That Wild and Crazy Howard The Duck
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in ’76. Did you know that there was another candidate who, though he never made
it to the White House, has a firm place in America’s comic book character
history? He’s none other than that boisterous quack-up, Howard the Duck.
Howard got his start in December 1973, in Marvel’s Adventure into
Fear #19 (with the Man-Thing). The Cosmic Axis had shifted, and Howard was
suddenly trapped in a dimensional warp and was unable to get back to his home
planet of Duckworld. He was, in fact, “trapped in a world he never made” – a
world where all the fun could really begin. He was instantly noticed by fans,
and after appearing in a few more issues of Man-Thing, he got his own
title in 1976. This was the year he ran for president, as you can see from the
campaign button and promotional advertisement pictured.
From brushes
with politics to encounters with villains including a giant package of salt, a
huge housefly, an oversized pickle, a band of hairless apes, and other assorted
oddities such as the Kidney Lady, Sudd and Space Turnip, Howard’s adventures
never failed to delight. Despite some of the heat Marvel took through the years
(creator Steve Gerber sued for the rights to his character, Disney sued claiming
Howard too closely resembled Donald Duck…), he was a certifiable hit – and he
boldly went where no funny animal had gone before. He drank, smoked cigars, and
on one occasion even pondered suicide. He was dark, bizarre, and utterly
hilarious.
Howard’s comic book run continued until 1979, with a stint in
newspaper strips beginning in 1977. Even after the cancellation of the book,
however, Howard’s adventures continued for another two years in the Howard
the Duck magazines. The magazine format gave way to an even wilder Howard,
with even racier storylines. Then came 1986, the year Howard the Duck was
memorably resurrected thanks to the notoriously dreadful George Lucas film. This
was also the year that two new books emerged, as well as a film-based,
three-issue mini series. Despite the fact that the movie was an undisputed box
office dud, however, there was still something oddly intriguing about it that
garnered it quite the cult following – a following that continues even today.
And that’s enough to give Howard our vote!
/i>aren’t convinced, we’d like to share yet another
article, from <i>CBS Marketwatch</i>, that highlights the surefire gain of
investing in vintage comic books. Pay close attention - Steve Geppi offers some
excellent advice! Read it all <A
HREF=”http://cbs.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid={829BDBA0-A6EC-435B-A744-0BE6E6CD1D6E}&siteid=mktw&dist=nbk”>here</A>!<br></div>
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<title>.ics.<br><br>“There’s a desperate need for timely information on
high-grade comics,” said dealer Mark Wilson, “and this newsletter is
a project that we’ve needed to see someone undertake. I’ve been saying that this
was neede