★★★
Meta: isfdb. This magical realism short story appeared November 1969 in Coven, as a comic book story April 1970 in Creepy#32, and was re-published in Deathbird Stories.
Synopsis: The body of rock god Dis was divided across the globe. But the mote remained buried in Stonehenge until it was dug up by a madman and handed over several times until it was settled into the cornerstone of a New York city skyscraper. Soon, Dis will awake again.
Review: The comic book story is a showcase of the creativity of three artists: Ellison wrote a story based on Frank Frazetta’s cover art, and Neil Adams illustrated it. The rock god appears to be a human-sized troll looking down on a European town. Before the comic story, a one page intro article titled “The story behind Rock God” features three portraits of Frazetta, Ellison and Adams, drawn by Adams. What you get in Deathbird Stories is the text-only representation, which is only half as good as the comic version.
The story itself reads quite straight along, spinning around the history of this rock god and ending in a corrupt estate developer. It certainly isn’t Ellison’s best story, but combined with the artists’ works it is absolutely stunning.
Reißwolf 