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Post by Deleted on Feb 5, 2017 18:35:33 GMT -5
codystarbuckDemon #3 is one of my favorite Kirby's Artwork and I wanted to say thanks for showing the pictures of this book ... it's brought back memories and the Demon is one of those books that I liked at the time it's came out.
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Post by berkley on Feb 5, 2017 20:53:13 GMT -5
Whenever I read The Demon I can't help wishing that Morgaine la Fey succeeds in regaining her lost beauty.
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Post by codystarbuck on Feb 5, 2017 21:48:57 GMT -5
One thing is clear in these Kirby pieces and that is he knows how to do a pretty decent horror story, without wallowing in gore or excess. They're Code books; but, even house of Mystery used to go further. Kirby seems to prefer the old school approach, where atmosphere is more important than shock, and then hits you with a monster that is visually frightening, if only in its unusual nature. At the same time, he could take a monster and make it sympathetic. One of my personal favorite Kirby monster creations is Karkas, from The Eternals. He looks like a monster, was used as a gladiator; but, he has the soul of a poet.
Right now, I think Kirby has set up a decent premise; but, hasn't quite figured out where he wants to go with it. He had a similar problem with the New Gods; but, I think he had more of a fully formed idea there; he just took a little while to get it up and running. By contrast, I always felt he hit the ground running with OMAC. He's definitely playing around with some great imagery and I definitely see the visual and conceptual influence on Hellboy; a monster fighting much worse monsters.
Kamandi is still world building at this point and Kirby hasn't done much with the characters, yet. He's also stuck trying to make it like Planet of the Apes. I think we will soon see that begin to change, though, and see more of Kamandi becoming its own thing and the characters start to develop more.
This is an interesting phase of Kirby's work at DC. The stuff he wanted to do has been cancelled and he is doing more improvising; but, at the same time, he has a bit of a freer hand. Kamandi would be his longest stint at DC. He wrote, edited and drew it for 3 years, then Gerry Conway takes over the editing reins and, eventually, the writing. I'd be curious to know if Kirby had a choice in that. He follows this work with OMAC, one of his wildest conceptual ideas, as well as some really good stories with the Losers, letting him show the war books what the war was really like, from a soldier's perspective (within the limitations of the series characters and structure). Justice, Inc was mostly to fill his contractual page counts, though I would think the material was up his alley, as someone who devoured the pulps, growing up. Sandman was a chance to work with Joe Simon again and they played around with a fairytale land, which probably didn't suit the audience of the 70s; but, which would have wowed them in the 40s and, maybe, 50s.
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Post by berkley on Feb 6, 2017 2:36:38 GMT -5
Good call on the parallels between Demon and Hellboy. It never occurred to me before all these years until you pointed it out in this thread, but I think you're spot on.
OMAC for me is Kirby's best DC book that wasn't related to the New Gods. One of the best science fiction comics ever made, IMO.
I don't think it's by accident that you find Karkas an interesting character: the dichotomy between him and the Reject, their relationship with Thena, etc - all of that is one of the keys to understanding the whole Eternals scheme of things, so he's a pretty significant figure in that series (OK, maybe not so pretty), thematically, if not in terms of prominence. I think there's some resonance with Greek myth (Erechthonius) there as well that brings a thematic depth to that subset of characters that makes itself felt to the reader.
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Post by codystarbuck on Feb 6, 2017 22:57:41 GMT -5
Good call on the parallels between Demon and Hellboy. It never occurred to me before all these years until you pointed it out in this thread, but I think you're spot on. OMAC for me is Kirby's best DC book that wasn't related to the New Gods. One of the best science fiction comics ever made, IMO. I don't think it's by accident that you find Karkas an interesting character: the dichotomy between him and the Reject, their relationship with Thena, etc - all of that is one of the keys to understanding the whole Eternals scheme of things, so he's a pretty significant figure in that series (OK, maybe not so pretty), thematically, if not in terms of prominence. I think there's some resonance with Greek myth (Erechthonius) there as well that brings a thematic depth to that subset of characters that makes itself felt to the reader. Mignola always said his influences were Kirby monster comics and Lovecraft (and some other; but, those are the biggies) and I just kind of took that as generic Kirby monsters, thinking more of the Atlas stuff, rather than Demon. I hadn't really "read" the Demon comics, until I started this; but, there are a lot of parallels OMAC was one I saw in a house ad, years before I read a single story (contemporary house ad, in the 70s, and finally found an issue, in the 80s, at college). I loved the name, in and of itself: OMAC, The One Man Army Corps. That makes you want to read the comic. Plus, the character looked so powerful on that cover, featured in the ad (it was the second issue's cover). The ironic thing was the first time I saw the character was when it was done by Jim Starlin, as a back-up feature, in Warlord. I like Starlin and he comes closest to Kirby, on the cosmic scale; but, he never quite captures the power (apart from Thanos). |
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Post by berkley on Feb 7, 2017 0:07:48 GMT -5
I love Starlin's early Marvel stuff like Warlock and Captain Marvel and agree that his work around that time is the closest thing to the cosmic scale of Kirby's Fourth World that Marvel has ever done. But I've found him uniformly disappointing whenever he's tackled the New Gods himself. I think he has little interest in the characters or the ideas and might even harbour some faint antagonism towards them.
This might seem surprising given the parallels between his Warlock/Thanos stories and Kirby's New Gods cycle, but perhaps it's that very closeness that's the problem: in a way, Starlin already did his own New Gods the way he wanted to do it, and thus finds himself out of sympathy the Kirby work. Perhaps there's also some annoyance with the comparison or the notion that his work was derivative in any significant way of Kirby's work, apart from the acknowledged influence of Darkseid in the creation of Thanos.
However, none of this would apply to OMAC, so I'll keep my eyes open for that feature when I get around to reading Warlord, a series I skipped back in the day but now look forward to reading once I hunt down the back issues.
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Post by codystarbuck on Feb 8, 2017 3:08:36 GMT -5
I love Starlin's early Marvel stuff like Warlock and Captain Marvel and agree that his work around that time is the closest thing to the cosmic scale of Kirby's Fourth World that Marvel has ever done. But I've found him uniformly disappointing whenever he's tackled the New Gods himself. I think he has little interest in the characters or the ideas and might even harbour some faint antagonism towards them. This might seem surprising given the parallels between his Warlock/Thanos stories and Kirby's New Gods cycle, but perhaps it's that very closeness that's the problem: in a way, Starlin already did his own New Gods the way he wanted to do it, and thus finds himself out of sympathy the Kirby work. Perhaps there's also some annoyance with the comparison or the notion that his work was derivative in any significant way of Kirby's work, apart from the acknowledged influence of Darkseid in the creation of Thanos. However, none of this would apply to OMAC, so I'll keep my eyes open for that feature when I get around to reading Warlord, a series I skipped back in the day but now look forward to reading once I hunt down the back issues. I'll say one thing, he beefed up the mohawk!  |
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Post by codystarbuck on Feb 8, 2017 18:25:39 GMT -5
Mister Miracle #17  (Yes, kids; there are your grandparents, maybe even great grandparents, rocking at a concert!) Our story, much like many episodes of Scooby Doo, find our heroes with a broken down car and a lucky inn close by, where they can stay the night. The coincidence seems rather cliche, which even Shilo notices...  The set up kind of reminds me of the Bugs Bunny cartoon Transylvania 6-5000 The guys see Barda to her room and she goes to sleep. She soon finds herself zapped in bed. No, Scott didn't comeback for a nightcap, she is hit with electricity and then the bed rotates to dump her down a chute! Scott and Shilo are shown to their room and the creepy concierge bids them goodnight. Scott removes his mask, but not his costume and settles on the bed and finds himself zappaed and gassed and dumped, with Shilo watching. The concierge returns to find Shilo un affected and shows off his sledgehammer and tells Shilo that it's HAMMER TIME! Whoops, wrong video... Shilo goes looking for Scott and barda and nearly gets caught by a guillotine. He escapes, just like Scott taught him; but, gets clobbered by Mungo, the muscle of this operation. He gets dumped in the "inferno room," where his goose appears to be cooked. However, Shilo employs boot jets to save him from the drop and extinguish the flames. He makes his way though the hidden rooms and finds Scott and Barda and revives them. They are still alive, due to their alien nature. Barda isn't happy with their accommodations and demands to speak with the manager...  The goons are busy talking to the syndicate, saying they have eliminated the Tricky Trio. Unfortunately for them, they haven't and they weren't the right Trio. The real Tricky Trio, three mob killers, show up and are about to whack the goons, when our heroes arrive and see their twins. The concierge hits the breakers and puts out the lights. Fighting erupts and Scott captures the concierge and beats up Mad Merkin. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MerkinMeanwhile, Barda faces Della the Dinosaur and takes her out by firing the drawers of a filing cabinet at her...  Shilo defeats Little Bullets and Scott calls the cops, who show up to find the goons all trussed up and waiting for them Our heroic trio depart quietly, leaving the cops dumbfounded. This is a silly, fun little adventure and the sight of Barda punching drawers at Della is truly awesome. Obviously, Kirby knows that things are about to end and he is just having fun. This is the penultimate issue, as the next will be the last. We are promised a wedding and it will be a doozy! Meanwhile, we'll end with some fun of our own... |
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Post by codystarbuck on Feb 8, 2017 19:01:13 GMT -5
Kamandi #4  Kamandi tawt he taw a puddy tat! He did, he did taw a puddy tat; great big tawking tiger puddy tats! Our story find Kamandi, looking at a less than mint edition (or half of it) of Demon #1 Ben Boxer and friends are gathering food at a derelict shopping mall, while Kamandi has found a stash of pre-Disaster comics...  The guys are loading the stores into their dirigible when one spots a vehicle approaching. It's a group of tigers in a snazzy motorized chariot. Kamandi escapes up a line, just in time. The men watch as the tigers find themselves assaulted by gorillas, who brought grenades and mortars. The humans get caught in the crossfire. It turns out one of the tigers is Prince Tuftan, son of the Tiger King and the apes take him away. They also snatch Kamandi and dump him into a holding pen, made from a derelict swimming pool, with other humans. the humans attack him, as he will cut into their food allotment. Kamandi cleans their clocks and then goads a gorilla into stepping across a line and whoops his simian behind. He grabs the apes rifle and leads a revolt of the humans, turning gorillas into mist. Kamndi heads off before the apes can bring in the heavy stuff and heads down a duct, where he finds Tuftan, who talks to him like a pet...  Kamndi tells him off and questions why he hasn't escaped out the duct. The tiger tells him he will escape when the time is right. outside, we hear alarms as the tigers launch an attack, as King Caesar leads his men on a charge. tuftan kicks out the door and kamandi realizes Tuftan's capture was a ruse. They go their separate ways, as friends, and Kamandi starts to head off to find ben Boxer, when he decides he wants to know why Tuftan let himself be taken prisoner. he discovers they are in an old Air Force facility and Tuftan has found old bombers, intact. Tuftan plans to use them to rain destruction from the skies. Kamandi decides to destroy the plane and grabs a flamethrower and fricassees it, telling Tuftan that man's follies should be left buried. The pair head off to escape the resulting explosion. We are promised reprisals in the next issue. Things are heating up, with this issue. There's plenty of action; but, the introduction of Tuftan gives some needed depth to this, as Kamandi finds an animal friend, though one he can't fully trust. We see the battle between apes and tigers, which becomes important to this story. We see more of the destroyed world, which continues to fascinate. Kirby is starting to push this more into something like Planet of the Apes, rather than a copy of it. Like I said before, the 4th World started slow; but kicked into high gear. it seems Kirby is starting to hit the accelerator on Kamandi. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Feb 8, 2017 19:28:55 GMT -5
Demon #4  Our story begins with Etrigan cutting a promo on the enemies of Merlin...  Etrigan is outside a spooky old house and he senses death. he goes inside to investigate and finds a hanged man. Just as he looks it over, he is attacked by a lizard-like creature and much fighting ensues, before it disappears in a pool of ooze.  The cops show up and Etrigan skeedaddles. he makes it back to Jason Blood's place, where Harry and Randu are waiting. Etrigan wants to attack them; but, something stops him: Randu's mental powers. He forces Etrigan to change back into Jason. Harry faints from all of this and they put him to bed. When he awakes, Jason talks about his investigations into suicides, brought on by extreme fear. He talks about the thing that attacked him and how the police found no trace of the creature. we cut to the police station, where one of the cops has a monkey they found at the house. After everyone leaves, the "monkey" transforms into a horrible creature, and bombards the cop with fear, killing him. The creature escapes and the other cops find their dead comrade, later. We see the creature move on, leaving a trail of bodies in its wake. We learn that the creature is in the control of a witch, Ugly Meg, who is working for the Iron Duke. her magic reveals that Etrigan is Jason Blood and she sends the creature for him. he arrives at Jason's apartment and transforms into a dragon creature, carrying off Jason. Meg is about to destroy Jason, when a voice calls out with the change spell and Etrigan arises. We close with the shot of Etrigan and Merlin. Business is about to pick up! There's some pretty creepy stuff here, with the fear monster. It's a bit like the doll that comes to life, in Trilogy of Terror (ugh, that still gives me shivers). Meg is of the cackling persuasion ad more than a bit of a stereotype; but, at least Kirby left off the witch's hat and broom. This is a bit more European folkloric. The reappearance of Merlin comes as quite a surprise at the end. Again, we can see more influences on Hellboy, as the fear creature is right out of the Hellboy playbook, before it was ever written, especially when it first attacks Etrigan. Its scaly and nasty and reminds me of the frog creatures, in Hellboy. The main visual difference is in the artistic styles, as Kirby is about the detail and the power, while Mignola is more about the atmosphere and impression. I always thought that Etrigan's rhyming was something that came with the Matt Wagner mini-series, in the 80s; but, it is here, with Kirby. I should have known better. Kirby certainly knows how to do horror. |
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Post by berkley on Feb 10, 2017 1:48:07 GMT -5
Haven't thought about it for decades, but I used to LOVE that Hocus-cadabra, Abra-ca-pocus Bugs Bunny cartoon: a childhood favourite that me and a friend of mine used to quote to each other well into our high-school years.
Barda is the highlight of so many of those Mister Miracle comics. I'll never understand why she hasn't been taken up by today's generation of comics creators, supposedly so concerned with diversity and gender equality: here's one of the best female characters ever created, ready-made with a compelling back-story and a whole mythology to build on, and they're just not interested.
Even in these later issues, where Kirby was forced to stay away from the whole Fourth World mythos, there's so much material that could be exploited - for example, what about a grown-up Shilo and his relationship, if any, with his adopted family as an adult? The possibilities are endless.
This indifference on the part of fans and creators makes me feel very cynical at times. Not to single out DC: I could say much the same regarding Thena and a few other characters at Marvel.
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Post by brutalis on Feb 10, 2017 9:22:15 GMT -5
While I do like the updated idea of Etrigan being part of the Rhyming Demon class it wasn't the intent Kirby had for the Demon. Etrigan would rhyme for spell casting or summoning's and occasionally if it suited his perverse sense of humor/mood but he did NOT do so in every speaking. The rhyming has now become so ingrained over the years that everyone thinks if it as being part and parcel of Etrigan now.
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Post by codystarbuck on Feb 12, 2017 16:09:57 GMT -5
Mister Miracle #18  You and a guest are invited to the wedding of Scott Free, son of Izaya the Inheritor and Avia, the departed, of New Genesis; and Barda, daughter of ?, of Apokolips. The wedding will take place in issue 18, the last, of Mister Miracle. Officiating the ceremony will be Highfather, of the Church of Kirby (Reformed). A reception will follow at the Veterans of Cosmic Wars hall. BYOBWell, this is the end, folks; Kirby's 4th World comes to a conclusion, with a wedding. It's time for the ceremony and here is the organist... The ceremony begins with Shilo, Oberon and Barda preparing Scott's latest escape performance.  They are filling the pit with nitro, so Scott tells Oberon and Shilo to head out. Oberon is nabbed by someone unseen. Shilo is grabbed right after. Then, rifle grenades are fired into the pit, igniting the explosives. The culprit is Virman Vundabar and he sends in his men to ensure that Scott and Barda are dead. We soon see they aren't, as Scott bore a tunnel with his boot lasers. He holds Barda in his arms and confesses his love to her and she does the same.  'Scuse me, I have something in my eye (SNIFF.......HONK!!!!!........SNIFF) Okay, that's better. Scott spots a sensor probe and decides to have a little fun and gives Virman an earful (in a great peace of Kirby comedy). Barda punches throught the earth and rock and sends the goons flying (DON'T F@#$ WITH BARDA!) and Scott unleahes a can of miraculous whoop-ass on Virman. However, Granny Goodness interrupts the fun and hits Scott with gravity beams, which makes him so heavy he sinks into the earth. Scott is being crushed when the rays end, under Kanto's direction. He agreed to help Granny; but, not commit torture. Granny and Kanto spar with insults and Virman tries to put an end to Scott, earning Granny's wrath for disobediance. he slinks away and Scott is dragged to the bomb clock...  Scott discovers why his Mother Box circuits didn't detect Granny and her goons and finds out that Dr Bedlam is behind it. There is no escape this time, as the clock ticks to "ignite" and the entire apparatus launches into space and explodes. Granny is cackling when her soldiers start flying. It is Orion and it is brown trouser time for Granny's stooges. Lightray soon arrives and demonstrates how he created the illusion of the explosion. It is then that we see the fate of our couple and friends...  Scott tells Oberon that this is goodbye and Oberon hugs him, before leaving. Barda tells Shilo that he is becoming quite a young man and she will return to see the man he becomes. The pair depart as Highfather prepares for the wedding and the ultimate guest. Highfather decrees that Granny, Kanto and Virman will witness, which scares the doo-doo out of Granny, as Darkseid has been called and he will not like her defeat. The ceremony is simple: Scott and Barda grasp Highfather's staff and profess their love...  The final guest arrives late and brings his fury; but, it is not enough. The wedding has happened and Metron has whisked everyone to New Genesis, leaving a dejected Darkseid behind. Oberon and Shilo witness this, then Oberon tells Shilo to beat feet, as Darkseid rationalizes his failure as having spoiled the joy of the wedding, prompting a massive laugh. Jokes on you, buddy! Scott and Barda are man and wife and free. Their destiny is their own and they stand in defiance of your ultimate fascist order. Their very existence proves that you can be defeated and that life is always greater than Anti-Life. And now, we dance... Thus, we close the book on Kirby's 4th World. Kirby built a mythology that transcended anything he had done before or would do after. As usual, he was way ahead of the curve and his work would be picked at by lesser talents (great as they might be) for years, without even coming close to the grandeur and majesty that Kirby achieved at the height of the series. Even Kirby's smaller stories were better than most. Mister Miracle transitioned to adventure and mystery, outliving the other 4th World books and though they didn't have the same impact, they were fun and entertaining. The irony is that when Kirby's contract was ending, DC decided to revive the New Gods and Mister Miracle, favorites of the new regime of Jenette Kahn and Paul Levitz. According to Mark Evanier, Kirby was approached but he had decided to head back to Marvel, having been soured on the experience at DC. Kirby had moved on, as was his nature. He always moved forward; and, even though he returned to his past creations of Black Panther and Captain America, Kirby took them into new worlds. So, the 4th World found itself in the hands of Gerry Conway & Don Newton and Steve Engelhart & Marshall Rogers; and, though they had their moments, they weren't Kirby and it was ended again. DC tried to make right by Kirby with the reprint of New Gods and the Hunger Dogs conclusion; but, like the first time, Kirby found himself having to navigate demands and try to find the place he had been, rather than where he was. After Crisis, John Byrne and others brought back the 4th World; but, it wasn't Kirby's vision. Mark Evanier and Steve Rude did an admirable job with the Mister Miracle Special and Byrne made good use of the New Gods characters in the Superman books (followed on by other Superman teams); but, a revived New Gods series didn't gel. Mister Miracle became part of the comedy ensemble that was Justice League International, then he and Barda became part of a sitcom in their revived series. It was entertaining enough, if not mindblowing. Since then there have been fits and starts; but, no epic. One group came closest and that was the crew of the Superman and Justice League cartoons, who used the 4th World characters to their best feature. Every wedding celebration needs a toast. So, here is to Scott Free, who taught us that belief in ourselves and perseverance can create miracles and Barda, who taught us that love is greater than any army and gives you the strength to stand in defiance of the vilest monsters; and the the couple who showed us that love is the greatest miracle of all. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the happy couple...  and, their inspiration...  Forever in love, Forever Free! |
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Post by codystarbuck on Feb 12, 2017 17:08:22 GMT -5
Kamandi #5  A cover like that needs a soundtrack... Kamndi and prince Tuftan are fleeing the explosion that Kamandi set off, to keep the tigers from gaining fighter aircraft and bombers. They run smack into an awesome Kirby two-page spread that I can't find a "SINGLE SCAN of, on the internet! How can you not post an image of an ape swinging across with a knife between his teeth, as other apes fire weapons and explosives, while tiger ride on horseback, wielding lances, and also bring up artillery? Aggggghhhhh!!!!!!!!! Kamandi and Tuftan take to a roof to bypass the fight and run smack into a pair of gorillas. On the word "Kick" Kamandi and Tuftan knock their foes out and grab some weapons and Kamandi tells Tuftan not to call him "animal". They run along and fall through a roof, coming back into contact with apes, who have been whipping a woman. Kamandi hides his weapon, then unleashes a surprise...  After a philosophical argument about humans and cattle, the tiger forces arrive and announce their victory. Tuftan goes off to his father and leaves orders not to disturb the "animals." Kamandi frees the rest, though they don't seem to recognize it. Kamandi takes off, followed by Nova....I mean Flower, the girl he saved, who can speak and tells him her name is Flower. They hop a truck; but, are spotted and arrested. Kamandi is brought to fight in a gladiatorial battle. Tuftan argues with his father, who rebukes him and his softer generation. Kamandi is forced to fight an ape and holds his own, until the ape gets ahold of him. Tuftan leaps to his rescue, shocking all. However, the ape overpowers him. Kamandi returns the favor and knocks out the ape, with a club. This shocks all and caesar, Tuftan's father, isn't happy. before he can do anything, the apes counter-attack. The tigers prepare for another battle, when the apes arrive under a white flag, seeking to give the tigers a chance to leave the city and cede it to the apes, to avoid further bloodshed! Caesar's code forbids retreat, yet he doesn't want to spill more blood. Kamandi speaks up and offers to mediate. Kamandi presents the two leaders with a slot machine and lets the "one armed bandit" decide the fate of the city. The ape gets three cherries and Casar gets two lemons and a sprig. He honors the bargain and withdraws his forces peaceably. he allows Kamandi to claim a reward; but banishes him. Kamandi takes Flower and a vehicle and heads off into the desert, sayng farewell to Tuftan. Great issue, with the friendship of Tuftan and Kamandi being fully formed and Kirby presenting a bit of commentary on the younger generation and the stupidity of war. He offers a peaceful solution, instead. He also introduces a love interest for Kamandi, even if it is a rip-off of Nova. Elements of this tale would turn up in Batman, The Brave and the Bold, as Kamandi teams with Batman. As usual, they did pretty well by Kirby. They certainly loved his visuals. Before I end this, here is a cute little Kamandi item I found on the internet, featuring the boy and his tiger friend...  |
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Post by codystarbuck on Feb 12, 2017 17:59:28 GMT -5
The Demon #5  Judging by the cover, Etrigan faces a generic costumed villain and Joseph Stalin's mother! They apparently shared the same moustache! Inside, we find Ugly Meg and the Iron Duke facing both Etrigan and Merlin and Merlin isn't too happy. Before you can say "Anal nathrach, Ors' bhais's bethad, do chel denhma..." Meg attacks with her own spells, sicking a tree demon on Etrigan. It pounds the Demon down, until he finally kicks it in the arboreus goolies. A hurricane wind shrieks at Etrigan and the witch and her master are gone. Merlin and Etrigan take the Duke's abandoned horse and head for his castle. In the woods outside, they encounter some of the Duke's subjects, who beg for the pair to attack to bring them freedom. Merlin gives the horse wings and he and Etrigan fly to the castle. Meanwhile, Harry and Randu discuss Jason, as they stare at the paintings of Jason, from different time periods. Randu reaches out to touch Etrigan's mind and sees the attack on the castle. Stone statues come to life and attack with fiery spells, which cause Merlin and Etrigan to gain mortal form, returning Jason Blood. This scares Harry and he urges Randu to split, as this scene is too heavy for them. However, Randu convinces Harry to think of their friend Jason and Harry realizes he must stand by his friend, even if sorcery is beyond him. We see Jason tortured by the Duke, while Merlin is helpless. Meg uses Mind Masks to transfer the secrets of Merlin to the Iron Duke. merlin warns the Duke that Meg's power is beyond her skill and someone else is pulling the strings, that it will be his undoing. merlin proves right as Meg takes her vengeance on the Duke and his exploitation of her, turning him into a literal Iron Duke and her pawn. She turns her attention to Jason and orders the Duke to throw him over the parapet of the castle. Jason struggles and cries out for Etrigan, causing the change. A violent battle ensues...  Meg orders the Duke to crush Etrigan, but finds herself in the path of the mindless creature. He collides with her and both fall over the parapet, as Etrigan escapes, plunging to their doom. Etrigan frees Merlin and the find the source of Meg's power, the Dream beast, Somnambula, who she had trapped. Merlin has Etrigan unleash demonfire on the beast, ending its power. The pair then depart the empty castle. Another action packed episode, with violent battles, some creepy characters and a great story. Kirby is getting to the darker heart of the Merlin myths, the folkloric tales of dark battles with demons and witches, the terrors of the night. This is not shining armor and great heroes, ala Foster and Mallory; this is older, more violent tales of battles between primordial forces. Again I wonder what Hollywood could do with this material, in the right hands. It would blow away the best of the stuff I have seen on Game of Thrones or the Lord of the Rings. Merlin and Morgaine, his pet demon Etrigan slaughtering her forces, fighting her monsters; it would be epic. Kirby had vision, Warner doesn't. You want to beat Marvel at the box office? Unleash pure Kirby! Just don't let Zack Snyder near it... |
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