I’m still sorting through boxes of stuff from my house which flooded a while back, and every so often I discover an item that 1) survived the disaster, and 2) I’d pretty much forgotten ever existed. The process has been like a very soggy Christmas; I keep finding soggy presents amongst the soggy lumps of coal. So I decided to post some of these forgotten treasures as the mood strikes.
You didn’t know Howard the Duck ran for president? Here’s a campaign button that Marvel issued during the ’76 race, featuring Howard and his slogan “Get Down America!’ He didn’t win but perhaps he can be drafted this time around.
This image of Howard was drawn by the great Berni Wrightson, best known for his co-creation, Swamp Thing. Actually, Berni is better known for his intricate and controlled, dollar-bill-engraving-quality linework and his shadow-drenched atmospheric compositions.
Howard the Duck was created by writer Steve Gerber and artist Val Mayerik. He was an incidental character in Adventure Into Fear #19 (1973), caught the attention of readers, and was spun off into his own title (1976). And, there was a movie.
Incidentally, Frank Brunner, the artist who drew the first issue of Marvel’s Howard the Duck comic, will be the featured guest at this weekend’s Queen City Comicon. I’ve never met Frank (who also drew some of the more memorable issues of Doctor Strange), so here’s my chance! (And yours!)
