Word came over the weekend that Gene Colan, the artist most associated with the Howard The Duck comic book, is hospitalized, suffering from liver failure. This is just a couple of months after the death of Howard’s creator and writer, Steve Gerber (a major influence on your humble PopCult blogger).
While Colan made a huge mark with Howard, he had a long career in comics before and after. Most notably a lenghty run on Marvel Comic’s “Tomb Of Dracula” in the 1970s. Colan also served stints as the main artist on Daredevil, Iron Man, and Dr. Strange, among many other Marvel stalwarts. Jumping to DC Comics in the 1980s, Colan lent his talents to Batman and Wonder Woman. It was around this time that he crafted two creator-owned series with writer Don McGregor: Nathaniel Dusk, a Private Eye comic, and Ragamuffins, about a group of children. These series were reproduced directly from Colan’s pencilled pages, skipping the industry standard of employing other artists to “finish” the artwork in ink. Colan was legendary for the quality of his pencilled pages, which often were obliterated by less talented inkers.
For more information on Gene Colan and his current health crisis, check out Mark Evanier’s blog. He reports that a benefit project is in the works. PopCult sends best wishes to Gene and his family.
Howard the Duck is soon to be an orphing? The world is cruel.