Marvel Ruffles DC’s Feathers With ‘WTD-Certified’ Howard The Duck Variants In April

The folks at Marvel know that it's never too late to take a chance to tweak their distinguished competitors at fancy Southern California comic publisher DC. Back in April 2013, DC ran a month of covers under the 'WTF Certified' banner, with 'shocking' twist reveals on fold-out covers. The F in WTF is of course a naughty word, which made some retailers uncomfortable, and DC shuffled its feet and said it would not put the ribald WTF branding on its actual covers.

A whole two years later in April 2015, Marvel has decided to remind the world of DC's embarrassed walk-back with What The Duck month, featuring twenty comics with variant Howard the Duck-themed covers inspired by iconic images. In the PR, Marvel boasts that the covers will be 'WTD Certified', so this is not a simple coincidence. This is mock-making in the classic Marvel manner.

Marvel has already revealed four of the covers. Rob Guillory revisits the moon landing for Rocket Raccoon #10; Francesco Francavilla pays tribute to the 1923 Harold Lloyd movie Safety Last on the cover to All-New Hawkeye #2; W. Scott Forbes recreates the Grant Wood painting American Gothic for Amazing Spider-Man #17; and Christian Ward offers his own spin on Edvard Munch's The Scream for the cover of Uncanny Inhumans #0.

The other covers included in the promotion are All-New Captain America #6, All-New X-Men #41, Ant-Man #4, Daredevil #15, Deadpool #45 (a.k.a. Deadpool #250), Guardians of the Galaxy #26, Hulk #14, Inhuman #14, Legendary Star-Lord #11, Ms. Marvel #14, S.H.I.E.L.D. #5, Silk #3, Spider-Gwen #3, Superior Iron Man #7, Thor #7, and Uncanny Avengers #4. Chances are, 'WTD-Certified' will not actually appear on the cover.

Howard the Duck #1 by Chip Zdarsky and Joe Quinones goes on sale March 4th.