Destroyer Duck

Destroyer Duck
cover to "Destroyer Duck" #5 by Jack Kirby and Alfred Alcala.
Publication information
Publisher	Eclipse Comics Image Comics
Genre	Action Satire
Creative team
Created by	Steve Gerber Jack Kirby
Written by	Steve Gerber (issues #1-5) Buzz Dixon (issues #6-7)
Penciller(s)	Jack Kirby (issues #1-5) Gary Kato (issues #6-7)
Inker(s)	Alfred Alcala (issues #1-7) Steve Leialoha (issue #1)
Letterer(s)	Tom Orzechowski (issues #1-2) Adam Kubert (issue #3) Ken Bruzenak (issue #4) Peter Iro (issue #5) Gary Kato (issues #6-7)

Destroyer Duck was an anthology comic book published by Eclipse Comics in 1982, as well as the title of its primary story, written by Steve Gerber and featuring artwork by Jack Kirby.

The book was published as a way to help Gerber raise funds for a lawsuit he was embroiled in at the time, in which he was battling industry giant Marvel Comics over the ownership of the character Howard the Duck, which Gerber created for the company in 1973.

The main story of the comic told of Louis "Duke" Duck, a resident of a typical anthropomorphic comic-book world, who had witnessed his best friend, identified only as “The Little Guy” or “TLG,” vanish into thin air before his eyes. Some years later, TLG reappeared only to die at Duke’s feet—but not before telling the tale of how he was exploited and destroyed by a thoughtless conglomeration, “Godcorp.” Swearing revenge, Duke vowed to take down Godcorp no matter the cost.

Subsequent Destroyer Duck tales would reveal that the Little Guy who died at Duke’s feet was in fact a clone, and the original was still held captive by Godcorp; eventually, Gerber (by that point on better terms with Marvel, the lawsuit having long since been settled) revealed that The Little Guy’s real name was actually “Leonard”—a new duck character that, for all intents and purposes, was identical in every way (except in name and character ownership) to Howard.

The stories introduced sentient scented dolls and Wobblina Strangelegs, who nearly got her own one-shot. After five issues, Gerber gave up writing the title, but remained its editor. Buzz Dixon wrote the last two issues, about a STD-infected parody of Gilligan’s Island. Frank Miller drew the cover of the final issue. The seven issues of the comic were published very sporadically.