Val Mayerik (co-creator of Howard the Duck) discusses his career, work with friends like Steve Gerber and Bill Mantlo, untold tales of "The Duck", and his interest in getting back into comics. Cameo appearance by Larry Hama!
To contribute to the ongoing care of Bill Mantlo, go here.
This episode immediately spoils the post-credits sequence for Marvel Studios' Guardians of the Galaxy.
Original Howard the Duck art above by Val Mayerik.
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IDW Publishing: Regular recommendations Haunted Horror and Popeye Classics both have new issues this week, as well as the milestone issue #205 of Larry Hama's G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero series. If you read G.I. Joe in the 80's and loved it, that universe continued right where it left off! Check out the TPBs and catch up .
Special Guests
Val Mayerik (website, comicbook db) has been an actor, martial artist, horseman, and just so happens to have co-created various characters and series over the course of his career.
Larry Hama (facebook, comicbook db) has also been an actor, martial artist, soldier, editor for Marvel and DC, and man of many hats. He's left an indelible stamp on the world of G.I. Joe in particular, down to the fact files on the original action figures.
Post-Show
Show Notes and Links
Chamber of Chills #2 and Conan the Barbarian #21 were the first two comics Val worked on for Marvel.
Dan Adkins, P. Craig Russell, Archie Goodwin, Carl Potts, and Barry Windsor-Smith (check out his website) are all names from this era of Marvel worth learning about.
Craig Russell's website is where Moisés realized he saw but did not recognize him while talking with Walt Simonson at the IDW booth.
Steve Gerber came up with Howard the Duck while on a run of Man-Thing stories in Adventure Into Fear with Val. His work has been called irreverent, challenging, and controversial. It's all those things and more. He sadly died of chronic lung disease in 2008, six years before "The Duck" properly got his due on the big screen.
Void Indigo is still considered controversial by many. It began as a Hawkman pitch to DC (who didn't bite). Before his death, Steve Gerber posted an outline for the unpublished issues #3-6 online.
Bill Mantlo contributed work to almost every major character Marvel was publishing during the time he worked for them. An upcoming episode will focus on his amazing body of work.
Mantlo's "Paradox" was introduced in Marvel Preview magazine #24.
Val's Little Big Horn graphic novel Of Dust and Blood was successfully funded on Kickstarter a few months ago.
Marvel Method, or "Marvel-Style" (as we usually call it), finds the writer going over an outline of the story to be told, letting the artist compose the art and flow of the story, with the writer coming back to put in the dialogue.
A Facebook post by Bill Mantlo's brother Mike, regarding Marvel arranging for Bill to see Guardians of the Galaxy.
That Guy...Who Was in That Thing (2012), a documentary about character actors.
Val Mayerik acted in The Demon Lover (1977). He also painted the original poster (seen below).
