“The Story of Oteg”

8 pgs. Appeared first time [B&W] in Promethean Enterprises #3 (1971) [VERS.1]. Reprinted [B&W] in Richard Corben Complete Works #2 (1986) [VERS.2] and [COLOR] in Children of Fire #2 (1987) [VERS.3].
Story/Art: Richard Corben (signed as Richard Corben, 1970). Color: Phillip Dewalt. Lettered by hand (Corben).

Denmark [DK]: as “Historien om Oteg” in Kvinden, der taenkte ting (1983).
France [FRA]: as “The Story of Oteg” in Ran tan plan #26 and Rolf (1975).
Spain [SPA]: as “La historia de Oteg” in Totem especial USA #2, Richard Corben obras completas #5 (1985) and Rip, tiempo atrás #3 (1987) [VERS.1].

Style: B&W zipatone / Color with black line. Genre: Fantasy. Time Span: Ancient past. Nudity: Voluptuous girl.
Keywords: Warrior. Dying beloved. Future dream. Tomb temple. Treasure. Corpse.
Story Origin (?): Lafcadio Hearn ghost story, “The Story of O-Tei”.
Synopsis: Warrior’s beloved wife dies and he builds up a temple for her (according her dream she will come back, if he waits her). Oteg the warrior puts into temple all treastures the king gave him. After years men keep on interested of his treasure temple and warrior has to fight for them. In the end his waiting will be prized.
Comment: Corben has not yet find his brilliantness in this early artwork (and story of his own). The best parts of artwork you can find from last page, brilliant lady Maleta’s return.
Alternatives, [VERS.2]: The B&W version was shot in reprinted version with harder light, which made finer lines disappear. For instance you cannot see mountain background at the top of the first frame of the first page (and only a line in the third frame), and backgrounds on the thrid page lowest frames are almost totally dissolved off. On pages six (“YARG!”), and seven (“AAG!”) have suddenly uspide-down exclamation marks, and actually in “YARG” o page six has on exclamation mark in the original version at all! There is an additional text in the bottom of the first frame, “© 1970 Richard Corben”.
Alternatives, [VERS.3]: During coloring Corben removed most of screens and added details and/or removed outlines (like for background of the opening frame, and the mule in the first frame of pg 6 is facing left instead of right, like it is in both B&W versions, and Maleta’s face in the last frame on pg 2). There are no signs of upside-down exlamation marks. The color version’s got additional text in the bottom of the first frame (like in [VERS.2]) but it is located a bit lower.
Extra: This story opens with a cryptic line under the title, “Freely adapted from a Japanese folk tale by Harvey Sea and Rich Corben”. There exists a ghost story by Lafcadio Hearn (published for the first time in 1904 which is called, “The Story of O-Tei”, printed in Kwaidan: Ghost Stories and Strange Tales of Old Japan (incl. some twenty spooky stories from Japan’s past). Stories are different but freely you can see the ghost part’s collide. “Harvey Sea” is clearly R.V.C. (Richard Vance Corben) but was “a Japanese folk tale” that one? Decide by yourself. Thanks, Sebastian Otten.

The Story of Oteg, Rip in Time version, 8 pgs