is a fictional supervillain who is featured in Marvel Comics. ... Omega the Unknown was both an American comic book published by Marvel Comics from 1976-1977 and the titular character of that comic book. ...

Seemingly an autodidact, Howard at various times references Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Albert Camus (whose novel The Stranger Gerber considers the principal influence on the series^[34]), the Brontë sisters, and other figures of philosophical and political significance. In a parody of the Marvel comic character Shang-Chi, he was trained in the art of Quak-Fu. In the 2001 miniseries, as a mocking gesture toward Disney's mascot Mickey Mouse, he was turned into various animals, primarily a mouse.^[35] Autodidacticism (also autodidactism) is self-education or self-directed learning. ... Hegel redirects here. ... For other uses, see Camus. ... The Stranger, or The Outsider, (from the French L’Étranger, 1942) is a novel by Albert Camus. ... The Brontë sisters, painted by their brother, Branwell c. ... Shang-Chi (Chinese: ; pinyin: ; literally rising of the spirit) is a Marvel Comics character, often called the Master of Kung Fu. He was created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Jim Starlin. ... Mickey Mouse is an Academy Award-winning comic animal cartoon character who has become an icon for The Walt Disney Company. ... This article is about the rodent. ...

In other media

• In 1986, Lucasfilm and Universal Pictures produced the movie Howard the Duck, starring Lea Thompson, Jeffrey Jones, Tim Robbins, and, as the voice of Howard, Chip Zien. Besides Howard (who was portrayed by an assortment of stunt actors in a duck suit) the only character borrowed from the Marvel Comics mythos was Beverly Switzler, though in this version she was a rock singer. In the film, Howard is brought to Cleveland by a laser experiment gone awry, which also summoned an evil alien called the Dark Overlord of the Universe who was intent on destroying the Earth. The film was widely panned and was a box office bomb, but still has its own appreciative cult, which was strong enough to see a 2007 DVD release in Europe.

• Howard the Duck was seen on Beast's shirt on the animated series X-Men (The Phoenix Saga Part 2). Aside from this, Howard never appeared in animation.

• In Savage Dragon/Destroyer Duck #1 (Nov. 1996), Gerber claims that Howard and Beverly Switzler changed their names to Leonard the Duck and Rhonda Martini, remained in the Image Universe and "were last sighted in Chicago boarding the Amtrak for Buffalo" while the duck who returned to Marvel is "only an empty trademark, a clone whose soul departed him at the corner of Floss and Regret".^[36] This was done because Tom Brevoort invited Gerber to write the comic, claiming he was the only one to write Howard, then Gerber noticed the Howard guest appearances in Ghost Rider and Generation X and felt as though he had been tricked.^[37]

// April 12 - Actor Morgan Mason marries The Go-Gos Belinda Carlisle Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger marries television journalist Maria Shriver. ... Lucasfilm Ltd. ... Universal Pictures is the main motion picture production/distribution arm of Universal Studios, a subsidiary of NBC Universal. ... Howard the Duck (also known as Howard: A New Breed of Hero in Europe), is a 1986 live-action film produced by Lucasfilm and Universal Pictures, directed by Willard Huyck from a script by Huyck and his wife Gloria Katz. ... Lea Thompson in Back to the Future. ... For other persons named Jeffrey Jones, see Jeffrey Jones (disambiguation). ... Timothy Francis Robbins (born October 16, 1958) is an Academy Award-winning American actor, screenwriter, director, producer, activist, and musician. ... Chip Zien (born March 20, 1947 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is an American actor. ... Cleveland redirects here. ... Cleopatra is the biggest box-office bomb of all time. ... For other uses, see Beast (disambiguation). ... X-Men is an American animated series which debuted on October 31, 1992 on the Fox Network as part of its Fox Kids Saturday morning lineup. ... Tom Brevoort has worked in the comics industry as an editor. ... Ghost Rider is the name of several fictional supernatural anti-heroes in the Marvel Comics universe. ... Generation X was a Marvel Comics superhero team, a 1990s-era X-Men junior team. ...

Other versions

Marvel Zombies

• An alternate version of Howard the Duck appears in Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness #2-3. The infected duck eats the brains of the alternate-Ash that is native to the Marvel Universe. He is swiftly slain by the original Ash Williams of the Evil Dead series and the Scarlet Witch.

Marvel Zombies vs. ... This article is about the shared universe setting used by many Marvel Comics titles. ... Ashley J. Ash Williams (Ashly in the original Evil Dead script) is the fictional protagonist in the Evil Dead horror film franchise, played by Bruce Campbell, and created by director Sam Raimi. ... The Evil Dead series started as a series of films created by Sam Raimi. ... The Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff) is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe, a mutant who was introduced as a super-villainess before reforming and becoming a superheroine early in her history. ...

MC2

• In J2 #11, Howard is seen as a blindfold-wearing martial arts teacher.

J2 (Zane Yama) is a fictional comic book mutant superhero in the Marvel Universe. ...

Other media

Memorabilia

7-11 glassware series "Super Heroes" from 1977.

Marvel Max Howard the Duck Statue sculpted by Gentle Giant Studios.

• Howard appears on a mid-1970s painted drinking glass from 7-11 convenience stores.

Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... 7-Eleven is an international conglomerate which operates the largest chain of convenience stores in twenty countries including: the United States, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Japan, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore. ... Glassware includes: Drinkware (for beverages) Vases Pitcher (container)s Art glass Art marbles Laboratory glassware Stained glass is not directly glassware, but is closely related. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Drinking is the act of consuming a liquid through the mouth, almost always largely consisting of water. ... 7-Eleven is an international conglomerate which operates the largest chain of convenience stores in twenty countries including: the United States, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Japan, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore. ... A convenience store is a small store or shop, generally accessible or local. ...

Toys

A Howard the Duck action figure is sold together with Toy Biz's Marvel Legends Series 5 Silver Surfer figure. The only such figure as of 2007, it uses the original, pant-less version of the character. Toy Biz logo. ... This article is about the comic book character. ...

In popular culture

• In the Golden Girls episode "'Twas the Nightmare Before Christmas", Rose attempts to counsel a financially distressed man who was "a principal backer of 'Howard the Duck'".
• In Philip K. Dick's book The Transmigration of Timothy Archer, published in 1982, one of the characters (Angel Archer) reads a current issue of Howard the Duck.
• In Stephen King's novel The Stand, a character reads a Howard the Duck comic and is bewildered by the concept. In the 1990 reissue of the book, the comic was changed to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
• On the rock band The Pretenders' first album, 1980s Pretenders, the song "Precious" contains a brief reference. Songwriter Chrissie Hynde, a native of Northeastern Ohio, uses Cleveland as the backdrop for the song, which includes the lines:

          And Howard the Duck and Mr. Stress  [a long-time local bar band ]  both stayed
          Trapped in a world that they never made
          But not me, baby, I'm too precious. The Golden Girls title card. ... Howard the Duck (also known as Howard: A New Breed of Hero in Europe), is a 1986 live-action film produced by Lucasfilm and Universal Pictures, directed by Willard Huyck from a script by Huyck and his wife Gloria Katz. ... Philip Kindred Dick (December 16, 1928 – March 2, 1982) was an American writer, mostly known for his works of science fiction. ... The Transmigration of Timothy Archer is a 1982 novel by Philip K. Dick. ... For other persons named Stephen King, see Stephen King (disambiguation). ... The Stand is a post-apocalyptic Horror/Science Fiction novel by Stephen King originally published in 1978. ... TMNT redirects here. ... The Pretenders are an Anglo-American rock band. ... Pretenders is an album by the the Pretenders, released on January 19, 1980 (see 1980 in music). ... Chrissie Hynde (born Christine Ellen Hynde, 7 September 1951, Akron, Ohio) is an American rock musician, best known as the leader of the band The Pretenders. ...

• In the Kitchen Sink Press series Megaton Man, a comedy relief character is Gower Goose, who is an intended parody of Howard.
• The 1977 album Oops! Wrong Planet by rock band Utopia features the song "Trapped". The chorus lyrics are: "Trapped! Trapped in a world that he never made".
• On Lil' Waynes Tha Carter 2 album, the song "Weezy Baby" features the line "...and I am no coward/No Howard the Duck."

Kitchen Sink Press was a comic book publisher in from the late 1960s until the late 1990s when it went out of business. ... Megaton Man (AKA Trent Phloog) is a superhero from the Fiascoverse, created by artist Don Dandy Don Simpson in 2002. ... Utopia was a progressive rock band led by Todd Rundgren that was together roughly from 1973 to 1987. ...

Bibliography

Comics series and starring features (including guest appearances)

• Adventure into Fear #19 (Dec. 1973)
• Man-Thing #1 (Jan. 1974)
• Giant-Size Man-Thing #4-5 (April-Aug. 1975)
• Man-Thing #22 (Oct. 1975) (one panel flashback cameo)
• Howard the Duck (1976 series) #1-31 (Jan. 1976 - May 1979)
• Marvel Treasury Edition #12 (1976) (between issues #7 and #8)
• Howard the Duck Annual #1 (May 1977) (between issues #14 and #15)
• Fantastic Four #177 (autographed poster of Howard on the wall at Marvel Comics)
• Crazy Magazine #36, 50, 51, 53, 54, 59, 63, 65, 66, 68, 69, 71, 72, 74, 75, 77, 82 (April 1978 - Jan. 1982)
• Marvel Two-in-One #46 (Dec. 1978) (kids'-show host named Mr. Waddles who resembles Howard; any further connection unconfirmed)
• Marvel Team-Up #96 (Aug. 1980)
• Howard the Duck (black-and-white magazine) #1-9 (Oct. 1979 - March 1981)
• (Marvel) Fun and Games Magazine #4 (Dec. 1979)
• What If? #34: (Aug. 1982)
• Bizarre Adventures (color, comic-size last issue of black-and-white magazine) #34 (Feb. 1983)
• Marvel Fanfare #9 (pin-up), 25 (pin-up), 56 (pin-up, with Dagger) (June 1983 - April 1991)
• Howard the Duck #32 & 33 (Jan. & Sept. 1986)
• Marvel Age #43 (Oct. 1986) (article)
• Marvel Comics Super Special (magazine movie adaptation) #41 (Nov. 1986)
  • reprinted in part as Howard the Duck: The Movie #1-3 (Dec. 1986 - Feb. 1987)
• What The --?! #5, 11, 21 (July 1989– Sept. 1992)
• Web of Spider-Man Annual #5 (Aug. 1989) (Retrospective: "Spider-Man's Most Dubious Allies")
• Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #6 (Aug. 1989) (Rintrah disguised as Howard)
• Cerebus High Society #1 (Feb. 1990)
• Sensational She-Hulk #13-17 (March-July 1990)
• Marvel Tales #237 (May 1990) (guest in Spider-Ham story)
• Marvel Illustrated: Swimsuit Edition #1 (Jun. 1991) (pin-up)
• What If vol 2 #34 (Feb. 1992)
• Slapstick #1 (Nov. 1992) (one-panel cameo)
• Silver Surfer vs. Dracula #1 (Feb. 1994) (reprint of "Hellcow")
• Marvels: Portraits #3 (May 1995) (pin-up)
• The Savage Hulk #1 (Jan. 1996)
• Generation X #20-23, 25 (Oct. 1996 - March 1997)
• Savage Dragon/Destroyer Duck #1 (Nov. 1996) (Leonard the Duck)
• Spider-Man Team-Up #5 (Dec. 1996)
• Ghost Rider vol. 2, #81-82 (Jan.-Feb. 1997)
• Howard the Duck Holiday Special #1 (Feb. 1997)
• X-Men #minus 1 (July 1997) (one panel cameo in Marvel offices in present-day frame story)
• Daydreamers #1-3 (Aug.-Oct. 1997)
• Man-Thing vol 3 #5-7 (April-June 1998)
• J2 #11 (Aug. 1999)
• Top Ten #8 (Jun 2000) (one panel cameo)
• Fantastic Four vol 3 #50 (Feb 2002) aka #479 (cameo)
• Howard the Duck (Marvel MAX) #1-6 (March-Aug. 2002)
• She-Hulk #8-9 (Dec. 2004 – Jan. 2005)
• She-Hulk vol 2 #3 (Feb. 2006)
• Civil War: Choosing Sides (Marvel Civil War Tie-in) One-shot (Dec. 2006) reprinted with new cover Feb. 2007
• Marvel Zombies vs. Army of Darkness #2-3 (Jun.-Jul. 2007)
• Howard The Duck vol. 3 #1-4 (Oct. 2007-Jan. 2008)

Adventure into Fear #20 (February, 1974). ... The Man-Thing is a fictional comic book creature created by Stan Lee, Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway, and featured in various Marvel Comics titles, the most prominent of which was written by Steve Gerber. ... This article is about the superheroes. ... Crazy Magazine was a humor magazine, an imitator of the popular MAD Magazine. ... Marvel Two-In-One Annual #2, 1977. ... Marvel Team-Up is the name of several comic book series published by Marvel Comics. ... What If? Vol. ... Marvel Fanfare are two comic books published by Marvel Comics. ... Cloak and Dagger (Tyrone Ty Johnson & Tandy Bowen) are a fictional teenage mutant comic book superhero duo in the Marvel Comics universe. ... Marvel Age is an imprint of Marvel Comics intended for younger audiences, including children, established in 2003. ... Cover to Web of Spider-Man #118. ... This article is about the Marvel comics superhero. ... Rintrah is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe. ... She-Hulk (Jennifer Walters) is a Marvel Comics superheroine. ... Marvel Tales is the title of three American comic-book series published by Marvel Comics, the first of them from the companys 1950s predecessor, Atlas Comics. ... Spider-Ham (Peter Porker) is a fictional character, an anthropomorphic funny animal parody of Marvel Comics popular Spider-Man character, created by Tom DeFalco and Mark Armstrong. ... Slapstick (Steve Harmon) is a Marvel Comics superhero created in the early nineties. ... This article is about the comic book character. ... Dracula is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. ... Generation X was a Marvel Comics superhero team, a 1990s-era X-Men junior team. ... The Savage Dragon is an ongoing American comic book series created by Erik Larsen and published by Image Comics. ... Destroyer Duck was an anthology comic book published by Eclipse Enterprises in 1982, as well as the title of its primary story, written by Steve Gerber and featuring artwork by Jack Kirby. ... Ghost Rider is the name of several fictional supernatural anti-heroes in the Marvel Comics universe. ... X-Men is a Marvel Comics series featuring the homonymous group of mutant superheroes. ... J2 (Zane Yama) is a fictional comic book mutant superhero in the Marvel Universe. ... Marvel Zombies is a set of comic book miniseries published by Marvel Comics beginning in 2005. ... For the wrestling stable, see The Army of Darkness. ...

Collections

• Essential Howard the Duck, Vol. 1 (ISBN 0-7851-0831-9)
• Howard the Duck (Marvel MAX series; Marvel, 2002; ISBN 0-7851-0931-5)

Official published reference works to Howard and cast

• The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #5 (May 1983) (Howard; ½ page)
  • reprinted in The Essential Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, Vol. 1 (2006; ISBN 0-7851-1933-7)
• The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe vol. 2, #5 (Apr. 1986) (Howard; 1 page)
  • reprinted in The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Volume Three: Galactus to Kang (1986; ISBN 0-87135-210-9)
  • reprinted in The Essential Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe – Deluxe Edition Vol. 1 (2006; ISBN 0-7851-1934-5)
• Official Marvel Index to Marvel Team-Up #5 (Oct. 1986)
• The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe vol. 3, #2 (Aug. 1989) (Doctor Bong; 2 pages)
  • reprinted in The Essential Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe – Update 89 Vol. 1 (2006; ISBN 0-7851-1937-X)
• The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe vol. 4, #2 (Jan. 1991) (Howard; 1 looseleaf sheet; Masters Edition)
• Marvel Encyclopedia Vol. 4: Spider-Man (2003; ISBN 0-7851-1304-5) (Howard; 1/3 page)
• The All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #5 (Jun. 2006)
• Marvel Legacy: The 1970s Handbook (May 2006) (Hellcow; ½ page)
• The All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #5 (May 2006) (Howard; 3 pages)
• The All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update #1 (Jan. 2007) (Garko the Man-Frog; ½ page)
• Civil War: Battle Damage Report (Howard; ½ page, plus a one-panel appearance of Howard's friend Paul Same, a.k.a. Winky Man)

Footnotes

Civil War is a Marvel Comics summer 2006 crossover event, based around a core limited series of the same name written by Mark Millar and penciled by Steve McNiven. ...

References

• Don Markstein Toonopedia: Howard the Duck
• The Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Howard the Duck
• Marvel.com bio
• Howard the Duck 1st series covers