A friend of mine just sent this over, which should fill in those unfamiliar with Gerber's work. He was writing pretty much literally to the end; I hope he got the chance to finish his story. posted by kittens for breakfast at 6:26 PM on February 11
As I looked at the website, just for a moment I rejoiced in the death of Mallard Fillmore. But, it was not to be and I am now quite sad. posted by parmanparman at 6:48 PM on February 11
The quote that ends the article kittens for breakfast links is really beautiful: "I wouldn't describe myself as fearless, but I think you have to accept the possibility of failure if you want to achieve anything, in any field." -- Steve Gerber, 1985
Thanks, Steve. RIP. posted by bettafish at 7:02 PM on February 11
As I looked at the website, just for a moment I rejoiced in the death of Mallard Fillmore. But, it was not to be and I am now quite sad.
I've found that the entertainment value of Mallard Fillmore comes from the hope that maybe, just maybe, this will be the week where the author finally uses the word "nigger." posted by DoctorFedora at 7:06 PM on February 11 [2 favorites]
Seriously, I didn't even know about his illness, and thought his career was back on the upswing. posted by kimota at 7:21 PM on February 11
Gerber: He's the reason out of all the old comics I kept, my Howard the Duck collection is about the only one still complete. Yes, got the treasury edition, the mags, even the campaign button as well. posted by Zangal at 8:35 PM on February 11
Sad news. Has anybody read the revamped Omega the Unknown? Can anyone comment on its similarity to/difference from Gerber's original? posted by Rangeboy at 9:37 PM on February 11
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Gerber was a terrific writer and I'm sad I never got to know him; by all accounts he was a fiery mind. posted by jtron at 10:00 PM on February 11
it's so strange to be able to read people's blogs right up until they die. not the first time... posted by lupus_yonderboy at 10:35 PM on February 11
This is a pretty thin obit-filter for the uninitiated. Some links to some of his work, etc would have been appreciated. posted by wfrgms at 10:47 PM on February 11
I wasn't old enough to "get" Howard the Duck when it was at the height of its popularity and never really followed it as a result, writing it off as a cheap one-trick pony. I picked up a copy of Gerber's Nevada when it came out and was hooked - who couldn't get behind a showgirl with her own ostrich? But it was more than that - Steve was able to distill a palpable sense of place into his work each time I picked up one of his books I wanted to stay and look around, despite those places being strange and bizarre. Perhaps it was because they were strange and bizarre, but I digress.
His most recent book that I followed was Hard Time for DC. It's not a "superhero in prison" book like the Comics Reporter would have you believe. The premise was having Dylan Klebold get sent to the big house, except that Dylan is innocent. And has psychic powers. But it was canceled way before its prime although Gerber got to have a final issue where he does a twenty-years-later retrospective to provide closure for all the characters. It's still worth checking out.
So thank you, Steve, for the stories. posted by ooga_booga at 12:31 AM on February 12
Great creator. I really dug his stuff. RIP. posted by Joey Michaels at 2:09 AM on February 12
thanks for the permalink MegoSteve. I didn't know how to do that. posted by wittgenstein at 5:47 AM on February 12
This saddens me more than the last 5 "celebrity" deaths mentioned in these pages. I read and respected his work. posted by jpburns at 6:09 AM on February 12
Rangeboy, if you're checking back - I've never read Steve Gerber's original Omega, but the new series is worth a look. I've been enjoying it even though it's the kind of series I normally hate, and I can't explain it better than that. Hey, maybe you can tell us how it compares. posted by bettafish at 7:41 AM on February 12
posted by kittens for breakfast at 6:26 PM on February 11