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A review by projectmayhem7
Howard the Duck, Volume 1: Duck Hunt by Chip Zdarsky, Ryan North
3.0
So, I read this one first because I didn’t realize that this volume, volume #1, is actually the second volume… Volume #0 is the first one. Weird and not cool, Marvel. Pretty funny comic though.
Issue #1: 3 stars
Issue #2: 4 stars
Issue #3: 2 stars
Issue #4: 2 stars
Issue #5: 2 stars
Crossover Part One, Squirrel Girl Issue #6: 4.5 stars
Crossover Part Two, Howard Issue #6: 3.5 stars
[Little disclaimer: I love the political/cultural/social humor, but if you’re conservative or can’t take a joke, you may not like this one.]
So, I’ve heard of Howard the Duck, but just in passing. I thought it was some kind of “so bad it’s good” type of thing like that Tommy Wiseau movie The Room, and I’m not even sure why I thought that. Maybe I’d heard someone say that about the Howard the Duck movie? I don’t know. Haven’t seen that either. Whatever the reason, I was wrong. Chip Zdarsky (artist of one of the most unique comics I’ve ever read, Sex Criminals) and Ryan North (funnyman writer of the new Squirrel Girl comics) are a surprising team up. I definitely see North’s fingerprint, especially in the little footnotes from the narrator in the first issue, and obviously #6. Even if North didn’t help write the other issues in this volume, it’s obvious he was an influence on Zdarsky. Honestly, #6 where he teams up with North is probably the way Zdarsky should take it from now on. Howard works better with the footnotes. Or it could just be North underneath in the footnotes that’s working for me.
I didn’t realize this comic was supposed to be some kind of humorous mash-up of a bunch of different comics and superheroes. We have Squirrel Girl, Aunt May, Spider-Man, Dr. Strange, A metal glove thing with a gem that looks a lot like Thanos’s glove, Galactus, The Collector, Venom, Thing, Silver Surfer, Kitty Pryde, Drax, Groot, Rocket Raccoon, etc., and I learned that Howard is from the same place as Rocket. Pretty cool, but it’s a bit much. There are some great lines in there though.
And what about those cringe moments?
Yeah, “Space Daddy”. He's is The Collector, you know, the baddie who imprisoned her friend Howard and countless other creatures on his “museum” prison planet. I hate to say this, because I can appreciate a good dad joke, but Zdarsky and North both have a pretty immature/cheesy type of humor, and sometimes it works, but when it doesn’t, it really doesn’t. Ryan North is actually really great at writing humor for young adult comics, so I can’t say anything about that. North is all about the puns too. I think Zdarsky tries to imitate North’s style, and sometimes he doesn’t succeed. Of course, Erica Henderson (the artist of the new Squirrel Girl comics and of the Howard/Squirrel Girl crossover issue in this volume) is amazing, so the crossover issue is tied with the Veronica Fish issue as the best in this volume. I’m just not crazy about the other issues. If I was only rating the others, I might give this comic 2 stars.
The second issue illustrated by Veronica Fish is much better than the other issues in this volume. The art is better, we learn more and get background on other characters, and for some reason it’s easier to connect to the characters. The art for the other issues isn’t bad at all, I just prefer Fish’s issue. (P.S. I have to give credit to the letterer for all the issues too. Good stuff).
The flashbacks and flashforwards are slightly obnoxious. Also, what’s up with all these characters who are smugglers? How are there so many smugglers in the universe? Like, how are there enough jobs for all of them? I guess it doesn’t really matter, it sounds like a badass job and it’s easy, a writer doesn’t have to explain too much if they’re smugglers. Just thought I’d voice that.
Lastly, is Mr. Biggs the cat from We3 by Grant Morrison? It has to be…right?
Issue #1: 3 stars
Issue #2: 4 stars
Issue #3: 2 stars
Issue #4: 2 stars
Issue #5: 2 stars
Crossover Part One, Squirrel Girl Issue #6: 4.5 stars
Crossover Part Two, Howard Issue #6: 3.5 stars
[Little disclaimer: I love the political/cultural/social humor, but if you’re conservative or can’t take a joke, you may not like this one.]
So, I’ve heard of Howard the Duck, but just in passing. I thought it was some kind of “so bad it’s good” type of thing like that Tommy Wiseau movie The Room, and I’m not even sure why I thought that. Maybe I’d heard someone say that about the Howard the Duck movie? I don’t know. Haven’t seen that either. Whatever the reason, I was wrong. Chip Zdarsky (artist of one of the most unique comics I’ve ever read, Sex Criminals) and Ryan North (funnyman writer of the new Squirrel Girl comics) are a surprising team up. I definitely see North’s fingerprint, especially in the little footnotes from the narrator in the first issue, and obviously #6. Even if North didn’t help write the other issues in this volume, it’s obvious he was an influence on Zdarsky. Honestly, #6 where he teams up with North is probably the way Zdarsky should take it from now on. Howard works better with the footnotes. Or it could just be North underneath in the footnotes that’s working for me.
I didn’t realize this comic was supposed to be some kind of humorous mash-up of a bunch of different comics and superheroes. We have Squirrel Girl, Aunt May, Spider-Man, Dr. Strange, A metal glove thing with a gem that looks a lot like Thanos’s glove, Galactus, The Collector, Venom, Thing, Silver Surfer, Kitty Pryde, Drax, Groot, Rocket Raccoon, etc., and I learned that Howard is from the same place as Rocket. Pretty cool, but it’s a bit much. There are some great lines in there though.
And what about those cringe moments?
Yeah, “Space Daddy”. He's is The Collector, you know, the baddie who imprisoned her friend Howard and countless other creatures on his “museum” prison planet. I hate to say this, because I can appreciate a good dad joke, but Zdarsky and North both have a pretty immature/cheesy type of humor, and sometimes it works, but when it doesn’t, it really doesn’t. Ryan North is actually really great at writing humor for young adult comics, so I can’t say anything about that. North is all about the puns too. I think Zdarsky tries to imitate North’s style, and sometimes he doesn’t succeed. Of course, Erica Henderson (the artist of the new Squirrel Girl comics and of the Howard/Squirrel Girl crossover issue in this volume) is amazing, so the crossover issue is tied with the Veronica Fish issue as the best in this volume. I’m just not crazy about the other issues. If I was only rating the others, I might give this comic 2 stars.
The second issue illustrated by Veronica Fish is much better than the other issues in this volume. The art is better, we learn more and get background on other characters, and for some reason it’s easier to connect to the characters. The art for the other issues isn’t bad at all, I just prefer Fish’s issue. (P.S. I have to give credit to the letterer for all the issues too. Good stuff).
The flashbacks and flashforwards are slightly obnoxious. Also, what’s up with all these characters who are smugglers? How are there so many smugglers in the universe? Like, how are there enough jobs for all of them? I guess it doesn’t really matter, it sounds like a badass job and it’s easy, a writer doesn’t have to explain too much if they’re smugglers. Just thought I’d voice that.
Lastly, is Mr. Biggs the cat from We3 by Grant Morrison? It has to be…right?