Den is the name of two identical sword and planet fictional characters created by Richard Corben. The first appeared in the 1968 animated short film Neverwhere. The second has been appearing in comics since 1973, and in short stories that have been collected for the most part in trade paperbacks.
The second Den also appeared in the animated film Heavy Metal voiced by John Candy.
Publication history 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, with framing sequences filmed in live-action. 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 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 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.
Appearances 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 John Carter of Mars novels. In the beginning of the film, an office worker is shown reading the 1963 reprint of A Princess of Mars, 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 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 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 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 who seems to know Den and is about to sacrifice her doppelgänger Kath to the powerful non-human entity 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, whose second wife was named Catherine). Kath is a native of London who, in 1892, was drawn to Neverwhere when she found another doorway after following the will o' the wisp while wandering through some marshes. 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'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,Corben, Den 1, p. 16. Note: "My name is DEN" is spoken by the character that was until then David Ellis Norman. 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),Corben, Den 1, p. 84. and either forget, or do not acknowledge, previous encounters.Corben, Den 1, p. 114. Note: Den calls Zeg "fellow", not recognizing him from his childhood as seen in DenSaga. 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 schizophrenia.
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) also known as Mal, Uncle Dan, Daniel Norman. First appeared in Neverwhere the Movie. Den (second) also known as David Ellis Norman, Dav. First appeared in Grim Wit No.2. Kil also known as the Queen, the Red Queen. First appeared (as the Queen) in Neverwhere the Movie. Kath also known as 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.
Den 3: Children of Fire (1989). The planet Zomere is inhabited by an eusocial species similar to humans but oviparous. A breeding queen rules them. Females are non-sexual muscular warriors called KilsCorben, Den 3, p. 14. "A warrior and like the warriors of the ants, bees and termites a nonsexual female." 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. 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.