Customer Reviews

Devil Dinosaur by Jack Kirby

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this book. Now honestly their are other characters much more worthy of this hardcover treatment, but Devil Dinosaur has made a big impression on a lot of fans, so there you have it.

Reading them all together you come to a Jack Kirby story that is more straight forward, less melodramatic, than his New Gods saga, and yet he hits you with cosmic concept after cosmic concept.

Rumor was this was a try out for selling a cartoon series, that never came up, but the characters still endure with Devil Dinosaur most recently making an out of character appearance in Nextwave Agents of Hate.

My only regret is that they did not include Devil Dinosaur's cross over with Godzilla, though you could catch it in the Essential Godzilla.

While I loved the story (bought it off the rack as a kid) I'd say this volume is more for the hardcore Kirby fan; though I think if you are willing to gamble the price you will find it worth while.

No, the title of this review is NOT a spelling mistake. Jack Kirby's Devil Dinosaur #1 is the very first comic I remember owning and I was 3 or 4 at the time it came out. Up until last year (when a friend sent me #1 - 3) I had never read past the cliffhanger ending of issue #1.

This hardcover version fully restores Devil Dinosaur to glory - there are no speckled dots or faded/ yellowed pages here; the book has never looked better. Of course, this has to look fantastic - it's Jack Kirby (who writes the story as well as completing the art)! Now, granted a book about an ape boy and his dinosaur is not what you typically expect from the more cosmic minded Kirby, but there is plenty of other-worldly action here.

At it's heart this is really a boy and his dog story set in perhistoric times with an ancient human anscestor and a red Tyrannosaurus Rex-like dinosaur taking the place of the usual characters. The enduring bond between Moonboy and Devil is truly the heart of this tale.

There is nothing usual about this book - it's all quirky fun. Devil Dinosaur is every bit as fantastic as I remembered from my youth and now, finally, I get to read the whole story - you should too.

Nothing about this series appealed to me when Marvel first published it. If I noticed it on the comic book spin rack or shelve, I did so only with my peripheral vision.
Marvel published Marvel Monsters in hardcover, and I purchased that collection. The first story featured a fight between the Hulk and Devil Dinosaur.
The Hulk has always been one of my favorite Marvel characters, but in this story the love that Moonboy has for Devil Dinosaur made me love these two characters.
When I learned that Marvel planned to publish an Omnibus of the entire Jack Kirby series, I immediately made plans to buy it. The Omnibus did not disappoint me. I love the artwork, and I like to watch the way Jack Kirby developed this series.
I recommend this to any person that has a love for graphic storytelling. You will enjoy this book as much as I did.

Jack Kirby's return to Marvel Comics in the mid-Seventies is generally regarded as an embarrassment for "The King". His art was still superb, but his need for autonomy in his writing led to some absolutely abysmal storylines. This was especially true of his higher-profile series like Captain America and Black Panther; however, when it came to the lower-profile, more personal works, his creativity really shone through. Such was the case with Devil Dinosaur, which is collected in its 9-issue entirety in the DEVIL DINOSAUR OMNIBUS.

Let's face it: a "buddy story" centering on a proto-human and a tyrannosaur may not seem like the best concept (much less even be possible), but the affinity Kirby had for stories involving prehistory, mythology, sorcery, and ancient astronauts is used to great effect here. Where Kirby's other titles incorporating these elements were cosmic in scope (New Gods, Eternals), his Devil Dinosaur series used them as the backdrop for a simple tale of a struggle for survival. DD and Moon-Boy are two outsiders who have a limited understanding of the greater forces acting around them, just looking for a place to live happily ever after - how could they know that their adventures would lay the foundations for the myth of Hercules, the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, and the reports of cryptids in the 20th Century?

It's easy to see that Kirby was wholly into this comic, as evidenced by the "Dinosaur Dispatches" included in the book. These pages contain The King's musings on the topics he covered in this title, and they are a true joy to read. They provide insight into what drove Kirby's creative juices, and I am thankful that the publisher saw fit to include them.

There's nothing deep or particularly historically significant about this 70's prehistoric comic book by Jack Kirby. It's a simple boy-and-his-dog story, whereas the boy is a primitive human and his dog is a gigantic red tyrannosaur with a penchant for kicking bad guys in the face. However, if you can approach it from the innocent point of view of a child it is an incredibly fun read. The art is outstanding even by Kirby's cosmic standards (particularly the first appearance of the spacecraft, which Moon Boy perceives to be a dragon - a gorgeous 2 page psychedelic spread that krackles into the outer limits... hard to believe this guy was in his 60s!!). As far as bare-bones, easy-to-read, purely escapist entertainment goes, this is an absolute delight.

Jack Kirby is undoubtedly one of the most revered creators of all time in the realm of comic book history, and while his Devil Dinosaur series may not have been as impacting or influential as a majority of his other creations, it is a nevertheless wild and fun trip. Starring Moon-Boy and his red-skinned companion of which the comic gets it's name, Devil Dinosaur lasted only nine issues, but stands as one of Kirby's most enjoyable endeavors. Thrill to the adventures that Moon-Boy and Devil embark on as they trek across the dangerous prehistoric landscape getting into all sorts of adventures, culminating in a ride into the sunset. The storytelling may be deceptively simple, but Kirby's artwork remains a spectacular portrait of an artist and creator at his absolute finest. All in all, the Devil Dinosaur Omnibus may not feature the King's most influential and important work, but it is a fun and often thrilling ride while it lasts that readers old and new will enjoy.

After writing and drawing several projects at DC in the early-mid 70's, Jack Kirby returned to Marvel. This period is controversial with fans as some feel Jack never got back his old magic and was showing his age, while others defend his work from this period. Here is one title written and drawn by Kirby, as were the DC projects he left behind, so fans can judge for themselves. Included are four essays from the original four issues by Jack explaining the concepts behind these stories. 2 letter pages from later issues are also reprinted, showing the fans of the time praising the work. See for your self and make up your own mind, at a nicely discounted price.

I bought the full run of "Devil Dinosaur" on eBay as a gag gift for a friend's birthday. The joke was on me though, because I thoroughly enjoyed each and every issue and was bummed when it ended. I hope this collection has the original ads, and especially the little essays Jack Kirby wrote in each issue; those are half the fun! I also love his "Machine Man" series; I hope they reprint those someday!