The year is 2025 and things are pretty messed up. Earth is in the middle of yet another Great Hero War which has left those not of this world trapped in the combat zone. Say hello to Howard and Tara, both aliens to this madhouse called the United States of America.
Why is Howard always at the centrifuge of the most extreme aspects of human existence? What is a Duckworlder doing with a Skrull anyways? Can’t we just get along?
“Waugh If… Howard the Duck Became President of the United States”
It’s been three weeks since Howard the Duck and the All-Night Party won their presidential bid for the Oval office. Life is pretty sweet now. Howard and his best friend Beverly have just picked out new curtains and everything. Then the red alert alarm goes off. What do you mean it’s an alien invasion?
Great, now Howard and his cookiecutter vice president must figure out what happened to the world’s superheroes. Who is this VP bozo anyways? Doesn’t matter, this alien race wants exclusive rights to Earth’s heroes and their merchandising profitability. WAUGH…?
“Waugh If… Howard the Duck became an X-man”
Limbo Tavern, some underground hell hole bar filled with forgettable characters. Howard the Duck is in a heated argument with one grump energy Mutant, a.k.a. Kevin MacTaggert. The debate revolves around one question, and a sh%tload of drinks. Who has it worse? A humanoid duck from Duckworld or an all powerful energy Mutant who is second fiddle to mommy? Both are shunned by society. Both are the center to all jokes and ridicule. Proteus decides to teach his feathered rival a lesson in being humble.
Can Howard last one day as an X-men recruit? Does Colossus really think Featherball is a good idea? If Howard joins the Hellfire Club will he get that cool jetpack?
“Waugh If… Howard the Duck Became the New Star-lord”
Uh oh, the Guardians are starting to turn on their new leader, Star-Lord 2.0! Seriously, just how many missing space-pet cases is Howard going to take? Drax and Benjamin Grimm demand more intriguing missions! Time to hit the job boards and find something more stimulating.
Missing planets? A whole bunch of them too! What’s the game Howie? After a very engaging team meeting Rocket, Groot, Drax, Thing, and Venom agree to disagree. Their best bet is to lay low and set a trap. Is Star-Lord Duckson ready for a blast from his past? Collect the series to find out!
Reviewer Notes
I nominate this 50th Anniversary one-shot of Howard the Duck for best Marvel Comic of 2023! Yes, it was awesome on so many levels. This book is both a homage to the late great Steve Gerber, but also to the defunct “What If…” series that remained popular for so many years.
We find alternate dimension versions of Howard and Tar Tam stuck in the middle of another superhero war that could have been planned out by Dan Parent himself. Yuck!
The two heroes stumble across a low rent, barrio version of a Watcher named the Peeper. The comedy ensues as we are given several Howard alternate timelines. The stories are as wacky as the original Gerber tales, with some vintage references and characters included.
My favorite part was the Unbeatable Squirrel Girl homage at the beginning. Back in the day her Squirrel army raided Stark Tower and stole several bits of Ironman armor and used them as aircraft. Apparently one of the Squirrels went Rogue and became “Dark Squirrel”. I belly laughed at this. I belly laughed a lot. They even got Derek Charm, the artist who took over for Erica Henderson when she left Marvel.
If you are a fan of vintage 1970s Marvel, 1990s X-Men, or the non-movie version of the Guardians of the Galaxy, you will want this book. The art is great, the writing is Gerber-esque, and the character list is plentiful. I give this one-shot five out of five stars.
