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1986-09-01 01:08:10
Previous:
Doctor Strange: Into Shamballa (Marvel Graphic Novel #23)
Up:
Main

1986 / Box 24 / EiC: Jim Shooter

Next:
Hulk annual #15

Howard the Duck #33

Issue(s): Howard the Duck #33
Cover Date: Sep 86
Title: "Material duck"
Credits:
Christopher Stager - Script
Christopher Stager and Val Mayerik - Plot
Val Mayerik - Penciler
Val Mayerik - Inker
Adam Phillips - Assistant Editor
Jim Salicrup - Editor

Review/plot:
Ah, the days of hope and innocence, when a big budget Howard the Duck movie produced by George Lucas was right around the corner. This issue is a prestige format, 30 page ad free $1.50 issue with thick paper and an essay from Jim Salicrup about how this issue came to be and how "This looks like it may just be the little guy's year!", with the possibility of a renewed series if this issue and Marvel's adaptation of the movie does well. This issue is drawn and co-plotted by Val Mayerik, Howard's original artist. But Steve Gerber is not here, "For reasons [Salicrup]'d rather not even attempt to explain" but which i discussed on the entry for last issue, which had a Jan 86 publication date. Instead Mayerik has brought in a friend named Christopher Stager, who "works at an advertising agency by day and makes films by night and on weekends".

Appropriately, this issue has Howard dealing with the complications of suddenly having a lot of money, albeit from winning a sweepstakes contest and not from being a movie star. Howard hires Ed McMahon, buys the Mansion in LA, etc...

...and gets corrupted enough that Bev wants nothing to do with him.

After that, Howard gives all his money to a mad scientist that creates the perfect love for him...

...except Ed McMahon gave the scientist the brain of "the spoiled, overindulged wife of an upwardly mobile personal injury attorney"...

...and so she's a money grubbing shrew.

The issue ends with Howard hitchinking a ride with a gay guy and riding into the sunset.

Tags: Not Funny, Offensive, Irrelevant

I guess we should be happy the movie bombed if we would have otherwise gotten more comics like this.

Quality Rating: D

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A

References: N/A

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

Characters Appearing: Beverly Switzler, Howard The Duck

Previous:
Doctor Strange: Into Shamballa (Marvel Graphic Novel #23)
Up:
Main

1986 / Box 24 / EiC: Jim Shooter

Next:
Hulk annual #15

Comments

Wow...that gay guy scene. Is that some kind of record for the highest number of homophobic stereotypes and anti-gay slurs crammed into one page??

Its interesting that Marvel would make Howard, who is the 'hero' of the series, so openly homophobic.

Posted by: Dermie | January 22, 2014 1:40 AM

Ugh, just ugh at the gay scene alone. IT'S FUNNY CUZ HE'S ONE OF THOSE GAYZ!

Posted by: David Banes | January 22, 2014 3:55 AM

@Dermie- this was 1986. Surveys showed that most of the population thought homosexuality was wrong:
http://articles.latimes.com/1985-12-20/news/mn-4928_1_times-poll

Posted by: Michael | January 22, 2014 8:07 AM

It was only a few years later that the comic world would see the release of the AARGH comic book....
This story seems pretty embarrassing for Marvel.

Posted by: ChrisKafka | January 22, 2014 1:38 PM

Is the gay guy supposed to be modeled after Walt Disney? That would be ironic considering who owns Marvel now.

Posted by: Mike | January 22, 2014 7:48 PM

@Michael - I do realize it was a much more homophobic time...but still, at this point in time Marvel had Northstar as a regular character (and he was pretty clearly written as gay, despite not being officially 'out'), plus Captain America had a gay friend (Arnie Roth) as a supporting character in his book for a while, etc.

Even with the more homophobic attitudes of the time (and Jim Shooter's own issues in this area--such as his own homophobic HULK story with the attempted rape of Bruce Banner) this seems pretty over-the-top.

Posted by: Dermie | January 23, 2014 1:27 AM

So over the top, in fact, that, as it isn't *funny* (even if someone were to believe that homosexuality was wrong, it fails on that basic score alone), it shouldn't even have been included. Odd that, whether the rumours are true or not, Marvel weren't officially allowing gay characters at the time (but Arnie Roth was sympathetic and not merely implied as being gay, so I have no idea what that means for those rumours), they would see fit to include someone here who basically has predatory designs on Howard because, you know, 'the gays are like that'.

Posted by: Harry | August 29, 2014 8:14 AM

@Dermie Let's not forget that DeMatties already had a gay character in his CAPTAIN AMERICA run potrayed positively and even made (not very subtle) point about how homophobia is wrong. So I don't really buy this excuse either.

Posted by: Strejda | September 24, 2014 12:43 AM

That last sequence is really overkill, huh? Ugh. Pretty disgusting!

Gotta say I enjoy the MAD-style art here, but I really can't believe that Marvel was hitching their fortunes on this. Did they even believe it themselves?

Posted by: Cullen | September 24, 2014 8:42 AM

A highlight of post-Byrne 'She-Hulk' will be the return of Gerber to Howard, not that far away in the chronology now...

Posted by: Cullen | September 24, 2014 8:44 AM

The terrible gay caricature looks like John Waters.

Posted by: FF3 | March 22, 2016 10:44 AM




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