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Steve Gerber
Guide to Howard the Duck (New for Patrons!)
He’s trapped in a world he never made, but I finally made a guide for him! Today, debuting exclusively for Pledgeonaut Patrons of Crushing Krisis is a brand new guide for a Marvel character who just celebrated his 50th anniversary in the world of pink hairless apes. It’s a Guide to Howard the Duck, including a complete reading order of his every appearance!
As with many children of the 80s, I’ve always primarily known Howard the Duck from his flop 1986 film with Lea Thompson. I don’t explicitly recall watching it, but I know in my heart that we absolutely rented it at some point. After all, it was the only Marvel Comics movie released since the 1940s, and it was produced by George Lucas! I’m sure plenty of kids came home from the video story with this odd duck of a film clutched to their chests based on that credit alone.
[Read more…] about Guide to Howard the Duck (New for Patrons!)
From The Beginning: WildStorm Universe – WildCATs Special & WildCATs Trilogy #1-3
[Patreon-Nov16-Post-Bug][/Patreon-Nov16-Post-Bug]After WildC.A.T.s managed to wrap up its intended three-issue mini-series in four issues and 10 months it was unclear what the more permanent version of the title would be.
In the gap, WildStorm quickly thrust WildCATs Trilogy, a three-issue mini-series from newly-poached Marvel young gun Jae Lee. It took just six months to complete (that’s sarcasm, by the way), and was accompanied by a single-issue Special #1 from Lee’s remarkable feel-alike protegé Travis Charest (which explicitly states that it fits prior to Trilogy).
Both arrived in time to promote the continuation of the WildCATs mini-series to a full-time ongoing with #5 in fall of 1993. Both also wisely put a heavy focus on Grifter, Voodoo, and Zealot, quickly realizing that the rest of the team is a snoozefest.
The Special issue is an outstanding adventure that proves that the book, its concept, and its cast will have many stories to tell thanks to Voodoo’s status as the only proven Daemonite detector on Earth. Marvel vet Steve Gerber – the co-creator of Howard the Duck! – shows a deftness with set-up scenes that makes the long, slow build-up of this issue as interesting as the brief burst of action that ends it.
On art, Charest does Jim Lee as well (maybe sometimes better?) than Lee, especially with an assist from Lee’s habitual inker Scott Williams.
Trilogy has its gawky moments of art from Jae Lee, who was still a teenager without much experience. Its strength is as an early shot of origin for the magnetic Zealot. Serving that here was a wise choice, as her popularity and narrative power would go on to threaten the team balance of the main book. Spending so much time explaining the Coda in the ongoing title would tip the scales a bit too far away from the rest of the team, but it feels just right in a mini-series.
Want the play-by-play? Keep reading for a summary of this introductory story. Here’s the schedule for the rest of this month’s WildStorm re-read – tomorrow I tackle Stormwatch #4-5 & Special #1.
Need the issues? WildCATs Trilogy #1-3 was collected in a 1999 TPB as The Way of the Coda, but Special #1 has never been collected. For single issues try eBay or Amazon (Trilogy, Trilogy Alternative Search, & Special) [Read more…] about From The Beginning: WildStorm Universe – WildCATs Special & WildCATs Trilogy #1-3
Marvel Collected Editions Solicits – March, 2017
Here’s a holiday surprise for you – another month of Marvel solicitations just arrived on Amazon! These books take us though the Amazon release date of March 28, which means these books will hit the direct market on March 14. I covered the January and February solicits last month.
I’ve broken out the books below. They don’t yet list their contents, so I’ve made a few educated guesses until we can fill in the final contents. If you pre-order with Amazon, please keep in mind that Amazon releases dates are two weeks later that Direct Market release dates.
- Marvel Masterworks
- Oversized Hardcover & Omnibus Collections
- Epic Collections
- Pre-Premiere TPB Era Material (through 1999)
- Premiere TPB Era Material Recollections (from 2000)
- All-New, All-Different Marvel Collections
- Other Releases
Please note: This post will not be updated with corrected dates, titles, or issue ranges for these titles. For the most up-to-date information, visit the accompanying collection guide pages.
Marvel Masterworks
There’s only one of these books released each month, so this big reveal is a guaranteed feature of each new month of solicits. [Read more…] about Marvel Collected Editions Solicits – March, 2017