Comments on: Sad Announcement

By: pete doree

pete doree — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 06:48:16 +0000

Fuck. At least, thanks to this site, Steve knew how much we all loved him. I’m going to spend the day reading the essential Howard. It seems the only sane thing to do.

By: Steve Gerber Moves on From a World He Never Made « The Wright Opinion

Steve Gerber Moves on From a World He Never Made « The Wright Opinion — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 06:44:16 +0000

[...] There goes another of our culture’s truth-tellers. [...]

By: John Tinkess

John Tinkess — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 06:41:42 +0000

Steve Gerber’s Defenders was my first favorite comic book. His innovative writing style and unique take on super-heroes stood out from the crowd and I think that book is largely responsible for my lifelong connection (addiction?) to the field. From Omega and Howard through Destroyer Duck and more recently Hard Time and Doctor Fate, he gave us over three decades of brilliantly thought provoking stories. We have lost one of the best.

By: Chris Tinkler

Chris Tinkler — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 06:34:22 +0000

You're already missed, Sir.

Thank you for everything.

By: Terence Chua

Terence Chua — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 06:33:13 +0000

You were always an individual, unique voice in an industry where the temptation is to do cookie-cutter work, and for that, you were one of the first names I actually noticed when I was growing up reading the funny books. I knew that when I was picking up a Gerber comic I was in for a ride.

Goodnight, Steve. You will be missed.

By: Tom Peyer

Tom Peyer — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 06:29:23 +0000

While others had already written mainstream comics with “personality,” Steve was the first to infuse his work with his own real personality, warts and all. That alone made him one of our most important writers. Add his wit, his drive to always give us something new, and his crusading spirit… it’s too much to lose at once. I knew him only through comics, his blog, and a few emails we shared, and I feel like I lost a friend. That’s because he fought our loneliness by bravely and skillfully sharing his true self. Steve was his own greatest character.

By: haven o'terrorism

haven o'terrorism — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 06:27:17 +0000

I had a brief e-mail exchange with Steve last year - an amazing thrill to encounter a lifelong idol and deep formative influence. I imagine many people don't get to have idols and influences as humane as Steve: his writing changed my life, and is still changing it.

Heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and many, many fans.

By: Jeffrey Pidgeon

Jeffrey Pidgeon — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 06:24:24 +0000

What sad news.

I loved "Howard The Duck" when I was a kid - if Spider-Man was an outsider, Howard was the apotheosis of the fish-out-of-water, an outsider's outsider. He was literally from another planet - he wasn't even the same species as everyone else. I ate it up as often as my local drugstore's sporadic delivery schedule (and my anemic pocket money) would allow.

Howard was out of sync, beset upon by an increasingly hostile world, and I identified big time. It was bizarre and surreal, and to this day, there's never been anything like those thirty-odd issues.

My affection for them never dimmed. I chatted online with Steve for a short time (after discovering his blog) quite some time ago, and commissioned a drawing from Gene Colan which hangs in my home. There wasn't much for me to say once I got past the usual fannish drivel, so I let him be. But I still have the entire "Howard" run, and I think I always will.

Rest in peace, Steve. And thanks again. Thanks so much.

By: Christy Marx

Christy Marx — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 06:17:33 +0000

Goodbye, Gerbs.

He was a good man, a good friend and a great writer. I wish I had spare lungs I could have given him. Damn.

If there's a comic book heaven, he is king of the place right now.

By: Captain Average

Captain Average — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 06:17:18 +0000

Even though it never sold, I created the Captain Average character as a result of pondering what a Steve Gerber everyman might look like [other than Richard Rory, of course].

When I thought about giving up the habit [reading comics], he tossed Howard the Duck and Omega the Unknown at my head and made it possible for me to read comics and have Stuff to Ponder. [I still have my Omega set, but the Howards seem to have disintegrated...]

I think I'm going to have to go read them again.

Thanks, Steve. As a rather monumental icon once said, "You done good, kid!"

Rest in peace.