Not usually referred to as the oldest profession in the world, farming began approximately 12,000 years ago.

National Farmer’s Day commemorates the settlement of former hunters and the domestication of livestock October 12 each year.

Currently there are about two million farms in the United States. Those farms provide approximately $1 trillion dollars to the US economy. Each of those farms feed nearly 166 persons each year. Agricultural jobs sponsor 50,000 jobs per year.

No one is sure exactly when National Farmer’s Day began, though it was originally called National Old Farmer’s Day. The October 12 date is used due to the harvesting time frame. Normally this is at the end of harvesting allowing farmers a much-deserved break and time for revelry.

Howard the Duck (1979) 1

Representing the day is a Howard the Duck story from his inaugural magazine issue, Fowl of Fear!

Recovering from recent adventures detailed in the waning Howard the Duck comic book series, titular star, Beverly and her Uncle Lee drive back to Cleveland, OH, to start anew.

Along the way, some foreshadowing and reviewing is done before a blowout causes the traveling trio to seek shelter at an appropriately foreboding farm house on the hill.

They are received by the sinister Mr. Chicken who divulges his poultry program designed to increase the size and succulence of his commercially crafted chickens.

Mr. Chicken meets his deserved end with the help of Howard, Bev and Uncle Lee.

They continue their travels to Cleveland and eight more issues of adventures including a Christmas story in the third issue of his magazine.

Fowl of Fear is unremarkable beyond Bill Mantlo taking up animal rights regarding production of mass-produced foods early on in the struggle for decency in humane practices in those regards. Much has been documented over the years in relation to those operations.

The National Farmer’s Day observed today honors those humane methods of raising food to feed the world. Celebrate with something home grown and a little of the forward fowl who allowed us to look at ourselves and society with fresh eyes.

Off-color jokes aside, today is International Beaver Day. To remember, we’re celebrating a duck.

April 7 has been earmarked International Beaver Day to honor Dorothy Richards, the Beaver Woman. For the uninformed, Richards studied beavers at Beaversprite Sanctuary in New York’s Adirondack Mountains for 50 years.

Howard the Duck (1976) 9

In the four-color world of six degrees of separation, the beaver and Howard the Duck are one shade away for our purposes.

Issue nine of Howard’s book is the culmination of the 1976 American National Election. The drake’s brief affiliation with his bid for the Presidency lasted through part of issue seven, the Howard the Duck Treasury Edition and issue eight before collapsing with issue nine.

Along the way, creator Steve Gerber envisioned a campaign outside comic books. A Howard the Duck for President pin and poster were both offered for postage and handling to readers. Howard even received several thousand write-in votes that November.

The short campaign trail was littered with naysayers and assassins. Howard’s affiliation with the All-Night Party, an independent group offering a choice other than Democrats or Republicans, ended in scandal.

Following the path of a doctored photo of he and human lady friend Bev Swisher sharing a bathtub, Howard found himself in Canada. The man behind the plot proved to be more of a cybernetic beaver calling himself Le Beaver.  Gerber trolled the depths of bad dreams for his origin, having Pierre Dentifris, the self-proclaimed Canada’s Only Super Patriot, attempt to dam Niagara Falls. U.S. bombers destroyed his plans and body, causing him to construct an exoskeleton of a beaver for himself.

In revenge, Dentifris masterminded Howard’s rise and fall as political candidate. While America waded through the wreckage of the election, Le Beaver would invade allowing Canada to no longer live in America’s shadow.

Since we’re still saluting the stars and stripes, his plan obviously failed.

Issue nine marks Le Beaver’s one and only appearance – to date. Howard continues to reside in the Marvel U, even making a cameo in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy.

Anyway, back to International Beaver Day.

To commemorate, read up on semiaquatic rodents, visit a habitat or just dig this piece of Bronze Age hyperbole and show it the love it deserves.

Top radio jock Charlamagne comes out at a New Year’s Eve party at Avenger’s Mansion.

Marvel New Year’s Eve (2017) 1

Do they still call it Avenger’s Mansion? It’s a tower now. Kinda like Wayne Tower back in the 1970s. Man, I’m old.

Anyway, this is a digital special send-off to 2016. As mentioned above, Charlamagne is everyone’s favorite DJ. Not sure if his show’s syndicated or not, but he has a lot of listeners. Important and influential listeners.

Not to mention some infamous ones as well.

This is where Charlamagne allows his mouth to write a check others wonder if he can cash.

The DJ has chosen Norman Osborne to talk about on the next-to-last-day-of-the-year. The super-villain-slash-CEO has threatened to move his last remaining factory overseas. Charlamagne is not a fan of the idea. Osborne is what he would consider a corporate pirate with greed his favorite color.

Calling Osborne out on the radio raises the hackles on the CEO’s neck. Enough so he and colleagues choose to crash the exclusive party Charlamagne is holding New Year’s Eve. The event is a charity fundraiser solicited by the best and most beautiful of the super hero and civilian set.

The surprise is, Charlamagne has been dosed with Terrigen Mist, freeing his hidden power. Not sure what that power is, but all the villains are left in a heap ready for deposit at the raft by Cap.

Gone are the days of Dick Clark counting down the ball drop on Times Square. If you can remember that time, join the old man club with me. Hope 2021 is better.

To be honest, when I pulled this outta the Christmas comic book box I had completely forgotten why I’d picked it up in the first place. Beyond it has a Christmas cover and obviously is a holiday issue. As if the skeleton in the red-union suit on the cover shinnying down the chimney wasn’t enough the cover blurb reads, “Special Hate-The-Holidays Issue!”

I started the first story, “Son of Santa,” a Mark Gruenwald/Alan Kupperberg production. Not the greatest, but passable. As the spoiler title announces, Santa’s long-lost son learns of his legacy, avenges his father’s death and keeps the traditions alive.

By the time I came to the second installment of the anthology book, simply titled “Howard the Duck,” I remembered why I really bought this.

Steve Grant and Paul Smith send the un-merry mallard through a parody of It’s a Wonderful Life. My biggest complaint is how brief the story is. Not Mr. Duck at his best, but I love me some HTD.

“Dr. Deth” by Larry Hama and Bob Camp is fairly incoherent. As is Mike Carlin’s “Slaybells.”

“Santa Bites the Big Apple,” Allen Milgram’s offering, could be an unused Golden Age EC script that didn’t pass muster.

Finally, “Buck Bizarre” is a two-page tale that does little to redeem anything before or after Howard’s story.

An interesting cover with little substance – other than Howard – to follow. Not a bad encapsulation of the decade to come.

Larry Hama is not Steve Gerber.

But, who is?

Hama dusted off the little-used mallard for the 1997 Christmas special visiting all the holiday tropes. Still, there’s something missing. An intangible Gerber always provided through his skewed view on life.

Howard the Duck Holiday Special (1997)

Overall it’s a good take on Howard living in “a world he never made.” The speech-challenged avenger of non-public domain video material is in evidence. Complete with an over-sized firearm mocking the multitude of vengeance-hungry anti-heroes compensating with armories that would put all but the hardiest in hernia wards.

Next are the young and avarice seeking Santa’s lap and goody bag.

Hydra represents the corrupt corporations offering cookie-cutter solutions for the holiday season.

Toss in a couple sexy sirens to help with the carnage and the 1990s are encapsulated.

Really, The Howard the Duck Holiday Special is worth picking up. It’s just hard to read someone else handling creative chores with a character so singly associated with his creator.