[dropcap size=small]A[/dropcap]fter making a surprise appearance in the post-credits scene of Marvel’s blockbuster Guardians of the Galaxy, Howard the Duck returned to the silver screen 28 years after the character’s infamous George Lucas-produced film flopped. The anthropomorphic duck caused quite the buzz in Guardians, in which he was voiced by Seth Green and shown as part of the Collector’s assortment of oddities found all over the galaxy. Now Marvel has announced that there will be a new Howard comic series to debut in March of next year.
Chip Zdarsky will be penning the upcoming series with illustrations provided by artist Joe Quinones. Zdarsky is best known for his stunning art in the hilarious hit Image Comics title Sex Criminals that he co-created with writer extraordinaire Matt Fraction, whom Quinones notably worked with on Marvel’s FF Series.
Below is our first look at Quinones’s interpretation of Howard provided by Entertainment Weekly, and if you look closely, you’ll find a nod to his Guardians cameo.
Despite the commercial and critical failure that was the 1986 Howard the Duck film, there is a brand new audience (in addition to those that stuck around since then) that is ready to jump into Howard’s world. Zdarsky and Quinones look to present a fresh, irreverent take on Steve Gerber and Val Mayerick’s unique character and use the series to further people’s interest in Howard that was piqued by his brief appearance in Guardians.
In his interview with EW, Zdarksy explained that Howard will be presented as a very relatable character in the Marvel Universe:
“He’s an everyman who happens to be a duck! He’s angry, exasperated, and he’s had it up to here with the world around him, but he’s trapped here! Infinitely relatable!”
The comics will feature the alien duck as a private investigator here on Earth, and Zdarksy gave some insight on the focus of the series:
“I love the contrast of Howard against both the normal world of us hairless apes and the weird worlds of Man-Things and Dr. Stranges and Spider-Mans. Cause he doesn’t fit into either, really. I’m just going to continue exploring those contrasts, but my ultimate goal is to be funny. Marvel has taken chances on funny books and injecting humor into superhero titles, so I want to make sure this is worth some chuckles here and there.”
I couldn’t be more thrilled to see Howard get his own brand new series, and it looks like Zdarsky and Quinones are the right guys for the job. Buzz is sure to grow once we get closer to the debut of the series in March; but until then, tide yourself over with what looks to be the cover of the series’ first issue.
How excited are you to see Howard in print once again? Let us know in the comments!
Marvel’s Howard the Duck #1 will hit shelves on March 4.
I just hope we dont have the voice of Seth Green featured in a Marvel Movie. Cool cameo though.