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I never had too many issues of The DEMON when it was originally published back in the '70s. I remember buying the first one from a newsagent's in the old village quarter of my town, and I may have had a few of the later mags, but I never had the complete run. In fact, as far as original issues go, I still don't - though I do have the collected edition that DC COMICS issued a few years back.
However, I've also got the first five original comics, acquired many years ago from some forgotten source or other. (At least, I'm not sure where I bought my replacement of #1, but I think I got #s 2-5 from the late PETE ROOT's place in Glasgow, when he rented space in a comics shop in Buchanan Street.) So these five covers are from the actual comics - and, depending on whether I can scan from the book without cracking the spine, any future covers in the series will be from the collected edition.
In the meantime, let's just enjoy some atmospheric JACK KIRBY cover art, from a time when his sojourn at DC hadn't yet soured.
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How did Kirby come up with the design for Etrigan the Demon?
ReplyDeleteAnswer:-
http://tinyurl.com/pqsvgmc
Why, he swiped it from Hal Foster!
Anyway, I do like the character and concept, but I never liked those fish fin ears!
Yup, I remember reading about his swipe in one of John Morrow's mags. Not sure about the Demon being coloured yellow 'though. Another colour might've been more suitable.
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree with you about the yellow.
ReplyDeleteThe Hal Foster mask Kirby based Etrigan on, had yellow skin.
Etrigan's costume conveys the look like the original Bill Everett 1964 yellow/red Daredevil. Maybe Kirby had a hand in the original Daredevil design and he certainly did not want his character to look too much like the all-red Daredevil or the original 1940's Daredevil red/blue(black). A dark colour, such as blue(black) colour would be too reminiscent of the Black Panther.
Kirby had used the yellow/red combination with Mister Miracle, he too having a yellow "face". But, Kirby seemed to always be the direct kind of guy - Yellow/red are the obvious symbolic colours of fire and sulphur, so even the most casual reader would subconsciously understand the visual metaphor. The Demon sometimes looks too cute, not scary enough, Captain Marvel-like (Shazam variety).
In the end Kirby always said he was at DC to sell comicbooks and colours are deliberately chosen to attract readers/buyers (the majority in those days were kids) and red and yellow are the most visually attractive colours.
Nevertheless, my criticisms are definitely very minor. I have the entire run of The Demon and it is certainly an entertaining collection.
Apparently 'though, in the case of Mister Miracle, it was Mark Evanier and Steve Sherman who decided the colour scheme of the costume, so maybe they had a hand in the Demon's colours as well.
ReplyDeleteThe cover and splash page of Daredevil #1 sports a Jack Kirby drawing, so depending on when it was done, he may well have designed the costume. Although it could just as easily have been drawn after the rest of the book, which would leave Everett as the designer, I suppose.
The Black Racer also wears a yellow outfit, so maybe Kirby just liked yellow, eh?