Stephen Ross "Steve" Gerber (September 20, 1947 - February 10, 2008) was an American comic book writer best known as co-creator of the satiric Marvel Comics character Howard the Duck.He was 60. Gerber, who also co-created Marvel's "Omega the Unknown" and created the 1980s animated series "Thundarr the Barbarian," suffered from pulmonary fibrosis.
He died Sunday in a Las Vegas hospital from complications related to the disease, said Mary Skrenes, a friend and writing partner on "Omega" and other comics.
The "Howard the Duck" series became a fast hit after its January 1976 debut on Marvel and remains a cult favorite. Its lead, a disgruntled duck from another universe with a bombshell sidekick named Beverly "Thunder-Thighs" Switzler, was hailed as both smart and subversive.
Other major works include Man-Thing, Omega the Unknown, Void Indigo, Tales of the Zombie, Marvel Spotlight: Son of Satan, The Defenders, Marvel Presents: Guardians of the Galaxy, Foolkiller, Nevada, Sludge, A. Bizarro, and Hard Time.
He was among the 1970s wave of writers such as Steve Englehart, Don McGregor and Doug Moench who took often minor characters and helped create a writerly Renaissance. At the time of his death, he was writing Countdown to Mystery: Doctor Fate for DC Comics, having briefly worked with a version of the character in 1983.
More recently, Gerber and Skrenes created "Hard Time" for DC Comics, the story of a 15-year-old boy convicted in a Columbine-like school shooting who discovers he has special powers. Gerber was working on a revival of the DC Comics' Dr. Fate series at the time of his death.
He was also known for including lengthy text pages in the midst of a comic book story, such as in Man-Thing, Howard the Duck, Son of Satan, Defenders, and his graphic novel, Stewart the Rat.
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