Devil Dinosaur is one of those series that inhabits a weird place in my heart because I love it without ever having read the actual comics. It is a comic where a monkey boy rides a giant dinosaur who smashes things.
Devil Dinosaur #1 is the origin story and just like Action Comics #15 promised this is just a bit different. In fact BAM
Marvel get on this or get Devil Dinosaur involved with the new Moon Knight series.
Onto the story!
So we are introduced to Moon-Boy, a Small Folk of the Dawn Man tribe, and his giant dinosaur brother from another mother Devil Dinosaur a.k.a. The Undisputed Master of the Valley of the Flame who is fighting the other dinosaurs, particularly this photobombing guy and Thunderhorn a uniceratops. Moon-Boy is established as the cheerleader and the brains of the duo. Devil Dinosaur is the muscle.
Luckily Jack Kirby was swell enough to translate everything in the comic into English so we can understand the dialogue. I point this out only because Kirby makes a point of saying “Although the language of primitive man is still unknown, it is translated here by the author for communicative purposes.”
That note actually worries me because it seems to hint that Jack Kirby not only is transcribing this scenario but he also holds the secret to the ultimate primitive languages. Is Jack Kirby the Moon Boy? Was there some sort of wizardliness?
After tossing Thunder Horn into a chasm we are introduced to the origin story of the Devilish Duo.
A younger Moon Boy discovered the members of the Killer Folk attacking a group of the Devil Beasts as he explored the fire mountain. There was only one young Devil Beast left and as the Killer-Folk approached to destroy it with fire, the mountain grew angry or it just explodes and the Killer-Folk run away.
The fires turn the remaining Devil Beast red and he saves Moon Boy from a Leaper (unfortunately not Batroc). Devil Dinosaur kills the beast but is wounded so Moon Boy helps to heal the beast.
When Moon Boy returns to his tribe the Small Folk run away because a guy who went missing comes back on a giant Devil Beast. I’d be running away. A ghost on a dinosaur who might also be a ghost is pretty horribly scary. Moon Boy reflects on the situation.
Meanwhile the Killer-Folk decide they want revenge as previous leader is defeated. They decide to light the forest on fire and to drop some rocks because these people are smart enough for rather advanced strategy (and fire) but building weapons beyond clubs is a tad too hard. Moon Boy and Devil Dinosaur wake to find the forest ablaze while the Killer Folk prepare for their assault.
Overall the issue was pretty fun in a sort of corny way but there isn’t anything wrong with this. I mean were it coming out now I’d probably get it for the fun.
At the end of the issue we are left with the questions – Were Dinosaurs As Smart As Men?
I was left with a few personal questions though.
Why is devil being used as an adjective? Will we actually see some devils in here? Would they just be dinosaurs or is devil the closest word the primitive people have? I mean I guess calling it motherhugging dinosaur might be wrong.
Nevermind. That is pretty good.
