Den is the name of two identical

sword and planet Sword and planet is a subgenre of science fantasy that features rousing adventure stories set on other planets, and usually featuring humans as protagonists. The name derives from the heroes of the genre engaging their adversaries in hand-to-ha ...

fictional Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places Place may refer to: Geography * Place (United States Census Bureau), defined as any concentration of population ** Census-designated place, ...

characters Character or Characters may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk * ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to The ...

created by

Richard Corben Richard Corben (October 1, 1940December 2, 2020) was an American illustrator and comic book artist best known for his comics featured in '' Heavy Metal'' magazine, especially the ''Den'' series which was featured in the magazine's first film ad ...

. The first appeared in the 1968 animated short film ''Neverwhere''. The second has been appearing in the medium of comics since 1973, and in short stories that have been collected for the most part in

trade paperbacks A paperback (softcover, softback) book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, and often held together with glue rather than stitches or staples. In contrast, hardcover (hardback) books are bound with cardboard covered with cloth, ...

. The second Den also appeared in the animated film '' Heavy Metal''.

Background and creation

Corben created Den as the protagonist of a film short titled ''Neverwhere'' while working at Calvin Studios, an animation company in Kansas City. The film is

animated Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most anim ...

, with framing sequences filmed in

live-action Live action (or live-action) is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live-action with animation to create a live-action animated film. Live-action is used to define film, video ga ...

. Corben's boss at Calvin played the title character in the movie. He drew the whole animated sequence by hand in his spare time. His employers, impressed by his work, helped him to finish it by editing it and adding a new professional soundtrack with actors' voices. It was submitted to film festivals and won several awards, including the

CINE Ciné film or cine film is the term commonly used in the UK and historically in the US to refer to the 8 mm, Super 8, 9.5 mm, and 16 mm motion picture film formats used for home movies. It is not normally used to refer to ...

Golden Eagle Award. The story continued in comic form from then on. Den made his comic debut in a short comic book story that appeared in ''Grim Wit'' No.2 in September 1973. Corben expanded this short story to two parts for publication in '' Métal Hurlant'' (1975–1976). He continued the story, turning it into a 12-part serial called "Den", for the first twelve issues of '' Heavy Metal'' magazine (1977–1978). He added an epilogue, "Den's Farewell", which was printed in issue No.13 (April 1978). The original story, without the epilogue, was published in the trade paperback ''Neverwhere'' (Ariel: Feb. 1978). All 13 chapters featured in the trade paperback ''Den: Neverwhere'' (Catalan: 1984). Corben returned to ''Heavy Metal'' with a 13-part Den sequel, which ran in issues No.54 through No.72 (1981–1983). These stories were collected in the trade paperback ''Den 2: Muvovum'' (Catalan: 1984), which appeared around the same time as the complete first edition, ''Den: Neverwhere''. Corben began self-publishing Den through his company

Fantagor Press Richard Corben (October 1, 1940December 2, 2020) was an American illustrator and comic book artist best known for his comics featured in '' Heavy Metal'' magazine, especially the ''Den'' series which was featured in the magazine's first film ada ...

in the 1980s, beginning with ''Children of Fire'' (1987) which was later revealed to be the prequel to the ''Heavy Metal''-era Den adventures. Corben followed this with an ongoing Den series, which did not have the full frontal nudity that was the hallmark of the original ''Heavy Metal'' strips. Corben went back to the adult content with ''Den Saga'', which filled in some of the details between ''Children of Fire'' and ''Neverwhere'' and ''Muvovum''.

Publication history

The short film ''Neverwhere'' (1968) was followed by short stories in the following publications: * Fantagor No.4 (1972) – "For the Love of a Daemon" * Grim Wit No.2 (1973) – "Den" * Heavy Metal No.1-13 (April 1977 thru April 1978) – collected in ''Den 1: Neverwhere'' * Heavy Metal No.54-72 (1981–1983) – collected in ''Den 2: Muvovum'' * Children of Fire No.1-3 (1987–1988) - collected in ''Den 3: Children of Fire'', * Den ("Fantastic Adventures!") No.1-10 (1988–1989) – collected in 'Den 3: Children of Fire'', ''Den 4: Dreams'' and ''Den 5: Elements'' * DenSaga No.1-4 (1992–1994) (not collected in English) * Penthouse Comix No.15-20 (1996–1997) – "Denz" (not collected) They have been collected in the following ''Den'' trade paperbacks: * ''Neverwhere'' (1978, 1985, 1991) * ''Muvovum'' (1984, 1991) * ''Children of Fire'' (1992) * ''Dreams'' (1992) * ''Elements'' (1992)

Fictional character biography

"Den" is the name of two characters: the hero featured in the short film ''Neverwhere''; and the identical hero featured in all the subsequent comics.

First version

The first Den story, as told in the short film ''Neverwhere'', is clearly inspired by the

Edgar Rice Burroughs Edgar Rice Burroughs (September 1, 1875 – March 19, 1950) was an American author, best known for his prolific output in the adventure, science fiction, and fantasy genres. Best-known for creating the characters Tarzan and John Carter, he ...

John Carter of Mars John Carter of Mars is a fictional Virginian soldier who acts as the initial protagonist of the Barsoom stories by Edgar Rice Burroughs. A veteran of the American Civil War, he is transported to the planet Mars, called Barsoom by its inhabi ...

novels. In the beginning of the film, an office worker is shown reading the 1963 reprint of ''

A Princess of Mars ''A Princess of Mars'' is a science fantasy novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the first of his Barsoom series. It was first serialized in the pulp magazine ''All-Story Magazine'' from February–July, 1912. Full of swordplay and dari ...

'', before he is turned down for a date by a coworker and quits his job. He then builds a machine that opens a portal where a "deposed queen" beckons him to enter another world. Turning into a muscleman he fights several monsters, including four armed monsters reminiscent of Burroughs’ Green Martians. Den is then sent on a mission by the Queen to retrieve the Locnar and, after succeeding, returns home to his mundane life.

Second version

In its comic-book sequel, Den is a young man named David Ellis Norman. Following directions left for him on a note and a diagram from his missing uncle Dan, David builds another electronic apparatus. The apparatus opens a gateway to a

fantasy world A fantasy world is a world created for/from fictional media, such as literature, film or games. Typical fantasy worlds involve magic or magical abilities, nonexistent technology and, sometimes, either a historical or futuristic theme. Some wor ...

named "Neverwhere", where he was transformed into a hairless, nude, muscular, and prodigiously endowed adventurer. Confused by his strange trip, he can only remember the

acronym An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...

of his real name (DEN), and begins calling himself "Den". In his Earth incarnation, David had found a letter in one of the

fantasy novels Fantasy literature is literature set in an imaginary universe, often but not always without any locations, events, or people from the real world. Magic, the supernatural and magical creatures are common in many of these imaginary worlds. Fa ...

by Edgar Rice Burroughs left to him by his uncle Dan. Some images from the ''Neverwhere'' film are recreated in the first volume of Den as flashbacks. Shortly after his arrival he meets an evil nude masked woman, known as the Red Queen (perhaps a reference to the character in ''

Through the Looking-Glass ''Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There'' (also known as ''Alice Through the Looking-Glass'' or simply ''Through the Looking-Glass'') is a novel published on 27 December 1871 (though indicated as 1872) by Lewis Carroll and the ...

'') who seems to know Den and is about to sacrifice her

doppelgänger A doppelgänger (), a compound noun formed by combining the two nouns (double) and (walker or goer) (), doppelgaenger or doppelganger is a biologically unrelated look-alike, or a double, of a living person. In fiction and mythology, a doppelg ...

Kath to Uhluhtc. After being rescued by Den, Kath reveals to him that, on Earth, she is a frail novelist called Katherine Wells (a reference to

H. G. Wells Herbert George Wells"Wells, H. G."
Revised 18 May 2015. ''

will o' the wisp In folklore, a will-o'-the-wisp, will-o'-wisp or ''ignis fatuus'' (, plural ''ignes fatui''), is an atmospheric ghost light seen by travellers at night, especially over bogs, swamps or marshes. The phenomenon is known in English folk belief, ...

while wandering through some

marshes A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found at ...

. Like Den, she was transformed when she arrived to Neverwhere, in her case into a voluptuous, large breasted nude woman who was immediately captured by the Red Queen (who had created the portal to bring her to Neverwhere). Kath has a much better recollection of her former life than Den, but doesn't wish to return because she feels she is not only healthier but "more of a woman" in the new land. Like Den, she is completely nude and hairless except for her blond bob hairstyle. According to

Jan Strnad Jan Steven Strnad (sometimes credited as J. Knight) is an American writer of comic books, horror, and science fiction. He is known for his many collaborations with artist Richard Corben, as well as his work in the ''Star Wars'' expanded universe ...

's introduction to ''Denz'', "The saga of Den's exploits... lusty and brawling, brimming with magic, intrigue, horror and betrayal... spanned generations and filled many exotic volumes. Now in his declining years, Den lives in a NeverWhere far different from the one he entered. Thanks to his magical Locnar, Den has brought peace and prosperity to his adoptive world. Meanwhile, on Earth, Denzel Easton Norman seeks to follow in his brother's footsteps...."

Characters

The identification of the main characters of the series is complicated because they often change their name, drastically change morphologies, Note: Kil goes from being a hyper-masculine being to a hyper-feminine being; Mal goes from being an unnaturally thin being to an incredibly muscular being. have identical doubles (also both Dens have the same name), and either forget, or do not acknowledge, previous encounters. Most problematically they also radically change personalities and relationships between the chapters in the story. An extreme case is Kil, who is consecutively portrayed as a noble sexless warrior, a maternal caretaker of an embryo, a lustful lover, a deposed queen with magical powers, an evil witch who engages in human sacrifice, a ruthless tyrant who burns down a city, a fraudulent heroic adventurer, etc. According to Corben, this is due to Kil's

psychotic Psychosis is a condition of the mind that results in difficulties determining what is real and what is not real. Symptoms may include delusions and hallucinations, among other features. Additional symptoms are incoherent speech and behavior ...

schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social withdra ...

. The protagonists are basically two identical men — Den (the first) and Den (the second) — and two identical women — Kil and Kath. They are all known by several other aliases: * Den (first) a.k.a. Mal, Uncle Dan, Daniel Norman. First appeared in ''Neverwhere the Movie''. * Den (second) a.k.a. David Ellis Norman, Dav. First appeared in ''Grim Wit'' No.2. * Kil a.k.a. the Queen, the Red Queen. First appeared (as the Queen) in ''Neverwhere the Movie''. * Kath a.k.a. Katherine Wells. First appeared in ''Heavy Metal'' No.4. The main secondary recurring characters are: * Zeg, an evil wizard/warlord. Father of Scon. First appeared in ''Heavy Metal'' No.13. * Zomuk, Zeg's demon slave. First appeared in ''Fantagor'' No.4. * Pucca, Zeg's slave cook. Mate of Mal. First appeared in ''Children of Fire'' No.2. * Gel, the simian humanoid leader of a revolt against the Red Queen. First appeared in ''Neverwhere the Movie''. * Scon, son of Zeg, also a wizard/warlord. First appeared in ''Heavy Metal'' No.55. * Sienna, an Indian girl with mental powers. She has a giant lizard named Pthalo. First appeared in ''Grim Wit'' No.2. * Zandor and Wyn, blue humanoid father and daughter. First appeared in ''Heavy Metal'' No.65. * Queen Ryllia, the human/fish hybrid queen of Ichthya, an underwater city. First appeared in ''Den'' No.5.

Chronology of the stories

Den's adventures follow a complex and sometimes contradictory course of events. Some of the chapters of the story have been told in extended flashbacks, dreams, and visions. This is the order of the stories so far. There are three large gaps between the stories with adventures that have yet to be told. * Possible prequel: "For the Love of a Daemon" (''Fantagor'' No.4, 1972). A sorcerer named Vermian and his demon slave Zomuk live in a castle and kidnap a voluptuous girl named Merya to sacrifice to the dark god Uhluhtc. At the end, Vermian is killed by Zomuk. * Den 3: Children of Fire (1989). The planet Zomere is inhabited by an

eusocial Eusociality (from Greek εὖ ''eu'' "good" and social), the highest level of organization of sociality, is defined by the following characteristics: cooperative brood care (including care of offspring from other individuals), overlapping generat ...

species similar to humans but oviparous. A breeding queen rules them. Females are non-sexual muscular warriors called Kils or workers called Works, and males are called Mals. After an attack by giant spiders the dying queen sends a Kil, a pre-queen simply named "Kil", to found a new colony in Dremurth (Neverwhere) bringing with her Mals, Works, and eggs to seek the "Magic Scepter" (the Locnar). The ship crashes and only Kil and a skeletal Mal (named "Mal", who will become the first Den) survive. Their only remaining egg produces a human baby, the second Den. Once they land they meet Zeg, a Vermian lookalike, Zomuk and his slave cook Pucca who live in Vermian's castle from the prequel. At the end of the story, Zeg kidnaps a pregnant Pucca and the second Den, and Mal kills Zomuk. * DenSaga No.2-4 (1992–1993). Three or four years later, the second Den is now an infant called David, and the first Den has fully transformed into a hyper-muscular body and now calls himself Daniel, Dan, or Uncle Dan. The second Den lives in a floating island called Heaven, ruled by Zeg, with Pucca, who is raising him. Pucca is also raising a daughter she had with the first Den, named Elinorma. Kil returns also, fully transformed into a leaner body with a very large bosom. According to Corben, the radiation from her spaceship transformed Kil into a hybrid of breeding queen and warrior. By the end of the story, the first Den (Mal) leaves with Kil in pursuit of Zeg, who has kidnapped the second Den, and Pucca flees with Elinorma. * First untold interlude: According to ''Children of Fire'', "The radiation triggered a genetic change in Kil. She became a powerful ruler in this planet of violence (The Red Queen). Mal and Pucca became mates and eluded Kil for a time. Their offspring (Elinorma) challenged Kil's rule between bouts of (Kil's) madness." * ''Neverwhere the Movie'' (1968). The first Den is now a thin, bespectacled man living on Earth. He builds a machine that opens a portal to Neverwhere. There he meets the Queen (they do not seem to know each other from when they were Kil and Mal). The Queen tells him that she is deposed and sends him on a mission to retrieve the Locnar, a magical scepter, from Gel, a humanoid monster, who declares that Den is the latest of several champions sent by the Queen. After he succeeds, the Queen returns Den to Earth in his thin form. * Second untold interlude: Both Dens now live on Earth where they are similar looking thin men, older and younger, and they are believed to be uncle and nephew. The first Den disappears (to Neverwhere) and this time he does not return. In the note he leaves behind, he says that his Earth body is dying on Earth of a terminal disease, and that escaping to Neverwhere permanently was his only chance for survival. Once there, "He fought Gel... saved the Queen (Neverwhere the Movie)... made love to her... and was killed... by treachery." According to ''Denz'', he "ultimately died by the hand of the woman he loved (it is hinted it was Kil)." Seven years pass until the beginning of ''Den 1''. * ''Den 1: Neverwhere'' (1978). The second Den appears in Neverwhere without any previous memories of his childhood there. He believes his uncle, the first Den, left him directions on how to recreate the machine that opens the portal to this world. There he meets the Red Queen, whom he has sex with after being captured by her; Kath (brought to Neverwhere to be sacrificed to Uhluhtc, like Merya in the prequel), whom he rescues and with whom he falls in love, having a brief

idyll An idyll (, ; from Greek , ''eidullion'', "short poem"; occasionally spelt ''idyl'' in American English) is a short poem, descriptive of rustic life, written in the style of Theocritus' short pastoral poems, the ''Idylls'' (Εἰδύλλια). U ...

with her; and Gel, whom he eventually kills. He also receives a visit from the first Den, who materializes and then disappears. At the end of the story, the second Den saves Zeg (called Zek in the comic) from certain death at the hands of the Red Queen, although Den is himself captured. The Red Queen orally

rapes Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, Abusive power and control, ...

Den, but he is ultimately rescued by Kath. During his rescue, Den fatefully chooses to save the Red Queen from falling to her death. Four years will pass until the return of the Red Queen in ''Den 2''. * ''Den 2: Muvovum'' (1983). The second Den and Kath are now living in another floating island, Zegium, ruled by Zeg. Kath and the second Den return to Earth. The Red Queen appears and kills Zeg. The second Den then comes back to Neverwhere. He eventually is rejoined with a woman whom he believes to be Kath. * ''Den 4: Dreams'' (1992). Four or five years later, the woman whom Den believes to be Kath has left him and, depressed, he has become obese and feeble. By the end of the story, he begins to transform back into his former, muscular self. * ''Den 5: Elements'' (1992). Back in top, strapping shape, the second Den is reunited with a woman whom he believes to be Kath, who actually talks like she is Kil. Eventually, she is revealed to indeed be Kil, the Red Queen. She has brought Kath back to Neverwhere and when asked to choose between them, Den chooses the Red Queen. After a great explosion at the end of the story, Den is alone and unconscious and is rescued by his friends Zandor and Wyn. * "The Price of Memories" (''DenSaga'' No.1, 1992), "Bog's Deal" (''Heavy Metal'' No.141, 1992), "Mola the Mole" (''Heavy Metal'' No.145, 1993), "The Light at the End of the Tunnel" (''Heavy Metal'' No.149, 1994). Amnesiac, the second Den runs into Sienna, whom he met before in the opening of ''Grim Wit'' No.4. She takes care of him and helps him begin to remember his history, from the moment of birth from the egg brought to Neverwhere by Kil and Mal. Eventually, Sienna claims she has no more tales to tell him, and they part ways. * Third untold interlude: The second Den becomes the king of Neverwhere. By the beginning of ''Denz'', "Thanks to his magical Locnar, Den has brought peace and prosperity to his adoptive world." * ''Denz'' (''Penthouse Comix'' No.15-20, 1996–1997). Years later, the second Den is now the ruler of Neverwhere and is visited by his brother Denzel Easton Norman, incarnated into the third "almost" Den, who is called "Denz". This last part varies in tone from the rest of the story; it is a comedy and the characters are drawn more like

caricatures A caricature is a rendered image showing the features of its subject in a simplified or exaggerated way through sketching, pencil strokes, or other artistic drawings (compare to: cartoon). Caricatures can be either insulting or complimentary, a ...

than in any of the previous chapters. Den's and Sienna's faces are now grotesquely old.

Influences

The stories of Den are shaped by several well-known works of fiction. Sometimes the references are featured within the story itself. * ''A Princess of Mars'' by

. The screen story of Corben's short film ''Neverwhere'', as well as the whole concept behind its Den character, is based on the novel and its sequels, the first in Burrough's

Barsoom Barsoom is a fictional representation of the planet Mars created by American pulp fiction author Edgar Rice Burroughs. The first Barsoom tale was serialized as ''Under the Moons of Mars'' in 1912 and published as a novel as ''A Princess of Mars' ...

series. The 1963 Ace Books edition of ''A Princess of Mars'' is featured in the film, and the novels are mentioned in the first Den comics story. Den gets a new body that is perfect and, like the characters in the Barsoom novels, everyone, including himself, remains naked for the entire adventure. This aspect of the story was retained in the subsequent comic versions, unlike the Burroughs’ comics adaptations. Furthermore, with the relaxed social mores for depicting sexuality arising at the time of the Den series' inception, the erotic possibilities of ''Neverwhere'' are eagerly indulged by the characters. Kil and both Dens come from a planet whose inhabitants resemble Homo sapiens in most respects, except for being

oviparous Oviparous animals are animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive method of most fish, amphibians, most reptiles, and all pterosaurs, dinosaurs (including birds), and ...

, like all Barsoomian races. * '' The Wizard of Oz''. As pointed out by

Philip José Farmer Philip José Farmer (January 26, 1918 – February 25, 2009) was an American author known for his science fiction and fantasy novels and short stories. Obituary. Farmer is best known for his sequences of novels, especially the ''World of Tiers ...

Corben, ''Den 1''. Den, like

Dorothy Gale Dorothy Gale is a fictional character created by American author L. Frank Baum as the protagonist in many of his ''Oz'' novels. She first appears in Baum's classic 1900 children's novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' and reappears in most of its ...

, travels to a strange world and is sent on a mission,
eventually returning to his former existence on Earth. Like Dorothy, Den is from Kansas. * The stories of Robert E. Howard. Before completing the first Den collection, Corben adapted a short story by Howard, "

Bloodstar ''Bloodstar'' is an American fantasy comic book. Possibly the first graphic novel to call itself a “graphic novel” in print (in its introduction and dust jacket), it was based on a short story by Robert E. Howard, the creator of Conan the B ...

", where the muscular hero fought a amorphous, demonic creature, similar to Uhluhtc. * The tales of H. P. Lovecraft. Particularly in the first volume of Den, the presence of Uhluhtc (

Cthulhu Cthulhu is a fictional cosmic entity created by writer H. P. Lovecraft. It was first introduced in his short story "The Call of Cthulhu", published by the American pulp magazine ''Weird Tales'' in 1928. Considered a Great Old One within the pan ...

spelled backwards) is a constant theme throughout the story. Uhluhtc is also mentioned in "For the Love of a Daemon" and ''Children of Fire''. * ''

The Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an epic high-fantasy novel by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, intended to be Earth at some time in the distant past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's boo ...

'' by

J.R.R. Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, ; 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawlins ...

. As pointed out by SidSid Keränen, the Nar stones and the scepter made from them, the Locnar, are similar to the

One Ring The One Ring, also called the Ruling Ring and Isildur's Bane, is a central plot element in J. R. R. Tolkien's ''The Lord of the Rings'' (1954–55). It first appeared in the earlier story ''The Hobbit'' (1937) as a magic ring that grants the w ...

and its corrupting power. * ''

Captain Marvel (DC Comics) Captain Marvel, also known as Shazam, is a superhero appearing in American comic books originally published by Fawcett Comics and currently published by DC Comics. Artist C. C. Beck and writer Bill Parker (comics), Bill Parker created the char ...

''. The transformation of a weak protagonist into an extremely developed muscleman resembles the same wish fulfillment fantasy between Billy Batson and Captain Marvel.

Critical response

Most critics have commented on the rather uneven and clichéd plot of the story and its visual power. Scholar

Maurice Horn Maurice Horn (born 1931) is a French-American comics historian, author, and editor, considered to be one of the first serious academics to study comics. He is the editor of ''The World Encyclopedia of Comics'', ''The World Encyclopedia of Cartoon ...

remarked that ''Den 1'' "sounds like a lot of hokum ... but it is saved by Corben's astonishing graphic mastery and the sweep of his composition". Román Gubern considers that, "Den's brilliant

experimentalism Experimentalism is the philosophical belief that the way to truth is through experiments and empiricism. It is also associated with instrumentalism, the belief that truth should be evaluated based upon its demonstrated usefulness. Experimentalism ...

appeared tinted by a

Neo-expressionist Neo-expressionism is a style of late modernist or early-postmodern painting and sculpture that emerged in the late 1970s. Neo-expressionists were sometimes called ''Transavantgarde'', ''Junge Wilde'' or ''Neue Wilden'' ('The new wild ones'; 'New ...

influence". Tim Pilcher calls Den " Conan on

Viagra Sildenafil, sold under the brand name Viagra, among others, is a medication used to treat erectile dysfunction and pulmonary arterial hypertension. It is unclear if it is effective for treating sexual dysfunction in women. It is taken by ...

". Historian

Paul Gravett Paul Gravett is a London-based journalist, curator, writer, and broadcaster who has worked in comics publishing since 1981. He is the founder of ''Escape Magazine'', and for many years wrote a monthly article on comics appearing in the UK magaz ...

thinks that "Corben's plotting may be erratic and prone to charges of sexism and cliché, but his total conviction and self-absorption in imagining this sensual dreamscape captivate and transport us there". After analyzing all of Corben's major works, Alberto García Marcos wrote, "Den's stories seem to wander aimlessly, with a minimal plot that weaves scenes of heroism, sex and action while giving unlimited power to the imagination of the author in the design of scenes and characters and the graphic experimentation. And graphically they do have great impact, but taken as a whole ... they are more or less ... mental masturbation". Author

Samuel R. Delany Samuel R. "Chip" Delany (, ) (born April 1, 1942), is an American author and literary critic. His work includes fiction (especially science fiction), memoir, criticism, and essays (on science fiction, literature, sexuality, and society). His ...

agrees with the importance of the visuals in Den and its basic lack of plot. D. Aviva Rothschild wrote about the first volume, "Although coherent and interesting, the story takes second place to Corben's lush, magnificent, fully painted, animation-quality art". Rothschild believes that the only problem with the book is "the ludicrously large breasts of the two women..." but considers that ''Neverwhere'' "belongs in all adult collections...." Artist

Bob Fingerman Bob Fingerman (born August 25, 1964) is an American comic book writer/artist born in Queens, New York, who is best known for his comic series '' Minimum Wage'' ( Fantagraphics Books). Career In 1984, while still a student at New York City’s S ...

writes that, "''Neverwhere'' is a timeless adult fantasy epic". According to the

Lambiek Galerie Lambiek is a Dutch comic book store and art gallery in Amsterdam, founded on November 8, 1968 by Kees Kousemaker (, – Bussum, ), though since 2007, his son Boris Kousemaker is the current owner. From 1968 to 2015, it was located ...

online ''comiclopedia'', "With 'Den', Corben had found his ideal fantasy world. Corben returned again and again to it, and an end of 'Den' is not to be foreseen". Antonio Sánchez Rodríguez pondered Corben's comments of the character Den being his imagined

alter ego An alter ego (Latin for "other I", " doppelgänger") means an alternate self, which is believed to be distinct from a person's normal or true original personality. Finding one's alter ego will require finding one's other self, one with a differen ...

, interpreting him as being conceived to oppose

sexual repression Sexual repression is a state in which a person is prevented from expressing their own sexuality. Sexual repression is often linked with feelings of guilt or shame being associated with sexual impulses. Defining characteristics and practices asso ...

through desinhibition and deliberate

hypersexualization Sexualization (or sexualisation) is to make something sexual in character or quality or to become aware of sexuality, especially in relation to men and women. Sexualization is linked to sexual objectification. According to the American Psychologi ...

. He also commented on women's portrayal in ''Den'', noting that although they weren't classical, strong heroines or warrior women, they are independent and capable of employing their intelligence and sexuality to triumph. They act to fulfill their own sexual desire, just like Den.

Film adaptation

The film ''Heavy Metal'' features a segment titled "Den" that adapts the first Den collection, ''Den 1: Neverwhere'' (not to be confused with the animated short of the same title). The film eliminates the Uncle Dan part of the story and incorporates a green meteorite as a portal to Neverwhere. Small details are changed (Kath is now from Gibraltar), some concessions to appease the

MPAA The Motion Picture Association (MPA) is an American trade association representing the five major film studios of the United States, as well as the video streaming service Netflix. Founded in 1922 as the Motion Picture Producers and Distribu ...

from giving the film an "X" rating such as the main characters wearing small loin garments (Which playfully disappear for the female leads in long shots and when they are not depicted frontally, leaving them fully nude), some characters and subplots are eliminated, but the segment follows the plot of the comic story fairly closely. The biggest difference is the tone: the animated segment is told in a self-referential, humorous style, with Den as an innocent teenage science enthusiast reveling in living a wild sexual fantasy with an idealized body, different from the straight forward adventure tone of the comic. In fact, the segment is similar in tone to "Denz", which makes fun of many of the absurdities of the Neverwhere premise. Den is voiced by comedic actor

John Candy John Franklin Candy (October 31, 1950 – March 4, 1994) was a Canadian actor and comedian known mainly for his work in Hollywood films. Candy rose to fame in the 1970s as a member of the Toronto branch of the Second City and its '' SCTV'' ser ...

. To highlight the segment's humorous tone, the script has Den speaking directly to both characters and also in contrasting voice-overs. In one, he is dead serious and strong willed, matching his epic existence on Neverwhere; in the other he sounds adolescent, reflecting on his life on Earth. The rest of the voice cast consists of

Jackie Burroughs Jacqueline "Jackie" Burroughs (2 February 1939 – 22 September 2010) was a British-born Canadian actress. Early life Born in Southport, Lancashire (now Merseyside), England, she emigrated to Canada on 26 August 1948 with her mother Edna, her ...

as Katherine Wells, Martin Lavut as Ard,

Marilyn Lightstone Marilyn Lightstone (born 28 June 1940) is a Canadian stage, film and television actress and writer. Biography Early life and education Born in Montreal, Quebec, Marilyn Lightstone graduated from Baron Byng High School in 1957. She went on to ...

as the Queen, and

August Schellenberg August Werner Schellenberg (July 25, 1936 – August 15, 2013) was a Canadian actor. He played Randolph in the first three installments of the ''Free Willy'' film series (1993–1997) as well as characters in '' Black Robe'' (1991), ''The New Wor ...

as Norl. This adaptation has been compared in its idea to '' The Wizard of Oz'' by critic Chris Hicks, who says the story is, "about two children changed into fantasy adults with a 'bring-me-the-broomstick-of-the-wicked-witch'-style mission, etc". Jack Stokes, the veteran animator of the film '' Yellow Submarine'', was put in charge of the production. A studio was set up in London because, according to Stokes "many animators are not good artists", meaning they are not skilled in drawing the human figure realistically, and art students were recruited to pitch in on the production. This accounts for the lack of consistency in the characters' likenesses. Corben painted the poster for the film and was asked to contribute to the production. He drew three character sheet turnarounds for Den and Kath, but these were not usable due to "inconsistencies in the construction". Still, the animators tried to recreate the look of the comic by developing several techniques to reproduce the unusual colors of Corben's artwork. The segment was well received, even by critics who did not think much of the film. Critic

Janet Maslin Janet R. Maslin (born August 12, 1949) is an American journalist, best known as a film and literary critic for ''The New York Times''. She served as a ''Times'' film critic from 1977 to 1999 and as a book critic from 2000 to 2015. In 2000 Maslin ...

gave the film a positive review in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''. She said, "The other highly memorable story is about a bookworm from earth who winds up on another planet, where his spindly body is transformed into that of an extraterrestrial Hercules". She also complimented John Candy's vocal performance as Den. Corben wrote about the film, "I was pleased with the Den segment of the Heavy Metal Movie. The drawings and movement seemed stiff, rough and unpolished, but the thrust and characters were right. I thought that John Candy did a great job with Den's voice."

References

External links

''Neverwhere (the Movie)'' (1968)
at Corbenstudios.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Den (Comics) 1973 comics debuts Comics characters introduced in 1973 Heavy Metal (magazine) titles Fantasy comics Comic book limited series Erotic comics Cthulhu Mythos comics Cthulhu Mythos characters Heavy Metal (magazine)