Customer Reviews

Den: Neverwhere (Den Series volume 1)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A bizarre amateur radio experiment opens a portal to another dimension, and archtypical 98 pound weakling Daniel Ellis Nelson steps through. He finds his body transformed into an archtypical strongman's. And that isn't all that's different in Neverwhere. There is evil to fight, damsels (themselves transformed earthlings as well) to rescue, and so forth. In Corben's pen, watercolor wash and airbrush style which set the tone for so much fantasy art of the 1980s.

A great introduction to Corben's "Den" series and the entire genre of the adult-science fiction/adult-fantasy genre personified by Heavy Metal Magazine and it's many wannabe-copycats (in fact, "Den" was the series that made Heavy Metal a respected publication).

Though "Neverwhere" is mostly action and violence--with the occasional tasteful lovemaking thrown in--the entire series delves into a theological and psychological Lovecraftian epic, so I recommend not just this book but the rest of the graphic novels! Corben's style of airbrushed landscapes, beautiful nude characters, and violent fight scenes makes "Den 1: Neverwhere" for a unique and entertaining graphic novel in an otherwise inflated, saturated, and cliched comic industry.

If you read graphic novels, then you must find copies of the Den Saga as published by Fantagor Press.

Graphic novels simply don't get any better! The story and art are both incredible.

Richard Corben is da man!!!

I just found this one at the back of my collection. It's full of Corben's exaggerated figure drawing, the women even more exaggerated than the men. The characters and settings are improbable - I really wonder why the "fish people" are so bulbously mammalian. The stories move fast, and don't present too much of a demand on the intellect. Good, uncomplicated fun.

Den 5 continues the stories of the Nar stones, the ones at the center of the "Heavy Metal" movie. They date back to the 80s. Corben didn't stop there, however. His artwork and story telling have both developed since then. If you're looking for good comics, you might like Corben. The later work is generally better and certainly more accessible, though. Only the serious collector will try to hunt down the older material.