Steve Gerber - one of the finest comics writers of his, and any - generation passed away Sunday at the age of 60.
We are truly shocked and saddened by this terrible news. Gerber’s seminal work on The Defenders, Man-Thing, KISS, Omega The Unknown and, of course, Howard The Duck influenced our outlook on life at a young and impressionable age.
More than any other comics creator at the time - although your humble host loved Kirby’s New Gods, we didn’t really “get” the message until well into our 20s - Gerber forced readers to confront and question the assumed realities of modern life with the most effective of all weapons: intelligence and a wicked sense of humor.
Gerber’s stories were hilarious and often unsettling. They transported his audience to a world where a human’s - or duck’s - sense of self was beset by menaces ranging from animate pickles to corrupt political campaigns.
Although his work often shocked, Gerber never insulted his readers by relying on cheap surprises or a surfeit of gore. Steve Gerber kept us on the edge of our seats with ideas - a resource that is in short supply these days in comics and nearly every other form of popular entertainment.
Along with Jack Kirby, Steve Gerber’s fight to gain control over his most popular character taught us the value of creator’s rights and exposed the dark side of the seemingly fun-filled Marvel Bullpen.
Many comics readers, who prefer to follow brands over creators or even skillfully written and illustrated stories, condemned Gerber for his stance to this day.
Unlike many of his contemporaries, the power of Gerber’s work did not dilute with age. Such recent work as Doctor Fate and Hard Time bristled with as much intellectual energy as his greatest Marvel titles.
It’s evident from the statements above that Gerber was one of our favorite writers in any field, right up there with Jonathan Swift and Lester Bangs as a great satirist and true iconoclast. The Keeper will always remember, and value, his life’s work.
We send our deepest sympathies to his friends and family.
Excuse me, Keeper, I just had to step out and purchase a bracer.
I appreciate you putting up this particular scan, very much — just a page prior to what’s probably the most cut-to-the-point Howard line there is.
I confess to being a little stunned. This day’s just turned most peculiar, mama. Whoa.
That sounds a little flippant, I suppose. But to your Swift and Bangs, I’ll add Lennon, because this day reminds me of nothing so strongly as that day.
Wow, I think I need to sit down.