Proving that the only thing weirder than the nutty bullshit that comic book creators came up with in the ‘70s is how willingly comic book readers will put up with nutty bullshit, Marvel is bringing back Howard The Duck for his very own ongoing comic series. In case anyone isn’t familiar with the character, Howard The Duck is a duck named Howard. He’s some kind of alien, and his adventures usually consist of wacky/biting social satire and wacky/biting meta-humor. He’s been around since the mid-’70s, but he’s probably most famous for the terrible Howard The Duck movie from 1986 that George Lucas produced. Also, Howard The Duck may or may not have recently appeared in one of Marvel’s latest movies, but said Marvel movie isn’t out on home video yet, so there’s a chance some people still don’t know what happens during its post-credits stinger. Because of that, we won’t reveal that Howard The Duck makes a cameo in Guardians Of The Galaxy. You’re welcome.
The new Howard The Duck series will be written by Sex Criminals co-creator Chip Zdarsky, with art from Joe Quinones. According to an interview that the pair did with Entertainment Weekly, this version of Howard will be closely tied-in with the greater Marvel comics universe—or, as Zdarsky puts it, “the weird worlds of Man-Things and Dr. Stranges and Spider-Mans.” Quinones also says the book will play up the fact that Howard is an alien and feature “fun sci-fi stuff.” That last part is especially fitting and unsurprising, given the newfound connection that Howard may or may not have with a certain team of galactic guardians.
Entertainment Weekly has a few preview images that give an idea of what the new Howard The Duck series will look like, and the book will officially launch in March of next year. Now we just have to sit back and wait for him to get another movie. He is already part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, after all. Oh, wait, no he’s not. Spoilers!