Howard the Duck experienced a brief resurgence in popularity based on a split-second cameo appearance during the credits of the first “Guardians of the Galaxy” movie. Howard reprised his cameo role in the second “Guardians” movie.

The first movie appearance led to a new comic book for Howard.

Howard the Duck was created in the 1970s by Steve Gerber. He was a side character in “Man-Thing” comics.

Howard is a character from a planet where evolution affected ducks.

Through a shift in the cosmic axis, Howard ended up on Earth, in Cleveland, Ohio, more specifically.

He had strange adventures while “trapped in a world he never made.” He had a human girlfriend named Beverly. He had run-ins with the Kidney Lady, became a master of Quack-Fu, ran for President in 1976, etc.

The 1970s comics were exceptional satire of the times. Howard was something akin to the alter ego of Gerber and his skewed and skewered take on the world.

By the 1980s, Howard was the first Marvel Comics character to be featured in a full-length movie. One produced by George Lucas. “Howard the Duck,” the movie, flopped. “Howard the Duck,” the comic, was shelved. He has occasionally returned to the comics since.

Writer Chip Zdarsky brought the character back with the comics following the movie cameo. There was a limited series then an 11-issue run.

The series hit its stride at the end of its run, with the five issues (7-11) collected in the “Good Night, and Good Luck” trade paperback.

Howard is still a private eye in the series. He goes to the Savage Land with Spider-Man, She-Hulk, Daredevil, and the post-Captain America old Steve Rogers. Howard solves a case involving actress Lea Thompson, who played Bev in the 1984 “Howard the Duck” movie. He has a run in with his creators as the series closes shop.

And it includes an issue where Howard is reunited with Beverly, which is the emotional capstone to the series. It is the issue that speaks to where the latest series may have been headed.

But it came too little, too late. A few issues after the Bev issue, this duck was cooked … at least until the next time.