DUCKWORLD
(NOT Howard the Duck's original homeworld, see comments)

Type: Apparently an alternate Earth (Reality-791021)

Environment: Essentially Earth-like

Usual means of access: Vibrational attunement or magic

Dominant Life Form: Humanoid ducks and other poultry;
    The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition Appendix to Other Dimensions entry for Duckworld confirms and alludes to the presence of non-fowl humanoid bipeds.

Significant Inhabitants: Gyro Agnu, Ancient Wino, Duktor Beakwaak, Blinky, Truman Capoultry, Duktor Strange, Richard Millnest Duxon, Morty Fowler, Rev. Godfrey Gander, Mark Gruenwaugh, Lana Linn, Norman Mallard, Sir James Mallardy, Scrounge McDrake, McDuck, Webb McGroober, Olsen, Don Pardo, Mayor Quach, Johnny Quackson, Amy Quakton, Duck Severinson, Dr. Ludwig von Cluck, Baak Waaker, Booker T. Wackerton, WACkies
    via reality warp: Howard the Duck (see comments), Howard's "family" (Henrietta + Ronald + Theresa + Orville)

Significant Locations: Duckhattan, New Stork City, New Stork; Wackington, DC

First Appearance: Howard the Duck II#3 (February, 1980)

 

History:
(Adventure into Fear#19 / Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: A-Z#5: Howard the Duck / personal communication with Steve Gerber - BTS) - Howard the Duck was born to a family of semi-humanoid ducks on a world of anthropomorphic animals (see comments).

(Unpublished Gerber story) - The script USED TO BE available on this page: http://www.stevegerber.com/writings/scripts/index.php3.
    Krylorian techno-artist Chirreep wrote a story about Howard the Duck, either created or taking place in the alternate Reality-791021, and another tip of the cosmic axis somehow merged (or overwrote) Reality-616 with that of Reality-791021, such that Howard was now a native of the alternate reality's Duckworld. Many of the events in Howard's life on Duckworld mirrored those on Howard's homeworld, and Howard's own memories were somewhat altered to match the new reality.
    Information in italics is known to have occurred on Howard's true homeworld. Information is included even if it's just Howard by himself.

(Daydreamers#3 (fb) - BTS) - Howard's father was a pot-bellied garbage collector.

(Howard the Duck II#8 (fb) / Howard the Duck I#13 (fb) / Howard the Duck II#6 (fb)) - Howard hatched from his egg, his parents' first child.

(Howard the Duck II#8 (fb)) - As a duckling, Howard played with blocks and a ball.

(Howard the Duck II#6 (fb)) - Howard enjoyed pounding round pegs into square holes in one of his childhood toys.

(Howard the Duck II#3 (fb)) - A young Howard enjoyed his rocking horse on Christmas, which greatly pleased his proud parents.

(Howard the Duck II#6 (fb)) - As a student, Howard was given a dunce cap and sat in the corner former carving E=MC2 into his desk.

(Howard the Duck II#3 (fb)) - Later Christmases were marred by Howard's jealousy over the attention and presents his young brother and sister got.

(Howard the Duck II#3 (fb)) - An adolescent Howard stormed off on Christmas Eve, not wanting to spend time with his family. However, when he saw a toy rocking horse it reminded him of happier days and he returned home.

(Howard the Duck I#13 (fb) / Howard the Duck II#6 (fb)) - A lot was expected of Howard as first-hatched, and his parents wanted him to be a lawyer, though his first aptitude test pegged him as a mortician. Unable to reconcile that with his middle class upbringing, Howard underwent a short, undistinguished academic career, graduating four years older if not four years smarter. As these were war years, college gave Howard his much-needed draft deferment, but he paid a high price for it in boredom.

(Howard the Duck I#13 (fb)) - Howard tried folk-singing. While this didn't pay as well as being a bum, it satisfied some artistic urge, temporarily. After that he tried his hand at everything from poetry to construction--and discovered his only talent was job-hunting.

(Howard the Duck II#4 - text feature) - On Duckworld, Howard didn't fit any with any other group or type; his individualism was so potentially threatening and disruptive that he created a blind for himself, an appearance of blending in.

(Howard the Duck II#6 (fb)) - Howard was employed by R. Wachio Construction.

(Howard the Duck II#4 - text feature / Howard the Duck II#6 (fb)) - Howard decided that he had no use for society. He allegedly spent years seeking anonymity, even destroying government records of himself.

(Howard the Duck II#4 - text feature) - Howard was on his way to the drug-store, intending to buy some cigars, when he was swept up in a crowd of Quent State demonstrators denouncing President Duxon's domestic policy.

(Howard the Duck II#6 (fb)) - The military fired at the crowd of students, killing at least three of them. When Duxon reacted callously at him, the irate Howard leapt at him, denouncing his policies and telling him to "Get Down!"

(Howard the Duck II#6 (fb) - BTS) - Howard had intended to tell Duxon and all demogogues to get out of folks' lives. He wanted people to get down and fight back.

(Howard the Duck II#8 (fb)) - Howard vanished from Duckworld. Protesters holding a "Draft Beer, Not Ducks" sign could be seen in the background.

(Howard the Duck II#4 - text feature) - As he vanished, Howard's last recorded words were "I don't belong here. I'm trapped in a world I never made."
(Adventure into) Fear#19 - BTS / Howard the Duck I#13 (fb) - BTS) - The Nexus of Realities contained within the Man-Thing's swamp had been disrupted by a series of assaults on it, both mystical and mundane. Thog, posing as a human known as the Overmaster, joined forces with Congress of Realities in an effort to merge all of the Realities into one universe, under his control. The resultant disruption of the nexus brought several extradimensional beings to Earth, including Korrek the Barbarian and Howard.

(Howard the Duck II#6 (fb) - BTS) - The common poultry, inspired by Howard's seeming ascension, took the reins of power from Duxon and established a new society. The WACkies (the Witness of the Ascension Cult), led by Reverend Godfrey Gander and secretly funded by Scrounge MacDrake, had sprung up as a popular movement, misinterpreting Howard's words ("Get Down") as telling them to allow others--Gander, of course--to think for them.

(Howard the Duck II#4) - Playduck freelance interviewer discussed Howard's life with Truman Capoultry.

(Howard the Duck II#4) - Sir James Mallardy translated The Old Drake's Tale from the Anatidian Chronicles for Playduck magazine.

(Howard the Duck II#4) - Playduck investigative reporter Baak Waaker wrote an article exposing international poultry slavery.

(Howard the Duck II#4) - Playduck writer Norman Mallard wrote an article on the embattled relationships between modern drakes and ducks, discussing Ducky Lib in particular.

(Howard the Duck II#4) - Ms. Amy Quakton posed as the Duckmate for an issue of Playduck.

(Howard the Duck II#5/4) - Howard considered using Winda Wester's powers to return to Duckworld but decided that he couldn't leave Bev (Beverly Switzler).

(Howard the Duck II#5/4 // Howard the Duck II#6) - Upon returning home, Howard again considered returning to Duckworld. Bev decided to go with him, and Winda shifted the cosmic axis, sending them on their way.

(Howard the Duck II#6) - Howard and Bev arrived on Duckworld in New Stork, and the tables were turned as everyone there saw Bev as the freakish one. Howard was eventually realized to have been the drake who had vanished a few years back. Initially fleeing from overzealous worshippers, Howard led Bev back to his former home, the base of the WACkies, and they learned what Gander had done. Howard spoke up to the crowd, denouncing Godfrey and revealing the message he had intended for them. Though initially reluctant, the Duckworlders agreed to start thinking for themselves, while Gander vowed vengeance for losing his franchise. Howard worked to win the people of Duckworld over to Bev, appearing with her on the Tonight Show with Johnny Quackson. In a "This is Your Life moment" Howard was reunited with his parents and his sister Theresa (now a nun) and brother Orville (now a mortician). However, the next guest, Dr. Ludwig von Cluck (a chicken, actually a paid agent of Gander) attempted to use his "Surrogate Sniffer" super-vacuum machine to expose Beverly as a robot. It exposed her...by tearing off all of her clothes. The appearance of a naked human appalled the Duckworlders, Howard and Bev fled alongside fellow guest Truman Capoultry (who had written "Ducking Out, the Strange Disappearance of a Duck named Howard"). A former ally of Gander, Capoultry wished to follow Howard's word and helped them escape. To help them return to Earth, Capoultry brought them to Duktor Strange, Mallard of the Mystic Arts, who was a drunk living in an alley. Before Strange could do anything, Gander, MacDrake, and their allies showed up and attempted to gun down Howard, Bev, Capoultry, and Strange. Bev kicked a trash can into their attackers, after which they overpowered them one by one. Strange cast a spell sending them back to Earth, and while Gander saw this as a chance to revive the WACkies, Capoultry vowed to write a new book, telling the true story of Howard, which would foil Gander's plans.

(Howard the Duck III#6 - BTS) - Part's of Howard's original memory resurfaced while meeting with God in Hell, and he recalled God existing as Moses Moose on his homeworld.
    Howard further recalled legends of a crucified squirrel on his homeworld.

(She-Hulk II#10 - BTS / She-Hulk II#19 (fb) - BTS) - Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzburg, & Holliway employee Stu Cicero discovered that Artie Zix was really Recorder RT-ZIX

(She-Hulk II#19) - Stu Cicero remained trapped on Duckworld.

(She-Hulk II#20 (fb)) - Zix assumed Stu to be trapped, but -- having read Howard the Duck II#6 -- remembered that Duktor Strange could send him home. Attempting to go incognito via a fake duckbill mask (and fooling no one), Stu located Duktor Strange. Though Strange didn't recall he had such powers to send Stu home, Stu reminded him that he had done it once before (in Howard the Duck

Comments: Created by Bill Mantlo, Michael Golden, and Bob McLeod.

Steve Gerber does the definitive duck

    OK...I totally think Gerber--as creator--has some trump privileges with the character. At the same time, I HATE the idea of writing off stories as non-continuity. Here's how I see it.

    At least on Howard's real homeworld, ducks and chickens don't get along. No idea if this is the case with Duckworld or not.

    The Duckworlders referenced the Great Drake in the Sky, presumably their deity.

    Duckworld is one big avian play on words, including Beaker Street, Duckhatten, Feathermore (feather restoration kit), New Stork, the New Yolker magazine, Old Crow whiskey, Playduck magazine, Quacmillian Books, Quent State University, the TV stations NBQ (National Broadcasting Quack-something?) & GBS (Gander Broadcasting System), Uncanny X-Ducks comics, Von Danikwak's "Ponds of the Gods," Yukon Quack whiskey, etc.

    Dr. von Cluck is a chicken, while Howard's college's dean was an owl. Gander also referenced geese and penguins, as well as fowl of all kinds.

    Interestingly, while Howard the Duck legally has to wear pants (due to Disney), the same is not true for the rest of the Duckworlders.

    Duck-people appear in Maximum Security, either in Dangerous Planet or Maximum Security#3, or in both. However, all evidence points to Duckworld being in an alternate reality, so those were apparently not natives of Duckworld.

    At one point during the Daydreamers series (Daydreamers#2-3, September-October, 1997) they seemed to travel to Duckworld where Howard was worshipped, but this proved to be yet another dream-world created by Franklin Richards' subconscious, and Howard closed his eyes and forced it to vanish. In this illusion, Howard's parents were named Ward and June and appeared much like duck-versions of the Cleavers (from "Leave it to Beaver"). However, Howard did reference his real dad as having been a pot-bellied garbage collector, though it's unclear whether this was his real memories or the overlain memories of Duckworld.

    During Bizarre Adventures#27/3 (July, 1981), Nightcrawler and the Vanisher's energies mix with those of the Darkforce and the pair are flung through a shimmering nexus of realities and confronted by multiple other-dimensional versions of themselves. In one of these, they are "cartoon animals" (Nightcrawler is a heroic super-duck and Vanisher is a rat, appropriately enough).
    This is not Duckworld, since Duckworld is just ducks. It COULD be Howard's real homeworld, however, since there are other animals there.

    In the 1970's, many underground comics had cartoon animals in crude adventures, pace Fritz the Cat. Marvel itself tried the Comix Book, which ended up as too toothless to compete with Robert Crumb. In Jeff Rovin's Encyclopedia of Cartoon Animals, he mentions there was a duck character in at least one issue. Sadly, I do not recall more than that. Blinky may serve as an homage to this.
    --Per Degaton

Profile by Snood.
    Thanks to John McDonagh for identifying the image of Howard's multi-species homeworld and for describing some of the features above that would confirm it as an alternate Earth.

CLARIFICATIONS:
No known connection to:

 

Blinky

 

    One of Howard's old neighbors, he enjoyed smoking a joint atop a police car.

    I'm not sure if he's supposed to be a parody/counterpart of some late 1970s pop-culture character.

--Howard the Duck II#6

 

 

 

Truman Capoultry

    Writer of the best-seller The Gay Drake (about 9 years before the story in Howard the Duck II#6), as well as prose documentaries such as In Cold Water and Breakfast at Tuffany's, he was initially described as having a reclusive but flamboyant lifestyle, being averse to anonymity and fame, and having an unabiding contempt for the press, though his subsequent experiences changed him.

    He watched a QBC report of Howard's disappearance. In the midst of a duckuscript he began having odd vivid dreams about Howard falling through some sort of void for a week, and then witnessed Howard's arrival on Earth. Researching Howard further and adding information from his vision over the next 3.5 years, he wrote Ducking Out!: The Strange Disappearance of a Duck named Howard, he chronicled the life and last 24 hours of Howard the Duck. His work led to the start of the Witness of the Ascension Cult, and he even spoke at some of their rallies, though he disagreed with the WACKies' interpretation of Howard's "Get Down" message...and Capoultry's interpretation was the correct one.

    Shortly before Howard's return, he conducted an interview with Playduck's Mark Gruenwaugh.

    Upon learning of Howard's return, he promptly split from Gander and the WACkies and worked to directly support Howard. When Gander tried to arrange Howard's demise, it was Capoultry who led Howard to Duktor Strange to help him escape, even fighting Gander and McDrake's gunmen in the process. Following Howard's return to Earth, Capoultry vowed to write another book telling Howard's true story to keep Duckworld out of the clutches of preaching profiteers like Gander and McDrake.

    Parody/counterpart of Truman Capote.

--Howard the Duck II#4 (6

 

 

 

Duktor Strange

 

    Simon Strange was a great veterinarian known all of Duckworld until he became Mallard of the Mystic Arts, training under the Ancient Wino. After years of "communing with the spirits" (i.e. drinking wine and spirits), he ended up homeless, living in an alley.

 

    Though he wasn't sure who created his All-Seeing Eye (Almamatto, Alamagordo?), he was able to cast a spell to shift the cosmic axis and send people from Duckworld to Earth (and he became motivated to do so after one of Gander's bullets shattered his bottle of Yukon Quack). He later did the same for Stu Cicero, though he had to be reminded that he had used this ability before.

    Parody/counterpart of Dr. Stephen Strange

--Howard the Duck II#6 (6 (fb) - BTS, She-Hulk II#20

 

 

 

 

Richard Millnest Duxon & Gyro Agnu

    President and Vice-President at the time of Howard's disappearance, they were attending a peace rally at Quent State that degenerated into violence as troops fired on students. Duxon was unconcerned about the deaths, leading Howard to start a rant against him, until to vanish from the planet.

    Duxon was apparently the first living president to be printed/minted on money, which was by his order.

    Parodies/counterparts of Former US President Richard Milhouse Nixon & his vice-president, Spiro Agnu.

--Howard the Duck II#6

 

Morty Fowler & Booker T. Wackerton

 

    The first kids Howard & Bev saw upon arriving on Duckworld, they told the visitors that they were in New Stork...and that they'd never heard of Cleveland.

 

--Howard the Duck II#6

 

 

 

Reverend Godfrey Gander

 

    The Big WACkie (High Priest of the WACkies), he interpreted Howard's words, "Get Down!" as meaning to give up, leave if your problems became too much, and to let the WACkies do their thinking for them. Funded by Scrounge McDrake, the WACkies accrued great financial and political power, until Howard returned and denounced Gander's ideals. Following this, Gander plotted Howard's downfall to regain his own power, starting with sending von Cluck to expose the full nature of Howard's affair with Beverly, and following up with trying to gun him down.
    After Howard was sent back to Earth, he figured that he and McDrake could revive the WACkie movement, take control of all of Duckworld, and earn millions of duckbucks, though Capoultry planned to expose their farce.

 

--Howard the Duck II#6

 

 

 

 

Lana Linn

    Reporter for the GBS New (Gander Broadcasting System?), she reported outside of Howard's house on the 5th anniversary of his ascension

    She's a counterpart/parody of DC comic's Lana Lang, or Lois Lane, or someone else.

--Howard the Duck II#6

 

 

Scrounge McDrake

 

    The financial genius behind the WACkies, he earned his first dime in the slums of New Stork, apparently having punched out an old woman to get it. He parlayed that dime into a vast industrial empire, building his fortune by hook and crook. The WACkies was by far the most lucrative venture he ever invested in, with profits running into the millions. With Howard's "return to Duckworld" and denouncement of the WACkies, McDrake sought to cause Howard to disappear permanently, and he led Gander and his men to try to gun him down. After Howard was sent back to Earth, he figured that he and Gander could revive the WACkie movement, take control of all of Duckworld, and earn millions of duckbucks, though Capoultry planned to expose their farce.

    Parody/counterpart of Disney's Scrooge McDuck.

 

--Howard the Duck II#6 (6 (fb), 6

 

 

 

McDuck

    Minor co-host to Quackson, he wondered if all hairless apes were as absurdly proportioned as Beverly, which failed to win her over.

    Parody/counterpart of the Tonight Show's Ed McMahon.

 

--Howard the Duck II#6

 

chief & Olsen

 

    Chief of the GBS news team, he was served by assistant, Olsen.

    Parodies/counterparts of DC's Jimmy Olsen and Chief Perry White

--Howard the Duck II#6


 

 

Mayor Quach

 

    Mayor of New Stork, he introduced Rev. Gander during a celebration of the anniversary of Howard's ascension.

    A parody/counterpart of New York's Mayor Ed Koch.

 

--Howard the Duck II#6

 

 

Johnny Quackson

 

    Head of the Tonight Show, he had Howard, Beverly, and Capoultry as guests, but allowed von Cluck to try to prove Beverly to be a fake (unwittingly or not?)

    Parody/counterpart of the Tonight Show's Johnny Carson.

 

--Howard the Duck II#6

 

 

Amy Quakton

 

    She posed nude as Playduck Duckmate.

 

--Howard the Duck II#6

 

 

Duck Severinson (and his band)

    Head of the Tonight Show's band.

    Parody/counterpart of Doc Severinson.

 

--Howard the Duck II#6

 

 

 

Dr. Ludwig von Cluck

 

    A chicken secretly allied with Rev. Gander, he pretended to be attempting to expose Beverly as a robot, when he really intended (and succeeded) in tearing off her clothes so that the Duckworlders would be appalled that Howard had had a sexual relationship with such a non-canard being.

 

--Howard the Duck II#6

 

 

WACkies
(Witness to the Ascension Cult)

 

    Godfrey Gander  interpreted Howard's words, "Get Down!" as meaning to give up, leave if your problems became too much, and to let the WACkies do their thinking for them. Funded by Scrounge McDrake, the WACkies accrued great financial and political power, until Howard returned and denounced Gander's ideals. With this, the WACkies began to dissolve.
    Following this, Gander plotted Howard's downfall to regain his own power, starting with sending von Cluck to expose the full nature of Howard's affair with Beverly, and following up with trying to gun him down.
    After Howard was sent back to Earth, he figured that he and McDrake could revive the WACkie movement, take control of all of Duckworld, and earn millions of duckbucks, though Capoultry planned to expose their farce.

--(Mentioned) Howard the Duck II#4, (seen) #6

 

 

 

Howard's family

    Very little is known about the family of Howard on Duckworld.

    His mother, Henrietta, fainted when Beverly's clothes were torn off, but she swiftly recovered and encouraged Howard to stand by his convictions and by his beloved Beverly, telling him she always understood that he would do what he must.

    His father, Ronald, yelled at Howard when "his goings-on caused his mother to have a heart attack."

    His sister, Theresa, had become a nun.

    His brother, Orville, had become a mortician.

    Howard's real parents are named Dave and Dottie.

--Howard the Duck II#6

images: (without ads)
Howard the Duck II#6, p5, panel 1 (Morty Fowler & Booker T. Wackerton)
        p14, panel 1 (Lana Linn)
            panel 3 (chief & Olsen)
        p15, panel 1 (Gander full body)
            panel 2 (Blinky & friends)
            panel 3 (Mayor Quach)
        p16, panel 4 (Truman Capoultry)
        p21, panel 2 (Gander, close-up)
        p24, panel 4 (Duxon & Agnew)
        p29 (WACkies)
        p36, panel 1 (Quackson)
        p37, panel 1 (McDuck)
            panel 5 (Howard's "family" & Duck Severinson's band
        p39, panel 1 (von Cluck)
        p43, panel 3 (Duktor Strange)
        p44 (Scrounge McDrake)
She-Hulk II#20, p7, panel 6 (Duktor Strange in color)

Appearances:
Adventure into Fear#19, p, panel (Howard's original homeworld)
Howard the Duck II#3 (February, 1980) - Lynn Graeme (editor)
    "A Christmas for Carol" - by Bill Mantlo (writer), Gene Colan (pencils), and Dave Simons (inks)
Howard the Duck II#4 (March, 1980) - Lynn Graeme (editor)
    various text features, presumably by Mark Gruenwald
Howard the Duck II#6 (July, 1980) - Lynn Graeme (editor)
    "Duckworld" - by Bill Mantlo (writer), Michael Golden (pencils), and Bob McLeod (inks)
She-Hulk II#10 (October, 2006) - Dan Slott (writer), Rick Burchett (penciler), Nelson (inker), Tom Brevoort (editor)
She-Hulk II#19 (July, 2007) - Dan Slott & Ty Templeton (writers), Rick Burchett (penciler), Cliff Rathburn (inker), Molly Lazer (assistant editor), Tom Brevoort (editor)

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

First Posted: 08/03/2007
Last Updated: 05/12/2012

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