Destroyer Duck #2 [1983]

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The year after the lawsuit benefit one-shot, DESTROYER DUCK returned for a regular series, with the Gerber/Kirby/Alcala team re-united up to #5. This issue features “Mommie Noises”, which begins with Duke building a device to get back to his Earth while Holmes is suing GodCorp. Duke is targeted for assassination, but defeats the would-be assassin (with some odd asides about Mariel Hemingway which I don’t get). Meanwhile, in one of my favourite scenes in the series (and setting up my absolute favourite in an upcoming issue), company man Booster Cogburn delivers some arms and a message to a General in Hoqoom, and gets uppity, only to get shot and have his spine crawl off.

Destroyer Duck #2 [1983]

We then catch up with the GodCorp executives and their plans for Hoqoom, including the exploitation of Vanilla Cupcake, and then we meet Medea, a rather strange but brilliant parody of the then-popular Elektra. While Duke has his battle with her, we find out more about Vanilla Cupcake and the Cogburn.

It’s a fun issue setting up the storylines for the next few issues, with some nicely wacky characters and some interesting art by Kirby in the fight scenes. I really like Alcala’s inks in here as well, especially with the very nice paper and printing that Eclipse had at the time.

The cover is by Kirby/Alcala, and this issue also has the first chapter of the Jerry Siegel/Val Mayerik series “The Starling”.

Published 1983

One thought on “Destroyer Duck #2 [1983]

  1. Al Lobama

    “…with some odd asides about Mariel Hemingway which I don’t get..”

    That was supposed to be a joke referencing Mark David Chapman. Just as he was trying to assinate President Reagan to impress Jodie Foster, Uranus P. Chicago was hoping to impress Mariel Hemingway by assassinating Destroyer Duck.

    Also, the character of Booster Cogburn was supposed to be a parody of John Byrne. Back when Steve Gerber was suing Marvel, Byrne wrote an article defending Marvel called “On Creator’s Rights” where he said (among other things)…

    “I know I have, of late, taken on the mantle of a “company man,” and in many ways I am deserving of the title. Even proud. I am a cog in the machine which is Marvel Comics, and I rejoice in that…When I work for Marvel, I am loyal to Marvel.”

    Gerber’s response was to portray Cogburn as a company man with a removable spine. Very subtle.

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