RKMBs Forums .::Robegories::. Comic Books Richard Corben dead, at age 80

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Corben

My first experience with Corben's work was his "Den" series beginning in 1977 in HEAVY METAL magazine (although unknown to me at the time, earlier versions of Den appeared in GRIM WIT 2 in 1973, and ARIEL magazine 1 and 2 in 1976-1977). But Corben's first work that I'm aware of is from 1968, reprinted in a nice edition as TALES FROM THE PLAGUE (originally appearing in WEIRDOM COMIX 13, in 1969). Corben built his reputation doing work in underground comics from 1970-1973, in titles such as FANTAGOR, SKULL COMICS, GRIM WIT, FEVER DREAMS, UP FROM THE DEEP, and SLOW DEATH.
Corben also did covers and interior work for several issues of S Q Productions' HOT STUF' "ground-level" title, from 1974-1977.

Den, of course, was included in the Heavy Metal animated film in 1981, with John Candy doing the voice of the Den character, which is quite funny. Wrightson's "Captain Sternn" is also in the movie.

After that, Corben did the bulk of his work for Warren magazines from 1973-1982, doing anthology stories in CREEPY, EERIE, their 1984/1994 magazine, and VAMPIRELLA. Plus the same material reprinted in a few other series and one-shots, and THE ODD COMIC WORLD OF RICHARD CORBEN reprinting underground comics stories.
Dark Horse published a thick hardcover in 2012, that collects virtually all of Corben's stories for Warren.
Heavy metal also did a HEAVY METAL:THE BEST OF RICHARD CORBEN hardcover in 1998, including a few stories not collected in the later Dark Horse hardcover.


And after 1977, in HEAVY METAL, doing serialized work on DEN (I) in 1977-1978, TALES OF THE ARABIAN NIGHTS (1979), and DEN II:MOVOVUM (1981-1983), that were later published in collected form as magazine-size graphic novels.
And a Robert E. Howard graphic novel adaptation, BLOODSTAR (1979).

Corben also played a role in the budding independent comics movement of the early 1980's, doing stories for the anthologies TWISTED TALES, ALIEN WORLDS and a one-shot of Poe's FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER, from 1981-1984.
Corben also did an A BOY AND HIS DOG adaptation with Harlan Ellison around 1989, published as a comic miniseries and as a graphic novel.

Then Corben had his own comics publishing company Fantagor Press from 1986-1994, starting with RIP IN TIME 1-5, CHILDREN OF FIRE 1-3, a DEN comic book series 1-10, SON OF MUTANT WORLD 1-5, HORROR IN THE DARK 1-4, and in 1993-1994 the last few projects, DEN SAGA 1-4, and FROM THE PIT 1, which I think was Fantagor's last publication. During those years, Fantagor also published collected graphic novel versions of all five DEN graphic Novels, MUTANT WORLD, THE BODYSSEY, RIP IN TIME and others.
In the 1980's, Catalan also reprinted some of these, starting with DEN, and also collected stories in EDGAR ALLAN POE, THE WEREWOLF, and THE COMPLETE UNDERGROUND WORKS OF RICHARD CORBEN volumes 1, 2 and 3.

Starting in the late 1990's, Corben did projects for DC/Vertigo, Marvel, Dark Horse and IDW, on HOUSE ON THE BORDERLAND, HELLBLAZER:HARD TIME, BANNER, CAGE, PUNISHER: THE END, SWAMP THING 7-8 and 20, HAUNT OF HORROR 1-3, BIGFOOT, and a DC anthology SOLO collection of Corben short stories, among others. I think of these, I like best HOUSE ON THE BORDERLAND and PUNISHER:THE END.

Just about a week ago, I discovered a Lovecraft-esque 4-issue series Corben did for Dark Horse in 2012, titled RAGEMOOR that I thought was among his best. Also later published as a collected hardcover.

And several collaborations on HELLBOY with Mike Mignola, some I have, others still to explore.


There's probably a number of others I haven't discovered yet.

For me, Corben is the quintessential air-brush artist of the 1970's and 1980's. And while I'm not in love with everything Corben does, I love his visual style and design sense. Particularly on his Fantagor line and graphic novels and series, the groovy 1970's logos and visual style.

Ninja Turtles creator Kevin Eastman has expressed a great influence on his work by Corben. His love for Corben and work in the Corben vein may have influenced his purchase HEAVY METAL. It's sure not because Eastman made any money with HEAVY METAL, which has become obscure and irrelevant for 30 years now.

But Corben definitely made an impact on comics, and brought a very individual style to the field for 50 years. Among many of the anthologies or companies Corben did work for, his contributions were always a draw for readers, and among the best those titles had to offer.

Although I might add of Corben's 70's and 80's work, for a long time it was hard as hell to find. It was not until the era of Ebay, circa 2005-2007, that I was finally able to get complete runs of all those titles. But well worth it!

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Corben did a number of book covers, this is one example.

This particular image was also released as an art print in the 1980's, titled "Cosmic Monster".

And was also used as the cover for CREEPY 140, August 1982, in the final months of the Warren magazine line.

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RAGEMOOR by Corben
https://readcomiconline.to/Comic/Ragemoor

Either in 4-issue series, or collected trade form, for your reading pleasure.

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PUNISHER: THE END
https://readcomiconline.to/Comic/Punisher-The-End/Full?id=94425


Another of my favorites from Corben.

https://neotextcorp.com/culture/remembering-richard-corben/

A collection of nice paintings and covers by Corben.

I especially like this one, a wrap-around dust jacket to a 1977 Edgar Rice Burroughs JOHN CARTER OF MARS hardcover.

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The cover for TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES 33, published in 1990. Wraparound cover and interior story art by Richard Corben.
https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-1984/Issue-33?id=42472#1


Kevin Eastman has repeatedly said Corben's work was a great influence on his own work.

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https://muuta.net/wp/interviews/


I was looking at this site, Muutaa.net , which has the most detailed checklist of Corben's work you're likely to find, and on the INTERVIEWS tab, if you scroll down year by year in the reverse chronology list to 1981, there is a video of Corben interviewed in 1984, so you can see what he looked like when he was young and in his prime at age 44, and hear him say a few words (interrupted by narration in spanish by a Barcelona reporter).

There's links to several other Corben features after it ends, including a 1969 Corben mixed live-action and animated version of Neverwhere.
https://vimeo.com/133239873


The thin nerdy artist guy in the 1969 version looks to be a 29 year old Richard Corben. According to the end credits, his wife appears in the film too, not sure if she's the girl in the opening scene or the voice of the animated girl.
(Credits for Neverwhere, such as they are, on IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0282792/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_3 )

The more famous later animated version is in the 1981 Heavy Metal movie, with Den's voice done in the latter film by John Candy !

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SKULL COMICS
https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/Skull-Comics

Six issues from 1970-1972, in which Corben is in almost every issue, along with other underground story artists like Greg Irons, Jack Jaxon, Dave Sheridan, Rory Hayes, and Fred Schrier. It began as a mixture of tribute and over-the-top parody of the shock elements in E C comic stories in issues 1-3, and aspired to more sophisticated adaptations of H.P. Lovecraft in issues 4-6, the last issue being new stories in the Lovecraft tradition, with some beautiful art.

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Here's Corben's own self-published fanzine, the first issue later reprinted by Rip Off Press, and Last Gap.

FANTAGOR
https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/Fantagor

Issues 1-4 were published sporadically from 1970-1972, in a comic-book-sized underground format.

Issue 5 is magazine-size and published on glossy heavier stock paper in 1983, and I think its primary function was to promote Corben's 1982 graphic novel JEREMY BROOD, with a continuation of that graphic novel. But again, FANTAGOR is another underground tribute to EC horror comics.



Along with two issues of GRIM WIT in 1972-1973, these 3 titles (FANTAGOR, GRIM WIT, and SKULL COMICS) were designed with host characters to mimmick the 3 hosts of the EC horror titles.

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DEN
https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/Den

Richard Corben's best known signature work, in collected graphic novel form. It's best known as it was serialized in the earliest issues of HEAVY METAL.
Corben labored a long time on this series, he started it in two previous versions, in GRIM WIT issue 2 (1973), the first 15 pages.
And then again in ARIEL magazine issues 1 (Autumn 1976, 16p) and 2 (Sept 1977, 15 p) and then were partially re-drawn and re-lettered with some refinement when serialized in HEAVY METAL 1-13 (April 1977-April 1978).


The DEN II graphic novel was serialized in Sept 1981-March 1983 issues of HEAVY METAL.
There's also DEN 3, 4, and 5 graphic novels.
And the last, a DEN SAGA 1-4 series, in magazine size from 1992-1994, not collected, but essentially DEN 6. Corben's comics company, Fantagor Press, went out of business after that.

Also from Fantagor Press, a DEN comic book that ran 10 issues from 1988-1989.
https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/Den-1988/Issue-1?id=144528
Issues 1-3 were later collected as the DEN 4:DREAMS graphic novel (1992).
Issues 4-7 were later collected as the DEN 5:ELEMENTS graphic novel (1992).
Issues 8-10 later collected as DEN 3:CHILDREN OF FIRE graphic novel (1991), that also collects material from the CHILDREN OF FIRE 1-3 (1988) comic series.

I enjoy it, but with amusement, I think of it as a semi-pornographic softcore version of an Edgar Rice Burroughs novel, such as Carson of Venus, or John Carter of Mars.

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One of my favorite underground covers by Corben, for the environmentally themed SLOW DEATH 4, in 1972.
A powerful image with a clear message, and hard-hitting irony.

On many of his underground covers and stories, Corben signs his work "Gore".
Mimmicking the EC comics work of Graham Ingels, who signed his work "Ghastly".

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Another striking and '70's-groovy cover by Corben, UP FROM THE DEEP 1 (and only) from 1972.

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Many outside of the comics subculture have familiarity with Corben's work and just don't know it, through the cover for Meat Loaf's famous Bat out of Helll album cover :





I bought this in poster form and had it on the wall for many years during high school and college, now currently stored away.
Not particularly much of a Meat Loaf fan, but a nice Corben page.

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A Corben cover for EERIE 77 for Warren, Sept 1976.
Also recycled later as the cover for EERIE 125 in 1981, an all-Neal Adams reprint issue (see Neal Adams topic for the exact contents).

A representative example of Corben's typically voluptuous and big-breasted women.
This was the first Warren issue I ever bought. Definitely not disappointing !

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Corben's cover in black and white for Warren's 1984 magazine (later re-named 1994) issue 1, June 1978.
It gains a lot without logo and copy clutter and in the larger size.
Corben also did covers for issues 2 and 26.



Corben's cover for issue 26 was previously used as the cover for THE 1977 ANNUAL WORLD'S BEST SF hardcover collection of short stories.

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A great surrealist cover, on one of Corben's underground comics, WEIRDOM 15. published in 1972.
Corben did covers for issues 14 and 15.
And an interior splash page and 8-page story here for issue 15. The story is a series of 8 single page SF strips, as if it were intended to run as a newspaper strip before it was collected in this issue.




The opening intro splash page from the same issue, a Vampirella-like female host character named Laural Li.

One of the first TMNT comics I ever purchased, and I'm happy to say it's still in my collection almost 34 years later. Interestingly it was published and released before #31 and 32 because the team on those issues didn't finish until after #33 was published, and the cover dates reflect that.

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Corben's first published work was in WEIRDOM 13, published in April 1969, in comic book size (actually a bit smaller, about 5" X 8").
A lengthy full-issue 32-page story, dealing with a witch-burning trial and the Bubonic plague.


It was reprinted by the same publisher as TALES FROM THE PLAGUE in 1971, in a size closer to a normal 7" X 10" comic book size, with a new cover.

And I purchased it years back in the TALES FROM THE PLAGUE third edition published in 1986, in a larger 8" X 11" magazine size with a new wraparound painted cover by Corben, on heavier whiter-stock paper. and color cover.
It actually reminds me of one of those "Chick-tracts", wih a very EC "shock" horror feel to it.

At the time it came out, I was dating a girl from France who was working as a nanny/Au Pair, and I gave a second copy of that issue to the boy of the 2 children she took care of (he was 8, his sister was 4, too young to read). He approached me a month later and told me how much he loved it, that he would re-read that issue every day. So it turned out I made a good selection, a fantastic issue for readers of all ages, I guess. That was 1990, so that kid would now be, what, 41 ?


I wasn't aware that TNMT 33 was published out of order, and before the other issues. Two other series I can think of that had issues published out of sequence were many Marvel Graphic novel issues, and Dixon's AIRBOY series (around issues 40-49), for the reasons you described, that the artist on the earlier issues took much longer to draw the issues, and the other artist finished his assigned issues much sooner.

Another link to the full issue at :
https://viewcomiconline.com/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-v1-033/

Beyond being a great story, I like that it's a stand-alone story, complete by itself. In this case, making it far accessible to the new reader I gave it to.