Den Vol. 5: The Price of Memories

Den #5

by Richard Corben

The fifth volume presenting the long-out-of-print masterpiece Den, by fantasy legend Richard Corben!

This special edition features art pages restored by long-time Corben collaborator José Villarrubia, re-lettered by Nate Piekos of Blambot, and an introduction by Christos Gage all presented in a gorgeous hardcover with a dust jacket.

An amnesic Den encounters an unexpected woman from his past. Sienna is a medium that takes Den on a memory journey starting at birth, where he will meet old friends and future enemies and get closer to understanding his journey. This last volume of Den connects all four previous parts of the story and takes Den on perhaps his wildest adventure on the floating Island of Heaven, where an idyllic existence hides a horrifying secret.  

Den Volume 5: The Price of Memories is the next book in a series of deluxe graphic novels from renowned creator Richard Corben’s library to be published by Dark Horse Comics.

FOR MATURE READERS

“The artist I most want to aspire to is Richard Corben. His style is visual and it tells the story just as you see it... ...my favorite is Corben. I love everything he does, I love his stuff ...he’s an amazing artist.”—Guillermo del Toro

"Richard Corben stands among us like an extraterrestrial peak. He has sat in his throne a long time, above the moving and multi-colored field of world comics, like an effigy of the leader, a strange monolith, a sublime visitor, a solitary enigma"—Moebius

“Mr. Richard Corben... a genuine giant of his chosen medium.”—Alan Moore

Well known for his legendary fantasy underground masterpieces published by Fantagor Press as well as Heavy Metal, Richard Corben’s work has been recognized internationally having been awarded one of the most prestigious recognitions in comics literature the Grand Prix at Angoulême as well having been inducted into the Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fantasy

120 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

American illustrator and comic book artist best known for his comics featured in Heavy Metal magazine. He won the 2009 Spectrum Grand Master Award. In 2012 he was elected to the The Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame.

Reviews

[Drew Canole · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cool artwork. The first splash page looks like the coolest 90s video game never made. Lots of strange pixelation throughout but only on certain pages that use a computer style. Corben can't really pick a lane here, each page looks like a completely different project. Some are classic Corben.

Combined with the nudity and grotesque imagery, this is definitely not for the faint of heart.

The story at this point is so bizarre and I just can't make heads or tails out of it. It started to get weird since volume 2. I swear I just read 3 and 4 a few weeks ago, but I'm not trying to get my PhD in Den comics. Unfortunately this is the last volume Corben completed, so we never get a conclusion to the story - although I'm not sure any conclusion would be satisfying.

Vol 1+2 are great. 3 starts the confusion with a prequel that creates more narrative issues and questions and solves none. 4 was fine, I think the PG art and a co-writer helped although I was still confused. I'll probably go back and enjoy the first few volumes again then try this one out. I read it for the first time over 10 years ago and had a similar experience.

[Luke · Rating 5 out of 5]

The series ended strong. This last storyline gets back to what made the original so great, with violence, nudity, and giant lizards. Richard Corben’s art is so bizarre and fascinating. It’s so hyper-detailed and fleshy.

[Rick Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

The fifth and final collection of Richard Corben's absurd, surrealistic fantasy adventure comics series, Den, "The Price of Memories" collects the stories from DenSaga, previously uncollected in English. Collectively, the stories follow an amnesiac Den on a journey to the Island of Heaven, where he works with old friends and flames to uncover the darker nature behind the idyllic setting. The vignettes loosely thread together, but it doesn't feel cohesive (not that much of this series ever has). Corben's artistry is still top notch here, and as garishly unique as ever, but very little feels resolved by this final volume.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This wasn't the ending that I expected. I love how Richard Corben subverted my expectations at every turn over the course of this series.

[Reyel2107 · Rating 3 out of 5]

the serie of books is dying ......

[alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing culmination of the past several books. I only wish corben continued the journey past this but what he did accomplish with the characters is nonetheless an achievement

[Luke John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Corben's last foray into the world of Den is something of a return to form, after a couple of volumes that felt 'not quite right' due to some moderation of content. The art is back to pure Corben gold, and the story is perhaps the best structured of the whole series. Sad that we will never see anymore, it would only have taken a couple more volumes (perhaps even one) to round everything out, but let's just be grateful for what we have.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

More a collection of short vignettes than a coherent story. And it just kind of tails off without a conclusion. Still, the real draw here is, as usual, the artwork and it just might be worth it for that alone.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the story went on it became less and less coherent, but Im happy to see the schlong return.

[Keith Kavanagh · Rating 3 out of 5]

potentially the weakest volume, really didn't dig corben's venture into the digital world