There’s a new Duck in Town
For those wondering who that waterfowl was at the end of the Guardians of the Galaxy, it seems like Marvel is throwing its sizable resources behind Howard the Duck. Not only did he get that cameo in one of the hottest films of the summer, but today they announced that they have assigned Toronto’s own Chip Zdarsky (Sex Criminals) and artist Joe Quinones, whose most recent work includes the DC graphic novel Black Canary and Zatanna: Bloodspell, to a new ongoing series. The first issue goes on sale March 4, 2015.
So who is Howard? He’s an anthropomorphic duck created by Steve Gerber and Val Mayerick in 1973 in Adventure into Fear #19. He’s had his own series, popped into other titles, and even had a feature film in 1986. He’s an alien who’s working as a P.I. since he’s trapped on Earth and, unlike billionaire heroes, he needs to pay his bills.
He’s just a duck in a human’s world.
The sample art shows Howard in a traditional seedy private eye’s office with several of Marvel’s heroes, including the Hulk, Spider-Man, Captain Marvel, the most recent Thor, Black Cat and a baby GROOT.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight Chip described him as “angry, exasperated, and he’s had it up to here with the world around him, but he’s trapped here. Infinitely relateble!”
As to his partnership with Quinones, Chip says, “It’s weird to say that someone was born to draw a talking duck, but Joe was probably born for this.”
It’s going to be a humourous book with visual gags, but Joe said of the art, “Howard should be able to sit in the same panel as Rocket Raccon or Spiderman.”
The original run of Howard was subversive and political, what will come from this run? Given the team behind it, don’t count anything out.
