Randomly Reviewed: Howard the Duck? No. 1

Fowl of Fear:
Script: Bill Mantlo
Art: Mike Golden & Klaus Janson

The $64,000 Desperado:
Script: Bill Mantlo
Art: Gene Colan & Bob McLeod

The cover to HOWARD THE DUCK? No. 1. Copyright 1979 by Marvel Comics Group.

From Hell It Cometh…Chair-Thing:
Script: Bill Mantlo
Art: Gene Colan & Dave Simons

Letterers: Joe Rosen, Jim Novak, Mike Higgins

Editor-In-Chief: Jim Shooter
Editor: Rick Marschall
Associate Editor: Ralph Macchio
Insulting Editor: Mark Gruenwald
Consulting Editor: Roy Thomas
Production Manager: Lenny Grow
Design Director: Nora Maclin
Art Consultant: John Romita, Jr.
Staff & Such: Peter Ledger, Davida Lichter-Dale, Ed Norton

Cover: Gary Hallgren
Date: October, 1979

Like many people, before moving to Cleveland I knew only three things about the city; there was a river that caught fire, the Cleveland Indians were the team from Major League, and Howard the Duck lived there.

Since moving out here I’ve learned many amazing things about the city, and I heartily encourage anyone to come visit it. Prepare to have your expectations shattered. From an amazing world renowned Art Museum (which is free) and Orchestra (which is not), to an exploding culinary landscape and the historic Playhouse Square – the nation’s second largest theatre complex, behind only Lincoln Center in New York City – the City of Cleveland today is a long way from the ghost town landscape that was the backdrop for Howard the Duck’s original antics.

For some reason Howard always appealed to me. I was too young for his original adventures to speak to me, but something about a displaced talking duck dating a model as he navigated the human world intrigued me. So when I stumbled across Issue No. 1 of the Howard the Duck? black-and-white magazine from 1979 I had to snatch it up. ↓ Read the rest of this entry…