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Steve Gerber (1947-2008) is among the most significant comics writers of the modern era. Best known for his magnum opus Howard the Duck, he also wrote influential series such as Man-Thing, Omega the Unknown, The Phantom Zone, and Hard Time, expressing a combination of intelligence and empathy rare in American comics.
Gerber rose to prominence during the 1970s. His work for Marvel Comics during that era helped revitalize several increasingly clichéd generic conventions of superhero, horror, and funny animal comics by inserting satire, psychological complexity, and existential absurdism. Gerber's scripts were also often socially conscious, confronting, among other things, capitalism, environmentalism, political corruption, and censorship. His critique also extended into the personal sphere, addressing such taboo topics as domestic violence, racism, inequality, and poverty.
This volume follows Gerber's career through a range of interviews, beginning with his height during the 1970s and ending with an interview with Michael Eury just before Gerber's death in 2008. Among the pieces featured is a 1976 interview with Mark Lerer, originally published in the low-circulation fanzine Pittsburgh Fan Forum, where Gerber looks back on his work for Marvel during the early to mid-1970s, his most prolific period. This volume concludes with selections from Gerber's dialogue with his readers and admirers in online forums and a Gerber-based Yahoo Group, wherein he candidly discusses his many projects over the years.
Gerber's unique voice in comics has established his legacy. Indeed, his contribution earned him a posthumous induction into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame.
About the author
Jason Sacks is author of many books of comics history, including
American Comic Book Chronicles: The 1970s;
Thriller: 7 Seconds to Save the World; and the forthcoming
American Comic Book Chronicles: The 1990s. He is coeditor (with Eric Hoffman and Dominick Grace) of
Jim Shooter: Conversations, published by University Press of Mississippi.
Eric Hoffman is author of
Oppen: A Narrative. He coedited (with Jason Sacks and Dominick Grace)
Jim Shooter: Conversations; (with Dominick Grace)
Dave Sim: Conversations;
Chester Brown: Conversations;
Seth: Conversations; and
The Canadian Alternative: Cartoonists, Comics, and Graphic Novels; and (with Nina Goss)
Tearing the World Apart: Bob Dylan and the Twenty-First Century, all published by University Press of Mississippi. He is also author of several books of poetry, most recently
This Thin Mean: New Selected Poems;
Presence of Life; and
Losses of Life.
Dominick Grace is author of
The Science Fiction of Phyllis Gotlieb: A Critical Reading. He coedited (with Jason Sacks and Eric Hoffman)
Jim Shooter: Conversations and (with Eric Hoffman)
Dave Sim: Conversations;
Chester Brown: Conversations;
Seth: Conversations; and
The Canadian Alternative: Cartoonists, Comics, and Graphic Novels, all published by University Press of Mississippi.
Summary
Steve Gerber (1947–2008) is among the most significant comics writers of the modern era. This volume follows Gerber's career through a range of interviews, beginning with his height during the 1970s and ending with an interview with Michael Eury just before Gerber's death in 2008.
