Marvel Firsts

Comic book writer and creator Steve Gerber was born in St. Louis, Missouri on September 20, 1947. After receiving a bachelor's degree in communication from Saint Louis University in 1969, he worked as an advertising copywriter before joining Marvel Comics as an associate editor and writer in 1972. He began by writing stories for Daredevil, Sub-Mariner, and other superhero titles. He created Howard the Duck, Omega the Unknown, and the animated series Thundarr the Barbarian.

Howard the Duck No. 1 was published in 1976 and Gerber wrote the first 27 issues. After he was fired from Marvel in the late 1970s, he sued the company for ownership of the Howard the Duck character. The case was settled out of court with Marvel retaining the rights to the character and Gerber receiving an undisclosed sum. This suit was one of the first cases to bring the issue of creators' rights to the attention of the public. In 1986, Howard the Duck was released as a live-action film produced by George Lucas. Gerber also wrote for animated television series like G.I. Joe and Dungeons and Dragons. He died due to complications of pulmonary fibrosis on February 10, 2008.

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