R.I.P.

What a heavy 24 hours.

First Roy Scheider, now Gerber?!?

Scheider, was 70, and although he strikes a cord, with Jaws being the biggest pop culture thing to come along pre-Star Wars in my world, I'd always enjoyed him as an actor, but can't count too many big impact works post Jaws. That said, I really liked him in those movies, and you know, he was the hero, he saved me and others from those damn monstrous fish time and again. It stings.

But Steve Gerber?!?

The man was only 60 years old.
What a shame.

Howard the Duck is one of the biggest influences on me as a fan and creator of comics. I collected every issue of ol Howard, and really was inspired by the offbeat nature of his stories and characters, that was 100% the uniqueness Gerber brought to the book. His character. His creation.

I've enjoyed other works of his career too, I never missed an episode of GI Joe back in the day, and he was a writer and story editor for the show. I also really enjoyed his mid 90's vertigo series, Nevada. And only upon reading about his passing, did I realize the man created one of my favorite cartoons, Thundarr the Barbarian!!

It's a shame a man so creative, and able to offer so much to so many, was ultimately shorted in his public creative struggles with Marvel over Howard the Duck, and now in the battle for his very life, at quite a young age.
He's barely older than my own father...
I'm truly saddened.

I can't help but reflect on his words, reading time and again, how he'd press for creators to stop seeking to work on other's characters, and come up with their own, and leave their own mark. Well he did, and I'll keep striving...