Howard the Duck: a true Clevelander. In this episode of The CLE Connection, hear from Val Mayerik, the first illustrator to depict the feathered Marvel character created by comic book writer Steve Gerber. Howard first appeared in a series featuring The Man-Thing in the 1970s. Later, the cigar-smoking, beer-drinking character got his own comic book, which was then developed into a George Lucas-produced film. For Mayerik, who grew up in Youngstown and worked for a time in Cleveland’s art scene — including in collaborations with Harvey Pekar — his work with Marvel and Howard the Duck remains a career highlight.

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