Learning about the death of comic book writer Steve Gerber last week was something that gave me the impression of being hit with a hammer between the eyes. I had no clue that he was not physically well and the fact that he’s gone at the age of 60 seems like a cruel twist of fate. He made a last entry on his blog on February 4th… and he was gone by the 10th.

Of course, his main claim to fame is the creation of Howard the Duck, a Marvel Comics character that debuted as a mere one-panel joke. But the joke caught on and I’m old enough to remember that Howard was a third-party presidential candidate in the 1976 bicentennial race in the USA! Get down America! Steve Gerber also was one of the first creators to speak about character ownership, and he had a lengthy battle with Marvel concerning his rights towards Howard. I remembered a strong interview in an old Métal Hurlant magazine (the French Heavy Metal) where Steve admitted that Marvel was scared shitless of Disney Studios’ lawyers, who took an interest in a short-tempered talking duck wearing a blue jacket.

One of Howard the Duck’s colorful nemesis, Phelch the Space Turnip, was also the inspiration for me to co-create in my teens a character named Blundering Man, who has been my alter-ego on the web at least since the past twelve years. This shows you how Steve Gerber was important in my life.

Steve also wrote The Defenders in one of my favorite run in comics history. His stories concerning serious social matters impressed me to no end, and greatly influenced my own way to see the world, mainly concerning racial intolerance and women empowerment. The character of The Valkyrie is surely one of the main reasons why I always admired kick-ass strong female heroines, in any entertainment media.

What has this got anything to do with Cult Sirens, you might ask? Well, Steve Gerber was one of many who helped in shaping me to become the man I am today. The quality of his writing, his amazing sense of humor and his own personal views in countless observations of our society are still part of my personal heritage. It took me quite a few days to decide in writing this, but even if I did it with tears in my eyes, I couldn’t help grinning from ear to ear for the good memories.