0) "Neverwhere [the Movie]"
Appeared first time as an animation film Neverwhere [the Movie] (1968).
1) "Den [the Short Story]"
15 pgs. The original short story version (as a loose sequel for the animation
film) appeared as 15 pgs story in Grim
Wit #2 (1973)
.
2) "Neverwhere" aka "Den [I]"
96+8 pgs. The extented full feature comic adventure version was printed first time
in French magazine, a 4 part serial, Metal
Hurlant #3 (1975) to #6 (1976) .
The Grim
Wit short story was transformed to 32 pgs beginning of the story (pay attention, page 11 is already spread on two pages to have full 8 pg chapters, though that way a spread frame in the lower half of pgs 8-9 is split in half in different issues). It says "À suivre" (i.e "To be continued") in the end, but was never completed [Alternatives].
Reprinted (the 16 pgs beginning) in Richard Corben's
Funny Book (1976)
.
Story goes on more 11
pgs.
- In Funny Book there is only these first 27 pgs. The first part has even "tbc",
though Part two follows immediately after First.
Full feature version was reprinted (first time in English) in Heavy Metal #1 to #2
(1977)
,
where the same Grim
Wit story appears again 16 first pgs of, this time, the beginning
of full feature length evergrowing Den Adventure. "Den [I]" serial goes on
monthly ten more episodes till Heavy
Metal #12 (1978). It was reprinted
as
a full length album called Neverwhere
(1978)
.
After conclusion in Heavy Metal Corben
added Farewell Episode in Heavy
Metal #13 (1978)
,
which was not in Neverwhere version. All later reprints have Farewell Episode:
in Den [I]: Neverwhere
[Catalan] (1984)
and
in Den
1: Neverwhere [Fantagor] (1991)
.
The Farewell Episode, "Den's Farewell", was reprinted sepatately in
Heavy Metal Specials:
The Best of Heavy Metal [#1] (1982),
and 15 Years of Heavy Metal (1992).
Den appears also as one (color) episode of adult fantasy movie Heavy Metal
(1981);
story in the movie follows Den [I] storytelling, though
it is only an excerpt of it. The movie poster of Heavy Metal
the Movie is Den.
Story/Color/Art: Richard Corben* (no signature in Grim Wit -part,
but later as Richard Corben, © 1975, © 1976, © 1977). Lettered by hand
(Corben) in old versions, and since Heavy Metal: printed.
*) Chapter 4 says, Color/Art: Richard Corben/[Herb] Arnold.
: 15 pgs short
story, only existing version in Grim Wit #2.
: 96
pgs (original pg 11 spreaded as two [Alternatives])
full feature, without "Den's
Farewell".
: 16
pgs + 11
pgs, only existing version in Funny
Book.
: 104 pgs (original
pg 11 spreaded as two [Alternatives]) full feature,
within 8 pgs "Den's Farewell".
: Equals with
,
except the latter half
! Only in Italy, Alter alter.
DK: as "Den [DK] [I]",
as one in Den [DK] [I]
(1978).
FRA: as "Den [FRA] [I]: Voyage fantastique à Nullepart",
as a 4 part serial in Metal Hurlant
#3 (1975) to #6 (1976),
and as one in Den: Première époque
(1978).
GER: as "Den [GER] [I]",
as one in Den
[GER] [I] (1989), and as "Die Reise nach Nirgendwo",
as one in Die phantastische
Welt des Richard Corben #1 (1991).
ITA: as "Den
[ITA] [I]: Viaggio nel paese di Giammai", as a 12 part serial
in Alter
linus #7/76 to #10/76, Alter
alter #11/77, and
in #12/77 to #5/78
,
and as "Den [ITA] 1", as one in Den
[ITA] 1 (1979)
.
NL:
as "Den [NL] [1]", as a 12 part serial
in Gummi #1
(1977) to #12 (1978)
and as one in Den
[NL] [1] (1982), and as "Nooitland", as one in Den
[NL] 1.
SPA: as "Den
[SPA] [I]", as a 13 part serial in 1984
[SPA] #22 to #34,
and as one in Den [SPA]
[1] (1978).
SWE: as "Den [SWE] [I]",
as a 12 part serial in Tungmetall
#1/86 to #12/86,
and as one in Tungmetall presenterar
#4 (1991).
YUG: as "Den [YSL] [I]",
as a 33 part serial
in Stripoteka
#880 (1986) to #912
(1989)
.
- Part 1(12): ["My name is DEN"]. 8 pgs. Grim
Wit #2 (1973) / Heavy Metal
#1 & #2 (1977)
- Part 2(12): ["Uncle Dan is gone"]. 7+1 pgs. Grim
Wit #2 (1973) / Heavy Metal #1 & #2 (1977).
In Grim Wit pgs 3-4 as one.
- Part 3(12): ["Sacriface for Uhluhtc"]. 8 pgs. Heavy
Metal #3 (1977)
- Part 4(12); ["Gel vs. the Queen"]. 8 pgs. Heavy
Metal #4 (1977)
- Part 5(12): ["Insect attack"]. 8 pgs. Heavy
Metal #5 (1977)
- Part 6(12): ["Ard's treachery"]. 8 pgs. Heavy
Metal #6 (1977)
- Part 7(12): ["The Queen vs. Den"]. 8 pgs. Heavy
Metal #7 (1977)
- Part 8(12): ["Surprise from the friend"]. 8 pgs. Heavy
Metal #8 (1977)
- Part 9(12): ["Uncle Dan and Gel"]. 8 pgs. Heavy
Metal #9 (1977)
- Part 10(12): ["Kang's prize"]. 8 pgs. Heavy
Metal #10 (1978)
- Part 11(12): ["New sacriface"]. 8 pgs. Heavy
Metal #11 (1978)
- Part 12(12): ["Return to Hell"]. 8 pgs. Heavy
Metal #12 (1978)
- "Den's Farewell". 8 pgs. Heavy Metal #13 (1978). Not included in the original Neverwhere print.
- Parts are untitled. Only "Farewell" has got a name.
Style: Colored with overlay technique, except Ch. 4 & unpublished page (printed in Flights into Fantasy): Fully Painted Colors. Genre: SF/Fantasy. Time
Span: Ancient fantasy. Nudity: Full frontal nudity, both males and females.
Keywords: Transformation. Dream world. Love. Fight for
life. Magic. Betrayal. Stones.
Synopsis: A miserable boy transports himself into Barsoomish
(Edgar Rice Burroughs!) dream world of voluptuous girls and well
hunged guys. In Neverwhere, where he ends up, there is also enemies
and monsters, magic and sorcerers as a part of everyday life.
Because of the help of his Uncle Dan's writings and formulas
he becames Den, muscular well hunged adonis. He meets all Den Adveture's
main characters: Indian girl with bells and lizard the ride, beastie men
and sorcerers, Kath the love
(she came from Earth too, but from year 1892 - good for nothing
girl becomes a voluptuous beauty, indeed) and the Queen, the
bad Kath (doppelgänger). There is also Loc-nar, the magic
power stones (see J.R.R. Tolkien's Silmarillions of his Middle
Earth stories) the Queen is after. In Farewell Episode
Den meets finally his good friend Zeg, who appears in Corbens
other stories time after time. Zeg used to have a simple servant,
but he lost it before he met Den.
Comment: Den in it's the most brilliant period. Corben
in his best. His own story of the first adventure of Den is very
good. The name of
the powerful scepter, "Locnar", was used before
as the name of Bloodstar's rival in "Bloodstar", though there it was spelled "Loknar".
Alternatives: Page 11 of the original story (only
in Gril
Wit ) has
been divided on two pages later in all reprints
. That
is to get full 8 pg chapters, though that way a spread frame in the lower half of pgs 8-9 is split in half in different chapters. The original 4x4 frame page is now enlarged as two 3x3 frame pages. The
last frame of page
11 is totally new (an exremely close up of Indian girl); on a
new page 12 there is only eight frames to make 3x3 frame page
(a lower left corner is empty). Read more.
Special: In Neverwhere (1978) version, the title "Den" is replaced with the title "Neverwhere".
Humour: On page 7 you can see a visible hard on on Den,
while he is watching the Indian girl with bells...
Extras: Den's Legacy,
a full length run through of entire Den's adventures (beware a major spoilers!).
Mirrorworld: There is a lot of evidence that Neverwhere is a dreamworld, a mirrorworld similarily to Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, except here we are talking about an adult version. Den rimes with Corben; if you drop the beginning and mirror letter "b" it becames "d". There is a character called Ard which is short from RichARD. But more about mirror thinking in Neverwhere. The place where Den ends up in the beginning of the story is defined by Kang on pg 39, "the ruins at Neborc". That is an anagram for Corben. Also the ultimate evil from the deep is called Uhluhtc. That is the reverse spelling fo Cthulhu, a monster created by H.P. Lovecraft. A thin teenage boy is transformed in Neverwere into a muscular stud, a shy plain girl into voluptuous sex symbol. If the main arena is reversed as Corben, does it mean we are litterally "neverwhere" but inside the head of the artist? On pg 40 Kang is addressing Ard being rich. He is Rich Ard. :7
Copyright © 1997 Heart-Attack-Series,
Ink!,
Created: September 4, 1997. Modified:
September 30, 2017.