I BLACKED OUT THERE FOR A SECOND WHILE MY CHI REALIGNED ITSELF
If you love Matt Fraction @mattfractionblog and David Aja’s Hawkeye, check out Fraction and Aja with Ed Brubaker and Travel Foreman @zuerst on The Immortal Iron Fist!
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A comiXologist Recommends
Howard the Duck (1976 series) by Steve Gerber and Gene Colan
First off, let me say, for those of you who don’t read older comics, I understand. The regimentation of eras in comics history can be alienating, with the emphasis on the now for newer readers, and the sort of haughty nostalgia older readers can have for classic comics. I get it. Something that was fresh and exciting 40 years ago might not play as well today, and to be totally honest, the average Marvel Comic in 2016 is probably a lot better on many different levels than the average Marvel Comic in 1976. I would still encourage new readers to explore the back catalog, because you can find some real treasures if you do.
One such treasure is the original Howard the Duck comic. When it appeared in the 70s, there wasn’t really anything like it around, and there hasn’t been much like it in the mainstream since, though Chip Zdarsky @zdarsky and Joe Quinones’ @joequinones current Howard the Duck and Ryan North @ryannorth and Erica Henderson’s @ericafailsatlife Unbeatable Squirrel Girl are more than worthy heirs to old Howard’s stylishness and irreverence (get all of them with the marvel BOGO code- MARVEL)
The old Howard the Duck combines two of my all-time favorite creators at the top of their game. The writer, Steve Gerber, was unequaled at bringing weirdness to a standard superhero story- no one ever quite approached a dream state on the page the way he did, but he also had a knack for offbeat humor, social satire and strong characterization. Howard was a bit of a phenomenon in the 70s, and he didn’t just catch on because he was a wacky idea. Gerber gave him personality, crankiness and skepticism, tempered with a degree of tenderness, not commonly found in the hero of a mainstream comic.
Meanwhile, Gene Colan’s artwork on the series was unimpeachable. You don’t really hear about Colan as much these days because though he was one of the best, he’s not as influential as some of the other creators of his caliber from his era, because no one really aped his style, most likely because no one could. Colan blended realism and expressionism seamlessly, combining remarkably expressive facial features with a sense of shadowy otherworldliness. Though he did a great job on books like Daredevil and the Avengers back in the day, it was really in darker and stranger stories where his style truly shined, particularly in horror and noir-ish crime comics. Gerber’s dreamworld and Colan’s claustrophobic shadows blended perfectly in the absurd yet often nightmarish world of Howard the Duck. It’s a comic that feels like more than a comic- it’s an experience!
Recommended by Harris Smith (named after his grandfather Howard, appropriately enough), senior production coordinator, creator outreach and social media editor.
SMOKED MEAT
It’s all smoked meat sandwiches and chocolate ice cream for Frank Castle in The Punisher by Becky Cloonan @beckycloonan and Steve Dillon.
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A comiXologist Recommends
Power Man & Iron Fist
2016 series by David F. Walker and Sanford Green
1978 series by Chris Claremont, John Byrne, Dan Green and Dave Cockrum
As a young Luke Cage fanboy it is my esteemed pleasure to discuss the Power Man and Iron Fist bromance. I am all about it. Their friendship is one for the ages, forged in fire and fun quips that we should all aspire to have. It’s like Foggy and Matt Murdock without the legal and ethical disagreements. It’s the strong foundation of Bucky and Steve without the years of being an ice cube only to wake up a puppet of the Soviets and slug it out. Luke Cage and Danny Rand, through thick and thin, are the best of the best friends Marvel has ever had.
Now for the sake of brevity, because we are all busy people, I’m only going to vaguely explain two particularly good places to look in on these guys and their antics. If any reader wants to go right on ahead and start at the very beginning of the team-up “Power Man & Iron Fist” series from #1, do it. Be sure to note though, it’s a lot of wild, sometimes dated, Marvel 1970s camp. Marvel back then can sometimes be a polarizing experience to the uninitiated.
That said, my first selection is the 2016 PM&IF series that reunited these beautiful guys after years of separation. This series (which ties into the recent “Civil War II” event) brought the two together to stop an old friend-turned-foe from taking complete control of all organized crime in New York. The charm of this series comes from the guys being semi-retired from super-heroics. Luke is married (to Jessica Jones) with a young daughter, and Danny is Luke’s screw-up best friend who wants to “get the band back together.” Putting these two back on the street level beat is so funny. With David F. Walker penning some fantastic situational humor and action for Sanford Greene’s art skills, this series is one not to miss out on.
For my next second selection I am taking a step back near the beginning, but not to the very beginning. My top choice from the classics is issue #50 of the original PM&IF series. This is THE one to read if you want to understand Luke and Danny’s friendship. This wonderful story (called “Freedom!”) is their past, present, and gave us their beautiful future together. I will give nothing up of this story except the aforementioned origin of their true friendship. It is the “must read” story for these perfect brothers in arms and cannot be overlooked.
You can get both the old and new Power Man and Iron Fist series buy-one-get-one-free with the checkout code MARVEL through 9/5!
Recommended by Matthew Burbridge, Digital Editor at ComiXology.
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If you like The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl by Ryan North @ryannorth and Erica Henderson @ericafailsatlife, check out Howard the Duck by Chip Zdarsky @zdarsky and Joe Quinones @joequinones. They share a wild, irreverent sense of humor and fresh, contemporary sense of style, and you can buy-one-get-one-free with the checkout code MARVEL through 9/5!