Den - Children Of Fire!

Richard Corben sure doesn't make it easy. The third installment of Den from Dark Horse is titled Children of Fire and as best I can make out we are following the arrival to Neverwhere (called "Dremurth" in this tale) of the very first Den. His female nemesis in the earlier stories is also there, but this time she is something of a guardian for him because he spends the majority of this story in an emaciated form. There is also an egg, one among many, but the only one to survive which to be kept safe. Our understanding of the action is not helped at all by the fact the newly-arrived aliens speak their own gibberish for a very long time into the story. (Apparently this is a letter-replacement code which I haven't yet deciphered.)

An essay which appears in the volume suggests that Corben is switching up the presentations of gender which to no small degree have defined Den. The woman is now the powerful and strong one, while the man is largely helpless through the narrative. Frankly I was bewildered for much of the first reading. 

My favorite character is Zomuk who serves Lord Zeg, an old sorcerer. It is on the island where they reside that the aliens first arrive. Zomuk is a dolt with great power and an overriding compulsion to eat things, things which are often people. We also have a couple of greedy stupid pirates thrown into the mix. 

I cannot really say I enjoyed Children of Fire, bit I can say without doubt that I am intrigued by it, and I want to know more. I finished it and immediately wanted to read it again. That's not bad at all. 

The three covers above were also included in the package, and I can only assume they reprint the original three-part saga as part of the longer 1988 series. 

Aside from some informative essays by Jose Villarrubia and the fascinating letters pages for the original comics with a , we are treated to Den's first appearance. This an attempt to represent the story from Grim Wit #2 as it was done originally and not seen as part of the longer Den saga which we saw in volume one. Thoroughly enjoyed it and the fanciful cover above which has no direct connection to the story.  

Next week I take a look at Corben's final project, a piece called Murky World. 

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