Finally finished Howard the Duck

It's taken me a bit of time to get here but I've made it and that's a reflection of how much I've enjoyed this series. I've enjoyed it enough to keep going but not enough to want to grab the next issue straight-away.

I always think of HtD as a key bronze age comic and I'm pleased I've read it. I know there's one more issue to read but that is rare and expensive in the UK and I'll have to give it a miss. A bit of a shame because I think Bill Mantlo took over quite well from Steve Gerber on writing duties.

I do so LOVE the cover to issue number 30 though.

More Howard the Duck

I haven't forgotten about Howard and have been reading an issue or 2 in-between the various trades. I've now read issue 27 so just 3 more issues to go.

Number 24 was the first and only HtD I bought off the newstand. It didn't mean much to my 11 year old self, but I enjoyed it this time. In fact all these issues have been a good read. Less satire and more Howard trapped in a world he never made!

Howard the Human

 3 more issues of Howard the Duck read. As I said before I prefer Howard in small chunks and 3 issues at a time seems good. I'll complete reading my run (up to issue 30) before plunging into the next novel but I'll read a few of my trade paperback collections inbetween.

In issue 19 begins the  story as a human, but hat doesn't last long. Nice cover homaging ASM#50 though.

 He soon runs into a "villan" made out of soap suds?

And then this guy, of whom I don't have a clue to his origins. Bizarre as always, but these were easy to read issues as the supporting cast took a break and Howard took centre stage again.

Continuing with Howard the Duck

 As I said in a previous post - I'm finding Howard the Duck easier to read in fairly small doses. So I' am breaking up reading the run into 5-6 issue chunks. This last week I've read from 15- 18 plus Annual #1.

The regular issues feaure the villian Dr Bong who I gather is a bit of an arch-nemisis for old Howard.

However the story is interrupted by the infamous issue 16 where Steve Gerber, the writer, gives us a weird essay on the problems of coming up with plots as a writer. Some people loved this issue - I'm not one of them.

Things improve when we return to the regular storyline and at the end of #18 Howard has been transformed into a skinless ape. So I will find out what happens after reading some relatively modern comics featuring the art of Amanda Conner.

More Howard the Duck

Reading has been a bit slow over the Christmas period due to visitors and watching episodes of Fringe back-to-back but I'v now got up to issue 14 and have read the Treasury (which unusually for the time included a brand new story).

Although the Treasury was fun these other issues haven't been quite as good as earlier ones. The whole Howard for President was probably more fun at the time but the subsequent issues when Howard "qwacks" up are a bit to odd for my taste. I'm going to give HTD a little break to see if I enjoy it is smaller doses and read a novel - the sequel to Feed!

It's not Turkey for Xmas it's duck...Howard the Duck

 Only getting time to read an issue of HTD per day during the Christmas period. Too many other distractions (i.e. LEGO building) but I'm continuing to enjoy the title.

Great cover and art by John Buscema for issue 3 but Gene Colan comes on board with issue 4 and he's a good fit to the title too. Still wish Brunner had done more though.

 

The general theme is Howard travels around with his companion (girlfriend??) Bev meeting various crazy people and getting into ridiculous situations. I'm happy with stories of that nature and it's got the same light-hearted tone as my own comic (of twhich the next issue will be finished very, very soon)

Howard the Duck

When I think of Marvel  titles from the 70s I think of Ms Marvel, Nova, Marvel Team-Up and Howard the Duck. I know there's lots more but those are the sort of titles which were distributed to newsagents in those days before Comic Shops.

Over the last couple of years I've completed my runs of Nova and Ms. Marvel and eventually got to read the entire run in order. Unfortunately both series were not as good as I remembered.

Howard was slightly different. I only had one Howard the Duck comic from my childhood (issue 27) but Howard was so popular for a few years (1975-1978) that my curiousity was peaked. I've now managed to get the whole of the run (with my latest purchase) except for the very first appearance in two Man-Thing strips and the last issue of his own title.

The 10 page back-up feature in Giant-Size Man-Thing No. 4 was actually Howard's first appearance on Earth and was a good place to start reading (and a cheaper place too!). I've also read another back-up from GSMT#5 and those stories directly lead into Howard the Duck #1

After just finishing No.2 I can say that I am enjoying this so far and I'm looking forward to more. These two issues were drawn by Howard's co-creater Frank Brunner and the art is fantastic. Really, really good.

Steve Gerber's script is also enjoyable and it's a good thing I'm reading these as a 45 year-old because my 11 year-old self wouldn't have understood what was really going on at all.

I wonder how many I can read before Christmas?

Added to my collection: Howard the Duck and Defenders

More ebay purchases arrived today. As I've said before, I'm trying to collect early Defenders issues without spending too much and I managed to pick these two VG/FN issues (together with #16which I've already got) for £2.25. Which is pretty reasonable.

Also picked up for 99p issue 30 of Howard the Duck by Bill Mantlo and Gene Colan. This is a pretty scarce issue to be honest having both a low print run and ND in the UK and dealers normally sell it for over £5. Just got the final issue #31 to get now for the complete run but that is also scarce and ND.

I've always loved that cover as it was featured in Bullpen bulletins but I must record some love for Defenders issue 12 cover. That's a superb bronze age cover.