The Retold Saga Of Dax The Damned!

Ken Kelly knocked it out of the park with this wild cover art for Warren's Dax the Damned Eerie special from the summer of 1975. This was my introduction to the mighty warrior drawn with so much gusto by Estaban Maroto. To read this entire issue check out this Internet Archive link. 

I fear I took the work of Ken Kelly a little bit for granted. His stuff seemed a bit shinier than the work of the god Frazetta, so I dissed it a little back in the day. I was very, very dumb. But Kelly is not the only focus of his post. 

And Sanjulian's back cover is even more mysterious and atmospheric. Esteban Maroto's sage of a very dark and "manly" warrior. I say that because the hero's original name was "Manly" or "Wolff" when he appeared in Spain and England. Here are a few pages of that glorious Maroto artwork. 

Here's that scrumptious page sans Cousin Eerie's obnoxious mug. Maroto's art is so crisp and elegant. 

Maroto's babes are second to none. He was the absolute master of drawing that gorgeous siren luring a man to his doom. I'd sure walk though hot coals to get a wee taste. 

The series debuted in Eerie #39 and rated cover mention, but alas no art to support it. 

This Sanjulian effort reinterprets a Dax image by Maroto to excellent effect. This story was my first taste of Maroto's somber hero. 

Luis Dominguez is the first artist to render Dax on an actual Eerie cover. 

Dax the Damned wandered through the next few years of Eerie, getting some cover attention on a few. To fully enjoy these Dax the Damned classics, check out this Destination Nightmare link. Enjoy! 

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