Another Book Of Demons!

I confess that when The Demon debuted at DC I was missing in action. I had become disillusioned with DC comics after they cancelled my beloved Fourth World saga (at least the New Gods and Forever People parts). The remainders of Mister Miracle were tepid absent the shadow of Darkseid and frankly neither Kamandi nor The Demon called out to me. I was wrong then and I have been paying for it ever since. And by paying for it, I mean I have spent my money getting the back issues, then the reprinted omnibus and now once again I buy The Demon. The reason is the sheer handsomeness of these volumes which offer a dandy page quality which showcases the art to its best effect. Jason Blood is a wonderful creation and the grinning Demon one of Kirby's most visually arresting heroes. I've done a detailed review of the series here at the Dojo before -- you can find them all if  you follow The Demon.

Here are the evocative covers of the issues in this handy tome.

Rip Off

Night Of The Manhunter!

Well I wanted some slam bang Kirby action and the Manhunter Special #1 delivers. In this story written by Keith Giffen and Dan Didio, and drawn by Giffen and  Mark Buckingham we meet an intense Paul Kirk who is prowling the night in full-blown predator mode and beating down thugs and gangsters he comes across. Enter the Sandman and his sidekick Sandy the Golden Boy who object to Manhunter's overly violent methods and suddenly the heroes are blazing across the pages with ferocious fisticuffs of their own.

The battle is evokes the energy of a vintage Kirby story and uses elements of his classic Bronze Age style without openly swiping it, a tricky balance. The story reads quickly, but was what I wanted.

(Not art from the comic book.)

More atmospheric is The Demon story by Sam Humphries and Steve Rude. Rude is the artist who to my eye most successfully evokes the energy and drama of the "King" and still he's distinctively himself at all times. Jason Blood wants out of his occult partnership with the demon Etrigan and seeks a monk to help him out. It doesn't go as planned, but you knew that already.

Also on tap in this comic are some tasty reprints. There are few Golden Age pages from the debut issue of Real Fact Comics which picture a wild and weird future. And there's an Atomic Age story from the pages of Tales of the Unexpected which reveals the weird secret of an actress who hides her face. Twists galore in this one.

All in all a pretty nifty comic with a properly potent Bruce Timm cover, which held up to the reputation of the myriad characters and styles they represent.

Rip Off

Jack Kirby Pencils And Inks!

What a great way to kick off the "Year of the King". I don't think I even knew this new volume from IDW Publishing was coming out, but when I stumbled across this beautiful tome a week ago I knew I had to have it. And the fact my local store was running a holiday half-price sale on hardbacks made it a must buy right that very minute. So I got this fifty dollar item for a sweet price indeed and it's exceedingly well worth it.

Jack Kirby Pencils and Inks - Artisan Edition pulls three number one issues from the catalogue of Kirby number ones and gives them a real royal treatment. The original artwork for these three issues is largely still extant thanks to Kirby having installed an early copy machine and making duplicates of his original art before inks by the great Mike Royer.

The set-up of the book is that we have the debut issues of The Demon, Kamandi Last Boy on Earth and OMAC and we get the pencil art (when available) reproduced directly next to the inked version.  It's a novel way to read the King's work, a way into his techniques like no other. There's an introduction by inker Mike Royer, who inked all three of these books as well as Kirby's own classic introductions to the each series from the respective debut issues.

Most of the material is here, save sadly for the inked cover of OMAC and the pencil versions of some amazing two-page spreads. The editors have even included some other material from New Gods and elsewhere to expand the volume just a mite. Beautiful volume and easy to read, not something one can say about the larger Artist's Editions which have been coming onto the market in recent years.

Highly recommended.

Rip Off

Demonlogy Extra - Final Thoughts!

The Demon has become one of  Kirby's more interesting creations, visually exciting, the leaping gargoyle of a hero is at once mysterious and colorfully blatant.

As always with any Kirby creation, the art dominates and the storytelling in the Demon is some of the most effective of Kirby's Bronze Age career. I don't think I got lost for a single panel as the stories rumbled along, often at a beautifully breakneck pace.

The creatures and villains he encountered were recognizable motifs from the classic horror landscape, but all of them had that Kirby panache which invested them with a fresh energy.

The Demon is a character who can successfully play in DC's larger environment, more freely than just about any of Kirby's other Bronze Age creations for the company. The New Gods are defined by their origins and limited as to their focus. Kamandi is isolated in time. But the Demon lives in the heart of Gotham City, a hub of superhuman activity and is free to interact with other prime heroes.

One aspect of the Demon comics which I've neglected is the contribution of Mike Royer. Royer was Kirby's handpicked inker at this stage of his career. Also a denizen of California, Royer was convenient, but it was a union which resulted in some stunning comics pages.

Royer, especially in his earliest days on Kirby cleaved close to the penciled pages and enhanced what was on the page already. Later, as the two got more used to one another you can see Royer asserting his influence a bit more, or perhaps Kirby came to trust him enough to leave some elements in his hands.

Often overlooked in Royer's work on Kirby, but crucial to the overall look is the lettering. Royer's lettering gave the Kirby books a look unique in the DC line at the time, more free form than the typical material. When the Kirby stories started using more and more chapter breaks it gave Royer lots of opportunities to letter massive words, often with fascinating effect.

Reading The Demon over the last several weeks has been enlightening. Some of the comics I haven't read since I picked them up decades ago, and so sat largely unremembered. They are better comics than that, they deserve to be read. The will reward anyone who gives the effort.

No more to come.

Rip Off

Demonology Extra - The Demon Lives!

The Demon returned off and on over the decades.

The first and the only one I followed other than the original Jack Kirby run was in the pages of Detective Comics.

Drawn by up and coming superstar artist Michael Golden, this was a pretty successful translation of the series, with a whisper of Wrightsonian style added to the bombast of Kirby's original designs. Golden was a perfect choice as artist at the time, as he somehow successfully blended these two disparate styles in one delicious hybrid.

I no longer own these stories and cannot read them again alas, but I do remember liking them mightily at the time they came out. The Demon lasted only a few issues in the dollar-sized Detective Comics format.

Since then, DC has trotted him out several times in limited series and ongoing ones as well. Growing out of his appearances in Swamp Thing, he even got a run in Action Comics Weekly, a cover for which (see above) was the last time Jack Kirby drew his creation for publication.

He seems to have found some level of success as some of the runs have been impressive, at least in terms of numbers. I cannot speak to quality as I've never read any of them at all.

Here are some of the debut covers.

The Demon has even made it to television. Simplified, but effective, the classic Kirby design holds up well in the animated look.

Heck there are even toys. Sheesh, that would look pleasant under the Christmas tree. Aargh.

Rip Off

Demonology #16 - Immortal Enemy!

The sixteenth and final issue of Jack Kirby's The Demon wraps up the storyline but returning the Demon's most implacable foe, the deadly Morgaine Le Fay.

Morgaine Le Fay in many ways is responsible for the centuries spanning Demon, as her assault on Camelot so long before is why Merlin summoned his Demon to begin with.

The story begins with the Demon on patrol in Gotham City when he comes across another of his kind, a demon named Kafir the Horned One who looks rather like a two-legged buffalo. They fight, but the Demon is overcome by magical mist which puts him to sleep.

When he awakes he is the prisoner of Morgaine Le Fay who seeks to make a slave of the Demon and Jason Blood by branding him on the forehead with her mark. She seems successful.

Meanwhile Glenda Mark is practicing with the Philosopher's Stone and begins to realize its great power. She is suddenly confronted by Warly, the old sorcerer who we first encountered in the debut issue of the series and who is a servant of Morgain Le Fay. He tells Glenda that if she follows him he can take her to Jason Blood.

When they arrive at Morgaine's hideout, the Demon is busy entertaining her by fighting an ancient gladiator. The battle is ended Morgaine entertains her guest by showing her control over the Demon and over Jason Blood himself and Glenda for the first time sees the transformation and leans the truth about the man she has come to care for.

Morgaine wants the Philosopher's Stone, but Glenda does not give in so easily and as they banter Warly suddenly snatches it and attacks his former mistress turning her into what appears to be a metallic mummy case. But Morgaine's magic is not done and red tendrils reach out from another dimension and snare Warly who counters with Nether-Flame. The flames get out of control and Jason and Glenda flee when suddenly Jason realizes that he's free of Morgaine's control.

Using his powers as the Demon he gets himself  and Glenda free of the flames and ends the menace of Morgaine Le Fay. He then reclaims the Philosopher's Stone and confronts Glenda with the truth that he and the Demon are one and the same. With that revelation the series comes to an end.

It's clear that Kirby knew the this was the last issue and so he was able to give it a send off, though it was a flawed one. We still get no word on  Harry Matthews and Randu Singh who had been saved but still suffer from the idea that Jason had turned on them. That plot is not resolved, at least not directly. I do like that Glenda is finally let in on the secret of Jason, and she proves a worthy partner for him in this adventure.

Bringing in Morgaine Le Fay again was smart and I was especially surprised to see old Warly again. This gives the series a nice circular structure and on that level an interesting ending.

That's the end of the series but there's a bit more to come still.

Rip Off