by Bryan Scheidler
Stop what you are doing and go read Howard the Duck #1. I understand this is supposed to be a review of the first issue for this character, but I honestly don't know why I should bother. This comic is fantastic and nothing more needs to be said. Of course maybe that isn't enough for you to invest $4 into a comic about a talking duck, so I will review it anyways.
From the very first turn of the page, writer Chip Zdarsky sets the tone for exactly what kind of stories you can expect from Howard the Duck. Not only does he prepare for the insanity that will be Howard's life he also ties in the Steven Spielberg Howard the Duck film! You read that correctly, the Howard the Duck movie fits into the 616 Marvel universe. Zdarsky is relatively new to the comic writing world, but he definitely found a home in this book. He has managed to make Howard the duck interesting without being ridiculous (I am looking at you Spielberg!). Howard is a character with very few strengths and many weaknesses. He is very resourceful though and knows how to turn those weaknesses to his advantage. His interaction with Jennifer Walters, She-Hulk, is outstanding example of this.
The writing does so much more than making Howard the Duck a believable character. Zdarsky makes this comic into a commentary on some of the more ridiculous aspects of the comic universe. His interaction with Spider-Man throughout the issues is particularly amazing. I found myself audibly laughing throughout the book. Zdarsky really gets this character and knows that Howard can do and say things that just won't fly in other books by the more mainstream characters.
The art on this book is amazing and oddly enough comfortable. Joe Quinones and Rico Renzi do an amazing job creating their version of Howard and the Marvel universe. When I say it is comfortable what I mean is that there is clear inspiration in the work of Quinones and Renzi by the legendary Steve Ditko. This is most obvious in the way they draw Spider-Man. The effect that this gives the book is that Howard feels at home in this universe, despite the fact he constantly talks about how out of place he is.All in all this is a great book and like I said before you need to buy it and read it now! The creative team behind this book did an amazing job; it is funny, well written and looks great. So head over to your local comic shop or comixology or whereever you get your comics and get this book. It is a great read that you will be glad you picked up.
0 comments:
Post a Comment