Howard The Duck #10 Review: Chipp And Jho's Excellent Adventure

In the final page of the prior issue, alien parodies of Chip Zdarsky and Joe Quinones, the respective writer and artist for the series, were revealed to be orchestrating the entire events of Howard’s life. The A-plot for this issue expands on that revelation: Chipp and Jho are members of an alien race who alter the lives of every comic book character in the history of Marvel.

Oh, I've read that comic! It's where the Skrulls disguise themselves as the Badoon and the heroes trade places with the villains. Meanwhile, the Badoon act as Earth's heroes while the villains play chess and I've gone cross-eyed.

Sounds familiar? It’s a clever spin on the concept of having comic book characters meet their creators, especially with the alien race being portrayed as the quintessential comic book company. It allows for clever satire of some current Marvel events and the recent trends in comic books. Additionally, you might recognize a face or two in the Sparkitect building. I won’t ruin who, because it’s really funny, you might be able to guess if you think back on Chip’s frequent collaborations. 

The issue comes to a climax with Mojo, Howard, Tara, Chipp, and Jho all battling it out on Earth. Mojo wants revenge against Chipp and Jho, while Chipp just wants to force Howard to keep having “exciting” and life-threatening adventures. Howard, for his part, wants out. He’s sick of being manipulated and used as a tool. As for Tara, she just wants to survive and Jho wants to hang out with Biggs.

Comic books, perfectly summed up.

It’s chaotic, fun, and pure Howard. I really thought that the satire in the series couldn’t get any better, but then they start outright mentioning people in the comic book business, albeit in a slightly altered fashion. I’m finding it difficult to come up with new ways of saying just how much I appreciate the comic in my reviews. It’s just so clever. Chipp and Jho come off as a disturbingly violent Rick And Morty-type duo, the guest stars are goofy, and the plot continues to be advanced. Nothing feels like filler and it’s all exciting. Please, pick it up. The final issue comes out next month and you’re not going to want to miss it.

Howard The Duck #10 is available at your local comic book store. It is written by Chip Zdarsky and drawn by Joe Quinones.

Zachary Krishef is an evil genius. Do not question his knowledge of Saturday Night Live trivia or the Harry Potter books.