Steve Gerber, 1947-2008

Steve Gerber, the creator of Howard the Duck and Omega the Unknown, died Sunday, and the comics world lost one of the more original mainstream writers to come along in decades.

In addition to being an inarguably excellent writer who time and time again smuggled originality into mainstream publishing institutions often resistant to unbridled voices, Steve was an inspiration to innumerable creators, through his battles for creative rights and ownership. I received the news of his death as I was handing in the final files for Omega the Unknown issue six, and was concretely reminded how much he's influenced a generation of authors in love with this medium and its possibilities.

He will be missed, and my thoughts and condolences go to his family and friends.

A far more in-depth examination of his career can be found on The Comics Reporter and some of his fans' and friends' reactions and support can be found on Steve's blog.

Psychedelia Robots, Get Well Steve

Now that this seems to be in the public sphere (not being one to keep up on catalogs or promotional materials for the series, I never know what images are "out there" or not), I have to share this cover, from "Omega the Unknown" issue seven. When I was coloring this (a bit nerve-racking, coloring art from Gary Panter, inarguably one of the best artists working in comics), I assumed that the result would cause Marvel to have a collective heart attack. But to my surprise they sent it through unscathed, and the result is one of the more bizarre covers Marvel's produced in recent memory. Just wait until you see Gary's pages. Fletcher Hanks, you've got a challenger.

On a more somber note, my best wishes to Steve Gerber, the creator of "Omega" (and the more universally known "Howard the Duck") who is in the middle of some very serious health problems. Despite the somewhat ominous prognosis, we all wish Steve, one of the more original voices mainstream comics has seen in the past couple decades, the best.