Wednesday, October 29, 2014

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.



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2 comments:

  1. I remember Steve Ditko finished that series in Detective Comics. I remember being disappointed when I turned to the page and didn't see Michael Golden's handiwork, but Ditko actually did a pretty good job with the character. Ordinarily, I didn't care much for his work beyond Spider-Man, Dr. Strange, and the Creeper.

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    1. Now that you mention it, I vaguely recall those Ditko pages. His style would make for a distinctive Demon indeed.

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