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"Den 3: Children of Fire"
13+13+18+10+10+12(serial) pgs. Appeared first time
in
Children of Fire #1 (1987)
to #3 (1988) and goes on
later
in Den [III] #8
(1989) to #10 (1989).
Reprinted
in Den
3: Children of Fire (1991) Album.
Story/Color(overlay technique only in first three parts)/Art: Richard
Corben
[printed sign © 1987 (in parts 1 & 2), © 1988 (in
part 3), © 1989 (in parts 4 to 6) Richard Corben]. Lettering:
printed (Corben).
FRA: as "La Saga de Den
[I]", as a 4 part serial in USA
magazine [II] #33 to #36
(1988),
and as "Enfants du feu", as one in Enfants
du feu (1988) and as one in La
saga de Den Tome 4 (1992).
GER: as "Die Kinder des Feuers",
as a 6 part serial in Schwermetall
#122 (1989) to #127
(1989) and as a 6 part serial in Schwermetall,
Neue Sammelband #28 to #30,
and as one in Die phantastische
Welt des Richard Corben #9 (1993).
ITA: as "Figli del fuoco",
as a 3 part serial in L'Eternauta
#72 and #74 (1984),
and went on as "La Casa Del Silenzio", as a 3 part serial
in L'Eternauta
#107 (1992) and #109, and
as one in Best Comics #14
(1993).
NL:
as "Kinderen van het Vuur", as one in Den
[NL] 5.
SPA: as "Hijos
del fuego", as a 10 part serial in Zona
84 #48 to #59,
and as one in Richard Corben obras
completas #10 (1990). and as one in Den
[SPA] 3.
- Part 1(6): ["Children of Fire"]. 13 pgs. Children
of Fire #1 (1987)
- Part 2(6): ["Eating Habits"]. 13 pgs. Children
of Fire #2 (1988)
- Part 3(6): ["Quakes"]. 18 pgs. Children
of Fire #3 (1988)
- Part 4(6): "Shuffled Seeds, Scattered". 10 pgs.
Den [III] #8 (1989)
- Part 5(6): "Strange Nativity". 10 pgs.
Den [III] #9 (1989)
- Part 6(6): "Promises, Promises". 12 pgs. Den [III] #10 (1989)
- Parts are only partial titled.
Style: Full color. Genre: SF/Fantasy. Time
Span: Ancient fantasy. Nudity: Voluptuous females.
Original Art Plate: The drawings are done in pen, ink, and markers on 11" x 17" Bainbridge bristel paper. The cover is painted in gray acrylic and oil on paper. [Corben's web site]
Keywords: Aliens. Emergency landing. Alien language. Sorcerer. Pirates. Eggs. Treasures.
Synopsis: There is an alien emergency landing near sorcerer
Zeg's and his servant Zomug's castle. Kil and Mal are aliens;
they speak alien language, which Corben keeps in secret during
the first episode. Kil and Mal bring eggs, which Zomug is after,
while Zeg has treasures, which pirates are after. Zeg has a voluptuous
cook, Pucca. In Part 4 Kil and Mal have flashback as visit
in past on their own planet, where they queen was attacked by
spider monsters. Queen gets killed and Kil and Mal travel through
space to Neverwhere (the very beginning of Part 1), which
ends the flashback. Kil and Mal lost each other after landing
on Neverwhere. In the beginning of a story Kil looked like kind
of an athletic man, but later carring eggs (her future infants)
her breasts start to grow; she is the prequeen. Kil travels with
Zomug; Zomug gets killed and Mal finds wounded Kil with an infant.
Comment: Corben's style of color and drawing became faster.
Quality is still very good on Parts 1 to 3, but
on a way to Den[III] (Parts 4 to 6) he losts
himself into different drawing techinques, which do not look
like good as an Album. In Corben's own story, there is
no beauty of early Den Saga. Serial and Album versions
are as equal as possible.
Extras: Den's Legacy,
a full length run through of entire Den's adventures (beware a major spoilers!).
Children of Fire is Fantagor Press's first color serial comic book and the
last series done by color overlay technique.
Copyright © 1997 Heart-Attack-Series,
Ink!,
Created: August 23, 1997. Modified:
September 29, 2012.
