History of Steve Gerber in Timeline

Steve Gerber was an American comic book writer best known for creating Howard the Duck, a satirical character for Marvel Comics. His notable works also include Man-Thing, Omega the Unknown, and contributions to series like The Defenders and Daredevil. Gerber's writing was characterized by its wit and often incorporated lengthy text passages within his comic book narratives, exemplified by his graphic novel, Stewart the Rat. His impact on the comic book industry was recognized posthumously with his induction into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2010.

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Full Timeline Career & Achievements

September 20, 1947: Stephen Ross Gerber Born

On September 20, 1947, Stephen Ross Gerber was born. He later became a comic book writer and creator of Howard the Duck.

1963: Letter Published in Fantastic Four

In 1963, a letter from Steve Gerber was published in Fantastic Four #19. At this time, he was living in University City, Missouri.

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April 1965: Letter Published in The Amazing Spider-Man

In April 1965, a letter from Steve Gerber appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #26, showcasing his early engagement with comic books.

October 1969: Letter Published in Captain America

In October 1969, another letter from Steve Gerber was published in Captain America #118, further demonstrating his involvement with comic book fandom during his youth.

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1969: Reintroduction of Guardians of the Galaxy

Steve Gerber reintroduced the 1969 Guardians of the Galaxy as guest stars in Marvel Two-in-One and The Defenders, then as a feature in Marvel Presents, reviving the forgotten characters.

December 1972: Comics Writing Career Begins

In December 1972, Steve Gerber's comic writing career at Marvel began with three comic books: Adventure into Fear #11, The Incredible Hulk #158, and Shanna the She-Devil (collaboration with Carole Seuling).

1972: Man-Thing Series Begins

In 1972, Steve Gerber began writing his signature series, Man-Thing, in Adventure into Fear #11, establishing the series' narrative tagline.

1972: Joins Marvel Comics

In early 1972, Steve Gerber inquired about writing comics with Roy Thomas, then Marvel's editor-in-chief. After passing a writer's test, Gerber accepted a position as an associate editor and writer at Marvel Comics, marking the start of his professional career in the industry.

1973: Creation of Howard the Duck

In 1973, Steve Gerber and Val Mayerik created Howard the Duck as a secondary character in a Man-Thing story in Adventure into Fear #19 and Man-Thing #1.

1973: Tagline Creation for Man-Thing

In 1973, Steve Gerber created the narrative tagline for the Man-Thing series, 'Whatever knows fear burns at the Man-Thing's touch!' which was used in captions starting on page 11 of Adventure into Fear #11.

March 1974: Introduction of the Original Foolkiller

In March 1974, Steve Gerber and Val Mayerik introduced the original Foolkiller in Man-Thing #3.

1974: Howard the Duck in Giant-Size Man-Thing

In 1974, Howard the Duck graduated to his own backup feature in Giant-Size Man-Thing #4-5, facing horror-parody characters like Garko the Man-Frog and Bessie the Hellcow.

1974: Song-Cry of the Living Dead Man

In December 1974, Steve Gerber's "Song-Cry of the Living Dead Man" appeared in Man-Thing #12. The posthumous miniseries 'The Infernal Man-Thing' released in 2012 was a sequel.

1975: Gerber Appears as a Character in Man-Thing

In 1975, for the final issue of Man-Thing, Steve Gerber appeared as a character within the story, claiming to simply report on the Man-Thing's adventures rather than inventing them.

1976: Howard the Duck Gets His Own Comic Book

In January 1976, Howard the Duck acquired his own comic book title with Howard the Duck #1, written by Steve Gerber. The series developed a cult following, boosted by Howard's satirical entry into the 1976 U.S. presidential campaign.

1977: Howard the Duck Syndicated Comic Strip

In 1977, Marvel launched a Howard the Duck syndicated comic strip, initially scripted by Steve Gerber and drawn by Gene Colan. However, Gerber's tardiness led to his replacement.

May 1978: Marvel Cancels Gerber's Contract

In May 1978, Marvel cancelled Steve Gerber's contract.

1978: Gerber Replaced on Howard the Duck Comic Strip

In mid-1978, Steve Gerber was replaced by Marv Wolfman on the Howard the Duck syndicated comic strip due to chronic tardiness, causing acrimony. Jim Shooter cited Gerber's inability to meet deadlines as the reason.

1978: Fired from Howard the Duck Comic Book

In the first half of 1978, Steve Gerber was fired from the Howard the Duck comic book series due to failure to meet deadlines.

August 29, 1980: Copyright Infringement Lawsuit Against Marvel

On August 29, 1980, after learning of Marvel's plans to license Howard the Duck for film and broadcast media, Steve Gerber filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Marvel's parent company, Cadence Industries, claiming sole ownership of the character.

1981: Creation of Destroyer Duck

In 1981, Steve Gerber teamed up with Jack Kirby at Eclipse to create Destroyer Duck, a satirical comic designed to raise funds for his court case against Marvel.

September 24, 1982: Settlement of Howard the Duck Lawsuit

On September 24, 1982, Steve Gerber settled his lawsuit against Marvel over Howard the Duck, acknowledging that his work was work-for-hire and that Marvel's parent company owned all rights to the character.

November 5, 1982: Dismissal of Lawsuit

On November 5, 1982, Judge David Kenyon approved the motion and dismissed the Howard the Duck case.

1982: Brief Work with Doctor Fate

In 1982, Steve Gerber briefly worked with a version of the Doctor Fate character. His final comics work was writing Countdown to Mystery: Doctor Fate for DC Comics.

1983: Returns to Marvel with Void Indigo

In 1983, Steve Gerber returned to Marvel with the short-lived Void Indigo.

1984: Creation of Void Indigo

In 1984, Steve Gerber created the controversial creator-owned book Void Indigo for Epic Comics.

1986: Missed Deadline for Spectre Series

In 1986, Steve Gerber was slated to write a new Spectre series, but he missed the deadline for the first issue, so DC assigned another writer.

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1988: Serialized Man-Thing Feature

In September 1988, Steve Gerber started a serialized, eight-page Man-Thing feature in the anthology series Marvel Comics Presents.

1989: End of Serialized Man-Thing Feature

In February 1989, Steve Gerber's serialized Man-Thing feature in Marvel Comics Presents came to an end.

1991: Suburban Jersey Ninja She-Devils One-Shot

In 1991, Steve Gerber scripted the Suburban Jersey Ninja She-Devils one-shot issue for Marvel.

1998: Creation of Nevada and Hard Time

In 1998, Steve Gerber created Nevada for DC's Vertigo imprint with artist Phil Winslade, and Hard Time with Mary Skrenes, which outlasted the DC Focus imprint.

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1998: Daytime Emmy Award

In 1998, Steve Gerber shared a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class – Animated Program, for The New Batman/Superman Adventures.

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2002: New Howard the Duck Miniseries

In 2002, Steve Gerber created a new Howard the Duck miniseries for Marvel's MAX line.

2007: Roy Thomas's Reflection

In 2007, Roy Thomas reflected on Steve Gerber's work and contributions to Marvel Comics.

2007: Diagnosis of Pulmonary Fibrosis

In 2007, Steve Gerber was diagnosed with an early stage of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and was eventually hospitalized while continuing to work. He was placed on the waiting list for a lung transplant.

February 10, 2008: Steve Gerber's Death

On February 10, 2008, Steve Gerber died in a Las Vegas hospital due to complications from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

2010: Top 1970s Marvels Ranking

In 2010, Comics Bulletin ranked Steve Gerber's run on The Defenders first and Omega the Unknown 10th on its list of the "Top 10 1970s Marvels".

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2010: Posthumous Induction into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame

In 2010, Steve Gerber was posthumously inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame, recognizing his contributions to the comic book industry.

2012: Release of The Infernal Man-Thing

In 2012, Steve Gerber's posthumous Man-Thing story "The Screenplay of the Living Dead Man" was revived and released as a three-issue miniseries titled The Infernal Man-Thing.