Break out your finest duck condom: Howard the Duck is getting his own animated series. The ill-tempered waterfowl, who made his Marvel Comics debut in 1973 (he got his own title three years later), has gone from a Razzie Award-winning punching bag to an unlikely cult icon, thanks to an genuinely ironic (or ironically genuine) appreciation of the George Lucas-produced 1986 movie bearing his name and cameos in both Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Now, Hulu and Marvel Television are making a Howard the Duck animated series, written by Clerks director Kevin Smith:
In the series, Howard the Duck is trapped in a world he never made, but America’s favorite fighting fowl hopes to return home with the help of his unstoppable gal pal Beverly before the evil Dr. Bong can turn him the crispiest dish on the menu… Howard the Duck will be written and executive produced by Kevin Smith and Dave Willis. Smith is known for his Askewniverse films, including Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back. Smith has also written for Marvel Comics in the past, writing for popular characters like Daredevil and Spider-Man. Willis previously co-created animated shows like Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Squidbillies for Adult Swim in addition to his work as a voice actor.
Smith has finally fulfilled his life-long dream: writing for a show with a character named Dr. Bong. Also in production are animated series based on M.O.D.O.K, Hit-Monkey, and Tigra and Dazzler, who will all team up with Howard the Duck in a special dubbed The Offenders. Hit-Monkey isn’t a name-brand character for Marvel, but neither was Howard the Duck (or the Guardians of the Galaxy, for that matter) at one point. Before long, he’ll have his own kick-ass song, too.
(Via Variety)