Essential Howard The Duck [Paperback]

Steve Gerber (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 592 pages
• Publisher: Marvel Comics (March 11, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785108319
• ISBN-13: 978-0785108313
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 6.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #824,019 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't Judge A Book By Its Movie!, April 2, 2002

By 

Psychedelic Cowboy "psychedelic_cowboy" (Burbank, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Essential Howard The Duck (Paperback)

If you've ever loved a book and then seen it butchered by a movie version, then you'll understand. What was arguably the most brilliant comic of the 70s, Howard The Duck, was not immune to the Hollywood treatment that most comic-book-- and indeed book adaptations are subject to...

As I've said this was a brilliant comic, very adult for its time. Filled with both parody and satire about the times and all time, and funny without being forced, both experimental and freewheeling-- writer Steve Gerber found a singular voice in Howard the Duck, and spewed forth with wit and wisdom rarely seen in comics-- ...

This affordable black and white edition collects the complete Steve Gerber Howard The Duck from the 1970's, and includes the debut material from Fear #19 as presented in Marvel Treasury Edition #12 (along with the Treasury's meeting with the Defenders), Giant-Size Man-Thing #4 (Man-Frog) and 5 (Hell cow), Howard The Duck Annual #1, and Howard The Duck #1-27. It's all here in one convenient place! No more searching for back issues in smelly stores. This is a beautiful easy-to-read volume that makes a great story even more of a pleasure to read.

Don't let stories about mutated frogs, turnips, and cows bitten by Dracula who rise from the grave to stalk the country-side as vampire-cows stop you from picking this up, there is an undercurrent to the stories that transcends the subject matter and yet never ignores or belittles it. ...Wauuugghhhh!!! You just have to read it for yourself.

Artists include: Val Mayerik, Frank Brunner, John Buscema, Gene Colan, Carmine Infantino, Klaus Janson, Tom Palmer and Steve Leialoha.

Highest recommendation!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Comic Series of All Time ?, December 6, 2002

By 

RJ Buck "Lover of the Sacred Heart" (Liverpool, England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Essential Howard The Duck (Paperback)

At least, that verdict is my opinion after thirty years of reading everything from Eisner to Barks to EC to Miller to Lee and Kirby and a whole lot more. Twenty five years after they first appeared, these Howard the Duck stories by Steve Gerber continue to move me like no other comics I have read. Explaining why isn't easy. Certainly what I wrote about the other Howard volume applies equally here: "If I had to list one feature of Gerber's writing that stands out above all others, it would be characterisation. This may be a comic book about a talking duck and his girlfriend, but these two are more vivid and realised than nearly all the characters you'll find in comics, film or TV. However, characterisation is just for starters - Gerber puts more care and intelligence into his comics than you'll find arguably anywhere." But there is so much more: great satiric insight into 1970's America, weird humour and fabulous artwork by Gene Colan. And that still doesn't capture it. Ultimately, I really can't say why Howard the Duck remains so meaningful after all this time - beyond suggesting Gerber exposed something of his soul here in a very special way. The only drawbacks to this volume are that it's not in colour and the great HTD newspaper series does not appear(Marvel take heed!). Very, very highly recommended for anyone who likes comics with thinking - as is the other Howard volume available and Steve Gerber's Nevada.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Far ahead of its time... and much needed nowadays., June 7, 2005

By 

J. Chu "hip-hop head" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Essential Howard The Duck (Paperback)

So, tonight, my local comic book store had this great 50% off sale on TPB's, and I happened to pick up Essential Howard the Duck.

Now, being in comic fandom for a good few years, I'd always read about Howard the Duck. But except for a few appearances in the back of Wizard magazine and vague memories of the horrendous live -action movie, all I had going for me was what came down through the grapevine - and all that came down to me was some really positive buzz. So it was with great anticipation that I sat down with the book tonight.

And boy, did Marvel's favourite anthropomorphic fowl not disappoint. Ahead of his time? Try ahead of -our- time. What an astonishing book - I'm honestly speaking when I say that it deserves much more praise than it's getting nowadays.

This is some great stuff, bringing in metaliterary commentary on social trends and Western culture's normative cultural ethos. Even if the new volume of She-Hulk is attempting to continue the humourous vein set in the '70s and '80s by books like this and She-Hulk volume 1, it seems that the cultural, ethical discussions prevalent even in mainstream comic media in the Bronze Era (is that what they're calling it these days?) has been wholly excised from these modern series.

With its thinly veiled but highly positive social commentary, and constant nods to classic literature (a seemingly tormented, wild man who watches over a young girl in a late-1800s style house is called "Heathcliff Rochester," a nod to the Bronte sisters), philosophy (Howards has Hegel), and other intellectual landmarks in the western canon, Howard the Duck has a little bit of everything for everybody. Very highly recommended.