Marvel is preparing for a slew of adult cartoons on Hulu’s streaming platform. While the exposure will help all the characters’ mainstream appeal, the biggest impact will be on an old favorite: Howard the Duck.
Even passing fans are aware of Howard after George Lucas produced a Howard the Duck film in 1986. That movie was truly awful, and the taste still hasn’t washed out of audiences’ mouths. However, it was so bad that it has earned a cult following, and mainstream audiences still remember the name. Decades later, he returned to screens in a post-credits cameo in the original Guardians of the Galaxy film. He was featured in another cameo in the sequel, and now he will be getting his own adult-themed cartoon.
Not only has Howard appeared in two movies, but he’s also taken a bigger presence in the comics in recent years. Most notably, he joined an alternate version of the Guardians as Juggerduck after he was given Juggernaut’s magical helmet.
While all this will help Howard’s keys get a boost, don’t expect to see a major fluctuation in the market. For the most part, I predict that he will continue to have a cult following rather than a full-on mainstream onslaught. Of course, he’s always been a cult favorite, so Marvel likely aimed for that level of exposure to begin with. They’re most likely aiming for the Rick & Morty crowd with his cartoon, and I’m sure sure it will have a similar style of humor.
Given that it’s going to air on Hulu and not, say, Netflix or the upcoming Disney Plus, there’s not going to be a huge audience compared to those giants of the streaming world. Don’t get me wrong; Hulu is a household name in the online movie/television business. Marvel already has the Runaways, and Ghost Rider has recently been announced. However, Hulu doesn’t have the subscriptions compared to Netflix, and Disney Plus is about to change the game entirely.
All that being said, I envision the Hulu series being a modest hit. Modest is the keyword here, and that’s the impact I see it having on Howard’s key issues. Sure, his first appearance in Adventure into Fear #19 and Howard the Duck #1 are great comics to have in your collections, but the Hulu numbers simply aren’t strong enough to cause them to skyrocket.
True, the more mainstream audiences are aware of a niche character like Howard, the more valuable his keys will become, but the Hulu series will have a minimal impact unless the show turns out to be a major hit.
The same can be said for the other properties being given Hulu cartoons. Hitmonkey, MODOK, Dazzler - none of these keys are truly going to take off. Look at the Runaways. After being renewed for a third season, it has been well-received and earned a decent following. However, the key issues haven’t seen any significant gains in value. On the other hand, look at the Netflix Marvel shows; the keys for Iron Fist, Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage all felt an immediate impact due to the now-cancelled shows. (I didn’t include Daredevil or Punisher with those properties since they were recognizable in the mainstream beforehand.)
In the end, collecting the Howard keys - or any from the upcoming Hulu cartoons - is a sound investment. Just don’t look for any major changes after the shows debut.
