Super Duck

Last updated
Super Duck
Publication information
Publisher MLJ Comics/Archie Comics
First appearance Jolly Jingles #10 (summer 1943)
Created by Al Fagaly
In-story information
Alter egoThe Cockeyed Wonder
Species Duck
Place of originEarth
PartnershipsUwanna Duck
Fauntleroy Duck
Mushnoggin
AbilitiesComics
Super Duck
Publication information
Schedulebimonthly
Formatstandard
Genrehumor, anthropomorphic
Publication dateFall 1944 – Dec. 1960
No. of issues94
Main character(s)Super Duck
Creative team
Written byBurton Geller, Dave Berg, Joe Harold
Artist(s) Al Fagaly, Red Holmdale, Burton Geller, Joe Edwards, Dave Berg, Joe Harold

Super Duck was a comic book character created in 1943 for what was then MLJ Comics (now Archie Comics) by staff artist Al Fagaly. As his name implies, Super Duck (nicknamed "Supe") was originally a parody of Superman, even down to a red and blue costume. But his time as a superhero was short, and by late 1944 his stories became more conventional, in the Disney/Carl Barks mode. [1]

Contents

Super Duck Comics ran from 1944 to 1960, featuring "Super Duck, the Cockeyed Wonder" in his most familiar attire: a black shirt, red lederhosen and often an Alpine hat. [2] Regular contributors to Super Duck Comics included creator Al Fagaly, as well as Red Holmdale. [3] Fagaly illustrated most covers up through the early 1950s.

Publication history

Super Duck's first appearance came in Jolly Jingles #10 (summer 1943), [4] but his time as a superhero was short, and by Jolly Jingles #16 (the last issue) his stories became more conventional.

Super Duck Comics' first issue was cover-dated Fall 1944; it ended its run at 94 issues in 1960. [5]

The character's escapades would be reprinted in Archie Comics' digest series Jughead Jones (at least as late as 1979), Laugh Comics Digest , and Archie's Mad House . More recently (2013 onward), his stories have often been reprinted in the digests again.

The Super Duck character himself has also returned in modern times, most typically presented as a fictional comic book superhero within Archie's world. Various magic-themed stories have made this Super Duck temporarily "real" to have adventures with Archie and others. His role combines his early superhero stature with his later facial design, grumpy temper, and bad luck.

In March 2020, one issue of Super Duck was published. The comic was written by Ian Flynn and Frank Tieri and illustrated by Ryan Jampole. Unlike previous comics, this comic was not for children. It was planned to be a four-issue miniseries but it appears to have long since been canceled. [6]

Characters and storylines

Stories from the superhero period of Super Duck's run involved Supe getting into hapless situations, such as:

Parodies

Underground cartoonist Robert Crumb wrote and drew a sexual version of Super Duck and Uwanna in a seven-page story in Mystic Funnies #3, published in 2002 by Fantagraphics Books. [9]

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References

  1. Castiglia, Paul; Cooke, Jon B. (2016). "Last... But Hardly Least... Super Duck!". The MLJ Companion. TwoMorrows Publishing. pp. 110–111. ISBN   9781605490670 . Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  2. Becattini, Alberto (2019). "Super-Animals". American Funny Animal Comics in the 20th Century: Volume Two. Theme Park Press. ISBN   978-1683902218.
  3. Markstein, Don. "Super Duck, the Cockeyed Wonder". Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  4. Rovin, Jeff (1991). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Cartoon Animals. Prentice Hall Press. pp. 252–253. ISBN   0-13-275561-0 . Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  5. Mitchell, Kurt; Thomas, Roy (2019). American Comic Book Chronicles: 1940-1944. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 191. ISBN   978-1605490892.
  6. "A superhero that'll quack you up! SUPER DUCK #1 launches March 25". 2 March 2020.
  7. Nevins, Jess (2013). Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes. High Rock Press. p. 262. ISBN   978-1-61318-023-5.
  8. Reprinted in Laugh Comics Digest #13 (Archie Comics, Nov. 1977).
  9. Crumb, R. "Freak Show," Mystic Funnies #3 (Fantagraphics, 2002).