10 Most Underwhelming Summer Movies Of All Time

If nothing else, Howard The Duck serves as a lesson of what happens when a focus group attempts to broaden a character’s appeal. The sardonic character from Steve Gerber’s short-lived (1976-79) comic book has somehow morphed into Scrappy Doo, a “cute” and “lovable” creation intended to sell product. Both characters bombed with the public, proving that there is a God.

Finding himself “trapped in a world he never made”, Gerber’s Howard encountered such colourful characters as Pro-Rata, the cosmic accountant, battled Bessie The Hell Cow and even ran for President against Jimmy Carter, prompting the headline: “Carter Yells Fowl!”

Got that? Now forget all about it, because the screen incarnation has been blanded out for the masses. When he’s not reading Rolling Egg magazine or enjoying Mae Nest movies, Howard attempts “witty” banter with Tim Robbins. “I know why you want a tool box,” Howard says at one point. “You got a screw loose!”

To think this movie laid an egg at the box office.