Trapped in the clutches of The Collector, Howard’s only chance at freedom is his old friends: Shocket, Linda and the Guardians Of The Galaxy! Your Major Spoilers review of Howard The Duck #5 awaits!
HOWARD THE DUCK #5
Writer: Chip Zdarsky
Penciler: Joe Quinones
Inker: Joe Rivera and Goran Sudzuka
Colorist: Quinones with Jordan Gibson
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Editor: Wil Moss
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Previously in Howard The Duck: Transformed into a living Nexus of All Realities, Howard is being fervently pursued by The Collector (among others.) Now, he has been saved from the clutches of the greedy Elder Of The Universe by the Guardians of the Galaxy, as well as his strange temporal clone, Linda The Duck and her partner Shocket Raccoon. But how long can they evade the immortal Collector?
NOT LONG AT ALL, AS IT TURNS OUT
Howard, empowered into a cosmic being reminiscent of the Silver Surfer, stands toe-to-toe with the collector, using his immense powers to duel the Elder, but finding the experience of an immortal to be a serious edge for his foe. Things quickly get cosmic, and I have to say, the idea of a super-powerful cosmic duck makes for some fun stories. The Silver Surfer’s power-boost wears off, leaving our Duck in conflict with an incredibly powerful being, but the Guardians arrive and go full-on space fighty-fighty. Once the threat of the Collector is ended, Howard spends some time returning the creatures in his collection to their homes (an interesting parallel to Howard’s own ‘world he never made’ status) and even sending his shape-shifting partner Tara back to Earth, albeit in George Clooney’s bedroom. As the issue ends, Howard discovers that he can send himself home, steps through the rift and discovers…
…Beverly.
TWIST ENDING!
In a maddening twist, though, next issue will actually take Howard backwards in time, completing the second half of the Squirrel Girl crossover, with the resolution of this issue’s cliffhanger not arriving for a couple of months. Given that it’s the moment I’ve been wondering about ever since this Howard The Duck book launched, I’m a little bit freaked out by this, but with the good work Quinones and Zdarsky have been putting in, I’m not too upset. This issue’s art is wonderful, going from space battle to quiet hug-it-out moments perfectly, giving us creepy alien dudes, as well as a truly frightening Collector a time or two. I’m also wondering whether or not the story behind wannabe Herald Of Galactus Scout is going to be explained any time soon, which I think speaks to the strength of the storytelling being delivered by this creative team.
THE BOTTOM LINE: STILL GOING STRONG
Howard’s adventures since the ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy’ movie have been quite different from the Howard of old, but still very entertaining in their own way, and Zdarsky & Quinones have been the reason why. Howard The Duck #5 is a solid issue, advancing the inexplicable madness that is Howard’s life in ways that are both exciting and unexpected, with amazing art, Howard covered in silver, and fun guest-appearances, earning 4 out of 5 stars overall. As much as I’ve grown to like Tara, though, I REALLY want to know what’s up with Beverly…
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2 Comments
When I flipped to the last page and the surprise ending, I nearly shouted. It breaks my heart I have to wait so long for the next part, but I’m unashamedly gonna shove more money Marvel’s way to get the Squirrel Girl arc too!
And we all know that George Clooney joke was incredible.
I think we all need more of this comic and less of everything else.
I knew it as soon as he showed up in a place and wasn’t immediately surrounded by duck people that he had sent himself back to Beverly, “just need to think of home…” of course, I doubt he ever felt truly at home even in Duckworld, where else could he have gone? It’s weird to slow clap to a comic book, but I did in this one.