Steve Gerber, RIP

[KRAD]

Writer Steve Gerber, creator of the gleefully subversive comic book Howard the Duck, has died of complications from pulmonary fibrosis.

I mention this here because Gerber was also the cowriter of the TNG episode "Contagion," which established two major affinities of Jean-Luc Picard: archaeology and "tea, Earl Grey, hot." It also established the Iconian gateways that provided the basis of the 2001 Gateways crossover.

Many remembrances have already been posted on the web, among them: Mark Evanier, Bob Greenberger, and me, with, I'm sure, more to come....

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Terrible news.

Rest in peace, Steve.

 

[Corran Horn]

I'd read elsewhere he was involved in the Sunbow GI JOE series. I really loved that as a kid. RIP.

 

[JoeZhang]

What the fuck! That's terrible - always someone who's comic work I sought out - of his later stuff, I particular enjoyed Hard Times.

I mention this here because Gerber was also the cowriter of the TNG episode "Contagion," which established two major affinities of Jean-Luc Picard: archaeology and "tea, Earl Grey, hot." It also established the Iconian gateways that provided the basis of the 2001 Gateways crossover.

Ah - never knew that.

 

[Scott Pearson]

Sad news indeed. It was just over twenty years ago when an acquaintance of mine was cleaning house and gave me a big stack of comics, saying he'd rather give them to someone he knew, and knew would read and appreciate them, then sell them to a collector that was a stranger. Included among Man-Thing and Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers was nearly the entire Gerber run of Howard the Duck. What a treasure. I'll need to dig those out and reread them. That was great work.

We're all trapped in a world we never made . . .

 

[JAG]

Rest in Peace

 

[JD]

RIP

 

[KeepOnTrekking]

"WAUUUUUUGH!!" as Howard the Duck used to say.
I also remember Steve doing a stint on The Defenders too.

RIP, Steve

 

[Kevin Dilmore]

Just stumbled on this news. Shit.

I had only one opportunity to meet Mr. Gerber, when he was a guest at a comics convention here in Kansas City a few years back. He signed my "phonebook" edition of The Essential Howard the Duck, and we spoke for a few minutes (with me being the total geeked-out fanboy and he being the sincerely appreciative professional).

The first comic I remember buying off the rack--on the first day of eighth-grade football practice--was Star Wars #7. (That's the one that took us "Beyond the Movie! Beyond the Galaxy!" kiddos.) The first one I remember buying that was NOT an issue of Star Wars was this one. And I was hooked.

Mr. Gerber was the first comics writer I remember following back in those days. That got me into The Defenders and some other stuff that basically opened the floodgates. Man, he made me laugh and he made me think. One of the coolest comics I still own is this one. Billed accurately as the "Special Once in a Lifetime Album Issue," I recommend each of you check it out. It's not what you think.

I've jettisoned a great portion of my old collection, but I still have every appearance of Howard from his introduction in Adventure into Fear #19 in 1973 through somewhere in the mid-1990s. I keep it because, like Darwyn Cooke's The New Frontier or Denny O'Neil's Green Lantern/Green Arrow or Brian K. Vaughan's Y the Last Man, I know I'll be picking it up and reading it again and again for the rest of my days.

I still am glad I keep that old, decaying pulp around. I'm still glad I had a chance to shake Mr. Gerber's hand and tell him what his work means to me. But mostly, I'm glad I had the opportunity to read and have my own writings influenced by this man.

Do yourself a favor and read Steve Gerber's work. You'll not regret it.

Kevin

 

[Steve Roby]

Scott Pearson said:
We're all trapped in a world we never made . . .

Just reminded me, Howard the Duck was mentioned in a classic Pretenders song about Cleveland, where Chrissie Hynde spent some formative time and Howard was based:

Now Howard the Duck and Mr Stress both stayed
Trapped in a world that they never made
But not me baby I'm too precious I had to fuck off

I don't know how many years it took before I could make out what she was saying clearly enough to realize she was mentioning Howard the Duck.

Kevin Dilmore said:
One of the coolest comics I still own is this one. Billed accurately as the "Special Once in a Lifetime Album Issue," I recommend each of you check it out. It's not what you think.

That was the issue that convinced me, after looking at it in a store, that I should be reading that comic regularly. First HTD I bought, and a remarkable work by someone who was clearly a remarkable guy.