Story Title: The Battle That Time Forgot!
Reviewer: Paul Sebert
Writer: Tom Sniegoski, Eric Powell
Illustrator: Eric Powell
Colorist: J.D. Mettler
Letterer: Artmonkey’s Dave Lanphear
Production: James Taveras
Editor: Mark Paniccia
Publisher: Marvel Monsters Group!
Released in 1978, Devil Dinosaur was one of Jack Kirby’s last original creations for Marvel Comics. A testament to the genius and madness of Kirby this series took place in a mysterious land before time known as the Valley of the Flame where life was a perpetual struggle between two races of primates: the savage brutal gorilla-like Killer Folk and the peaceful, gentle chimp-like Small Folk. The odds seamed to favor the stronger, more aggressive Killer Folk, but one plucky Small Folk, a talking monkey named Moon Boy managed to befriend a big red Tyrannosaurus named Devil. Moon Boy had brought forth a powerful equalizer to the battle, but in doing so became an outcast among his own people who feared the gigantic crimson dinosaur. Two outcast heroes, Moon Boy and Devil wandered the prehistoric world righting wrongs, fighting crime, and doing good deeds.
Unfortunately, comics readers in the late 70s were far too unsophisticated to appreciate the high concept of a talking monkey riding a dinosaur even with Jack Kirby’s great art. Yes, it saddens me to say it, but 70’s comic fans were kind of stupid. However, despite their short careers, the duo of Devil Dinosaur and Moon Boy would become cult figures over time. They would make their striking return to the Marvel Universe in 1997; first in a two-part crossover with Ghost Rider & Howard the Duck in Ghost Rider #81 before branching out in their own one-shot entitled Devil Dinosaur’s Spring Fling. Word of Devil Dinosaur & Moonboy’s fame was further spread in a 1998 Spider-Man Annual in which the two helped Spidey battle the Circus of Crime. Devil Dinosaur and Moon Boy even managed to slip in a cameo in Paradise X, but alas never graduated to their own series… perhaps because it was the 90’s and fans were still kind of stupid.
Now in a dynamic new one-shot drawn by Eric Powell, best known for creating The Goon for Dark Horse, we find Moon Boy and D.D. back in their natural habitat, protecting the Small Folk from The Killer Folk in the Valley of the Flame. Unbeknownst to them, two of the star-faring Celestials have a vested interest in the conflict between the two groups of folk. Gamiel the Manipulator of the Celestials decides to send the Hulk back in time to even out the unfair T-Rex advantage. What follows is a slugfest of truly epic proportions, filled with action, comedy, and some old-fashion Hulk-Speak.
For even added bang-for-the-buck, the comic reprints a classic, or perhaps not-so-classic monster tale: “I Was a Slave of The Living Hulk” from Journey Into Mystery #62. The Living Hulk, not to be confused with the later Green Goliath, is a big furry monster from outer space with hypnosis powers that bares a more than passing resemblance to Gossamer from the Looney Toons. It’s pretty hokey stuff, but a hoot in a kind of MST3K manner.
