Howard the Duck

Howard the Duck is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Steve Gerber and artist Val Mayerik. Howard the Duck first appeared in Adventure into Fear #19 (Dec. 1973) and several subsequent series have chronicled the misadventures of the ill-tempered, anthropomorphic, "funny animal" trapped on human-dominated Earth.

Howard's adventures are generally social satires, while a few are parodies of genre fiction with a metafictional awareness of the medium. The book is existentialist, and its main joke, according to Gerber, is that there is no joke: "that life's most serious moments and most incredibly dumb moments are often distinguishable only by a momentary point of view." This is diametrically opposed to screenwriter Gloria Katz, who, in adapting the comic to the screen, declared "It's a film about a duck from outer space... It's not supposed to be an existential experience". He was portrayed by Ed Gale and voiced by Chip Zien in the 1986 film Howard the Duck.

Howard the Duck (film)

Howard the Duck (renamed Howard: A New Breed of Hero in the UK) is a 1986 American science fiction comedy film directed by Willard Huyck and starring Lea Thompson, Jeffrey Jones and Tim Robbins. Produced by Gloria Katz and written by Huyck and Katz, with George Lucas as executive producer, the screenplay was originally intended to be an animated film based on the Marvel comic book of the same name, but the film adaptation became live action because of a contractual obligation. Although there had been several TV adaptations of Marvel characters during the preceding 21 years, this was the first attempt at a theatrical release since the Captain America serial of 1944.

Lucas proposed adapting the surrealist comic book following the production of American Graffiti (1973). Following multiple production difficulties and mixed response to test screenings, Howard the Duck was released in theaters on August 1, 1986. Upon its release, the film received overwhelmingly negative reviews from critics and was a box office failure, and in later years has been widely acknowledged as one of the worst films ever made. Contemporary critics saw the decision to shoot the film in live action instead of as an animated film and the appearance of Howard as primary obstacles to its success, while more recent commentators tend to focus on the film's writing. Despite the criticism, it has gained a cult following among fans of the comic book series.

Howard the Duck (video game)

Howard the Duck, also known as Howard the Duck: Adventure on Volcano Island, is an action video game firstly released in 1986 by Activision for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64 and Apple II.

Gameplay

The game involves players controlling Howard the Duck in order to save his best friends Phil and Beverly. After being parachuted to Volcano Island, Howard needs to find a backpack to proceed into the search. The game consists then of 4 levels, in the last of which Howard, armed with a Neutron gun, will finally face Overlord.

Reception

The game received fairly negative reviews.Computer Gamer gave an overall 55%, by stating "Beautifully presented, and well programmed, it rates as one of Activision's better recent releases and deserves consideration outside its unfortunate tie-in", predicting, however, a low longevity.Aktueller Software Markt described the game as not fulfilling the expectancies and not worth the money.

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