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Post by berkley on Mar 7, 2017 18:24:16 GMT -5
The Demon #10 Looks like Etrigan interrupted this guy in the shower! We open with Etrigan casting a spell to see past events behind Farley Fairfax's scarring and his beef with Galatea, who he has confused with Glenda Marks.  Love this. I think the unusual angle of this double page spread is very effective and solves a story-telling problem in a not at all obvious way, allowing Kirby to show not only the action on the stage, but also the audience and Etrigan emerging from the wings. Most artists would probably have shown the stage square on, with perhaps the backs of the audience's heads, but Kirby came up with a much more imaginative approach to the scene. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Mar 8, 2017 14:54:44 GMT -5
Kamandi #12  Yeeeeeeeeee haaaaaaaaaaawwwwwww!!!!!!!!!! Ride 'em, bug-boy! Kamandi is hiding out in Slacker's Department store, swiping things to saddle up Kliklak, the 4-legged giant grasshopper. Kamandi tries to ride him and we geta bit of Black beauty, then the leopards turn up and capture Kamandi. He meets Mr Slacker and Flower?  Turns out it isn't Flower; but, her sister Spirit. Slacker frees Kamandi and offers to let him train Kliklak and race him. Spirit takes kamandi off and we see him train the giant bug and eat with his fellow humans, while grousing about slavery. Ingrate! he earns the wrath of Bull Bantam and gives him a sock in the jaw that humiliates him. He vows to kill Kamandi in the race, which is "Winner take all," meaning, to the death. Kamandi rebels, when he is captured again. Some more fight, capture, escape, fight, capture, etc.... Kirby also indulges in some irony, as we see "funny animal pictures" (including Hitler) and statues of wildlife (Nefertiti and a knight in armor). He makes a few points about slavery, even benign slavery and has a few parallels to Spartacus and the gladiators. Mostly an action-filled issue, with a few metaphors slipped in for good measure. Sacker as a snake calls up Ka, from the Jungle Book, which was fairly recent, in the Disney cartoon. |
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Post by Rob Allen on Mar 8, 2017 15:12:33 GMT -5
Sacker wasn't a Slacker.
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Post by codystarbuck on Mar 8, 2017 15:13:46 GMT -5
The Demon #12  Etrigan is prowling around Castle Rakenstein and stumbles across some mad experimenting...  Look's like your average Red Roof Inn! Etrigan starts kicking over braziers and chasing away mad scientists with fireballs, destroying the castle and releasing the creatures. Turns out this was all in the past, with the Baron's ancestor. Time to play more of the Family Feud! Jason Blood is chained up and slated to have his head and brain grafted onto the monster, once he finishes filling out the endless paperwork and gets pre-approval from his insurance company (if anyone would answer the damn hotline!). While the administrative stuff is seen to, Igor taunts the monster and hits him with an uber-cattle prod. You know this is going to turn out messy.  Meanwhile, Harry and Randu are at an ESP researcher's place and attempt to locate Jason, via one of the patients, who has already had contact with the monster. She is horrified by the monster's terror, as the operation is about to begin. The Baron isn't watching and Jason turns into Etrigan and all hell (literally) breaks loose. He melts the Baron's mystical scalpel blade and scorches his hand . He then releases the monster, who sees Igor with the electric lash and freaks out, running off in terror, smashing his way out into the city. people run in terror and the monster reaches out with his mind and contacts the psychic woman, while Etrigan absorbs the killing blow from Igor. Whooooooo, lots of of nasty business, some lab smashing and mad scientist burning, medical implement threats, little guys picking on simple-minded monsters, and a climactic rampage into a city. Another day at the office. Kirby again teases us with Etrigan's monster-fighting past and leaves us wanting more of those historical adventures. Guess we will have to wait for 20 years for Mike Mignola to take up the challenge. Really good issue, with Kirby having more fun with the plot of Frankenstein. |
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Post by berkley on Mar 9, 2017 0:15:16 GMT -5
I never really thought of this before, but seeing these samples of The Demon, it strikes me that Kirby's art for that series often looks more detailed than on his other DC books. I wonder if it was a conscious stylistic decision, or did he just have more time to work on it because of the cancellation of the Fourth World books. Or maybe it's just a misleading impression from the samples in the thread. I'll have check it out next time I read the series
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Post by codystarbuck on Mar 9, 2017 0:26:01 GMT -5
Don't know; but, my copies have the detail and the mood. Royer's doing the inking and was doing it elsewhere. Maybe Kirby just liked playing around with the monsters and the settings. He had a lot of detail in those "mystery" Mister Miracle issues. Kirby still had the same page contractual obligations, so it isn't like he was drawing less.
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Post by berkley on Mar 9, 2017 0:39:58 GMT -5
I think he might have deliberately used more detail on some of the mediaeval scenes - old castles, European villages, etc - that were often featured in The Demon, in contrast to the science-fiction tech fof the New Gods - though he could of course get highly detailed on some of the famous Kirby machinery as well.
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Post by codystarbuck on Mar 12, 2017 13:23:58 GMT -5
Kamandi #13  "Out you pixies go, tru da door or tru da window!" Either Jack has the sign on the wrong side of the gate or the leopards aren't too bright. Our story finds Kamandi walking around and getting underfoot. he's at a racetrack and gets mouthy with security and the touts. He nearly gets trampled by horses and security finally rounds him up and dumps him in the animal (human) pen. Man, he sure is the last boy on Earth; last smart-alec-y, knowitall boy! Back in my day, before the Great Disaster, we'd a tanned his hide! Dang permissive future parents!  Bull Bantam threatens Kamandi, who mocks him and Kamandi finds out Spirit is the prize of the race. he asks her to escape with him; but, she wants to stay. So long, sister! Kamandi decides to leave the skirt behind and hops on Kliklak to escape. However, the leopards use helicopters to steer him onto the race track and into the race he goes, avoiding firewalls, chasms, and other traps, only for Kliklak to be injured. The crowd doesn't care and wants the race to continue. Kamandi is about to flip them the "bird" when Bull lassos him, while riding a huge bison, and starts to drag him. We are left on the cliffhanger. Kirby is just dumping Kamandi into plots, with little ending in mind. Quite frankly, this could have used an ending, as the whole gladiator thing is pretty well played out and we didn't need more chase stuff. Oh, it looks great, from an action standpoint; but, it feels like Jack is just stretching things out to fill up his page quota. Even so, this is Kirby and Kirby spinning his wheels still looks better than 90% of the industry. Jack slips in more commentary about freedom vs comfortable slavery, treatment of animals (two or four-legged) and about bullies. Bull forces himself on Spirit, ignoring "no means no!". of course, this being comics, it's just a kiss. Even so, Kirby makes Bull out to be bullying scum; so, you will be glad when he gets his. All-in-all, kind of mild Kirby. Time to wrap this up and move on to a new adventure. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Mar 12, 2017 13:44:44 GMT -5
The Demon #13  Batman must be out of town, as Etrigan is raising a pretty big ruckus. Etrigan is bringing down the house on Baron Rankenstein and Igor (pronounced Eye-gor, no doubt)...  Kirby indulges in some monster Karma, as Etrigan unleashes fire and smashes things and the villains hit the bricks. A crowd sees Etrigan and he sends them scurrying and then heads underground. he runs into utility workers and spooks them. Meanwhile, Harry, Randu and the psychic woman Janie try to reach the monster, who has been cornered by a crowd. They are hurling bricks and insults at him and Janie tries to stop them. being bullies they grab her and threaten to hurt her. The monster comes out now and you know business is about to pick up...  The bullies run off but the cops show up. A stand-off occurs, when Etrigan shows up and tries to make peace (though a demon stopping a monster is a bit of a sight). Just as he's getting him calmed down, the Baron and Igor show up and attack. Etrigan is POd now. He tries to draw the bolt of energy from the monster and send it back to the baddies; but, enough hits the monster. Now Etrigan is really mad. If you thought he was scary before, check this out...  @#$% YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Of course, the monster dies tragically and Etrigan reverts to Jason, before he is found. Then, we see some vultures watching and are told to await the Return of the Witch Boy. Uh, oh; sounds like a Klarion call! Now, this is Kirby doing something with his book. Oh, sure, he's just retreading Frankenstein; but, he pulls you in and takes the story somewhere and gives it a kick-A ending, compared to Kamandi (heck, compared to most comics). This isn't an epic saga; but, Kirby seems more inspired in his stories, here. The art is well and truly scary, as befits the evil that abounds, from the Baron to the hateful crowd. This is Kirby in his element. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Mar 20, 2017 23:09:37 GMT -5
More Kirby coming; I was interrupted by a visit from my grandkids. Stay tuned for more Kirby adventure, as we have 3 more issues of The Demon to go, plus more Kamandi. Once The Demon concludes, we have Sandman, OMAC and The Losers waiting in the wings. Y'all come back now, hear?  |
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Post by codystarbuck on Mar 22, 2017 12:00:49 GMT -5
Kamandi #14  That's what happen when your grasshopper only has 4 legs! When last we saw Kamandi, he was in a "winner take all" race and was facing the wrath of Bull Bantam, riding a bison. Kirby shows us the havoc on the track, which looks like the climax of the original Rollerball...  Bull has Kamandi lassoed and is dragging him around when a shot rings out, cutting the rope and freeing kamandi. It turns out the shot came from Prince Tuftan, who is in the stands, along with Dr Canus and some Tiger soldiers. Kamandi gets a second chance and the action gets wild and poignant.    The story goes from Ben Hur to Old Yeller, as Kamandi must put down Kliklak. He is offered his prizes, including Sirit; but, Kamandi explodes in anger and is subdued. He is imprisoned, though eventually released into Tuftan and Canus' custody, in exchange for some secret. I complained about how long Kirby was dragging out this story; but, he delivers a great climax. The gladiatorial race is brutal and exciting and makes great commentary about how animals are used for sport. Kirby then attacks the slavery that the people are held under, as Kamandi objects to Spirit being a "prize." We also see that there is racial bias between the tigers and leopards, as Tuftan makes snide comments about the leopards. We are also given some intrigue as we are left to wonder about Tuftan's price for gaining Kamandi's freedom. That will get us to come back for the next issue. We also get a bit of a Twilight Zone moment, as we find out, at the very end, that the cell Kamandi was being held in, ready to be put down, was in fact an old prison gas chamber. Good wrap up to a story that had a shaky middle. This is also a textbook example of how to tell an exciting story, revolving around action and including some social commentary. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Mar 22, 2017 12:21:50 GMT -5
The Demon #14  Klarion is back! Put on some creepy music. Our story opens with Etrigan, in Hell!!!!!  Kirby offers up some nasty visions, as different creatures try to grab Etrigan. Suddenly, jason Blood wakes up, only to find Klarion hovering over him, which is probably more terrifying than the creatures of Hell. There's a bit of menacing, some mooching of food, and then the dead are summoned, to judge Jason, for sending Klarion away. Jason soon finds out that the worst is yet to come, as he is attacked by himself! Jason gets bashed on the noggin and wakes up to find Klarion sitting there. He tells Jason that time is nearly up and Jason can see that he is fading. he transforms into Etrigan and heads off to destroy the double, finding him systematically attacking Jason's friends. Etrigan saves Harry from being thrown off a building and Randu from burning in a fire, then confronts the doppelganger as it menaces Glenda. However, he has faded too much and disappears. Klarion is really creepy here and the cat Teekl is just as bad. Nothing Jason/Etrigan does seems to turn the tide and it looks like he is in deep trouble at the end. Really good suspense here, as Kirby delivers a really dark tale that makes you want to come back to see how Etrigan gets out of his predicament. The art is very moody and adds to the sense of terror. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Mar 25, 2017 11:06:04 GMT -5
Kamandi #15  Uh,oh; Kamandi and the boys must have ended up in Texas! Kamandi says goodbye to Spirit as he and prince Tuftan prepare to mount up...  This is sounding like a broken record; but, is Kirby awesome or what? Dr Canus has obtained some maps and info for their destination and Sacker refers to his mysterious deal with Tuftan, in exchange for Kamandi's release. Tuftan is at odds with Sacker, and is downright threatening. he reveals that they are going off in search of the Watergate Tapes. I assume Kirby means the missing 18 1/2 minutes in the White House recordings, when Nixon and Haldeman were discussing the arrests. Many then and now believe they contained incriminating statements that could have led to criminal charges against Nixon (which became a non-issue after his pardon by Gerald Ford) Kirby hated Nixon (much of Darkseid is modelled on him) and we see that continue here. This was topical stuff, when this was written. The group moves through what was Georgia and the Carolinas and into Virginia. They reach the ruins of Washington and stop to rest. While Kamandi sings songs written by beetles...  ...we see that the group has been bugged. What follows is a lot of allusion to the Watergate Scandal.  Jack isn't exactly subtle; but it is kind of goofy fun, especially if you lived through the events. I never forgave the government for interrupting my viewing of Space Angel with the Watergate Hearings! The apes zap Kamandi and his friends and when he awakes, Tuftan and Canus are gone. Troops search frantically for them and tell Kamandi to stop jabbering about being in Washington. Tuftan and Canus are hauled off to "hearings," where they are called "burglars" and are accused of attempting to steal the sacred tape voices. there are calls to "indict them." Kamandi and the Tigers push on...  Apes are running Washington! So, no change there! The Tigers fight their way through the Capitol building, while Tuftan and Canus are subjected to a parody of the hearings, complete with microphones. They are "tried" with blasts of sonic waves, generated by a machine, using sped up tapes. Kamandi and the Tigers finally reach the chamber, in an awesomely staged combat scene that I can't find an image of, Tuftan and Canus are rescued. Canus later examines the tape and plays it back at normal speed and Nixon's voice comes out, only for the tape to break before anything concrete is said. Now this is great Kirby! After spinning his wheels, inspiration hit Jack and he has great fun parodying the Watergate Hearings. This is on par with the old SNL skits about it, if you ask me. I kind of wish Kirby had done more of this kind of stuff. It probably wouldn't have sold any better; but, he had a talent for it. Then again, what didn't he have a talent for? Well, driving, according to family and friends; but not much else! |
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Post by codystarbuck on Mar 25, 2017 13:28:41 GMT -5
The Demon #15  Klarion has banished Etrigan and only the false Demon remains. Klarion celebrates by tormenting his servant, like the creepy little s@#$ he is.  You know, I suspect the other witch boys used to stuff Klarion into lockers at witch school, because he was a nasty litte @#$%^. Teekl gets pretty darn creepy, acting like an evil Hobbes. Infact, the pair of them are like a rather twisted version of Calvin & Hobbes. Teekl even takes on a humanoid form and the whole thing turns into the Twilight Zone-meets-Alfred Hitchcock Presents. This really kind of creeps me out.   Anyway, the cops show up and everyone hides. Finding nothing, they report back to Glenda Marks and tell her she's a bit uptight. Male chauvinist pigs! Glenda despairs but comes across the Philosopher's Stone. She looks it over as she wishes that Jason would come back. This is enough to allow Etrigan's return. He heads on back to kick the imposter's backside and Klarion's, too. Kirby indulges in some comedy, as Etrigan climbs the side of the building and spooks a woman reading a book on the occult (I can't find a scan of it, but it's fun!). Etrigan climbs in the window, only to be met by Klarion and the false Demon. the two Demons fight and Etrigan whoops the fake's hide and withstands Klarion's spells, thanks to Merlin's greater maic. he opens a portal and Klarion and Teekl are booted through it. Etrigan changes back and phones Glenda, probably hoping for a nightcap, if you get my drift. Klarion is pure creepy and Kirby has fun with him, making him the worst brat under the sun or moon. The fight is almost anti-climactic, as you know Etrigan is going to win. It's not as epic; but, it has its moments. A lot of it kind of cements the connection between The Demon and Hellboy, especially when you see toads hoping around, horned demons punching each other, creepy little ba@#$%^s and portals being opened to other dimensions. Only one more to go, with the promise of the return of Morgaine Le Fey! |
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Post by brutalis on Mar 27, 2017 8:04:34 GMT -5
This issue was my 1st Demon issue i ever had. From there i searched out all of the new issues as they would come out. Back issues before this one i had to wait a few years until out of high school and the new eruption of comic book stores arrived. Then it was Kirby Heaven for me collecting old Demon, New Gods, Mister Miracle as i could afford. The real fun was then buying up my complete FF slowly and steadily over the next few years and reading and re-reading my Kirby stuff over and over again. Probably why Kirby is King to this day for me  |
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