Comics Bulletin logo
Search
  • Columns
    Random
    • What The Super-Evolved Fleas Wrought? And Other Thoughts On Comics

      John Clark of HaphazardStuff.com
      October 13, 2006
      Comic Effect
    Recent
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 2

      Daniel Gehen
      December 4, 2020
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 1

      Daniel Gehen
      October 30, 2020
    • Comictober 2020: DRACULA MOTHERF**KER

      Daniel Gehen
      October 27, 2020
    • What Looks Good
    • Comics Bulletin Soapbox
    • The Full Run
    • Leading Question
    • Top 10
    • The Long-Form
    • Jumping On
    • Comics in Color
    • Slouches Towards Comics
  • Big Two
    Random
    • Exclusive Marvel Preview: "Nova" #1

      John Clark of HaphazardStuff.com
      October 29, 2015
      Marvel Comics, Previews
    Recent
    • 4.5

      DCeased: Dead Planet #7 Presents a Hopeful Future (Review)

      Daniel Gehen
      January 22, 2021
    • Retro Review: Detective Comics #826 Remains a Holiday Classic

      Daniel Gehen
      December 3, 2020
    • Stan Lee

      nguyen ly
      November 7, 2020
    • DC Comics
    • Big Two Reviews
    • Marvel Comics
  • Indie
    Random
    • 3.5

      REVIEW: Star Trek vs Transformers #4 is Dilithium-fueled Fun

      John Clark of HaphazardStuff.com
      January 17, 2019
      IDW, Indie, Reviews
    Recent
    • Review: The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist

      Daniel Gehen
      December 14, 2020
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 2

      Daniel Gehen
      December 4, 2020
    • 4.5

      TMNT: The Last Ronin #1 Lives Up to the Hype (Review)

      Daniel Gehen
      October 29, 2020
    • Reviews
    • Archie Comics
    • Boom! Studios
    • Dark Horse
    • IDW
    • Image
    • Oni Press
    • Valiant
  • Reviews
    Random
    • 3.5

      Charlatan: Preludes

      John Clark of HaphazardStuff.com
      February 11, 2009
      Reviews
    Recent
    • 4.5

      DCeased: Dead Planet #7 Presents a Hopeful Future (Review)

      Daniel Gehen
      January 22, 2021
    • Review: The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist

      Daniel Gehen
      December 14, 2020
    • Retro Review: Detective Comics #826 Remains a Holiday Classic

      Daniel Gehen
      December 3, 2020
    • Singles Going Steady
    • Slugfest
    • Manga
      • Reviews
    • Small Press
      • Reviews
      • ICYMI
      • Tiny Pages Made of Ashes
  • Interviews
    Random
    • Chris Roberson: Fond Memories and Talking Cats

      John Clark of HaphazardStuff.com
      May 19, 2012
      Interviews
    Recent
    • Interview: Jon Davis-Hunt Talks SHADOWMAN

      Daniel Gehen
      June 8, 2020
    • Interview: Becky Cloonan talks DARK AGNES and Her Personal Influences

      Mike Nickells
      March 4, 2020
    • Simon Roy

      Interview: Simon Roy on His Inspirations and Collaborations on PROTECTOR

      Mike Nickells
      January 29, 2020
    • Audio Interview
    • Video Interview
  • Classic Comics
    Random
    • "The Long, Strange Trip of Deathlok the Demolisher"

      John Clark of HaphazardStuff.com
      May 22, 2017
      Classic Comics Cavalcade, Columns
    Recent
    • Countdown to the King: Marvel’s Godzilla

      Daniel Gehen
      May 29, 2019
    • Honoring A Legend: Fantagraphics To Resurrect Tomi Ungerer Classics

      Daniel Gehen
      February 15, 2019
    • Reliving the Craziest Decade in Comics History: An interview with Jason Sacks

      Mark Stack
      January 2, 2019
    • Classic Comics Cavalcade
    • Classic Interviews
  • News
    Random
    • Space Goat Productions Launches into Publishing with Evil Dead 2

      John Clark of HaphazardStuff.com
      February 13, 2015
      News, Press Release
    Recent
    • 2020 Ringo Awards Winners Announced

      Daniel Gehen
      October 26, 2020
    • BAD IDEA Announces 2021 Publishing Slate

      Daniel Gehen
      September 29, 2020
    • A Full Replay of NCSFest 2020 is now Available

      Daniel Gehen
      September 15, 2020
    • Press Release
    • Kickstarter Spotlight
  • Books
    Random
    • 'The Mercenary: Cult of the Sacred Fire' is an Awesomely Fun Jolt of Otherworldly Adventure

      John Clark of HaphazardStuff.com
      November 28, 2017
      Books, Indie, Reviews
    Recent
    • Collecting Profile: Disney Frozen

      CB Staff
      November 22, 2019
    • Collecting Profile: NFL Superpro

      CB Staff
      August 31, 2019
    • “THE BEST OF WITZEND” is a Wonderful Celebration of Artistic Freedom

      Daniel Gehen
      September 15, 2018
    • Review: ‘Machete Squad’ is a Disappointing Afghan Memoir

      Jason Sacks
      July 31, 2018
    • Review: ‘Out of Nothing’ is the Antidote to Our Sick Times

      Jason Sacks
      July 23, 2018
    • Review: ‘Bizarre Romance’ Shows Rough Edges in the Early Days of a New Marriage

      Jason Sacks
      July 10, 2018
What's New
  • Collecting Profile: If I win Powerball, I will buy Amazing Fantasy 15
  • DCeased: Dead Planet #7 Presents a Hopeful Future (Review)
  • Collecting Profile: Batwoman
  • Collecting Profile: Daredevil
  • Collecting Profile: Floronic Man
  • Review of Cheetah in Wonder Woman 1984
  • RSS Feed
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Contact Us
  • Write for us!
  • Visit Video Game Break!
Home
Columns

Superhero Films – Chapter 28: Howard the Duck (1986)

John Clark of HaphazardStuff.com
March 14, 2015
Columns, HaphazardStuff’s Superhero Film Series

A unique character joined the Marvel Universe in 1973.

Howard the Duck would be much different from his fellow caped superheroes battling villains in their comic pages. This grumpy intelligent duck would end up living with the cute Beverly Switzer in Cleveland as he embarked on his own irreverent misadventures on a planet he was suddenly dropped in the middle of. The cigar-chomping fowl would literally be the odd duck on a planet full of humans or as Howard would refer to us as a bunch of “hairless apes”.

Created by Steve Gerber and Val Mayerik, they would use Howard to satirize our Earth society, pop culture and the comic book form itself. Howard would become an unlikely Marvel superstar enjoying a strong devoted following with his unique adventures and abrasive perspective.

Gerber would describe the comic as an existential experience. “There is no joke! There it is. The cosmic giggle. The funniest gag in the universe. That life’s most serious moments and most incredibly dumb moments are often distinguishable only by a momentary point of view. Anyone who doesn’t believe this probably cannot enjoy reading Howard the Duck.”

Amongst the cult of readers that did enjoy reading Howard the Duck was George Lucas. Now after having made a bit of name for himself after completing the Star Wars trilogy and currently in the middle of an Indiana Jones hat trick, Lucas would wield his power to bring Howard to the big screen.

What was once going to be an animated project, Howard the Duck would be reworked as a big-budget summer release for Universal Pictures. With the cache of Lucas’ name attached as one of the producers, special effects contributed by Lucas’ own Industrial Light and Magic and a $37 million budget, Howard the Duck had a lot of hopes to become a giant success. However, Howard the Duck would lay a giant egg. The film would end up being one of the most famous cinematic disasters ever. Critically panned, Howard the Duck would take a beating from critics. Film critic Gene Siskel famously asked, “Who was this stupid film made for?”

Audiences stayed away. After Howard the Duck barely managed to make its budget back after being unleashed onto the world, it would fade away that summer.

It did leave an impact though. Shakeups at Universal were attributed to the failure left by Howard, director Willard Huyck would never direct another movie again, the cast had trouble getting work afterwards and shaking the stink off from being in the movie and it would mark a huge blemish on Lucas’s resume that would follow him for the rest of his career. The only honors Howard the Duck would receive was at the end of the year when it tied Under the Cherry Moon as the Worst Picture winner at the annual Razzie awards.

Starring Lea Thompson, Tim Robbins and Jeffrey Jones, I check out the notorious Howard the Duck.


To read more content by John, visit his blog.

George LucasHaphazard StuffHoward the DuckJeffrey JonesJohn ClarkLea ThompsonSuperhero FilmsTim RobbinsWillard Huyck

Share On:
Tweet
How the New Thor Is Like a Woman on the Internet
Top 10 Films to Catch at SXSW

About The Author

<a href="http://comicsbulletin.com/byline/john-clark-of-haphazardstuff-com/" rel="tag">John Clark of HaphazardStuff.com</a>
John Clark of HaphazardStuff.com

John Clark is a lifelong movie fan who uses his writing and video editing talents as a creative outlet on various projects. Mainly specializing in movie review projects such as his Superhero and James Bond series of reviews, John also manages a blog containing written movie reviews, thoughts, observations and a wide range of topics that might pass through his mind at any given moment – hence his website name Haphazard Stuff.

Related Posts

  • Podcast: Arie Kaplan reads Howard the Duck—RCBC

    Joseph Kyle Schmidt
    March 7, 2016
  • Exclusive Marvel Preview: “Howard the Duck” #4

    Michael Bettendorf
    June 18, 2015

Latest Columns

  • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 2

    Daniel Gehen
    December 4, 2020
  • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 1

    Daniel Gehen
    October 30, 2020
  • Comictober 2020: DRACULA MOTHERF**KER

    Daniel Gehen
    October 27, 2020
  • What Looks Good for the Week of 10/14/2020

    Daniel Gehen
    October 12, 2020
  • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – Monster Mash!

    Daniel Gehen
    October 9, 2020
RSSTwitterFacebookgoogleplusinstagramtumblr

Comics Bulletin is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for website owners to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, audible.com, and any other website that may be affiliated with Amazon Service LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, Comics Bulletin earns from qualifying purchases.

All content on this site (c) 2018 The Respective Copyright Holders