Soss' Suggestion 10-29-15 Howard the Duck #1

I’m not a big fan of Howard the Duck. When he appeared on screen in Guardians of the Galaxy I gave a resounding “meh.” I watched the 80’s movie a few times recently and I wasn’t all that thrilled. It’s the kind of film that you need to watch with your nostalgia goggles on really tight. That said there was no need for me to rush out and purchase this book when it debuted last year. The first few issues recently were released on Marvel Unlimited so I figured that I would give this much-hyped title a try.

While I’m not a fan of Howard, I am a fan of writer Chip Zdarsky. His work as co-plotter and artist on Sex Criminals is some of my favorite non-superhero stuff of the past few years. The world of Howard the Duck fits nicely in the “Marvel Indie” universe along with quirky titles like Hawkeye, Ms. Marvel, and She-Hulk. This first issue gives us some back story on Howard as well as sets up a world where he is a private detective. Familiar faces like Black Cat, She-Hulk and Spider-Man help connect everything to the greater Marvel U. I was surprised how genuinely funny I found this book despite all the hype reporting it as a laugh riot.

Joe Quinones does his best Mike Allred impression on art. My biggest beef with this book and others like it is their need to ape Allred’s work on X-Force or FF. It's just kind of lazy. 

In the end I was pleasantly surprised with Howard the Duck #1 especially since I previously had no interest in reading anything starring this character. I would recommend checking this out if you’re into the other offbeat offerings from Marvel. -Soss

Panel of the Week: Siri does this stuff to me all the time.