*Marvel: Howard the Duck, Steve Gerber’s cynical anti-hero, first graced the pages of Giant-Size Man-Thing (no, really) before gaining his own critically-acclaimed series, in which Gerber, through his waterfowl mouthpiece, took endless potshots at the wider world of the 1970s with his tale of a misanthrophic anthropomorph trapped in, as later taglines averred, ‘A World He Never Made’ (no, it made no sense, but sounded deep). Howard’s made three cameos in the Marvel cinematic universe to date, so can it be long before our feathered friend takes flight again on the silver screen? Superbly illustrated by Frank Brunner, this is the issue in which Howard met his ‘hairless ape’ sweetheart, the buoyant Beverley Switzler, and a partnership made in comedic Heaven was born. This is a VF p issue, tight and sharp with firm staples, on sale at £35.