KANEKO’S CRIB NOTES XLIX: COMIC RELIEFYou wouldn’t think to consider American comics or

KANEKO’S CRIB NOTES XLIX: COMIC RELIEF

You wouldn’t think to consider American comics or action figures as potential influences for Kaneko’s designs. However, Kaneko’s frankness about American comic hobbies in this essential 1999 interview blew the doors to potential new Cribs wide open. That’s right, Kaneko isn’t above letting his comic book fancy shine through every now and then–and given that many consider super heroes and their ilk as the modern descendants of the mythological sort, let’s call this a case of inspiration coming full circle.

• ZAOU GONGEN: If you’ve been a KCN regular these past few years, you may be experiencing deja vu with this demon. Indeed, Zaou Gongen was already featured in our Volume XXXII entry that took a look at Buddhist influences. However, there’s another influence that comes from a most unpredictable source: Todd McFarlane’s Spawn. Yes, Kaneko was apparently a Spawn fan in the 90s and Zaou Gongen’s demonic undies and chains are pretty obviously lifted from Spawn himself. Thanks to ophiuchan for originally pointing this out to us way back in Volume XXXII! KCN never forgets!
  
• IPPON-DATARA: More McFarlane? We still can’t believe Kaneko collected Spawn figures. It’s easy to see how the Spawn figure Grave Digger was the influence for Ippon-datara, with their thin frames and shared bits of metal bolted to their bodies. Grave Digger was released in June 1997 and Soul Hackers in November 1997, so there’s probably just enough of a window for this to be plausible; we think Kaneko was probably a savvy Spawn collector anyway, looking ahead to magazine or internet previews at the time, if it was even needed. Thanks to Zodar for originally championing this connection to us!
  
• MELCHIZEDEK: Melchizedek has been on the KCN Most Wanted Cribs list for years, eluding a definitive source every step of the way. Then, somehow, Dijehfoundtantalizing comments attributed to Kaneko in Japanese sources saying that Melchizedek was drawn in a “heroic,” “comic” (read: American) style, and with the Mercedes-Benz logo on his face because “Mercedes” and “Melchizedek” sound similar in Japanese. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find these comments in any of the books we own, but they are plausible enough! The tri-point star of the Mercedes logo is easy to see on Melchizedek’s helmet, and for an angelic American comic book influence, it’s gotta be Marvel’s Angel/Archangel; and since we know Kaneko was paying attention to comic book toys, we can’t find a better match than this particular Archangel II figure, with its angular, metallic wings conspicuously similar to Melchizedek’s panel-like ones. UPDATE: Kaneko’s Melchizedek also clearly resembles Todd McFarlane’s heavenly warrior Redeemer,whose figure also predates Soul Hackers. From a purple base color with white and gold trim to those excessive greaves, this had to be a figure Kaneko owned or saw at some point. Thanks to @ewzzy for pointing this out to us!
  
  This is also a good opportunity to address a common question about Melchizedek: Why is he an angel in SMT when he’s a noted Old Testament priest-king? Well, that’s because SMT’s Melchizedek is based instead on the figure from the the Gnostic text Pistis Sophia, where his role is an angel-like figure responsible for purifying the light of the archons as “the great Paralemptor of Light.”