“Mutant World”

(1+) 8+ 8 (+1) +8 +8 (+3) +8 (+2) +8 +8 +8 (+1) (series) pgs. Appeared first time (see Summary at the bottom) [COLOR] in 1984 #1 (1978) to #8 (1979) [VERS.1]. Reprinted [COLOR] in Mutant World (1983) [VERS.2], and [COLOR] in Mutant World and Son of Mutant World (2019) [VERS.3].
Story: Jan Strnad (except first two chapters: Richard Corben). Art: Richard Corben (signed as Richard Corben). Lettered by hand (unknown).

Demark [DK]: as “Mutanternes verden”, as one in Mutanternes verden (1984) [VERS.2].
France [FRA]: as “Monde mutant”, a 4 part series in Ère comprimée #1 (1979) to #4 (1980) [VERS.2], and as one in Monde mutant (1983) [VERS.2].
Germany [GER]: as “Mutantenwelt”, an 8 part series in Schwermetall #9 (1980) to #16 (1981) [VERS.1], and as one in Mutantenwelt (1982) [VERS.2], as a 8 part series in Schwermetall, Sammelband #9 to Schwermetall, Neue Sammelband #16, and as one in Die phantastische Welt des Richard Corben #5 (1992) [VERS.2].
Italy [ITA]: as “Mondo mutante”, as an 8 part series in 1984 [ITA] #1 to #8, and as one in Mondo mutante (1984) [VERS.2], and as one in Lo straordinario mondo di R. Corben (1984) [VERS.2].
The Netherlands [NL]: as “Wereld van Mutanten”, as an 8 part series in 1984 [NL] #1 (1978) to #8 [VERS.1], as “Wereld der Mutanten”, as one in Wereld der Mutanten.
Spain [SPA]: as “Mundo mutante”, a 9 part series in 1984 [SPA] #1 (1978) to #9 (prob. [VERS.1]), and as one in Mundo mutante (1989) [VERS.2] and Richard Corben obras completas #8 (1989) [VERS.2].
Yugoslavia [YUG]: as “Svet mutanata”, as a series (only first 16 pages!) in Spunk novosti II #22 (1982) to #37 (1982) [VERS.1], and entirely as an 16 part series in Stripoteka #759 (1983) to #774 (1983) [VERS.1].

Part 1: 8 pgs with 1 extra page (*. 1984 #1 (1978)
Part 2: 8 pgs with 1 extra page (*. 1984 #2 (1978)
Part 3: 8 pgs (without extra pages). 1984 #3 (1978)
Part 4: 8 pgs with 3 extra pages (*. 1984 #4 (1978)
Part 5: 8 pgs with 2 extra pages (*. 1984 #5 (1979)
Part 6: 8 pgs (without extra pages). 1984 #6 (1979)
Part 7: 8 pgs (without extra pages). 1984 #7 (1979)
Part 8: 8 pges with 1 exrta page (*. 1984 #8 (1979)
*) Extra pages only in [VERS.2]

Style: Colored with the overlay technique. Genre: SF. Time Span: Future. Nudity: Full frontal.
Keywords: Post-Global-Holocaust. Mutants. Beautiful maiden. Simplicity. Eggs. Man of God. Pilgrim. Humiliation. Food. Monsters bellow. Cheating. Torture. Militant. Underneath. Medical experiment. Rescue.
Original Art Plate: Drawn in Rapidgraph pens, ink wash, prismacolor gray pencil, gray markers, and airbrush on 11 1/2″ x 15 1/2″ Bainbridge paper [Corben’s web site]. 29,2 x 39,4 cm [Source: Angoulême, 2019].
Synopsis: This post-global-holocaust world story is about Dimento, the dopey but lovable mutant, who has got a well trained body. The others try to cheat him constantly in the name of the surviving, all but one: a beautiful maiden with a horse and a carriage. A short tempered man of God is on his pilgrimage and he takes Dimento for his sack porter; religious man is rude on him. Beautiful maiden will be captured by villians and she has got beaten. Underneath lives some people who help both girl and Dimento, but man of God does not believe medical men’s honesty.
Comment: Mr. Corben started this story by his own. Somewhere near the end of chapter two he contacted Jan Strnad to provide scripts for the rest of the series. Jan’s warm sympathy on Dimento is visible; story is inconsolable, but evidently success. Also Mr. Corben’s drawing is brilliant, no matter he uses in this story surprisingly conventional composition of panels.
Humour: Pay attention, Chapter 2, page 5 was printed mirrored. It looks like Dimento is getting up instead collapsing because of tiredness (middle row).
Additional (Jan S. Strnad version): Mr. Strnad says on Introduction of Mutant World, “The most obvious challenge involved in scripting Mutant World was to guide a character whom I sympathized — through a shattered, hostile land populated by ohter hungry mutants, militaristic busybodies, deceiving women, and at least one religious maniac without warm, nurturing aspect of human personality, to witness that even when mind and strength had gone, gratitude and a mutual tenderness still lived on in the heart of man. I failed dismally. Dimento is treated horribly by the other characters and I must shoulder the blame for his misfortunes.”
Additional (Richard V. Corben version): Mr. Corben says on his own Introduction of Mutant World, “The idea of Mutant World was created about four years ago when Josep wanted me to do a series for his new Science Fiction magazine. I came up with several possibilites, including one about time travel and dinosaurs, another about Big Foot, and Mutant World. I originally conceived the series as an anthology of different stories and characters unified by the common setting of the ravaged ruined earth. However, one character grew in importance and dominated the whole series. This character, Dimento, is a direct descendant of the luckless snoot in the two page Heirs of Earth. I did a chapter and started another before I realized my anthology of stories weren’t going to work as well as I had hoped. — I went into a drought of creative ideas. I finally decided that — I need help writing Mutant World. — The result has much greater depth and humanity than I could ever approach.”
Summary (for prev.): “Mutant World” was created for Josep [Toutain]’s SF magazine 1984 [SPA]. Conclusion: was “Mutant World” printed first time in Warren’s or Josep’s 1984? Both appeared in the latter part of 1978. [Thanks Plogg!].
Alternatives: The first appearance [VERS.1] of this story in 1984 was kind of catastrophe: the editor did not like the dialogue and he changed drastically text according his own will. In reprinted Album version [VERS.2] the original dialogue was restored. There was also eight entirely new pages designed to expand certain sequences and to soften the transition between some chapters. Jan Strnad started a Kickstarter funding project in Aug 15, 2019 to combine “Mutant World” and “Son of Mutant World” together in one volume. The sequel was totally recolored by Beth Corben Reed. The Kickstarter was a success. The Kickstarter version [VERS.3] was scanned from the pages of [VERS.2].
Extras: The Jan Strnad interview (February, March 2001).