Created by Al Fagaly Species Duck Creator Al Fagaly | Alter ego The Cockeyed Wonder Place of origin Earth | |
Publisher MLJ Comics/Archie Comics First appearance Jolly Jingles #10 (Summer 1943) Similar Li'l Jinx, Jaguar, Comet, Fly, Katy Keene |
Super Duck was a comic book character created in 1943 for what was then MLJ Comics (now Archie Comics) by staff artist Al Fagaly. As his name implies, Super Duck (nicknamed "Supe") was originally a parody of Superman, even down to a red and blue costume. But his time as a superhero was short, and by late 1944 his stories became more conventional, in the Disney/Carl Barks mode.
Contents
Super Duck Comics ran from 1944–1960, featuring "Super Duck, the Cockeyed Wonder" in his most familiar attire: a black shirt, red lederhosen and often an Alpine hat. Regular contributors to Super Duck Comics included creator Al Fagaly, as well as Red Holmdale. Fagaly illustrated most covers up through the early 1950s.
Publication history
Super Duck's first appearance came in Jolly Jingles #10 (Summer 1943). He soon switched to a green and red suit, presumably to avoid legal action by Superman's publisher (National Periodicals), but his time as a superhero was short, and by Jolly Jingles #16 (the last issue) his stories became more conventional.
Super Duck Comics' first issue was cover-dated Fall 1944; it ended its run at 94 issues in 1960.
The character's escapades would be reprinted in Archie Comics' digest series Jughead Jones (at least as late as 1979), Laugh Comics Digest, and Archie's Mad House. More recently (2013 onward), his stories have often been reprinted in the digests again.
The Super Duck character himself has also returned in modern times, most typically presented as a fictional comic book superhero within Archie's world. Various magic-themed stories have made this Super Duck temporarily "real" to have adventures with Archie and others. His role combines his early superhero stature with his later facial design, grumpy temper, and bad luck.
Characters and storylines
Stories from the superhero period of Super Duck's run involved Supe getting into hapless situations, such as:
Parodies
Underground cartoonist Robert Crumb wrote and drew a sexual version of Super Duck and Uwanna in a seven-page story in Mystic Funnies #3, published in 2002 by Fantagraphics Books.