INTERVIEW: Richard Corben’s ‘Den’ is back, with help from some friends
Among comic book fans, Richard Corben is a legend.
The famed illustrator, who died in 2020, brought so many stories and characters to life over his multi-decade career that it’s almost difficult to keep track of his numerous successes. Perhaps his best creation is Den, a fantasy character who first appeared in the comic book Grim Wit, but whose origins actually go back to the 1960s with the short film Neverwhere.
Den eventually found himself in the pages of Heavy Metal with a multi-issue arc, and the movie Heavy Metal also features a Den segment, with John Candy voicing the character.
Now, Dark Horse is honoring Corben’s legacy with the recently released hardcover compilation Den Volume 1: Neverwhere. This reprint of the early Den stories has many bonus features, including art pages restored by longtime Corben collaborator José Villarrubia, new lettering by Nate Piekos and an introduction by Patton Oswalt, according to press notes. The story begins with Den being thrown into a fantasy world called the Neverwhere. In this alternate reality, he meets everyone from an evil queen to large lizard men to giant insects. It’s all in a day’s work for Den, perhaps the most famous naked comic book character of all time.
Recently Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Villarrubia about the new project. Questions and answers have been edited for style.
How important is Richard Corben’s work to the world of comics and graphic novels?
When I met Guillermo del Toro a few weeks ago, he told me that his Holy Trinity of comics artists/illustrators was Moebius, Bernie Wrightson and Richard Corben. I have written in the past about how I consider Corben the most experimental comics artist of the 20th century. I think that he was without question one of the masters of the medium, and his work had an enormous impact internationally.
How long did you collaborate with him?
The first time I worked with Corben was coloring CAGE for Marvel Comics. That was in 2002. After that, I worked with him intermittently several times, for Marvel, DC and Dark Horse. I also restored his old Warren horror stories for Creepy Presents Richard Corben and Vampirella Archives. Periodically, Corben reached out to me for technical advice; he had taught himself how to use Photoshop, and at some point, he asked for pointers to make the workflow smoother, which of course I did.
What do you love about Den?
What I love about Den is how unique it is; there has never been a comic like it. Corben worked in the character for many years, and he experimented with many innovative techniques and styles. The story is a dream-like romp through a fantasy world. Because he mixed adventure, science fiction, humor, horror and eroticism, often painting them in a quasi-photographic style, Den’s adventures became iconic for my generation. Den #1 in particular feels totally liberated from clothing! The nudist aspect of the story was one of its greatest appeals!
For Volume 1, how did the art restoration take place? How long did it take?
For Volume 1, I combined high-resolution scans of all the original art with the best-printed sources available to add the coloring and often small details. I had to develop several new techniques in order to do this since the pages were produced in several different ways. Restoring this series has been and is an incredible learning experience for me. The first volume took me about four months.
With all of its extra perks, is this special edition of Den the best way to experience the stories and these characters?
No question about it. Not only is it loaded with extras, the art itself has never looked better, and the lettering has been unified and improved tremendously. Some pages in the original editions printed well for the time, and some not so much. This will be the definite way to experience these stories, and the text pieces included really contextualize and explain the nature of the work.
Are you a fan of the cult classic movie Heavy Metal?
I am not a fan. I liked it OK. I have the DVD, but cannot say I enjoyed it. The Den section in particular was a big disappointment. I liked the idea of the movie much more than the final product. When I have seen it, I cannot help but think that it was made to watch it stoned. Like Corben, I enjoyed John Candy’s vocal performance as Den. But I much, much prefer Corben’s own short animated film Neverwhere (1968), the origin of Den!
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Den Volume 1: Neverwhere, written by Richard Corben with art by Corben and José Villarrubia, is now available from Dark Horse. Click here for more information.
