Collecting one of Jack Kirby's most underrated comic book series. A T-Rex type thunder lizard is scarred a deep crimson red by a tribe of cavemen. Rescued by Moon-Boy, the first human, Devil and the lad form a sort of psychic bond and travel through prehistoric earth. On their travels, the battle rival tribes, hangry dinosaurs, and aliens!
This was a series that I remember reading most if not all of the 9 published issues as a kid. In the 1980s and 90s, works by Kirby such as Kamandi, The Demon and even Devil Dinosaur were relegated to the dollar bins! I remember ordering a 100 book grab bag around 1987 and it was filled with tons of Jack Kirby post-Marvel age classics! Man, I wish I still had those! Because now, after the passing of 'The King' these former dollar bin gems are now selling for prices of $5-$50 a pop!
While Jack Kirby's influence was egregiously overlooked during the last few years of his life, the tide has changed over the past decade or so. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has introduced new generations to Jolly Jack! It's really increased interest. Thankfully, Marvel Comics, the publisher, has caught on to the resurgence and released collections such as this.
This book was published in 2014. But last year, Marvel learned from the success of DC's takeover of Ollie's Bargain Outlets and liquidated a ton of it's inventory. I found this $15 book for like $3 in beautiful condition. Meaning that I could relive the entire series for less than a dollar per book, I snagged this up and held onto it with a death grip until I made it to the cashier.
The early stories of Devil Dinosaur were quite thrilling. It was the type of stuff you'd expect to see in a 1960s prehistoric movie. But Devil Dinosaur was far more superior than those B movies thanks to Kirby. By issue 5 or so, the book went from prehistoric to cosmic, adding the meddling influence of an alien race who are doing genetic testing on early humans. By the end of this 9-issue series, Kirby presents the creation story from Genesis in the Merry Marvel Way. While clearly not Biblical, I actually loved this interpretation.
Why Devil Dinosaur only lasted 9 issues is beyond me. Comic Book fans were fickle in the 70s. At least Devil Dinosaur was allowed to not go extinct with a number of special appearances and even a new series from the House of Ideas in which Devil is bonded to a young girl in 21st century New York. Unfortunately, if you are looking for Devil's crossover with Godzilla, due to licensing issues, it wasn't reprinted. You'll have to seek the bins for that epic or shell out some big bucks for the collected Essential Marvel Godzilla trade which has long since gone out of print.
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.
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