Trapped in a Masterworks he never made There were several worthy candidates for the milestone 300th Masterworks edition, but only one waddled away with election victory: Howard the Duck In Howard, Steve Gerber and his artistic cohorts Val Mayerik, Frank Brunner and Gene Colan delivered one of comics' most iconoclastic and hilarious characters. We kick things off in his inaugural Masterworks with his quirky fi rst appearance as a 'fowl out of water' alongside the macabre Man-Thing, where they team up to protect Cleveland from the Man-Frog and Hellcow. The satirical stories continue with Howard and gal pal Beverly Switzler taking on dire threats such as the Space Turnip, the Beaver and - public transportation And then: Howard runs for president All restored in Masterworks glory

COLLECTING: HOWARD THE DUCK (1976) 1-14; MARVEL TREASURY EDITION (1974) 12; MATERIAL FROM FEAR (1970) 19; MAN-THING (1974) 1; GIANT-SIZE MAN-THING (1974) 4-5; FOOM (1973) 15