Superhero Spotlight: Devil Dinosaur

Tuesday, Apr. 17 2007 | Author: Michael

Devil Dinosaur is a character that has a special place in my heart. The duo of Devil Dinosaur and Moonboy first appeared in Devil Dinosaur #1 in 1978. The series was created as a possible pitch for an animated series during Jack Kirby’s 3rd run at Marvel, in the latter part of his career.

The duo roamed Dinosaur World, two outcasts with no one but each other. Devil was almost killed by an evil tribe known as “Killer-Folk” who attempted to burn him to death with their fire…but he was rescued by Moonboy, a member of the more peaceful tribe of “Small-Folk”. Being exposed to the Killer-Folk’s fire had an adverse affect on the Dinosaur, turning his skin from Olive green to deep red, and give him powers far beyond those of a normal T-Rex….including strength, and intelligence (although he never spoke in the comic).

The series only ran for 9 issues, but Devil Dinosaur remains a favorite of industry creators to this day. Over time, the characters of Devil and Moonboy have been incorporated into the main Marvel Universe, and currently reside in the Savage Land. Creators seem to pull the duo out of the slush pile every once and a while, and very little attention is paid to their previous continuity.

The original series, though, paid homage to the pulp magazines, and b-movies of the past, and had a very unique (and very Kirby) flare to it that has yet to be matched by any other creative team.

One day, I hope to get a phone call from Joe Quesada (perhaps he’s reading this right now…but I doubt it…), with the simple question…”Hey Michael, I was wondering…you got any ideas for a Devil Dinosaur series?”

Because if that day ever DOES come…my response will be, “Yes, Joe (can I call you Joe?)…yes, I do.”