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{{Infobox comics character 
| character_name = Den
| image = NeverwhereDEN.jpg
| imagesize = 225
| converted = y 
| caption = Cover to ''Neverwhere'' trade paperback (1978), featuring Den, Kath, and Uhluhtc.
| publisher = [[Last Gasp (publisher)|Last Gasp Ltd.]]<br>Ariel Books<br>[[Catalan Communications]]<br>[[Métal Hurlant]]<br>[[Heavy Metal (magazine)|Heavy Metal]]<br>[[Richard Corben|Fantagor Press]]<br>[[Penthouse Comix]]
| debut = '''In animation:'''<br>''Neverwhere'' (animated short, 1968)<br>'''In print:'''<br>''Grim Wit'' #2 (September [[1973 in comics|1973]])
| creators = [[Richard Corben]]
| voiced_by = [[John Candy]]
| alter_ego = David Ellis Norman
| homeworld = Earth, Neverwhere
| partners = Kath, the Red Queen
| powers =
*Peak human strength, speed, durability, agility, reflexes and senses
*Great martial artist and hand-to-hand combatant 
*Prodigiously sexually endowed
}}
'''Den''' is the name of two identical [[sword and planet]] [[fictional]] [[Character (arts)|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 (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.<ref name="muuta.net">{{Cite web | url=http://www.muuta.net/SynoMN/Neverwhere.html | title=Neverwhere (the Movie) | work=Muuta.net | access-date=2009-05-06 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090621234423/http://www.muuta.net/SynoMN/Neverwhere.html | archive-date=2009-06-21 | url-status=dead }}</ref> 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.{{fact|date=September 2023}} 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)|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).<ref>{{Cite web | title=Comicography of Richard Corben | work=Muuta.net | url=http://www.muuta.net/SynoD/DenI.html | access-date=2007-07-06}}</ref>

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==
[[Image:GrimWit2.jpg|225px|thumb|right|''Grim Wit'' #2 (1973), featuring the first appearance in print of Den.]]
"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 [[Cthulhu|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...."<ref name="Strnad, Jan 1996">{{Cite comic | writer=Strnad, Jan | date=September 1996 | story=Denz | title=Penthouse Comix | volume=2 | issue=15 | pages=4–13}}</ref>

==Characters==
[[Image:Fantagor4.jpg|225px|thumb|right|''Fantagor'' #4 (1972), featuring the first appearance in print of what will become the Neverwhere world, Vermian (an exact double for the series villain Zeg) and Zomuk.]]
The identification of the main characters of the series is complicated because they often change their name,<ref>Corben, ''Den 1'', p. 16. Note: "My name is DEN" is spoken by the character that was until then David Ellis Norman.</ref> drastically change morphologies,<ref name="Den3">{{Cite book | last=Corben | first=Richard | year=1991 | title=Den 3: Children of Fire | publisher=Fantagor Press | isbn=0-9623841-5-1 | page=11}} 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.</ref> have identical doubles (also both Dens have the same name),<ref>Corben, ''Den 1'', p. 84.</ref> and either forget, or do not acknowledge, previous encounters.<ref>Corben, ''Den 1'', p. 114. Note: Den calls Zeg "fellow", not recognizing him from his childhood as seen in ''DenSaga''.</ref> 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]].<ref>{{Cite comic | writer=Corben, Richard | date=1989 | story=Letters page | title=Den | issue=8 | page=Inside back cover.}}</ref>

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==
[[Image:DenComics1.jpg|225px|thumb|right|''Den'' No.1 (1988)]]
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).<ref name="Den3"/> 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 Kils<ref>Corben, ''Den 3'', p. 14. "A warrior and like the warriors of the ants, bees and termites a nonsexual female."</ref> 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).<ref>{{Cite comic | writer=Corben, Richard | date=1993 | title=DenSaga | issue=2–4 | publisher=Fantagor Press}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite comic | writer=Corben, Richard | date=1989 | story=Letters page | title=Den | issue=9 | page=Inside back cover.}}</ref> 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).<ref name="muuta.net" /> 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.
* ''Den 1: Neverwhere'' (1978).<ref name="Corben, Richard 1984" /> 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]] 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 [[Fellatio|orally]] [[Male rape|rapes]] 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''.

[[Image:Denz.jpg|225px|thumb|right|''Penthouse Comix'' No.15 (1996). The latest chapter in the Den saga is a satirical series written by Jan Strnad. Cover art by creator Richard Corben.]]

* ''Den 2: Muvovum'' (1983).<ref>{{Cite book | last=Corben | first=Richard | year=1984 | title=Den 2: Muvovum | publisher=Catalan Communications}}</ref> 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).<ref>{{Cite book | last=Corben | first=Richard |author2=Simon Revelstroke | year=1992 | title=Den 4: Dreams | publisher=Fantagor Press | isbn=0-9623841-6-X}}</ref> Four or five years later,<ref>{{Cite comic | writer=Corben, Richard | date=1989 | story=Letters page | title=Den | issue=6 | page=Inside front cover.}}</ref> 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).<ref>{{Cite book | last=Corben | first=Richard |author2=Simon Revelstroke | year=1992 | title=Den 5: Elements | publisher=Fantagor Press | isbn=0-9623841-7-8}}</ref> 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.<ref>Corben, ''Den 5'', p. 42. Kil: "When I first grew this motherly flesh, I felt shy, then I became proud of my new physique. Now I fear my transition from warrior to potential mother stopped somewhere between the two."</ref> 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),<ref>{{Cite comic | writer=Corben, Richard | date=1992 | title=DenSaga | story=The Price of Memories | issue=1 | publisher=Fantagor Press}}</ref> "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.
* ''Denz'' (''Penthouse Comix'' No.15-20, 1996–1997).<ref name="Strnad, Jan 1996" /> 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]] 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 [[Edgar Rice Burroughs]]. 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]] 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.<ref name="Corben, Richard 1984 Page 27">{{Cite book | last=Corben | first=Richard | year=1984 | title=Den 1: Neverwhere | publisher=Catalan Communications | page=27}}</ref> 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]], like all Barsoomian races.
* ''[[The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)|The Wizard of Oz]]''. As pointed out by [[Philip José Farmer]]<ref name="Corben, Richard 1984">Corben, ''Den 1''.</ref> Den, like [[Dorothy Gale]], travels to a strange world and is sent on a mission,<ref name="Deseret News">[http://www.deseretnews.com/movies/review/1,5208,770,00.html]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081230005649/http://www.deseretnews.com/movies/review/1,5208,770,00.html|date=December 30, 2008}}</ref> eventually returning to his former existence on Earth. Like Dorothy, Den is from Kansas.<ref>Corben, ''Den 1'', p. 76. "This very world is totally alien to a boy from Kansas."</ref>
* The stories of [[Robert E. Howard]]. Before completing the first Den collection, Corben adapted a short story by Howard, "[[Bloodstar]]", where the muscular hero fought an amorphous, demonic creature, similar to Uhluhtc.
* The tales of [[H. P. Lovecraft]]. Particularly in the first volume of Den, the presence of Uhluhtc ([[Cthulhu]] 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]]'' by [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]. As pointed out by SidSid Keränen, the Nar stones and the scepter made from them, the Locnar, are similar to the [[One Ring]] and its corrupting power.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.muuta.net/Articles/DensLegacy.html | title=Den's Legacy | work=Muuta.net}}</ref>

==Critical response==
Most critics have commented on the rather uneven and clichéd plot of the story and its visual power. Scholar [[Maurice Horn]] 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".<ref>{{Cite book | last=Horn |author-link1=Maurice Horn| first=Maurice | year=1985 | title=Sex in the Comics | publisher=Chelsea House Publishers | isbn=0-87754-850-1 | page=125}}</ref> Román Gubern considers that, "Den's brilliant [[experimental literature|experimentalism]] appeared tinted by a [[Neo-expressionism|Neo-expressionist]] influence".<ref>{{Cite book | last=Gubern | first=Román | year=1997 | title=Medios icónicos de masas | publisher=Historia 16 | isbn=84-7679-335-9 | page=XII}}</ref> Tim Pilcher calls Den "[[Conan the Barbarian|Conan]] on [[Viagra]]".<ref>{{Cite book | last=Pilcher | first=Tim | year=2009 | title=Erotic Comics 2 | publisher=Harry H. Abrams, Inc | isbn=978-0-8109-7277-3 | page=26}}</ref> Historian [[Paul Gravett]] 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".<ref>[http://www.paulgravett.com/articles/013_corben/013_corben.htm]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090218131355/http://www.paulgravett.com/articles/013_corben/013_corben.htm|date=February 18, 2009}}</ref>

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".<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.zonanegativa.com/?p=5759 | title=La Otra América: Richard Corben | work=ZonaNegativa.com | date=June 18, 2008}}</ref> Author [[Samuel R. Delany]] agrees with the importance of the visuals in Den and its basic lack of plot.<ref>{{Cite book | last=Delany | first=Samuel R. | year=1994 | title=Silent Interviews: On Language, Race, Sex, Science Fiction, and Some Comics—A Collection of Written Interviews | publisher=Wesleyan | isbn=0-8195-6280-7 | page=88 | quote=You really do not have to pay attention to the words in ''Den''. The pictures more or less do the whole thing. After I'd looked through it eight or so times, I provably had ''read'' all the words in it. A couple of times over. But I ''still'' couldn't tell you the plot.}}</ref>

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...."<ref>{{Cite book | last=Rothschild | first=D. Aviva | year=1995 | title=Graphic Novels: A Bibliographic Guide to Book-Length Comics | publisher=Libraries Unlimited | isbn=1-56308-086-9 | page=54}}</ref> Artist [[Bob Fingerman]] writes that, "''Neverwhere'' is a timeless adult fantasy epic".<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/28020994 | title=Bob Fingerman's reviews: Neverwhere | work=GoodReads.com | date=August 24, 2008}}</ref> According to the [[Lambiek]] 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".<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://lambiek.net/artists/c/corben.htm | title=Richard Corben | work=Lambiek.net}}</ref>

Antonio Sánchez Rodríguez pondered Corben's comments of the character Den being his imagined [[alter ego]], interpreting him as being conceived to oppose [[sexual repression]] through desinhibition and deliberate [[hypersexualization]].<ref name=San>{{Cite book| last1 = Sánchez Rodríguez| first1 = Antonio|title = Fisicoculturismo. Orígenes antropológicos y connotaciones filosóficas| publisher = Midac, SL| year = 2019 | isbn = 9788413241197}}</ref> 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.<ref name=San/>

==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]] 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]]. 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]] as Katherine Wells, Martin Lavut as Ard, [[Marilyn Lightstone]] as the Queen, and [[August Schellenberg]] as Norl. This adaptation has been compared in its idea to ''[[The Wonderful Wizard of Oz|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".<ref name="Deseret News"/> Jack Stokes, the veteran animator of the film ''[[Yellow Submarine (1968 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",<ref name="Macek, Carl 1981">{{Cite book | last=Macek | first=Carl | year=1981 | title=Heavy Metal the Movie | publisher=Kitchen Sink Press | isbn=978-0-87816-524-7}}</ref> 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".<ref name="Macek, Carl 1981"/> 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.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.scifimoviepage.com/heavy.html | title=Heavy Metal (1981) | work=Sci Fi Movie Page}}</ref> Critic [[Janet Maslin]] gave the film a positive review in ''[[The New York Times]]''. 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?_r=1&res=9805EFDF153BF934A3575BC0A967948260&partner=Rotten%20Tomatoes |work=[[The New York Times]] |first=Janet |last=Maslin |title='Heavy Metal', Adult Cartoon |date=August 7, 1981 }}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> 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."<ref>{{Cite comic | writer=Corben, Richard | date=1989 | story=Letters page | title=Den | issue=5 | page=Inside front cover.}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

===Further reading===
* {{Cite journal | last=Balfour | first=Brad | title=The Richard Corben Interview, Part 1 | journal=Heavy Metal | issue=51 | date=June 1981 | pages=6–11}}
* {{Cite journal | last=Balfour | first=Brad | title=The Richard Corben Interview, Part 2 | journal=Heavy Metal | issue=52 | date=July 1981 | pages=8–14}}
* {{Cite book | last=Bharucha | first=Feshid | year=1981 | title=Richard Corben: Flights Into Fantasy | publisher=Thumb Tack Books | isbn=84-499-1949-5}}
* {{Cite book | last=Bissette | first=Stephen R. | author2=Stanley Wiater | year=1993 | title=Comic Book Rebels: Conversations with the Creators of New Comics | publisher=Donald I. Fine, Inc | isbn=1-55611-354-4 | url-access=registration | url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781556113543 }}
* {{Cite book | last=Garriock | first=P. R. | year=1978 | title=Masters of Comic Book Art | publisher=Aurum Press, Ltd | isbn=0-905664-05-1}}
* {{Cite book | last=Oliver | first=Agustín | year=2004 | title=Richard Corben (Un rebelde tranquilo) | publisher=Sinsentido  | isbn=84-95634-51-1}}
* {{Cite book | last=Richardson | first=John Adkins | year=1977 | title=The Complete Book of Cartooning | publisher=Prentice-Hall, Inc | isbn=0-13-157594-5 | url-access=registration | url=https://archive.org/details/completebookofca00rich }}
* {{Cite book | last=Van Hise | first=James | year=1989 | title=How to Draw Art for Comic Books: Lessons from the Masters | publisher=Pioneer Books, Inc | isbn=1-55698-254-2}}

==External links==
*[http://www.corbenstudios.com/Corbenstudios/movies.html ''Neverwhere (the Movie)'' (1968)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100504215736/http://www.corbenstudios.com/Corbenstudios/movies.html |date=2010-05-04 }} at Corbenstudios.com

{{DEFAULTSORT:Den (Comics)}}
[[Category:1973 comics debuts]]
[[Category:Comics characters introduced in 1973]]
[[Category:Heavy Metal (magazine) titles]]
[[Category:Fantasy comics]]
[[Category:Comic book limited series]]
[[Category:Erotic comics]]
[[Category:Cthulhu Mythos comics]]
[[Category:Cthulhu Mythos characters]]
[[Category:Heavy Metal (magazine)]]