In the grand history of comic book movies, one film and one film alone regularly tops (or bottoms) the very worst films the genre had to offer, and George Lucas was the man who brought it to screen. It is perhaps unfair to suggest that Lucas as producer was responsible for the creative stupidity that derailed the film, or the story, but it wasn't merely the execution of the wayward comic book movie that made it fail, it was its very conception. Even now, with a strong foundation of comic book movie success behind it and a guaranteed audience for the genre, the decision to adapt Howard The Duck would be met with derision and outright humour. The character might work as a comic book character, but he is not an adaptable property in the same way as the superheroes, and eventually you just have to concede that some properties that work in one medium will not see their popularity translate to another. Lucas was the man behind the film, and as such he is to blame for that decision: it was he who introduced the character to writer/director Willard Huyck and writing partner Gloria Katz, and it was because of his influence that Universal came on board, because the studio had passed on previous projects that Lucas was involved in, and which had subsequently been successful.
I am a writer and musician born and raised in Montana. I have done everything from fixing fences in Glacier National Park to curating the music library at KBGA Missoula. I am also a lazy jerk.
