| Steve Gerber | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Gerber circa 1979 | |
| Born | Stephen Ross Gerber (1947-09-20)September 20, 1947 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | February 10, 2008(2008-02-10) (aged 60) Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. |
| Area | Writer, Editor |
| Pseudonym | Reg Everbest |
Notable works | Howard the Duck The Defenders Man-Thing Omega the Unknown |
| Awards | Eagle Award, 1977 Inkpot Award, 1978 Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame, 2010 Bill Finger Award, 2013 |
| stevegerber | |
Stephen Ross Gerber (/ˈɡɜːrbər/; September 20, 1947[1] – February 10, 2008)[2] was an American comic book writer and creator of the satiricMarvel Comics characterHoward the Duck. Other works includeMan-Thing,Omega the Unknown,Marvel Spotlight: "Son of Satan",The Defenders,Marvel Presents: "Guardians of the Galaxy",Daredevil andFoolkiller. Gerber often included lengthy text pages in the midst of comic book stories, such as in hisgraphic novel,Stewart the Rat. Gerber was posthumously inducted into theWill Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2010.
Steve Gerber was born to aJewish family inSt. Louis,Missouri, the son of Bernice Gerber,[3] and one of four children, with siblings Jon, Michael, and Lisa.[3] A letter from Steve Gerber of "7014 Roberts Court,University City 30, Mo." was published inFantastic Four #19 (Oct. 1963). Other letters from Steve Gerber appeared inThe Amazing Spider-Man #26 (April 1965) andCaptain America #118 (October 1969). After corresponding with fellow youthful comics fansRoy Thomas andJerry Bails, and starting one of the first comicsfanzines,Headline, at age 13 or 14, Gerber attended college at theUniversity of Missouri–St. Louis, theUniversity of Missouri inColumbia, Missouri, and St. Louis University, where he finished hiscommunications degree.[4]
Gerber began work as acopywriter for a St. Louisadvertising agency.[4] During this time he wrote short stories, some of which, such as "And the Birds Hummed Dirges," later appeared inCrazy Magazine during his stint as editor.[5]
In early 1972, Gerber asked Thomas, by this time Marvel editor-in-chief, about writing comics; Thomas sent him a writer's test – six pages of aDaredevil car-chase scene drawn byGene Colan – which Gerber passed. He accepted a position as an associate editor and writer at Marvel Comics. Thomas said in 2007,
Steve and I had been in touch, off and on....I [eventually] got a letter from Steve saying, in essence, 'Help! I'm going crazy in this advertising job'....So I thought, 'Gee, he'd be a good person to get up here, so if he wants to make a change, let's give it a try'. He was brought in to be an assistant editor on staff. That didn't work out so well, because for whatever reason...he had trouble staying awake. At the time, he wasn't a staff kind of person, at least in terms of what Marvel needed, but he was a real good writer and did some interesting things...[6]
Gerber's comics writing career at Marvel began with three comic bookscover-dated December 1972:Adventure into Fear #11,The Incredible Hulk #158, and a collaboration with writerCarole Seuling onShanna the She-Devil.[7][8] Gerber initially penned superhero stories for titles such asDaredevil (20 issues),Iron Man (three issues) andSub-Mariner (11 issues).[9] Gerber pennedanthologicalhorror-fantasy stories forCreatures on the Loose (adaptations ofLin Carter'sThongor),Monsters Unleashed,Chamber of Chills andJourney into Mystery and humor pieces forCrazy Magazine, becoming editor of that satirical magazine for issues #11–14.[5]
Gerber scripted one of his signature series,Man-Thing, about aswamp-monster empath, beginning inAdventure into Fear #11 (Dec. 1972).[10] On page 11 of that issue, he created the series' narrative tagline, used in captions: "Whatever knows fear burns at the Man-Thing's touch!" After issue #19 (Dec. 1973), Man-Thing received a solo title, which ran 22 issues (Jan. 1974 – Oct. 1975), of which issue #1 was originally intended forAdventure into Fear #20. Gerber and Mayerik introduced the originalFoolkiller in issue #3 (March 1974).[11] In the final issue, Gerber appeared as a character in the story, claiming he had not been inventing the Man-Thing's adventures but simply reporting on them and that he had decided to move on.
WithpencilerVal Mayerik, Gerber createdHoward the Duck as a secondary character in aMan-Thing story inAdventure into Fear #19 andMan-Thing #1 (Dec. 1973 - Jan. 1974).[12] Howard graduated to his own backup feature inGiant-Size Man-Thing #4-5, confronting such bizarre horror-parody characters as Garko the Man-Frog and Bessie the Hellcow, before acquiring his own comic-book title withHoward the Duck #1 (Jan. 1976).[13] Gerber wrote 27 issues of the series, penciled initially byFrank Brunner and shortly afterward byGene Colan.[14] The series gradually developed a substantialcult following, which Marvel helped to promote by Howard's satiric entry into the1976 U.S. presidential campaign under the auspices of the All-Night Party.[15]
Marvel attempted a spin-off with a short-livedHoward the Ducksyndicatedcomic strip from 1977 to 1978, initially scripted by Gerber and drawn by Colan then Mayerik and finallyAlan Kupperberg.[16] Gerber was replaced on the strip in mid-1978, by another comic book writer,Marv Wolfman, creating acrimony. Marvel's then editor-in-chief,Jim Shooter, blamed Gerber's chronic tardiness, saying the creative team was "producing strips within six days of their publication dates," which he said caused several newspapers to drop the strip.[17] Shooter added that while the syndicate threatened to drop the strip if a new writer were not brought in, "Steve can tell you a good number of horror stories – and they're all true – about the trouble we had getting artists."[17]
Gerber often collaborated with writerMary Skrenes during this period. Among other Marvel projects, Gerber, Skrenes, and artistJim Mooney createdOmega the Unknown,[18] which explored the strange link between a cosmic superhero and a boy, and wrote the first issue ofMarvel Comics Super Special featuring the rock bandKISS.[19] He created the charactersStarhawk,[20]Aleta Ogord, and (with Skrenes)Nikki. He scripted the adventures ofDaimon Hellstrom,Morbius, andLilith.[10]
Gerber often revived forgotten characters. InThe Defenders, he revived three pre-superhero-era characters, theHeadmen.[21] He reintroduced the 1969 one-time featureGuardians of the Galaxy, first as guest stars inMarvel Two-in-One andThe Defenders, then as a feature inMarvel Presents.[22][23]
Toward the end of his work at Marvel, he wroteHanna-Barbera stories forMark Evanier under theanagrammaticpseudonymReg Everbest. Only two of these, featuringMagilla Gorilla and theClue Club, were published in English.
In the first half of 1978, Gerber was fired from first the newspaper strip and then the comic book series for failure to meet deadlines.[17][24] On August 29, 1980, after learning of Marvel's efforts to license Howard for use in film and broadcast media, Gerber filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Marvel corporate parent Cadence Industries and other parties, alleging that he was the soleowner of the character.[24][25]
During the mid-1970s and early 1980s, Gerber worked forDC Comics, including an issue ofMetal Men,[26] the last three issues ofMister Miracle,[27]ThePhantom Zonelimited series,[28][29] and a run of "Doctor Fate" backup stories inThe Flash co-written withMartin Pasko.[30] Gerber had planned to write for DC'sTime Warp science fiction anthology series, but objected to the submission guidelines for that series.[31] Gerber wrote for independent comic companies. One of Gerber's first major works away from Marvel was the originalgraphic novelStewart the Rat forEclipse Comics, with art byGene Colan andTom Palmer. ForEclipse Magazine, Gerber and Mayerik created the anti-censorship horror story, "Role Model/Caring, Sharing, and Helping Others".
In 1981 he teamed withJack Kirby at Eclipse to createDestroyer Duck, a satirical comic created to raise funds for his court case against Marvel.[32]
The lawsuit was settled on September 24, 1982. Gerber acknowledged that his work on the character had been done aswork-for-hire and that Marvel parent Cadence Industries owned "all right, title and interest" to Howard the Duck and related material. On November 5, 1982, JudgeDavid Kenyon approved the motion and dismissed the case.[24][25]
In the early 1980s, Gerber andFrank Miller made a joint proposal to revamp DC's three biggest characters, namely Superman,Batman andWonder Woman;.[33] The proposal was not accepted.
After Marvel had cancelled his contract in May 1978,[34] he returned to Marvel in 1983 with the short-livedVoid Indigo.
Gerber was slated to write a newSpectre series in 1986, but he missed the deadline for the first issue so that he could watch the last day of shooting on theHoward the Duck film and DC assigned another writer to the series in response.[33][35]
Gerber scripted assorted projects for Marvel, including the controversial creator-owned bookVoid Indigo (1984) forEpic Comics, a serialized, eight-page Man-Thing feature in the anthology seriesMarvel Comics Presents (Sept. 1988–Feb. 1989),The Legion of Night and the 1991Suburban Jersey Ninja She-Devils one-shot issue. For DC, his works includeA. Bizarro.[8] At Marvel, Gerber scripted a 12-issue run onThe Sensational She-Hulk (which featured Howard the Duck). He also scripted three issues ofCloak and Dagger, aHawkeye story inAvengers Spotlight, and two issues ofToxic Crusaders. During this time he did a serial inMarvel Comics Presents featuringPoison, a character he had created in "The Evolutionary War"crossover. He scripted aA Nightmare on Elm Street black and white magazine format comic book which detailed the backstory of the character ofFreddy Krueger.[8]
In collaboration withBeth Woods (later Slick), Gerber wrote the"Contagion" episode of thesyndicated television seriesStar Trek: The Next Generation.
Gerber's work in television animation includedstory editor duties onThe Transformers,G.I. Joe andDungeons & Dragons; creatingThundarr the Barbarian;[36] and sharing a 1998Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class – Animated Program, for theWB programThe New Batman/Superman Adventures.
He was one of the founders of theMalibu Comics superhero setting theUltraverse and co-createdSludge[37] andExiles[broken anchor]. ForImage Comics, he co-createdTheCybernary withNick Manabat and disbandedCodename: Strykeforce, in addition to guest-writingPitt.
In 2002, he created a newHoward the Duck miniseries for Marvel'sMAX line.[38] For DC, he createdNevada for theVertigo imprint in 1998 with artistPhil Winslade andHard Time with long-time collaborator Mary Skrenes, which outlasted the short-lived imprintDC Focus, but slow sales ledHard Time: Season Two to be cancelled after only seven issues.[39]
Later, Gerber wrote theHelmet of Fate:Zauriel one-shot and continued writing the Doctor Fate serial in theCountdown to Mystery limited series for DC Comics up to the time of his death, working on stories in the hospital. Gerber died before being able to write the concluding chapter of the serial; in his honor, four separate writers (Adam Beechen,Mark Evanier,Gail Simone, andMark Waid) provided their own conclusions to the story.
In 2010,Comics Bulletin ranked Gerber's run onThe Defenders first on its list of the "Top 10 1970s Marvels", whileOmega the Unknown was 10th on the same list.[40]
Gerber's posthumous Man-Thing story "The Screenplay of the Living Dead Man", with art byKevin Nowlan, originally planned as a 1980s graphic novel before being left uncompleted by the artist,[41] was revived in the 2010s and appeared as a three-issue miniseries cover-titledThe Infernal Man-Thing (early Sept.-Oct. 2012).[42] The story was a sequel to Gerber's "Song-Cry of the Living Dead Man" inMan-Thing #12 (Dec. 1974).[41]
In 2007, Gerber was diagnosed with an early stage ofidiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and was eventually hospitalized while continuing to work. He had gotten onto the waiting list for a lung transplant atUCLA Medical Center. On February 10, 2008, Gerber died in a Las Vegas hospital from complications stemming from his condition.[43][44] His final comics work was writingCountdown to Mystery:Doctor Fate forDC Comics, having briefly worked with a version of the character in 1982.
At the time of his death, Gerber was separated from his wife, Margo Macleod.[3] He had a daughter, Samantha Gerber.[3]
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One of Gerber's workingpen-names, Reg Everbest, was the inspiration behind the firstFoolkiller's real name, which was revealed as Ross G. Everbest. Gerber used theanagrammatic Reg Everbest pseudonym for Marvel-published Hanna-Barbera stories after he was banned from Marvel by Jim Shooter. Roger Stern named the original, deceased Foolkiller "Ross G. Everbest" inThe Amazing Spider-Man #225, in homage to Gerber,[45] using Gerber's middle name as the character's first name, the middle initial restoring the anagram save for asilent e. The character's real name never appeared in the two Gerber stories, but is seen on a computer screen in the second Foolkiller's van, next to the face of the original user of that identity.
The Marvel Universe villainThundersword (byJim Shooter,[46]Al Milgrom andSteve Leialoha) is considered a parody of Gerber and his creationThundarr the Barbarian.Stewart Cadwall is a TV scriptwriter who acquires superpowers, becomes Thundersword and fights the current state of the media.[47]
(Series head writer denoted in bold)
Writers Carole Seuling and Steve Gerber crafted Shanna's origin story with artist George Tuska.
{{cite book}}:|first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Stan Lee...recalls that the duck received thousands of write-in votes when he ran for President of the United States against Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter in 1976.
DC once again shone the spotlight on Superman's alien past in this four-issue miniseries by writer Steve Gerber and artist Gene Colan.
{{cite book}}:|first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)[Editor Jack C.] Harris sent me a copy of the writers' guide he had prepared forTime Warp...I stared at that piece of paper for a day or two, then threw it away without showing it to anyone I knew out there. I was too embarrassed by it.
Gerber and Frank Miller pitched DC on revamps of the "Trinity." The three titles would be called by the "line name" of METROPOLIS, with each character being defined by one word/phrase… AMAZON (written by Gerber); DARK KNIGHT (written by Miller); and Something for Superman – I believe either MAN OF STEEL or THE MAN OF STEEL, but I'm not sure about that (written by both men).
Stewart Cadwall was the name. Originally it was "Gadwall." A Gadwall is a duck. Mike Hobson advised going to "Cadwall," so as to leave ducks — obviously a sore spot — out of it. It wasn't an "anti-Steve Gerber caricature," though it was meant to poke some fun at Steve. Steve loved it. He even sent me a rave fan letter.
| Preceded by | Man-Thing writer 1972–1975 | Succeeded by Michael Fleisher (in 1979) |
| Preceded by | Iron Man writer 1973 | Succeeded by Mike Friedrich |
| Preceded by Gerry Conway | Daredevil writer 1973–1975 (#102 and #118 byChris Claremont) | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | The Defenders writer 1975–1976 | Succeeded by Gerry Conway |
| Preceded by n/a | Howard the Duck writer 1976–1979 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Captain America writer 1978 | Succeeded by |
