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Here’s yet another entry is this summer’s series of Throwback Thursdays dedicated to Howard the Duck.
Howard the Duck #9
Scandal Plucks Duck
February, 1977
Credits: Steve Gerber, writer/editor; Gene Colan, artist; Steve Leialoha, inker; John Costanza, letterer; Michele Wolfman, colorist
Synopsis: The story begins the day after the 1976 U.S. elections when the All-Night Party’s presidential candidate, Howard the Duck, loses in the wake of a late-breaking scandal after a newspaper published a photo of the duck taking a bath with his human companion, Beverly Switzler. A mysterious native French-speaking figure reads the newspaper. The bellhop from the Plaza Hotel in Howard the Duck #7 asks this mysterious person about getting paid for his role in putting out this public relations debacle that costed Howard the election. The figure reminds the bellhop that he did what he did both for America and to avenge his brother and not for any money. The bellhop briefly recounts a story about how his brother died in Vietnam. (Basically the brother was an anti-aircraft gunner who attempted to shoot an enemy aircraft down but he hit a flying duck instead. The duck crash-landed on top of a Vietcong landmine that was buried just inches from where the brother stood. The landmine exploded, killing the brother.) The bellhop has hated all ducks since his brother’s death and he was outraged that a political party had drafted a duck to run for president.
Meanwhile, back at the All-Night Party’s headquarters in New York City, Howard and Beverly are dealing with the fallout from that scandal while country music star Dreyfuss Gultch is speaking on the phone with a friend of his who works at the CIA. Dreyfuss gets off of the phone and he tells Howard and Beverly that his friend is suspicious about how real that photograph is mainly because the picture does not show a faucet on either end of the tub. Howard reveals that he and Beverly never bathe together because Beverly doesn’t like the smell of wet feathers. Dreyfuss adds that his CIA friend told him that it looks like Howard and Beverly were the victims of an international intrigue because the friend had somehow traced the picture’s origins to Canada.
Dreyfuss says that his CIA friend added that his agency isn’t inclined to do much with the information because it was glad that Howard lost. But his friend told him that it’s a strong possibility that the bellhop at the Plaza Hotel where Howard and Beverly stayed when Howard won the nomination had something to do with that doctored photo because the guy suddenly fled the country yet left a forwarding address in Ontario. Dreyfuss also says that the All-Night Party wants to get to the bottom of this scandal because its reputation is now in tatters while Beverly is also worried about her reputation as well. Dreyfuss provides two airplane tickets to Canada that the party has purchased for Howard and Beverly. He says that it would be great publicity for Howard to personally investigate the matter and, if all goes well, Howard could even be the All-Night Party’s presidential candidate in the 1980 elections. Howard isn’t interested in traveling to Canada or doing anything else for the All-Night Party and he begins to walk away. He gets pressured into changing his mind by Beverly, who is so worried about her reputation that she tells Howard that she’ll never speak to him again unless he gets on that plane.
The couple board an airplane with the shady-sounding name of Fly-By-Night Airways. They are greeted by a well-disguised stranger who shuts the door behind them. Once the plane takes off, the stranger is revealed as the duck-hating bellhop from the Plaza Hotel. He pulls out a remote transmitter to make the plane take off without a pilot.
Howard and Beverly soon realizes that they plane they are on is flying on autopilot and they are the only two living beings on board. Howard discovers that the controls are in locked position and Beverly isn’t able to find any parachutes anywhere on that plane.
The plane flies into Canada where a Canadian Mountie on horseback, with his faithful dog by his side, sees the plane making an erratic descent so he decides to investigate. The horse gallops off with such gusto that the Mountie falls off his horse and lands smack on the ground.
Meanwhile the plane lands on the side of a hill yet Howard and Beverly manage to survive their ordeal. The Canadian Mountie arrives with his animals. He introduces himself as Sgt. Preston Dudley while also introducing his horse, Prince, and his dog, Elizabeth. Howard and Beverly hitch a ride on Prince while Sgt. Dudley flirts a little bit with Beverly. After arriving at the nearby RCMP outpost, Howard and Beverly tell about their situation and Sgt. Dudley says that, based on what they told him, they are victims of Pierre Dentifris, who’s known as Canada’s only super-patriot and who frequently employs bellhops and uses robot planes. Sgt. Dudley says that they’ve tried to arrest him for years but they’ve never been able to make the charges stick.
So Beverly, Howard, and Sgt. Dudley ride on Prince (with Elizabeth tagging along) to Pierre Dentifris’ home and they see that he is a wheelchair bound old man. Pierre expresses contempt for Beverly and Howard after finding out that they came from the U.S. He begins telling his story about how he was once a powerful hotel and airline magnate until the Americans began to pollute Canada with their industry and culture. So he decides to get a bunch of beavers to build a large dam near Niagara Falls so the falls would fall in a different direction. Soon the beavers succeeded in what he wanted them to do, he saw the U.S. military foil his plan by dropping bombs on the beaver dam and one of them dropped near him. Pierre says that due to that bomb he has aged 73 years in less than one year and he has lost the use of all his limbs except for his teeth.
Coming to the conclusion that Pierre is a sad disabled old man, Howard and Beverly decide not to pursue the matter with him any further so everyone decides to go back to the RCMP outpost. Once company left, the bellhop from the Plaza Hotel emerges and begs Pierre to let him try killing Howard again and Pierre gives his consent.
Howard and Beverly spend the night at the RCMP outpost. While Sgt. Dudley takes a shower, Howard and Beverly prepare for bed when an intruder dressed as Uncle Sam comes inside. The intruder is none other than the bellhop who is ultimately overpowered when Elizabeth bites him on the leg. While Sgt. Dudley, fresh from his shower and clad in a towel, arrests the bellhop and Howard is observing that arrest, Beverly is kidnapped by a large group of beavers who carry her away from the outpost. Howard notices the opened window and sees a bunch of animal tracks below. Howard follows the tracks until he reaches Niagara Falls.
At that point he sees Pierre Dentifris dressed in a large beaver-like exoskeleton as his villain alter-ego known as Le Beaver. Beverly is trapped in a tree that’s slowly being gnawed at the trunk by a group of beavers. Le Beaver tells Howard that the two of them must fight to the death or else Beverly will die once the beavers topple over that tree. Le Beaver said that Canada has suffered enough in the shadows of its more powerful neighbor to the south so he devised a plan where he set up Howard to be nominated by the All-Night Party because the duck would run as an honest candidate. Just when Howard gained popularity Le Beaver would set up a scandal that would expose how rotten the U.S. political system has become. The Americans would fall into despair and become so distracted over what happened that Le Beaver and his beaver minions would invade the United States. Le Beaver would become a hero to his fellow Canadians and Canada would annex the United States.
Le Beaver confesses all of this while he is on a tightrope that’s over Niagara Falls. Howard initially follows Le Beaver so he could fight him and ultimately save Beverly. But then Howard realizes that he’s on the tightrope and fighting Le Beaver would lead to his death over Niagara Falls. He turns around and walks back to shore. Le Beaver attempts to chase Howard on the tightrope but he slips and falls into Niagara Falls. At that moment Sgt. Dudley arrives and he rescues Beverly from the tree while flirting with her at the same time. Howard sees this and promptly walks away in a huff while Beverly chases after Howard and Sgt. Dudley pets Elizabeth.
Topical 1970’s References: The Vietnam War, which was still fresh in the minds of most Americans even though the U.S. had pulled entirely out of that country by 1973 and the war itself ended for good when North Vietnam invaded South Vietnam in 1975.
The Bottom Line: This is the first issue where Steve Gerber was credited with being both writer and editor. Serving these dual roles (which are usually assigned to separate people) gave him an unprecedented amount of creative freedom, which he utilized to the fullest.
Long before movies about the comedic possibility of the U.S. and Canada going to war with each other (like Canadian Bacon and South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut) were made there was Howard the Duck #9, which dealt with the hilarious implications of Canada getting involved in internal U.S. affairs.
The idea of a hardcore Canadian super-patriot is hilarious to me because I personally know a few Canadians (I mainly keep in contact with them online) and I’ve even been to Canada twice (once to Niagara Falls and once to Montreal). I have never met an actual fanatic Canadian super-patriot while, unfortunately, I’ve met far too many Americans like that and, worse, these are the kind of people who claim to be super-patriots and are always willing to have the U.S. go to war somewhere in the world yet these same people have avoided serving in the military themselves. (To those people, war is basically fine as long as someone else is making the ultimate sacrifice.) Yeah, it’s an issue that bugs me since I have relatives who either used to serve or are currently serving in the military. (I have an uncle and one cousin who were in the Army and I currently have a nephew and another cousin who are in the Navy. On top of that, over the years I’ve met friends, co-workers, and acquaintances who have served in various branches of the military.)
That Mountie is basically a riff on Dudley Do-Right (his last name and Do-Right’s first name are the same) who’s very earnest and is always determined to live up to the motto of “The Mountie always gets his man.”
Howard the Duck #8 would’ve been a challenging issue to follow because of that issue’s sheer perfection in its cutting political satire. But it was an inspired idea to not try to do another topical political satire but, instead, go off in another direction with an issue featuring an utterly absurd over-the-top villain like Le Beaver whose superpowers are basically beaver-like. Years later Marvel would introduce the Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, a totally campy superhero with squirrel-like powers whose basically cheerful and lighthearted outlook on life provides a much-needed contrast with most of the Marvel superheroes (who tend to frequently deal with dark personal problems—like alcoholism or depression—that have interfered with their superhero duties at times). It would be a wild idea if Le Beaver would get revived and he battles Squirrel Girl in a totally campy over-the-top Battle of the Rodent-Powered People, but I digress. (LOL!)
Howard the Duck #10
Swan-Song of the Living Dead Duck
March, 1977
Credits: Steve Gerber, writer/editor; Gene Colan, artist; Steve Leialoha, inker; Jim Novak, letterer; Jan Cohen, colorist; Ted Sallis, consulting schizo
Synopsis: The story is basically Howard’s fevered dream in the aftermath of both his presidential campaign and his recent encounter with Le Beaver that is just as surreal as Alice in Wonderland. The story begins with an egg against a black background. The egg hatches and Howard emerges. A giant fist falls down behind Howard and he runs towards an open door. The same hand flicks Howard through the door then closes it. Howard soon finds himself in a room full of little people who are afraid of him.
Howard attempts to smash some of these little people like ants when he encounters a new villain. His name is Kong Lomerate, a giant ape who wears a suit and carries a wad of dollar bills in one hand and a stamp in the other. Kong Lomerate is angry at Howard because he owns the little people whom Howard is trying to trample. He also tells Howard that his word is law and he needs obedience from the duck. When Howard becomes defiant, Kong Lomerate stamps directly on him. It turns out to be a “Cancelled” stamp.
Then Howard is hiking in the snowy mountains until he comes to a little cabin where he meets a costumed superhero known as Omega the Unknown, which was another comic book character that Steve Gerber was writing for at the same time as the Howard the Duck comic books. The two of them are then riding in a boat until the boat capsizes and Howard gets sucked into a void. He lands in a room where he meets Beverly. She opens her face like it’s a door and reveals a flower inside of her head that squirts water into Howard’s face. Howard walks away then finds the broken halves of the egg he emerged from. He manages to get inside of that egg and close both halves shut.
At this point Howard wakes up in a motel room with Beverly sleeping in the next bed. Howard realizes that he and Beverly are back over the U.S. border near the U.S. side of Niagara Falls. He remembers that he collapsed after his encounter with Le Beaver and he thinks that Sgt. Preston must have taken Howard and Beverly back into the U.S. Howard decides that he needs a glass of water so he wakes up and goes to the bathroom. He turns on the faucet. Instead of water, a string of spider webbing starts to pour out until Spider-Man appears. Howard realizes that his dream isn’t over and it’s still ongoing. Spider-Man attempts to give Howard a self-help book on being assertive but Howard rejects it. Spider-Man then disappears.
Howard goes for a walk and ends up at a coffee shop that’s near the motel. When Howard enters he sees that the coffee shop is full of characters whom Howard has met in previous issues including the duck-hating bellhop, the giant living gingerbread man that was created by Patsy the child mad scientist, Pro-Rata, Turnip Man, Gonzo the Clown, and Winky Man. They all start calling Howard various insulting names.
Howard walks out of the coffee shop backwards and he continues to walk backwards until he runs into Dr. Strange. The doctor starts acting like a therapist where he encourages Howard to tell him what’s on his mind. The pair walks to the observation area of the American side of Niagara Falls (which is located within walking distance of the motel). Dr. Strange then disappears and the Kidney Lady appears while accusing Howard of wanting to rid the world of its healthy kidneys. The Kidney Lady tries to strike Howard with her cane but Howard manages to avoid it.
The Kidney Lady disappears and Le Beaver appears while goading Howard to fight him. Howard tries to body-slam Le Beaver but he gets repelled by Le Beaver’s titanium steel costume. Howard tries shooting with a Thompson sub-machine gun that suddenly appears in his hands only to have the costume deflect the bullets and Le Beaver ultimately snatches the gun from Howard with his mouth and crushes the weapon with his teeth.
Howard sees a rope across Niagara Falls. Howard decides to walk that top in order to escape the U.S. and into Canada. As Howard crosses Le Beaver follows behind. Howard meets St. Preston halfway through his border crossing via tightrope attempt who asks Howard the kind of questions that border crossing agents usually ask foreigners who enter into their country. (I know I’ve encountered it when my then-husband and I went into Canada.) Le Beaver catches up with Howard, picks him up, and throws him into the falls.
Howard crashes at the bottom of the falls until he lands in what looks like hell. Howard is chained to a rock while a devil, the duck-hating bellhop, Turnip Man, the Kidney Lady, Beverly, Winky Man, and Pro-Rata laugh at Howard while Howard gives his signature “WAUGH!” cry.
Topical 1970’s References: Kong Lomerate is a great riff on the old “800 pound gorilla in the room” saying. Kong Lomerate saying that he isn’t human, he exists only on paper, his word is law, and he owns people is the perfect metaphor for all those conglomerates who seem to dominate the U.S. these days. While this comic book was written long before the Supreme Court’s notorious Citizens United decision that holds that corporations are people, it seemed to predict the day when something like this would happen—where corporations would have all of the political and economic power. Of course the roots of this started in the 1970’s when then-President Richard Nixon advocated deregulating rail and truck transportation.
In addition, there was the notorious 1976 remake of King Kong (which is notable for only two things: it was the major movie debut of Jessica Lange, who would go on to a distinguished Hollywood career, and the movie climax took place at the World Trade Center, which would be destroyed years later on 9/11), which also probably served as an inspiration for Kong Lomerate.
At one point Howard mentions “Welcome to my nightmare” in passing, which is a reference to the hit album that was released by Alice Cooper back in 1975.
The Bottom Line: With the return of various luminaries from previous issues (such as the Kidney Lady and Winky Man) this is among the more surreal issues of the original 1970’s comic book series. It’s also the start of a new story arc that will result in Howard having a nervous breakdown and ending up in a mental institution. This issue is definitely in the same vein as Alice in Wonderland in terms of a very surreal dream. The best scene was definitely Kong Lomerate because it’s a parody of corporations in general and it seemed to predict the enormous power and control that these multi-national corporations currently have over the U.S. and many other countries. It was also pretty cool seeing some of the characters who haven’t appeared in a while (such as Pro-Rata and the Kidney Lady). I found it to be an interesting comic book in terms of the writing and the art but, then again, I can tolerate surreal stories. If you don’t like such stories, then you probably would want to avoid this issue altogether.
Howard the Duck #11
Quack-Up!
April, 1977
Credits: Steve Gerber, writer/editor; Gene Colan, artist; Steve Leialoha, inker; Jim Novak, letterer; Jan Cohen, colorist
Synopsis: This issue picks up where the last one left off where Howard is still in the middle of his nightmare where he is chained to a rock in the bowels of hell while a devil, the duck-hating bellhop, Turnip Man, the Kidney Lady, Beverly, Winky Man, and Pro-Rata laugh at Howard.
The scene then shifts to reality where Beverly gets a doctor to examine Howard, who’s still asleep. Apparently Howard had collapsed into one the motel beds after the pair returned to the United States. Howard had been unconscious for the past few days since their arrival although he would toss and scream from time to time. The doctor thinks that Howard is suffering from acute exhaustion (which is pretty plausible because, ever since they left Cleveland at the end of issue 5, they’ve dealt with the Reverend Yuc and his Yuccies, the child mad scientist Patsy, her giant gingerbread man creation, Howard’s presidential campaign, the fake scandal that doomed Howard’s campaign, and the showdown in Canada with Le Beaver). The doctor gives Howard a megavitamin shot while he prescribes Beverly with going out with him for some hot tea and something to eat at a coffee shot that’s located near the motel.
After Beverly and the doctor leave the motel room, Howard wakes up. He vaguely remembers Beverly talking with someone while he was asleep so Howard gets dressed and walks over to the same coffee shop where Howard sees Beverly with the handsome doctor. Howard concludes that Beverly has left him for the doctor so he walks back to the motel and summons the concierge. Howard asks the concierge for tickets to the next bus ride out of the Niagara Falls area. The concierge tells Howard that another bus is leaving soon but he recommends against getting on that one. Howard insists on getting on that bus so the concierge sells him a ticket to the final destination of the next bus. As Howard boards the bus, the reader realizes why the concierge was urging Howard not to go on that bus—Cleveland is that bus’ final destination.
Howard sits next to a woman. Her name is Winda Wester and she talks in a lisp. Winda tells Howard that her parents have put her on the bus because they believe that she’s possessed by the devil so she’s on her way to Cleveland for an exorcism. (This is how Howard learns about the bus’ final destination.) She tells Howard that her parents think that she’s possessed by the devil because she likes to make funny faces and silly noises.
Howard is then approached by three different religious proselytizers. The first is a man who’s involved in a faith known as Gnosticology. That person is pushed aside by a born-again Christian who’s dressed as Jesus complete with robes. Then a Hare Krishna joins in by urging Howard to convert to his faith. The three proselytizers begin to argue among each other over Howard, which abruptly ends when Howard yells “STOP!”
Howard has some peace and quiet for a few hours until he gets accosted by another passenger on that bus who turns out to be his old nemesis—the Kidney Lady. She accuses Howard of being the head of the International Kidney Poisoning Conspiracy while doing something nefarious to Beverly in order to get at her kidneys. The Kidney Lady’s accusations become the straw that breaks the camel’s back with Howard and he punches the Kidney Lady in the face. This begins a free-for-all brawl that also involves the Gnosticology follower, the Jesus freak, and the Hare Krishna guy.
The bus driver gets so distracted by the brawl that he loses control of the bus and it crashes. The next morning the bus is being lifted by the crane while a police officer tells the bus driver that it’s a miracle that no one was seriously injured. The issue ends when the police decides to arrest Howard, Winda, and the Kidney Lady.
Topical 1970’s References: Gnosticology is a parody of Scientology, the controversial religion that was originally founded by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard and still exists to this day. This issue also pokes fun of the 1970’s Jesus movement and the Hare Krishnas (which is a controversial off-shoot of the Hindu faith that has long been accused of being a religious cult).
The Hare Krishnas are long known for their chant, which goes “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna. Krishna Krishna. Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama. Rama Rama. Hare Hare.” At one point in the issue the Hare Krishna guy goes “Hare Reasoner Hare Reasoner.” For those of you too young to remember, that chant is a pun that references Harry Reasoner, who was an ABC news anchor who used to appear on The ABC Evening News and he also worked on 60 Minutes for CBS.
The Bottom Line: It’s a pretty amusing issue that references the time when a lot of adults (especially those who were born during the first half of the baby boom from 1946-1956) decided to forget about the Vietnam War and turn their backs on their middle class suburban upbringing by pursuing alternative religious faiths. While that’s not a bad thing in of itself, unfortunately some of these alternative faiths were little more than cults which did things like encourage its members to cut off all further communication with their non-believing family and friends and spend much of their time fundraising for the faith. And, yes, many of these alternative faiths trolled airports, train stations, college campuses and other public places looking for donations and fresh recruits.
I can remember as a child when some of these alternative faiths hung around on the Boardwalk in Ocean City, Maryland. The Hare Krishnas used to sit on the beach singing that chant while encouraging others to sing that chant (which was how I knew that chant since I was originally raised Roman Catholic—at least learning that chant was how I was able to decipher what the background singers were singing in George Harrison’s hit single “My Sweet Lord”). A Christian group known as the Children of God, which was accused of being a religious cult by ex-members, would pass out religious pamphlets that had titles like “C’mon Ma, Burn Your Bra!” There was also another Christian group that would pass out those infamous Chic comics, which were over-the-top morality plays on the horrible things that could happen to you if you don’t accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. (I used to know a few gays who collected those Chic comics for the sheer camp value even though those comics took a very dim view on LGBTQ persons.) I remember when the local authorities in Ocean City cracked down on those groups proselytizing on the Boardwalk because they had received so many complaints from the general public and they felt that these people were bad for business (which they had to be sensitive about because Ocean City is a summer resort and it has long strived to maintain a family friendly reputation).
These issues were reprinted in Howard the Duck: The Complete Collection, Volume 1, which can be purchased online at AbeBooks, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, BookDepository, Google Play, Half.com, IndieBound, Indigo, Powell’s.
The Howard the Duck Series
Howard the Duck: The Complete Collection, Volume 1 (1973-1977)
The Early Stories
Howard the Duck #1-3
Howard the Duck #4-5
Howard the Duck #6
Howard the Duck #7 and Marvel Treasury Edition #12: Howard the Duck
Howard the Duck #8
Howard the Duck #9-11
Howard the Duck #12-14
Howard the Duck King Size Annual #1 and Howard the Duck #15
Howard the Duck #16
Howard the Duck: The Complete Collection, Volume 2 (1977-1979)
Howard the Duck #17-19
Howard the Duck #20-22
Howard the Duck #23-25
Howard the Duck #26-28
Howard the Duck #29-31
Howard the Duck Magazine #1
Howard the Duck: The Complete Collection, Volume 3 (1979-1980)
Howard the Duck Magazine #2
Howard the Duck Magazine #3
Howard the Duck Magazine #4
Howard the Duck Magazine #5
Howard the Duck Magazine #6
Howard the Duck Magazine #7
Howard the Duck: The Complete Collection, Volume 4 (1980-1996)
Howard the Duck Magazine #8
Howard the Duck Magazine #9
Marvel Team-Up #98 and Bizarre Adventures #34
Howard the Duck #32-33
Sensational She-Hulk #14-17
Marvel Tales #237 and Spider-Man Team-Up #5
Howard the Duck MAX (2002)
Howard the Duck MAX #1-2
Howard the Duck MAX #3-4
Howard the Duck MAX #5-6
Howard the Duck #8
Open Season
January, 1977
Credits: Steve Gerber, writer; Gene Colan, artist; Steve Leialoha, inker; Archie Goodwin, editor; I. Watanabe, letterer; Jan Cohen, colorist
Synopsis: The story picks up where the Marvel Treasury Edition #12: Howard the Duck left off. Howard and Beverly give their good-byes to Dr. Strange and the rest of The Defenders while someone have put Howard in the cross-hairs of his rifle. As the pair walk away from the mansion, Beverly begins to get on Howard’s case for turning down Dr. Strange’s offer to spend the night at the mansion because they are broke and they really have no other place to stay.
At that point a shot rings out and a man with a rifle falls down from the rooftop of a nearby building dead. Howard sees another rifleman running along the rooftops away from the scene and he suggests to Beverly that they run in the opposite direction. The fleeing gunman climbs down into an alley where another gunman is hiding. It turns out that both of them are looking to assassinate Howard the Duck. They deal with this competition over which one of them will have the privilege of killing the duck by shooting each other dead.
Howard and Beverly soon realize that there are people who want to kill him because he is the All-Night Party’s candidate for President of the United States. At that moment the Rolls Royce limousine belonging to country music star Dreyfuss Gultch pulls up and Gultch urges Howard and Beverly to get into his bulletproof car. As the pair get inside and the vehicle pulls away, Christoper Street turns into a war zone as three different gunmen appear and start shooting at the Rolls Royce.
Dreyfuss Gultch says that people are trying to kill Howard because they object to his campaign promises. When Howard says that he hasn’t made any campaign promises, Dreyfuss says that the ad agency that the All-Night Party hired had been making such promises on his behalf as the limousine pulls into the garage located below the ad agency’s office.
When Howard finally sees the posters and other ad campaign materials he becomes so outraged over the hokum of the ad’s message that he demands to speak to the head of the ad agency, G.Q. Studley. When Studley arrives he is glad to finally meet the duck in person that he proceeds to have his underlings remake the duck’s appearance in an image that’s based on such things as focus group surveys and other types of marketing research. While Howard is getting re-dressed against his will in a side room, Studley tells Beverly that these days a candidate doesn’t think, he merely recites talking points based on market research. Howard emerges in a red suit, white shirt, blue tie, and sporting a set of false teeth while Studley says that Howard looks magnificent. Howard reacts to his makeover by biting Studley in the nose with his new false teeth, taking off his new suit, and walking out of the room. Subsequently Howard would hire a new ad agency based on a name that he sees in a phone book: Mad Genius Associates.
By September, 1976 Howard’s presidential campaign would be a major topic on a major television network’s evening news. Over the past few months Mad Genius Associates apparently gave Howard far more leeway in how he wanted to campaign because Howard goes to various rallies where he simply speaks out on a variety of topics ranging from the environment to defense spending. The same news story had reactions to Howard’s campaign from his challengers Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter.
By October, 1976 Beverly is walking through Central Park by herself incognito. She misses the loss of privacy since the campaign began and is tired of constantly hearing about heavy topics like the economy. She gets startled by a man who comes up to her but he says that he’s only here to feed the ducks. He looks a lot like the bellhop from that hotel in Howard the Duck #7. As Beverly walks away the man says that he loves ducks so much that he makes a point to throttle one every single day while he’s strangling an innocent duck.
On November 1, 1976 Howard and Beverly show up at Dreyfuss Gultch’s ranch where they meet some men who are described as representing some powerful interests. They offer Howard the chance for them to support Howard’s presidential campaign in exchange for some favors once Howard makes it to the Oval Office. Howard turns them down because he says that he’s running as a people’s candidate who advocates a clean government free from corruption.
A few hours later Howard holds a televised press conference in New York City and one comic book page consists mainly of a transcript from that event where Howard speaks out on a variety of topics ranging from pardoning Vietnam draft evaders to violence in popular culture. As Howard and Beverly walk away from that press conference after it ends, the pair evade a woman throwing a doll with a bomb inside, a construction girder that someone has snapped on purpose and it’s aimed directly at the pair, and a driverless car that comes close to pinning them to a nearby brick wall. On top of that they encounter a service station attendant who douses Howard with gas. They manage to overpower him and escape before he is able to throw a lit match at them.
Howard and Beverly manage to reach their hotel room where Dreyfuss Gultch has even more bad news for the two of them. The story ends when he shows the pair the front page of a newspaper that features a photo showing the couple bathing together with the headline “Scandal Plucks Duck.”
Topical 1970’s References: The 1976 Presidential Campaign, including appearances in the comic book by real-life candidates Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford. The legendary CBS newsman Walter Cronkite is satirized as Walter Klondike.
The Bottom Line: If there were such a thing as the perfect Howard the Duck comic book, issue 8 would be it, in my humble opinion. This issue ranks among the finest and most memorable of the original 1970’s comic book series. From the cover showing an agitated Howard literally bursting through the newspaper to the awesome art and the writing, this is the issue I would introduce to any newbie who’s curious about what Howard the Duck is all about. In fact, this issue and what’s currently going on in this year’s elections were the ones that gave me the inspiration to do this little summer Throwback Thursday blog project in the first place.
The political satire is totally spot-on and the slapstick farce of various would-be assassins literally killing each other so they could end up becoming the one who kills the duck is completely hysterical. At the time it was published it resonated so much with people that, according to the Wikipedia, Howard the Duck actually got hundreds of write-in votes in the 1976 presidential election.
What’s really sad is that today much of the satire is just as relevant as it was when it was first published. The only dated references are the ones made about Walter Cronkite, Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, and the issue of granting amnesty to draft dodgers of the Vietnam War. Otherwise this issue could be reprinted as a stand-alone single issue and sold at comic book stores today and people would still feel moved enough to buy it.
Ever since the Citizens United Supreme Court decision the amount of money poured into elections by special interests has grown even worse than back in the 1970’s. Not too long ago Hillary Clinton attended a fundraiser at the San Francisco home of venture capitalist Sherwin Pishevar that included George and Amal Clooney. According to Politico.com, anyone wanting to attend that event had to buy tickets that cost $33,400 per person. (Man, that’s way more than what I’ve earned last year.) What’s more, there were two seats available at a table where Hillary Clinton and the Clooneys were dining together. Anyone wanting to sit in either seat had to pay a whopping $353,4000. (For that same amount, I could buy one of those new upscale luxury townhouses that are currently being built in a new development in my town.)
Then there are the political consultants who tend to latch on to campaigns like parasites and most of these candidates tend to hang on to their every word as if they were God and they do what the consultants says they should do (based on the usual market research that includes focus group surveys). People like James Carville, Mary Matalin, Frank Luntz, and the late Lee Atwater have all made their careers as political consultants.
Howard the Duck’s outspokenness on various issues along with his campaign being seen as an insurgent campaign seems to predict this year’s similar campaigns of both Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders, although I think Howard tends to be more similar to the former because his shoot-from-the-hip-say-anything-no-matter-the-cost style seems to predict Trump’s similar campaign style (the main difference is that Howard never ventured anywhere near the blunt racism of Trump’s campaign). The fact that Howard turned down the offer from some powerful vested interests to help Howard win the election because he’s interested in running a clean campaign echoes Sanders’ efforts to run a campaign that’s free from special interests that represent the 1%.
Then there are the frequent assassination attempts against Howard. Recently there was an assassination attempt against Donald Trump that was foiled, which is another reason why Howard seems to eerily predict Donald Trump’s campaign decades later. Who knows how many similar attempts will be made against Trump and his two rivals (Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders) before Election Day?
It’s only too bad that writer Steve Gerber (who passed away in 2008) didn’t live to see this year’s elections because it would’ve been interesting to hear him weighing in on it, especially in regards to the parallels between what’s currently going on in politics and the 1970’s Howard the Duck #8.
The back of Howard the Duck: The Complete Collection Volume 1 has extras in the back of the book that are mostly related to Howard’s presidential campaign. Howard the Duck appears in a two page spread of Crazy magazine (which was Marvel’s attempt to emulate other black and white humor magazines like Mad and Cracked) that have limericks devoted to all those who ran in the 1976 presidential elections, including Howard.
The book also has vintage ads hyping Howard’s presidential run as well as ads selling Howard the Duck campaign buttons and posters. What’s really fascinating about the spin-off products is that, based on what the ads and accompanying interviews that were also reprinted (mainly from FOOM magazine) said, it looked like writer and co-creator Steve Gerber had set up a side venture known as Mad Genius Associates (which is also the name of the ad agency that Howard the Duck hires to represent him after he fired G.Q. Studley’s agency) which manufactured and sold these buttons and posters on his own free time aside from his day job. What’s more, Marvel seemed to have given Steve Gerber its blessing to do this on his own to the point where it even provided ad space in its comic books. I can’t imagine Marvel allowing any of its staff to do anything like this to any of its characters today, especially since Disney (a company notorious for guarding its copyrighted characters) purchased the company a few years ago.
This issue was reprinted in Howard the Duck: The Complete Collection, Volume 1, which can be purchased online at AbeBooks, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, BookDepository, Google Play, Half.com, IndieBound, Indigo, Powell’s.
The Howard the Duck Series
Howard the Duck: The Complete Collection, Volume 1 (1973-1977)
The Early Stories
Howard the Duck #1-3
Howard the Duck #4-5
Howard the Duck #6
Howard the Duck #7 and Marvel Treasury Edition #12: Howard the Duck
Howard the Duck #8
Howard the Duck #9-11
Howard the Duck #12-14
Howard the Duck King Size Annual #1 and Howard the Duck #15
Howard the Duck #16
Howard the Duck: The Complete Collection, Volume 2 (1977-1979)
Howard the Duck #17-19
Howard the Duck #20-22
Howard the Duck #23-25
Howard the Duck #26-28
Howard the Duck #29-31
Howard the Duck Magazine #1
Howard the Duck: The Complete Collection, Volume 3 (1979-1980)
Howard the Duck Magazine #2
Howard the Duck Magazine #3
Howard the Duck Magazine #4
Howard the Duck Magazine #5
Howard the Duck Magazine #6
Howard the Duck Magazine #7
Howard the Duck: The Complete Collection, Volume 4 (1980-1996)
Howard the Duck Magazine #8
Howard the Duck Magazine #9
Marvel Team-Up #98 and Bizarre Adventures #34
Howard the Duck #32-33
Sensational She-Hulk #14-17
Marvel Tales #237 and Spider-Man Team-Up #5
Howard the Duck MAX (2002)
Howard the Duck MAX #1-2
Howard the Duck MAX #3-4
Howard the Duck MAX #5-6
Howard the Duck #7
December, 1976
This issue is divided into two separate chapters featuring two different stories.
Credits: Steve Gerber, writer; Gene Colan, illustrator; Steve Leialoha, inker; Archie Goodwin, editor; Jim Novak, Letterer; M. Severin, colorist
Chapter I: The Way the Cookie Crumbles!
Synopsis: This chapter picks up where issue 6 leaves off—immediately after the giant gingerbread man that budding mad scientist Patsy bakes comes to life. While Patsy jumps up and down in total joy like a child her age would over a major accomplishment, the adults cower in fear as the living cookie monster starts to move towards them.
Howard and Beverly attempt to sneak out the door where they originally came in only to find that it is locked. Howard comes up with another idea where he jumps on the cookie monster, crawls down to the monster’s right leg, and starts eating through it until the leg is completely severed. The giant gingerbread man crashes into Patsy’s jury-rigged electrical system and starts a fire.
Howard and Beverly find another doorway with a set of stairs leading to the top of the tower. They climb up the steps and crash through the window on to the rooftop. The pair slide down a gutter drain pipe until they reach the ground. At that point they run a few feet away from the house then hit the ground right at the moment when the house explodes.
Howard and Beverly inspect the rubble of the destroyed home but there is no sign that any of the other people have escaped, which implies that they are the only survivors of that blast. As they talk about what happened to young Patsy and debate how could such a young girl could become a mad scientist at such a tender age, Howard and Beverly decide to head towards the nearest gas station to freshen up before resuming their hitchhiking travels.
Chapter II: Get Down, America!
This is the beginning of the story arc that would lead to another high point of the original comic book series when Howard the Duck runs for President of the United States of America. This story begins sometime after Howard and Beverly cleaned up in the gas station’s restrooms and resumed hitchhiking until someone picked them up. They end up traveling to New York City in a Rolls Royce with the famous country music star Dreyfuss Gultch.
After Beverly finishes telling Dreyfuss Gultch the story about how she and Howard escaped from Patsy’s cookie monster right before the house exploded, she asks Dreyfuss why a country music star like him is heading to New York City. Dreyfuss tells the pair that he is scheduled to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the All-Night Party’s political convention. The All-Night Party is meeting in New York City in order to select their candidate to run as President of the United States under its banner against both the Republican (the then-incumbent President Gerald Ford) and Democratic (former Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter) candidates. Beverly ask Dreyfuss Gultch about her and Howard getting jobs at that convention so they can earn enough money to get an apartment. Dreyfuss Gultch uses his celebrity to get the Chairman of The All-Night Party to give Howard and Beverly a room at the Plaza Hotel where the convention is being held at as well as temporary work at the convention itself.
Beverly works as one of the Hospitality Girls who greet the nearly all-male delegates and other convention-goers. (There are no women depicted among the delegates or other party faithful.) Howard gets a job in security. Their work uniforms are delivered by a bellhop that also includes a cryptic note that only says that the mix is in the pan and it’s signed “A Friend.” Howard is puzzled by that note but he shrugs is off because it was time for him and Beverly to report to their jobs.
Howard arrives at the security office only to see the head of security is busy making out with one of the other Hospitality Girls. The security head tells Howard that he’s too busy and he suggests that the duck just walks around the hall. He listens in on one of those backroom conferences where the party members are loudly debating about what is The All-Night Party’s stand regarding the CIA. Sample argument: “I’m afraid Mr. Sangor’s animalistic conservatism and Mr. Langor’s jellyfish liberalism both fail to address the real issue, Mr. Chairman! We’ve got to get the dumb people out of intelligence!” The party members spot Howard looking in on the insanity and they ask him for his opinion. Howard asks them bluntly if they know anything about intelligence. The men in the room look on Howard blankly then the duck suggests that they tell the truth that they don’t know much about intelligence but they will educate themselves on this issue as much as possible.
Later on Howard meets up with Beverly, whose butt has been pinched by the male convention attendees so much that she has to lay down in the hotel room. When the pair reaches their room, they find another cryptic note from “A Friend” saying that the ice cream is on the cake.
The next day Howard patrols the convention floor where a near-brawl breaks out over whether the party delegates should vote for either of the two similarly-named candidates: Wauldrop or Wauldrap. An exasperated Howard suggests a method of deciding on a candidate to vote for by tossing the placards with the candidates’ names on them up in the air then letting them drop to the floor. At that moment Dreyfuss Gultch catches up with Howard and invites the duck to have a night on the town with himself and some of the party bigwigs.
Howard, Dreyfuss, and the party bigwigs end up in what looks like a strip club. Howard gets a bill from a waiter who looks suspiciously like that bellhop at the hotel. That bill has another cryptic message signed “A Friend” that says that everything is in the oven. The next day Howard tells Beverly about that message and Beverly said that all those notes sounds like a recipe for a Baked Alaska. At that moment Howard realizes that it may be a cryptic message about a bomb being planted on the convention floor. He tries to tell his boss, who’s way too busy partying with the Hospitality Girls to listen to Howard’s warning about a potential bomb at the convention.
Howard remembers the clues in the cryptic messages he received and realizes that it may have something to do with the Alaska delegation. He sees smoke coming out of the Alaska standard so Howard grabs that standard and smashes it into the special Bicentennial cake that was especially made for the convention. The cake explodes all over the convention floor.
Wauldrop, one of the candidates who is speaking on the podium at the time decides to withdraw his nomination on the grounds that he feels that running for president is too dangerous. At that moment the delegates decide to nominate Howard the Duck as The All-Night Party candidate for the President of the United States—despite the fact that under [Get Constitution Amendment dealing with being a native born American] Howard would be ineligible for that office on the grounds that not only was he born outside of the United States but he was born (or should I say hatched?) on a different planet to parents who are also non-U.S. citizens from a different planet.
Topical 1970’s References: The second chapter deals with the 1976 U.S. presidential elections while also mentioning the Bicentennial that was celebrated that same year.
The scenes dealing with Beverly having her butt constantly pinched while on the job while the security head frequently makes out with the Hospitality Girls while on the job are reminiscent of a time when sexual harassment of women on the job was not only accepted as a part of doing business but women had no recourse for dealing with this. I remember when sexual harassment was starting to be discussed in the media in the 1970’s and it has led to new laws being passed that forbids that type of behavior. While sexual harassment sadly still goes on, these days employees who are affected by this have legal recourse (ranging from filing a complaint with human resources to actually suing a company for sexual harassment) so workers no longer have to just sit there and take it from others on the job.
The Bottom Line: The first chapter does an excellent job of concluding the story about budding mad scientist Patsy and her giant cookie monster gingerbread man. The story literally ends with a bang. The second chapter is a hilarious send-up of political conventions and all of the backroom shenanigans that frequently goes on behind closed doors. It provides a very promising beginning to the story arc about Howard’s run for the White House that is a high point of the original comic book series.
Marvel Treasury Edition #12: Howard the Duck
1976
Judging from this comic book’s original table of contents that’s reprinted in Howard the Duck: The Complete Collection, Volume 1, it looks like the Marvel Treasury Edition was one of those extra-long comic books that was more expensive than the usual regular comic book but also provided a lot of bang for the buck. This issue had one previously unreleased Howard the Duck story (The Duck and The Defenders) along with reprints of the duck’s first appearances (Adventure Into Fear #19, The Man-Thing #1, Giant-Size Man-Thing #4, Giant-Size Man-Thing #5, and Howard the Duck #1) and dispatches from Howard the Duck’s political campaign. (These dispatches are reprinted in the back of Howard the Duck: The Complete Collection, Volume 1 and they basically consist of one page of a text interview between Howard and writer Steve Gerber along with one mostly text page of other Marvel superheroes and Marvel publisher Stan Lee weighing in on Howard’s presidential campaign.) For the person who was relatively new to the comic book series, this Marvel Treasury Edition was a good bargain in that the person was able to read about the original origins of Howard the Duck without having to pay huge prices for the original issues on the comic book collector’s market. I’m sure that fans who had followed the duck’s story from the beginning were probably miffed that they had to shell out extra money for an issue featuring reprints of comic books that they already owned just so they can get the one new story that was published in that issue.
The Duck and The Defenders
Credits: Steve Gerber, writer; Sal Buscema and Klaus Janson, artists; Steve Leialoha, inker; Joe Rosen, Letterer; Marie Severin, colorist
Synopsis: The story begins with a Prologue that’s subtitled “Five Villains in Search of a Plot!” Four people wearing costumes are in Central Park in New York City roasting marshmallows over an open fire after midnight. One by one they introduce themselves. Sitting Bullseye is an ex-CIA operative who infiltrated the American Indian movement until the native people discovered that he was a mole. They retaliated by tattooing a giant bullseye on his chest, which resulted in his being fired from the CIA since he could no longer go undercover due to that tattoo. Tillie the Hun introduces herself with no backstory but she looks like an overweight version of Valkyrie (who shows up later in this story). The Spanker was once the headmaster of a prestigious private school until he was forced out due to his excessive use of corporal punishment. The Black Hole was a normal human until some dwarf star matter had somehow landed on his chest, which created a giant black hole in his chest that Black Hole can open and close on command.
The police arrive on the scene because these people had violated local laws by being in Central Park after 10 p.m. and holding a bonfire. When they attempt to arrest these wacky costumed people, the villains manage to defeat them, especially after Black Hole uses his power to suck two of the cops into his chest. At that point a fifth villain emerges from the bushes. He is Dr. Angst, Master of the Mundane Mysticism, and he is the one who called the other four together because the five of them, despite their various powers and abilities, have long been overshadowed by other superhero and villains to the point where they are obscure. Dr. Angst proposes to fix that by killing the newly minted All-Night Party presidential candidate Howard the Duck.
The main part of the actual story begins when Howard and Beverly are thrown out of the hotel they were staying at for non-payment of their bill. Apparently the All-Night Party assumed that Howard was rich like so many other politicians of all persuasions so they stopped paying for his and Beverly’s accommodations. Beverly said that two of her old high school friends from Cleveland are currently working as stewardesses and sharing a home in Greenwich Village. She suggests taking the subway to the Village and see if her old high school friends can give them a place to stay.
When they arrive at Greenwich Village they promptly become lost because both are unfamiliar with New York City and, apparently, neither one of them have bothered to pack a map or even buy one at the many different stores that sell maps. They decided to ask someone for directions so they turned to a young couple who are obviously going on a date. The man of the couple turns out to be none other than Peter Parker, whose superhero alter-ego is Spider-Man. His girlfriend, Mary Jane, gives Howard and Beverly the directions to the street where Beverly’s friends live.
They follow Mary Jane’s directions until they arrive at a mansion. (It’s never clear if Mary Jane gave the pair bad directions or if they mis-heard her directions or if Mary Jane gave the correct directions but Beverly had the wrong address for her friends.) Both Beverly and Howard are skeptical that two stewardesses could afford to live in a mansion in Greenwich Village but they decide to ring the doorbell anyway. Nighthawk answers the door and Beverly remembers him from seeing his photograph in the newspapers.
The others who live in that mansion soon arrive at the front door. It soon becomes apparent that the mansion is the living quarters for The Defenders, a loose alliance of superheroes just like the more popular Avengers. In addition to Nighthawk, The Defenders consist of Valkyrie, who’s one of the ancient Norse goddesses who traditionally accompany the souls of men who fall in battle to Valhalla; the Incredible Hulk, whom I don’t have to describe because chances are that you have already heard of him—even if your knowledge of him is limited to the 1970’s TV series and/or the various Hulk movies that have been released over the years; and Dr. Strange, a sorcerer who’s a master of the mystic arts. Dr. Strange instinctively suspects that Howard is not of this planet so he takes the duck upstairs so he can learn more about him.
Meanwhile Dr. Angst is holding a meeting with his own band of misfit villains in his tiny place. Dr. Angst makes a deal where he gives the villains mettle spheres cast from the otherworldly alloy promethium for them to swallow so their powers can grow exponentially. The villains begin to feel the effect of swallowing those spheres as they begin to feel more powerful. Dr. Angst says that the spheres’ effect doesn’t last a long time but he has offered to give them more spheres for them to consume in exchange for helping him find and kill Howard the Duck. Dr. Angst uses his mundane powers to look into a shoe (which he calls a “pedestrian prognosticator”) where he finds that Howard is currently with Dr. Strange at The Defenders’ mansion.
After talking with Howard, Dr. Strange concludes that the duck isn’t a mystic like he thought. At that point Howard asks Dr. Strange if there is any way that he can use his mystical powers to send Howard back to his home world. Dr. Strange attempts to use the Orb of Agamotto to see if he can locate Howard’s planet before using his magic powers to send Howard back to where he originally came from. At that moment a bunch of tennis balls shoot out and one of them knocks Dr. Strange unconscious.
Beverly and the other Defenders hear the commotion upstairs. When Nighthawk tries to use the stairs to investigate, he’s stopped by a white picket fence that suddenly appears. The other four villains who are helping Dr. Angst kill Howard suddenly crash into a window all prepared for battle. In addition the mansion is enclosed in a giant cereal box so no one can escape. Dr. Strange appears to Howard in apparition form where he tells Howard he will give the duck a portion of his mystic powers while guiding Howard telepathically to where the super villains are located so Howard can use these powers to take them down. Howard, under Dr. Strange’s guidance, goes downstairs and magically sends Beverly, The Defenders, and the villains to Shea Stadium where they can battle amongst themselves.
The Defenders and the other villains battle each other in Shea Stadium. Initially The Spanker starts to spank Beverly on her rear until she is rescued by Nighthawk. She subsequently stands off to the side since she has no superhero power at all. When Black Hole attempts to use his power, to suck the Incredible Hulk, the other Defenders, and anyone else who happens to be in Shea Stadium at the moment into his body, Beverly stops him by grabbing his arm and shoving it into the hole. This action triggers the Black Hole into consuming himself until just a black hole remains on the ground.
Meanwhile, back at the mansion, Howard meets Dr. Angst, who had placed a mask over Dr. Strange’s face so he can’t guide Howard telepathically. Howard manages to still have some of Dr. Strange’s powers so he uses it to defeat Dr. Angst and free Dr. Strange from that mask.
Dr. Strange uses his powers to suddenly bring everyone else from Shea Stadium to the mansion. The defeated villains said that they didn’t care about killing Howard the Duck. They only went along with Dr. Angst’s plan because he promised them more promethium spheres so they can continue to keep their enhanced powers. Dr. Strange tells them that the promethium spheres are little more than the mystic world’s equivalent of a sugar pill placebo so any effect of feeling more powerful than before came from wishful thinking instead of the spheres actually doing anything. Dr. Strange uses his mystical powers to revive the Black Hole from his self-consumption then free the police officers who were sucked into Black Hole’s black hole during the prologue of this story. The police officers arrest the villains and take them away.
Dr. Strange offers to teach Howard the ways of the mystic arts because he feels that Howard has great potential in that area but Howard turns him down. He offers to help Howard locate his home planet once again. But then the duck sees Beverly, who’s so glad to see him that she hugs him very tightly, and he has a change of heart. He tells Dr. Strange that he would settle for some fare money so he and Beverly can ride the bus uptown.
Topical 1970’s References: Sitting Bullseye’s origin is a reference to the time in the 1970’s was when Congress passed the Freedom of Information Act where journalists and other interested parties can have access to unclassified government documents. In the wake of that law being passed, journalists started to read government files where they discovered that the FBI had infiltrated various 1960’s political dissident groups like the Black Panthers, Congress of Racial Equality, Students for a Democratic Society, and various Native American civil rights groups. Those FBI moles would whip up dissent among these groups which led, in many cases, to people fighting among themselves and having local chapters of these dissident groups ultimately implode.
But that wasn’t all. It turned out that the CIA did similar things as well, except they did their tricks in foreign countries. For example, the CIA helped in the overthrow of democratically elected governments in Iran and Chile and replaced those leaders with dictators.
The Spanker’s origins is also a reference to the issue of schools and parents using corporal punishment on children, a controversial issue that was so hotly debated in the 1970’s that it led to many school districts outlawing the practice and many parents also began to adopt nonviolent forms of punishments for children (such as having time out corners in their homes).
The Bottom Line: This story is okay and it has its moments but, compared to the previous storylines about Patsy the child mad scientist creating her giant gingerbread cookie monster and Howard winning the All-Night Party’s nomination as president, this one is nothing special. Superhero fans will definitely enjoy seeing The Defenders take on those villain misfits in Shea Stadium but, for others who just like Howard the Duck for the satire, this story just lacks the cutting edge humor of the previous issues. Modern racism alert—There are times when Sitting Bullseye refers to the Native Americans, whom he infiltrated only to turn on him, as “Injuns” and “Redskins.” (Yeah, I know that the latter term is the name of a certain Washington football team and, living outside of DC, I hear that name all the time. But there is currently a concerted effort to get that team to adopt a new name but current owner Dan Snyder refuses to even consider it despite the fact that a judge has recently decided that the Redskins can no longer be trademarked due to the fact that many Native Americans consider it to be a racial slur.)
These issues were reprinted in Howard the Duck: The Complete Collection, Volume 1, which can be purchased online at AbeBooks, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, BookDepository, Google Play, Half.com, IndieBound, Indigo, Powell’s.
The Howard the Duck Series
Howard the Duck: The Complete Collection, Volume 1 (1973-1977)
The Early Stories
Howard the Duck #1-3
Howard the Duck #4-5
Howard the Duck #6
Howard the Duck #7 and Marvel Treasury Edition #12: Howard the Duck
Howard the Duck #8
Howard the Duck #9-11
Howard the Duck #12-14
Howard the Duck King Size Annual #1 and Howard the Duck #15
Howard the Duck #16
Howard the Duck: The Complete Collection, Volume 2 (1977-1979)
Howard the Duck #17-19
Howard the Duck #20-22
Howard the Duck #23-25
Howard the Duck #26-28
Howard the Duck #29-31
Howard the Duck Magazine #1
Howard the Duck: The Complete Collection, Volume 3 (1979-1980)
Howard the Duck Magazine #2
Howard the Duck Magazine #3
Howard the Duck Magazine #4
Howard the Duck Magazine #5
Howard the Duck Magazine #6
Howard the Duck Magazine #7
Howard the Duck: The Complete Collection, Volume 4 (1980-1996)
Howard the Duck Magazine #8
Howard the Duck Magazine #9
Marvel Team-Up #98 and Bizarre Adventures #34
Howard the Duck #32-33
Sensational She-Hulk #14-17
Marvel Tales #237 and Spider-Man Team-Up #5
Howard the Duck MAX (2002)
Howard the Duck MAX #1-2
Howard the Duck MAX #3-4
Howard the Duck MAX #5-6
Sagittarius Dolly 
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