Gorilla Daze

Devil Dinosaur #9, December 1978

“The Witch and the Warp”

After the brief foray into pseudo-prehistory last issue, #9 sees Kirby return to familar sci-fi action.

Devil and Moon-Boy find an old hag who speaks incantations. Devil fears her and roars. As he races toward her, she flees, leading Devil and Moon-Boy into an area of mysterious deep pits. One pit crackles with Kirby-dots, and Moon-Boy expresses anxiety — as well he might.

Phantoms appear and, startled, Devil loses his footing and falls into a pit. As Devil disappears into the depths, Moon-Boy attempts to climb down but becomes stuck.

Devil appears in 1978 — how or why we’ll never know — and is instantly set upon by a bunch of rifle-wielding hunters in Nevada. He fights back and they drive off. Devil, uncomprehending the new world in which he finds himself, follows.

Moon-Boy is rescued by the hag and her son. He asks them to save Devil.

Back in 1978, Devil arrives at Zuma City where he terrorizes the inhabitants. Just think the second Jurassic park movie and you’ll have a good idea. Firemen try to hose down the red beast to little effect, so the army is called in and they bring heavy cannons.

Moon-Boy, the hag and her son roll thunderballs (some kind of ancient gunpowder) into the pit. This has the effect of opening up a time warp in 1978, and Devil leaps into it, narrowly avoiding the artilery bombardment he’s come under.

Moon-Boy reluctantly thanks the hag and joyously rejoins his dino-pal. The pair wander off for more adventure…

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Kirby rounds off the series with little inspiration apparent. He was running on empty and just counting the days to the end of his Marvel contract. The issue is really just a re-tread of The Lost World — indeed had Spielberg painted his rogue Tyrannosaur red, it could’ve served as the movie adaptation of Devil. None of the time-warp stuff is explained, or satisfactorily resolved.

Still, never mind, from start to finish Devil Dinosaur can best be described as a ‘romp’. And, as such, it always delivered the goods. It’s one of Kirby’s lesser works, but was never less than entertaining.

Go and buy the collected edition and have yourself a darn good time!

Devil Dinosaur #8, November 1978

“Dino-Riders”

Moon-Boy is feeling a little homesick and wants to find his people, the Small-Folk, again. As he and Devil wander through a ravine, they are unaware that they are being watched by brutes that wear lizardskin clothing (ancestors of Jim Morrison, perhaps). The spies go to alert their leader.

Moon-Boy finds the Small-Folk cowering in a cave. They’re afraid of him — and his relationship with the big red dinosaur. As Moon-Boy tries to convince them that Devil is their protector, not their enemy, the cave comes under attack by the lizard-skin folk.

Outside, Devil has been partially bound by ropes.

He fiercely fights his way free, but is soon brought down by a sustained assault by these ‘dino-riders’. With Devil bound, his eyes blinded with mud, Moon-Boy flees for safety. He makes his way back to Small-Folk an ralies them to his aid with a speech worthy of Henry V. “Will you let this happen without a fight!?” he implores.

Meanwhile, Devil has his face forced into a bucket of drugs but refuses to succumb to sleep. One of the dino-riders, Spirit-Killer, edges forward to perform a ritual dance intended to subdue the giant. Before he can hit his stride, the dino-riders are overwhelmed by the Small-Folk army led by Moon-Boy! Hooray!

One by one, the dino-riders fall prey to the machinations of the Small-Folk. Soon, only the leader, Gray-Tooth, remains — and he’s determined to kill Moon-Boy. He rides his Thunder-Horn (triceratops) right at the lad.

Hearing his cries, Devil bursts free of his bonds and launches himself at the Thunder-Horn. Swiftly bringing the beast down, he turns his attention to Gray-Tooth. With vengeance in his heart, Devil kills him… Off panel.

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Here, Kirby ditches the sci-fi hi-jinx of the last few issues and goes back to the pre-historical adventure that the series began with. This is quite a tough tale actually, with the indignities that Devil faces being rather harsh and unpleasant. It’s almost as if Kirby forgot that this was supposed to be a kiddies’ book. The murder — albeit probably justified in pure revenge terms — of Gray-Tooth at the end of the story is fairly startling. You were unlikely to find that sort of thing going on in any other Marvel book that month!

By now, Kirby was treading water, just waiting for the end of his contract. A new career in animation beckoned. One month to go…

Devil Dinosaur #7, October 1978

“Demon-Tree!”

The UFO’s tree-like prime computer is throwing a fit because it sees Devil Dinosaur as a threat. It has decided that its primary objective is to protect Stone-Hand, White-Hair and Eev. It blasts Devil with a laser beam, knocking our big red pal to the ground.

Stone-Hand wants it to go further and kill Devil, but the computer refuses. “I kill only if the situation warrants it!” The trio of proto-humans remain in awe of the computer, and are cowed when it creates a force field to contain them and itself.

Meanwhile, elsewhere, Moon Boy is wandering dazed and alone through the forest. He’s menaced by some dinosaurs, but is staggered when he sees Devil away across a clearing. He’d believed him dead. Devil hurls away Moon Boy’s attacker, and joyfully allows the lad onto his back once more.

Back in the force bubble, the prime computer has created a veritable oasis of plenty. Trees and fruit in abundance, and a stream bubbling serenely. Eev and White-Hair are most content with this turn of events, but Stone-Hand is unhappy at being held captive: “I shall only be content when these strange walls are gone…!” In a fit of pique he thumps the computer, but is put to sleep with tranquilising gas.

When he awakes, he and Eev discover that old White-Hair has died. Blaming the computer for this Stone-Hand goes to club it, but has the weapon blasted out of his hand by the machine. His blood boiling in anger, Stone-Hand lunges forward again and again. Severely damaged, the computer goes into overload.

Devil and Moon Boy arrive outside the force bubble. Devil hurls himself at the barrier, and with a mighty “TZRAK!” sound effect, manages to smash through. It’s all too much for the prime computer, which promptly explodes.

Greatful to Devil, Stone-Hand and Eev wander away to start a colony of their own.

A final caption tells us that the tale we’ve just read will be told and re-told many times across the ages, each time with slight differences and changes, so that the original version will be lost…

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Well, with a character called “Eev” and an all-powerful computer in the shape of a tree, it can only mean one thing. Yep, Jack’s gone Biblical.

It’s actually rather wonderful that in this re-imagining of the story of the Garden of Eden, Kirby reverses the roles of the protagonists and has Eev be the one who is eager to placate their God, while her male counterpart wants to destroy all they have. It’s neat, and speaks volumes about the kind of man Kirby was.

It’s interesting to note that by this time, Jack must have known that he was soon to leave Marvel — and comics — for good. It would be reasonable to assume that in that position Kirby might have been tempted to just knock out the last few stories with little inspiration or care, just as he had in the dying days of his DC contract. He didn’t do that: he clearly maintained his interest right to the finish.

The cover is inked by Steve Leialoha. This was a period when many of Jack’s covers were being inked by a stellar array of talent — probably because everyone knew they’d never get another chance.

Devil Dinosaur TM & © 2007 Marvel Characters, Inc

Devil Dinosaur #6, September 1978

“Eev!”

Our heroes remain where we left them, exhausted after their battles with a swarm of giant ants. Stone-Hand is ready to abandon Devil, but White-Hair counsels differently. Just a short distance away, the pair see a lone female battling a few of the ant stragglers. We can tell she’s female not just from the structure of her hips and chest, but also from the massive bee-hive hairdo she sports atop her head! It’s presumably the pinnacle of stone-age coiffure.

She curses the ants as she swings at them with a big rock, talking about denting their skulls — which would make them interesting ants indeed. Stone-Hand jumps into the fray, but is none too successful at impressing the lovely Eev with his bravery. Devil finally has to step in to save the day, dropping the ants down a ravine. Victorious, they all sit down to a good meal of ant honey together as they watch the ant army swarm towards the alien space craft further along the valley.

Inside the ship Moon Boy is about to be exterminated when the ants attack. The aliens are quickly overcome and Moon Boy siezes the opportunity to escape.

Finally, the ship explodes in a nuclear holocaust. Devil roars in triumph.

Meanwhile, Stone-Hand has decided that he’s nothing if not a sexist pig and seizes Eev. “…You must be taught the ways of Stone-Hand!” he commands, grabbing her wrist forcefully. “Come to me!” Eev, modern gal that she is, resists, bashing him over the head with a rock. “Swamp-serpent!” she retorts, “Among my folk, females are not possessions!” You go, girl!

Stone-Hand will have none of it, however, and forces Eev to the ground, determined that she will be mother to a brand new tribe.

Meanwhile, Moon Boy flees the wrecked spaceship.

Alone in the wilderness, he is almost attacked by a Thunder-Horn, but is saved by fate. Flesh-eating pterodactyls fly overhead, tracking him. He hides, shivering, in a cave as rain begins to beat down. He’s seriously not having a good day.

Elsewhere, Stone-Hand and the gang seek shelter from the sudden storm. Amid the wreckage of the alien craft they see something odd. The prime computer has been thrown clear and continues to operate in full auto mode. It speaks to the proto-humans. Realising that they need a face to interact with, it generates one…

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The saga of the alien visitation to prehistoric Earth continues apace. Kirby is right at home with this material, and fashions an exciting story that’s clearly heading towards an apocalyptic finale. By intorducing us to the first major female character we’ve seen so far in the series, he’s able to make a few points about male chauvinism and violence against women. Points well made, as Eev is no shrinking violet — she’s more than capable of looking after herself.

Interestingly, the cover seems to think the story inside is called “The Fall!” when, in fact, it’s named after the eponymous heroine of the piece. However, the use of the word “Fall” will become clearer in the next issue.

Cover by Jack Kirby, with inks from his old Fantastic Four partner, Joe Sinnott.

Devil Dinosaur tm & © 2007, Marvel Characters, Inc

Devil Dinosaur #5, August 1978

“Journey to the Center of the Ants!”

Moon Boy has been captured by the aliens and is held helpless in a giant test tube. The damaged alien that was attacked by Devil in issue 4 is brought in. Moon Boy cries out for his dinosaur pal, but is gassed unconscious.

Outside, Devil and his companions, Stone-Hand and White-Hair, are viewing the alien spaceship, pondering what to do next. Suddenly they are attacked from the air as the aliens firebomb them!

They run for safety. Along the way, Devil kicks a boulder into an open geyser. The pressure builds up and explodes just as a pair of aliens fly overhead. One of them is destroyed.

The trio continue their journey, and head towards the Tower of Death, a place that holds much fear for White-Hair as it is the place where the “Swarmers” live. The other alien arrives and confronts them. At that moment, he is overcome by a swarm of huge brown ants: the Swarmers!

Under the weight of such vast numbers, the alien explodes.

Back in the spaceship, the aliens examine Moon Boy’s brain. It reveals that he is unusually intelligent. Fearing that the big red dinosaur outside might exhibit similar smarts, the boss alien orders him destroyed once and for all: “He is too dangerous to tolerate!” He calls for a huge airborne tank, the Land Crusher, to get the job done — and it’s soon carving up the landscape in search of Devil.

Meanwhile, Devil and his chums have realised a slight flaw in their plan: they are themselves now targets of the marauding ants! A scout attacks Stone-Hand, but he clubs it with a huge bone he’s found. Finally, Devil dispatches it with a swoosh of his mighty tail.

More and more ants arrive. Stone-Hand and White-Hair seek safety riding atop Devil’s back, but they’re shocked when Devil heads right for the Tower of Death. Explosions are heard nearby, and the trio realise that the Land Crusher is on its way.

Inside the Tower, Devil movers through the dark passages avoiding the Swarmers. The ants soon find the trio though, and they are surrounded. “Only the will to fight shall help us here!” cries White-Hair. Things are looking grim for our heroes.

Suddenly, there is an explosion directly overhead, and the Tower starts to collapse. The aliens and the Land Crusher have found them. More explosions rack the structure of the Tower and the ants swarm outside. The aliens come down for a closer look: they don’t have ants on their world. Unfortunately for them, they get a little too close and the ants leap and take them down!

Devil and his pals manage to climb out of the ruins of the Tower. They collapse from their exertions, but are secure in the knowledge that the ant swarm is heading directly for the alien spaceship: it is doomed.

Sadly, what Devil doesn’t realise, is that Moon Boy is still alive — and on board the ship!!!

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Another cracking issue of Devil Dinosaur, Kirby was really cooking on all cylinders here. He’d already used the aliens on prehistoric Earth riff twice before in the last few years: in his 2001: A Space Odyssey adaptation and series, and again in the backstory for The Eternals. Still, a good idea is a good idea, and Kirby wasn’t afraid to reuse it. His take on all three occasions was slightly different anyway. It must be remembered that Kirby was doing each series as separate entities, rather than building a consistent universe. At that time the pseudo-science books of Erich Von Daniken (Chariot of the Gods, etc) were flying off the shelves as some people convinced themselves that God was an ancient astronaut.

A big movie of the day is referenced when it’s stated that Devil and Moon Boy are facing “a close encounter of the fourth kind!”

Inker Mike Royer was employing an unusual technique by this time. He would select what he considered the most important panel on a page and would ink it with a big black border. The result is not unpleasing.

This issue also contained the first letters on the series. Prior to this the text page had been made up of essays by Kirby on his thoughts about prehistory. As Jack was editing the letters page himself now, the letters are universally positive — he had previously been very unhappy about the number of negative comments he got on letters pages when they were prepared at the Marvel offices.

Devil Dinosaur #4, July 1978

“Object from the Sky”

Devil and Moon Boy are menaced by huge mysterious creatures beyond imagining. Well, beyond the imaginings of anyone other than Jack Kirby anyway.

Moon Boy screams.

He then wakes up and falls out of a tree..! It had all been a dream. Whew!

Briefly raised by Moon Boy’s cries, Devil goes back to sleep. A restless Moon Boy witnesses strange lights cross the sky. And, in the distance, something crashes to earth.

Devil awakes, and he and his hairy pal go to investigate. The valley’s fauna are all in panic, but Devil is made of sterner stuff. Over the hill, the pair see something a little unusual, to say the least: a spaceship has landed!

Aliens disembark from the frizbee-like craft and attack Devil with their high-tech flame throwers.

Devil is unphased however and stand his ground. He boots a boulder at the invaders, but they fly out of the way. They fire at the big red dinosaur again, and this time he falls. Moon Boy is scarred and stunned. Reeling, he’s easily captured by an alien’s lasso. As he’s knocked unconscious, we are witness to possibly comics’ first ever use of the sound effect, “Splok!”

The alien takes the bound Moon Boy for, “vivisection!”

All over the valley the invaders are blasting wildlife and raising the jungle to the ground. In the midst of the conflagration two members of the Hill-Folk are attempting to escape intact. One is young and heroic. The other is old and white haired. The latter walks with a stick. As gorillas do.

Stone Hand is unsure what to do, but White Hair is sure that the legendary Devil Dinosaur can help them. It seems that, in the valley, Devil is treated like some kind of super-hero. And why not, eh? The unlikely pair scour the valley and eventually find Devil, who is just waking up.

An alien arrives to collect some dinosaur specimens. Devil sees him and jumps him. Again and again his mighty feet pound the alien.

The alien lies on the ground, seemingly defeated. As Devil turns his back, however, the alien revives and goes to blasy him with his flame thrower. Seeing this, Stone Hand leaps into the fray and smashes a huge boulder onto the alien’s head. “Die for what you have done to the valley!” he cries. “Die for what you have done to its creatures!”

The alien explodes.

Devil reaches some kind of understanding with Stone Hand and White Hair. He roars that he will lead them to victory. “The pact is made!” cries Stone Hand, with a flair for the dramatic.

The trio head for the Alien base. From atop a hill they witness dinosaurs veing taken inside the ship for processing. A parade of Hill-Folk stand in line. One of the poor creatures has had enough and makes a run for it.

“Don’t run! They’ll kill you!” shout his friends.

“They’ll kill me if I stay!” is his not unreasonable retort.

Before he can get too far, he is hit by a flame thrower blast and vaporised. Alarmed, Stone Hand thinks that maybe it would be better to get away while they can. Devil broods, wondering what to do next.

Finally, he nods his head toward a distant hill called, ominously, the Tower of Death…

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Well, I said things got a bit wild with this issue. Obviously fed up with the pseudo-history of the previous issues, Jack reverts to his first love: science fiction. Aliens arrive on prehistoric Earth to study life and cause all sorts of problems for Devil Dinosaur. It’s tough red skin and firm thighs versus star-spaning alien technology. Who will win? Stay tuned.

Devil Dinosaur #3, June 1978

“Giant”

The story opens as Devil and Moon Boy are woken by a mighty disturbance in the forest. They search for the cause, but can see little in the dark. Against the glow of a nearby volcano, Moon Boy thinks he sees a mysterious silhouette.

The next morning, Moon Boy rises early and goes off alone in search of what he saw the previous evening.

On the other side of the valley, Moon Boy comes across a hairy giant fighting a “bone-back” dinosaur (that’s a stegosaurus to you and me). The giant distinguishes himself by wearing the skull of a triceratops on his head. He swings the dinosaur around by its tail and smashes it against some rocks. He then demands the valley give him what he wants.

As the giant goes on a rampage, Moon Boy flees — but is grabbed by a huge hand that reaches from the undergrowth!

Elsewhere, Devil is searching for his missing buddy. He finds the trail of destruction left by the giant, and follows. He soon catches up with the bone-helmeted baddie, whereupon he is attacked by the enraged giant. Devil defends himself by booting the giant into the air like a football!! (You don’t get things like that in Spider-Man)

However, the giant soon recovers and fights back with a big stick. Devil runs off.

Meanwhile, Moon Boy is being treated as a plaything by Ruka, a young version of the giant. A noose is around his neck and he’s swung around like a yoyo. Poor Moon Boy, eh?! Regaining his senses, he cries out in an impersonation of a stricken lizard.

At the sound, a flight of pteranodon swoop down in search of food. Distracted, Ruka releases Moon Boy, and our hero makes good his escape. He sees Devil on the other side of a nearby bog. Devil steps aside as the giant runs at him, and the giant splashes into the bog. He’s seemingly doomed — but Moon Boy calls for Devil to rescue him: he’s realised that the giant is actually Ruka’s father, and that all the fuss he’s caused was merely the result of a dad’s anxiety over a lost child!

Acting quickly, Devil snaps a tree and uses the trunk to pull the giant out of the bog. The giant is grateful and takes his boy under his arm, promising that he will mete out punishment later. Devil and the giant declare a truce, and the latter leaves the valley for good.

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Another issue of wall to wall action, as a giant stalks the valley in search of his missing son. For the first time we see Moon Boy strike out on his own. We also see that Devil is not altogether happy about following Moon Boy’s orders, but he capitulates anyway.

As was usually the case back then, the letters pages for the first three issues are filled with editorials. Kirby wrote all three of these attempting to justify his decision to have proto-humans existing alongside dinosaurs. He was absolutely aware that in reality millions of years separated the species, but was happy to use artistic licence for the purposes of entertainment. It’s worth noting that the editorial address was actually Kirby’s own. He’d been unhappy at what he saw as an overly negative tone of bullpen-produced letters pages in his previous series (Eternals, Captain America) and so wanted to produce his own.

The three issues of Devil Dinosaur so far had at least attempted to present vaguely realistic take on pre-history. With the fourth issue, things were about to take a distinctly odd turn…

Devil Dinosaur #2, May 1978

“Devil’s War!”

Picking up seconds after the end of issue 1, Devil is rushing headlong into a trap. The Killer Folk have set up deadly wooden spikes in a pit ahead of the rushing dinosaur. At the last moment, Moon Boy yells a warning and Devil leaps high, missing the spikes and crushing the trap.

The angry Devil now turns his attention to the Killer Folk, stomping them with his feet and lashing them with his tail. Witnessing his men scatter, Seven Scars vows revenge: “This is my answer — we shall bury him first!!”

He orders the Killer Folk to lever huge boulders into the pit, where Devil is still trapped. The rocks rain down on the helpless beast and his pal. Moon Boy cries out that the spirits have deserted them!

Then, a final giant rock falls onto them, crushing Devil and leaving Moon Boy unconscious.

The Killer Folk drag Moon Boy away and tie him to a stake in the cave of Long-Legs, a giant spider. Meanwhile, Devil awakes and attempts to free himself. An iguanodon appears and attacks. Angered, Devil makes a supreme effort and breaks free of the rocks. He soon makes short work of the intruder.

Tied to the stake, Moon Boy awaits death. “I must be worthy of Devil. I must face this unafraid!” he thinks. Long-Legs the spider arrives and menaces the poor lad as the Killer Folk gloat. Suddenly, Devil Dinosaur appears. He carries a flaming torch in his mouth!

Devil sets the area ablaze.

In the confusion, the Killer Folk scatter and Devil frees Moon Boy. Seeing Seven Scars cowering against a rock, Devil stamps on him and kills him “Krontch!”

Devil grabs Moon Boy and the pair run for freedom. Trapped by the fire, the remaining Killer Folk make for the shelter of the cave — only to discover the hungry jaws of Long-Legs waiting for them! “Listen to them, Devil!” says Moon Boy hearing their screams, “Our enemies have found what they came here for!”

Devil roars in pride at a job well done.

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And so the story is concluded in a most satisfying manner. This issue is wall to wall action as Devil fights to free both himself and Moon Boy from death. What is probably most surprising is that the bad guy, Seven Scars, is actually killed by Devil. Crushed to death, in fact, under the dinosaur’s huge red foot! You didn’t get that sort of thing in Spider-Man comics…

April 1978

Devil Dinosaur and Moon Boy

As the first issue opens, young proto-human, Moon Boy, is riding on Devil Dinosaur’s back. He’s goading his dinosaur pal to attack Thunder Horn, a badass dinosaur that looks suspiciously like a triceratops. Or it would if it didn’t have a mouth full of dagger-like teeth! I’m assuming Jack Kirby didn’t do a whole lot of research here to discover that triceratops was, in fact, a herbivore.

A big fight ensues. Moon Boy jumps for the safety of a tree as Devil leaps into the fray. He delivers a sideswipe to Thunder Horn’s head, but Thunder Horn tries to gouge him with his sharp horns. Undeterred, Devil keeps kicking Thunder Horn, eventually forcing him over the side of a cliff. Devil roars in triumph!

Moon Boy does a little dance as he’s so happy that Devil is now “master of the valley! He is the mightiest of beasts!”

As they wander off into the moon-filled night, Moon Boy casts his mind back. He remembers coming across a female dinosaur being attacked by the “Killer-Folk”, a tribe separate from Moon Boy’s own “Small-Folk”. The female is overpowered and killed, and two of her young are slaughtered as well. The third, however, is a formidable opponent. The Killer-Folk corner the beast and burn him with flaming torches, but the dinosaur refuses to die.

Suddenly a volcano erupts and scatters the Killer-Folk. They flee, leaving the baby dinosaur to its fate. He is now scarred completely red from head to toe from the heat of the flames. Moon Boy approaches and offers the stricken beast comfort. He names him “Devil”, and, once the dinosaur has recovered some of his strength, he takes him to find some food. Interestingly, the food Devil eats is fruit. Unusual choice for a tyrannosaur.

Moon Boy takes his new pal to meet his people, the Small-Folk, but they are terrified and flee. Moon Boy is now an outcast.

Back in the present, a coup is taking place amongst the Killer-Folk. Old leader, Stone Hand, is overthrown by challenger, Seven-Scars. Seven-Scars immediately sets out his platform for leadership: he’s going to kill Devil Dinosaur. “The Devil-Beast will perish this night in a trap of my making!”

The Killer-Folk set fire to the forest.

Awoken by the sound of the conflagration, Moon Boy goes to find out what’s happening. He and Devil are confronted by a horde of terrified creatures fleeing the flames. Devil refuses to follow: he has sensed that the Killer-Folk are behind the disaster and wants to confront them.

Ahead, Seven-Scars waits for his prey…

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A Tempest-Tossed Tale Out of Time!

By the time Devil Dinosaur hit the stands in 1978, Jack Kirby wanted out of comics. Having been forced to leave DC in 1975, and now at the end of a less then satisfying three-year contract at Marvel, he knew there was really nowhere else to go. He was tired of the politics. He was a storyteller at heart and just wanted to be left alone to tell his stories.

Kirby was by then in his early sixties, and a medical insurance plan was starting to sound like a good idea. It was not something he was going get as a freelancer in the comics industry. At the dawn of his career back in 1935, he had worked briefly in animation, and now the lure of a regular paycheck and medical benefits a studio might offer was strong. After finishing up his contractual obligations at Marvel, Kirby left comics for the world of TV animation.

Devil Dinosaur itself began life as, essentially, an animation proposal. The simplicity of the concept is clear. You can easily imagine Moon Boy and his big red dinosaur pal as Saturday morning heroes. There’s very little plot in this first issue, but loads of running around and plenty of Kirby action: an animation studio could easily use this as a storyboard.

I suspect Kirby intended Devil Dinosaur to be marketed at a younger audience. There’s no blood: Devil eats fruit and fights with his feet rather than his pointy teeth; Moon Boy bops around like a five year old. Marvel, however, just put it out as a regular comic, and it looked hopelessly out of place surrounded by the angsty fare on offer in the rest of their line. But, y’know what? What was perhaps a weakness then, is one of its strengths now: it hasn’t dated as badly as, say, Englehart’s up-to-the-minute Captain America, and remains eminently readable.

I’ve been impressed lately by a number of blogs that follow an entire comic series from the first issue up. Here’s one where the writers are reading all 108 issues of Jack Kirby and Stan Lee’s Fantastic Four run, in order, for the first time.

http://fourthefirsttime.blogspot.com/

So, never being one to let a good idea go unstolen, I’ve decided to do something similar. Now, there aren’t too many series where a gorilla is the star (the first issue of a Gorilla Grodd title was written and drawn in the mid-70s, but was never published), so my options in that regard are a little limited*. I figure, being a huge Jack Kirby fan, the nearest I can get is to cover Jack’s 1978 magnum opus, Devil Dinosaur — which, eagle-eyed readers will notice, co-starred a little fellow by the name of Moon Boy. He’s a proto-human, but close enough to a gorilla for my purposes. Hey, what am I — a zoologist??!

Before I get to looking at the series as a whole, a little history might be in order. Back in 1972, DC tried, and failed, to get the rights to publish a series based on the Planet of the Apes movies. Publisher Carmine Infantino turned to his star artist, Jack Kirby, and asked him to come up with something similar. Kirby being Kirby, his response was Kamandi, the Last Boy on Earth. In that series, Kamandi is a youth wandering a devastated future Earth where all animals are intelligent and have the power of speech lording it over the poor down-trodden humans. Though it is by no means Kirby’s strongest creation, it is a lot of fun and proved to be his biggest hit at DC, and one of DC’s longest runs of the 70s.

Kirby left DC in 1975 to return to Marvel. After he’d been there a couple of years, Marvel heard that an animation studio were looking into the possibility of producing a Saturday-morning cartoon show based on Kamandi. Liking the idea of having their own property to exploit, Marvel asked Kirby to come up with something similar (sounds familiar, eh?). Kirby being Kirby, his response was Devil Dinosaur — a series nothing like Kamandi.

As we shall see in the weeks ahead.

*yes, okay, Angel and the Ape. I’ll be looking at that series once I finish with Moon Boy. As it were.