Howard The Duck #11 - A Review

Howard The Duck is dead but the chaos he attracted lives on. Now, as a group of intergalactic content-creators who manipulate the heroes of the universe for their own ends attempt to take control of the situation, Howard moves on to his final rest.

Oh, if only it were that simple...



There is little I can say about this series at this point beyond this: Chip Zdarsky and Joe Quinones have done the legacy of Steve Gerber and Val Mayerik proud.

This Howard the Duck run - too good for one volume - did not try to ape the style of the classic series but it did what the original series did in the 1970's - examine the comic industry and the world at large through the lens of The Marvel Universe and everything that makes them all so gloriously insane. This was no small thing in a year in which Howard The Duck running for President might be seen as the best of all possible options even to those who only know him for "that crappy George Lucas movie" and Marvel Comics became hopelessly devoted to promoting special event after special event.

Yet this book remained free and true to its vision to the very end. More, it proved what wonders can be created when writers and artists are free to create and not beholden to the whims of an editorial team devoted to crafting the next big spectacle, so that they may build audience interest for the next big spectacle to follow.  It is a lesson that will surely be lost upon The House of Ideas but, for a time, at least, the sanity of the everyduck prevailed.

Howard The Duck #10 - A Review

Howard The Duck just learned that his life is The Mojoverse's most popular reality show!  The problem is that this discovery was orchestrated by two alien "content creators"- Chipp and Joe - whom Mojo was paying to introduce random craziness into Howard's life to make things more interesting. Now, Howard is - as usual - caught in the middle of it as everyone is trying to cover up their various misdeeds with as much ratings-rising violence as possible.


With this gloriously metatextual issue, Chip Zdarsky has proven himself the premiere satirist of modern Marvel Comics and  a worthy heir to Steve Gerber's throne. The artwork is equally strong across the board. Still, all good things must come to an end and as much as I want to see how they end it all, I am not looking forward to the series finale.

Howard The Duck #9 - A Review

No sooner has Howard returned home and he's hit with another case. And a case from a big Hollywood actress! Well, so she says. Howard doesn't keep up on hairless ape culture. But his interest is piqued when this Lea Thompson says she's been having dreams of Howard. Dreams that seem oddly close to the events of Howard's life...

The artwork for this issue is more erratic than usual. It isn't bad but there's little sense of visual continuity from page to page. Occasionally, it isn't consistent from panel to panel. Blame it on the four inkers and two colorists.


Thankfully, while the look of this issue may be a little off, the writing is as funny as ever. Chip Zdarsky goes far beyond one could have been a one-note meta-joke in the mystery involving why Lea Thompson is dreaming of Howard. I'll be sad to see this series end in a few months but I'll be laughing every step of the way until the end.

Howard The Duck #8 - A Review

Since Howard The Duck returned to monthly comics, one question has been asked more than any other - who the hell thought it was a good idea to bring Howard The Duck back to monthly comics?! But this issue devotes itself toward answering that next most frequently asked question - whatever happened to Beverly Switzler?

You know?  The gorgeous redhead art model who was Howard's sidekick/best-friend/possible love interest depending on which stories you consider canon?  Lea Thompson played her in the movie? Ringing any bells yet?

*sighs* Well, anyway this issue is about them catching up. And then a Sentinel who wants to avenge his murdered family shows up to kill them.

Oh sure - THAT gets your interest!

While not as political a writer as Steve Gerber, Chip Zdarsky has captured the comedic spirit of Gerber's work and his acerbic wit perfectly when it comes to parodying the outrageous nature of The Marvel Universe. Yet he also manages some honest emotion in the discussion between Beverly and Howard. You really feel for them and Zdarsky does a fine job of capturing a relationship that has faltered despite the best efforts of both parties involved.


The art team proves equally excellent when it comes to depicting the absurd action Zdarky's scripts require. It's hard to pick out any one aspect of it, the whole package is so good. That being said, I do love Joe Quinones design for The Punisher Sentinel.

Howard The Duck #6 - A Review

Normally this is the part of the review where I'd summarize the set-up of the issue. Thankfully, I don't have to do that this time around. Howard The Duck does it for me! Yay Howard!


Mere words cannot do justice to the sheer enjoyable lunacy of this series. Ryan North and Chip Zdarsky are to be commended (or is that condemned?) for having raised the bar so high for future comic-writing smart-asses. Trying to detail all of the wonderful witty things in this comic would require me to write an encyclopedia, so I shall instead include a scan of my favorite sight-gag - Punisher with a cart-full of random guns at the same dealership Kraven The Hunter and Rocket Raccoon frequent.


All of this is ably illustrated by a top-notch art-team. That being said, you'd never know that there was a team working on this book because everything fits together so seamlessly. That's surprisingly uncommon on a book with three inkers and two colorists and well-worth praising!


If you haven't been reading Howard The Duck or The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, this Animal House crossover is just the thing to make you realize just what you've been missing. And what have you been missing? Two of the funniest comics in existence, ya goober!

Howard The Duck #5 - A Review

The Collector wants Howard for his collection of rare creatures. That hasn't changed.

What The Collector doesn't know is that Howard, in addition to now being a living link to the Nexus Of All Realities, has also temporarily been granted The Power Cosmic! And The Guardians of the Galaxy, Howard's time-displaced female clone, a female clone of Rocket Raccoon, The Silver Surfer, a Galactus groupie known as Scout and Howard's sidekick Linda the shape-shifter are coming to save him and free every other being held captive by The Collector!

Seriously, though - how could he have seen that coming?!


The action of this issue is a glorious train-wreck. That being said, it is an amusing train-wreck. Chip Zdarsky revels in the sheer insanity of The Marvel Universe at large like no one else and turns Howard into the only sane man-er duck capable of telling it like it is.


It is to the credit of the art team that you'd never know there was such a large art team working on this book. Frequently there are obvious differences in style when two inkers or two colorists are at work on a single comic. This issue has no such problems and the whole thing looks wonderful.

Howard The Duck #4 - A Review

Only four issues into its reboot, and Howard The Duck is already too complicated for a critic to explain simply in one introductory paragraph. Good thing the title page does such a fine job of explaining the story so far. Now I don't have to do it!


The plot of this series a forty-car pile-up of unfettered lunacy. It is also one of funniest things I've read in recent memory. Ignoring the tie-ins to The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Guardians of the Galaxy, that oh-so-subtle plug for The Ultimates #2 and the presence of The Silver Surfer (who just got his own series again!), you still have characters like Scout, the Wannabe Herald of Galactus. And, oh yes, Galactus. How Chip Zdarsky balances all this I have no idea, but I'm glad he does it!


The artwork proves capable of capturing the sheer variety of characters and insane action. Both inkers - Joe Rivera and Rick Magayar - maintain a consistent level of shade throughout. And Joe Quinones is a wonder on pencils and colors. Truly this book looks as good as it reads!

Howard The Duck #3 - A Review

The good news is that Howard The Duck has become the living conduit for The Nexus of All Realities! The bad news is... everything else.

Actually, that first part isn't good news either!  Because now Howard is a living portal capable of sending anyone anywhere... except himself. So not only can he not go back to his home dimension but now he's being hunted by every war-mongering race in the universe as well as every self-important cosmic being known only by a vague one-word title.

Also, The Final Gwenpool story ever! (Not really. Probably.)


The main story of this issue is enjoyable but suffers somewhat for burying its lead.  The cover - and the first two pages - feature Howard as The Silver Surfer with no explanation given. The rest of the chapter continues on from where Issue #1 ended, with little progress being made toward the promise of a Metallic Mallard.

This seems to have been a trend in Marvel's humor comics of late, with the new Ant-Man series similarly dancing around the question of just how Scott Lang wound up in prison again. Thankfully, while it seems that Chip Zdarsky is padding things out a bit, the journey toward the end is hilarious. And the artwork by Joe Quinones and Joe Rivera is as good as ever.


The Gwenpool comic at the end seems much stronger. Christopher Hastings - perhaps most famous for his work on The Adventures of Dr. McNinja - is a fine comedic writer who revels in the insanity of a pantless fangirl kicking ass through the sheer confusion of her enemies. The artwork by Danilo Beyruth and Tamra Bonvillain perfectly matches the manic energy of Hastings' script.

Howard The Duck #1 - A Review

Trapped in a world he never made (whatever THAT means?!), Howard The Duck has finally had it. Sure, he's found some limited success as a private investigator. And he has a good pair of friends in elderly widow May Parker and shape-shifter Tara Tam. But he still wants to go back to the universe from which he originally came.

As luck would have it, his recent encounters with The Abundant Glove - an artifact of moderate but ultimately limited cosmic power - may be the key to getting Howard back home. But the way will not be easy, even ignoring Howard's innate ability to find trouble and costumed weirdos no matter how much he tries to live a normal life. Well, as normal as your life can be when you're an anthropomorphic duck trapped on a world full of hairless apes.


If you were enjoying the previous Howard The Duck series (you know - the one that ran for five issues before Marvel renumbered everything? AGAIN?!), you'll enjoy this one as well. Chip Zdarsky is still delivering the funny. And Joe Quinones and Joe Rivera are still making everything look good.


The only real change is that the back-up comics seem to be serialized now as well. In this story by Chris Hastings, Howard is hired by Black Cat to track down a pink-clad mercenary who is unbeknownst to her but knownst to us as Gwenpool!  Yes, there's some universe where Gwen Stacy became Deadpool. And now she's here - cutely and insanely illustrated by Danilo Beyruth and Tamra Bonvillain.

So... yeah. If you're the sort of person who enjoys utter lunacy and the sheer randomness of The Marvel Universe laid bare to be laughed at, then you'll love Howard The Duck. Assuming you weren't already loving it.  Damn renumberings....

Howard The Duck #5 - A Review

Disaster! The rogue Skrull known as Talos The Untamed has gathered the gems need to power The Abundant Glove - an artifact of moderate but ultimately limited cosmic power! Now Howard The Duck and his sidekick Tara Tam must race to get the heck out of there while the real heroes deal with it... or do they?!


Those who are as sick as endless cosmic crossovers as I am doubtlessly find Howard The Duck #5 to be an amusing treat. The whole issue is a send-up of every story-line that holds no other purpose than throwing a bunch of heroes at some random new villain in the hopes that you'll slap down your sheckles for a few pages worth of your favorite hero doing something awesome. And Chip Zdarsky milks the scenario for everything it is worth, complete with caption boxes telling you which comics the characters are referring to in their conversations- some of which are actually real!


This humor continues into the artwork itself.  There's a number of hilarious sight-gags built around various things the "real heroes" are doing in the background while the focus shifts to other characters.  Full praise to Joe Quinones, Joe Rivera, Paolo Rivera and Rico Renzi for a fantastic looking issue!

Howard The Duck #4 - A Review

The good news is that Howard The Duck recovered the necklace he'd been hired to retrieve. The bad news is that his client turned out to be a Skrull and he stiffed Howard on his bill. The printed statement regarding payment for services rendered kind of bill.  Not the duck-bill kind of bill.

But the worse news is that the necklace contained something called an Abundant Gem that could give its barer reasonable cosmic power.  Looks like Howard needs a Doctor. And since that British guy isn't published by Marvel UK anymore, that means Doctor Strange!


Howard The Duck has quickly become one of my favorite titles and this issue is a good example of why. This issue revels in the inherent silliness of classic Marvel Comics, depicting a vapid Johnny Storm who can't be bothered with worrying about having lost a cosmic artifact 10 years earlier and a Doctor Strange who plays poker with cosmic entities. And through it all Howard plays the straight-man to everyone else's insanity.

Chip Zdarsky's scripts are a riot and after this issue I want to see him writing a Doctor Strange series.  Joe Quinones' artwork is brilliant and he does a fine job of parodying Steve Ditko's style in the sequence where Howard steps between worlds. And the colors by Rico Renzi and Rachelle Rosenberg are perfectly chosen.


As usual, the back-up story is also an enjoyable treat. The plot centers on Howard being recruited to steal the secrets of Pym Particles for The White Rabbit. It is to Chip Zdarsky's credit that he managed to get through this story without making a Trix joke. And the artwork by Katie Cook and Heather Breckel is adorably hilarious.

For my money, there's no funnier, finer book to spend your four bucks American on.  And best of all, it's one of the few Marvel titles out right now that isn't part of a crossover!  So if you haven't given Howard The Duck a shot yet, do so!

Howard The Duck #3 - A Review

The good news is that Howard The Duck - Private Eye - was able to safely return to Earth with the stolen necklace he was hired to recover, after an unexpected journey into deep space. The bad news is that just after getting back, he was mugged by an old lady.  But not just any old lady!  He was mugged by Peter Parker's saintly Aunt May!

Not that Howard knows this or would care even if he did. All he wants is the necklace back! But in his efforts to track the sinister senior citizen down, Howard will uncover a dastardly plot that will prove a thankful distraction from the most humiliating stakeout ever.



Chip Zdarsky continues to roll out the funny. The main story is a laugh-riot and I refuse to reveal the hilarious truth behind how Aunt May become one of NYC's Ten Most Wanted. Nor shall I spoil the hilarity of the back-up tale, in which Howard is hired to find the missing and presumed dead Wolverine by a Wolverine cosplayer whose business is rather dependent on the hairy Canadian being alive and well. Just know that of you like to laugh, you will love this book.


The artwork for this book is just as good as the writing.  Joe Quinones, Joe Rivera and Rico Renzi continue to be a terrific trio on the main story. And Jason Lafour proves to be their equal in his work on the back-up tale.

Howard The Duck #2 - A Review

Trapped in a prison he never made, Howard The Duck seems doomed to be a part of The Collector's collection!  Luckily, Howard is locked up with Rocket Raccoon and the rest of The Guardians of the Galaxy are ready to spring their pal while The Collector is away on important business (i.e. attending a Con). Unluckily for Howard, they may get him killed long before he ever sees Earth again, much less gets paid for his current case!


Not surprisingly, Chip Zdarksy's script for this issue proves as hilarious as the first. Curiously, less of that humor is born of Howard himself and more from the sheer insanity of the Guardians of the Galaxy, such as Rocket's shaving a totally unnecessary treasure map into his fur. There's an equally funny back-up story where Howard is sued by Iron Fist and Power Man over the right to use the phrase "hero for hire" in his advertising.


The art team deserves just as much praise for their contributions to the book.  Rob Guillory's amazing facial expressions add to the fun of the back-up story. And Joe Quinones is to be commended for how many little sight gags he fits into every panel of the main feature.

Daredevil, Vol. 2 - A No Flying, No Tights Review

The second volume of Daredevil continues the trend set when Mark Waid first took over the book and made it his own. Sick of the increasing amount of melodrama and tragedy in the life of lawyer/vigilante Matt Murdock, Waid only agreed to take over writing duties on the title if he was allowed to do the unthinkable: make Marvel Comics’ darkest superhero lighten-up, restoring the swashbuckling Man Without Fear that Stan Lee had envisioned fifty years ago.

The first chapter of this volume, which won the Eisner Award for Best Single Issue Story in 2012, illustrates just how much Waid has done to turn this title around. The usually dour Matt Murdock arrives at his law firm’s holiday party in grand style, wearing plastic devil’s horns and a red sweatshirt that reads “I’M NOT DAREDEVIL” in white print. His regular cane is replaced with an oversized red-and-white-striped candy cane with a bit of mistletoe tied on the handle. Even the cover of this chapter depicts Daredevil making a snow angel on the rooftops upon which he usually lurks menacingly. And all this occurs before the main plot begins, which involves Matt Murdock’s struggle for survival following a bus crash that leaves him and several blind children stranded in the wintery wilderness. Truly, this volume is worth the purchase just for that one story!

Before any long-time Daredevil fans get all huffy about this change in tone, let me reassure you that, while Matt Murdock may be sick of being miserable and the comedy quotient of the book has increased since Waid’s revamp started, the book still contains a good deal of drama. The main portion of the book is devoted to a team-up between Spider-Man, Daredevil, and the semi-reformed burglar turned hero, Black Cat, who must track down the crooks who framed Black Cat for the theft of a highly advanced holographic projector. The final chapters pit Daredevil against a blind supervillain – frequent Fantastic Four foe Mole Man – who has extended his criminal activities to grave-robbing and whose latest caper gives Matt Murdock a personal reason to see justice done.

Most of this collection is ably illustrated by the series’ regular art team of artist Paolo River and inker Joe Rivera. Their style is as fun as Waid’s script, being clearly penciled without seeming overly cartoonish in design. The inks are perfectly appropriate to each panel, with Joe Rivera seeming to know when to make the shadows thick or when to leave just enough light for the color to poke through the darkness. The Spider-Man/Daredevil/Black Cat team-up features artwork by artist Emma Rios and the artist Kano. There is also a brief story illustrated by Khoi Pham. All of it is good, though some of the poses Kano puts Black Cat in make my spine ache in sympathy.

In terms of content, there’s little to make parents or librarians nervous about this series. There are several moments of passionate kissing leading into something more intense between Daredevil and Black Cat, but there’s no nudity. Likewise, while the eventual reasons for Mole Man’s grave robbing are quite disturbing (i.e. finding the one woman who was ever nice to him and saying goodbye), Waid’s script keeps his intentions purely platonic and there’s no hint of anything else happening. The whole scenario is gross enough without THAT implication!

Daredevil, vol. 2
by Mark Waid
Art by Paolo Rivera, Joe Rivera, Emma Rios, Kano, and Khoi Pham
ISBN: 9780785152392
Marvel Comics, 2012
Publisher Age Rating: T+ (12 and Up)