Sanctum Sanctorum Comix

Let's Do The TIME-WARP, Again....

2012-02-26T22:50:00.002-05:00

In case you don't track my Twitter feed (and why not?), and you might only check the blog as you come across it, you might MISS a few blog posts that I tossed up utilizing the time-warp effect made possible by the internet.

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Now, let's not delay... we must go back... back... back.... in time...
To do this, we must learn the art of Time Travel...

This lesson in time travel courtesy of Doctor Strange and Clea.
Doctor Strange; Master of the Mystic Arts # 17 by Steve Englehart (writer) & Gene Colan (art).

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Due to lack of time to complete typing up some posts during the week, a few entries that I wasn't able to post on time had to be backdated to fit on their required dates.

1 backdated to ASH WEDNESDAY :
Ashes to Ashes - Dust to Dust - Unless You're DR. STRANGE. [HERE]

1 Backdated to yesterday:
Neilalien : Not Quite Gone - Never Forgotten - [HERE]

1 new one for today:
CARELESS WHISPERS - REDUX
(winners of the "What did Dr. Strange say to Red She-Hulk?" contest). - [HERE]

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So, don't wait - check 'em out today!
Although, with the benefit of time-travel... they should be there - waiting for you - whenever you get around to it.

It's just a jump - to the left....

CARELESS WHISPERS : REDUX The RESULTS of a Reader-Participation Post

2012-02-26T20:15:00.003-05:00

Last month, I posted a contest, of sorts, asking for suggestions to just what it might have been that Doctor Strange whispered to Red She Hulk in order for her to transform back to her human self in DEFENDERS v4 # 2. That post can be found - [HERE] (My complete review of the issue can be found [HERE]).

As anyone who read the issue (or even just my post(s) on it) knows, Red She Hulk needed to be SCARED in order to revert back to her human persona (that of Betty Ross). But, as a 7 foot tall, invulnerable, super-strong powerhouse, one can only imagine that it isn't an easy task to find something with which to sufficiently scare her. Even harder; imagine what could be so terrifying to be able to frighten her by it merely being whispered into her ear.

However, as seen in that issue of Defenders, Doctor Strange did just that.
The catch being, that the readers were not made privy to what was said. Only that it scared the living heck out of her, and that she then referred to Strange as; "the Creep".

So, to that end, I posed the aforementioned hypothetical question / contest to see what you, my readers, thought Doctor Strange may have said. My own entry can be found at the original post - [HERE]. Your entries are now revealed below:

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Fanfix left a slew of entries; each as odd as the last. The best were:

"I’ve never been so hard.";

"...demonic, pants, fantastic, farewell!"

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H went classic Star Wars-ian with...: "Betty... I am your father."

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DrFurball actually went to the effort of using the template I provided and produced an actual image.
http://i.imgur.com/wX0A5.png

click to embiggen

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H came up to bat again with a few new entries:

Starting with the appropriately meta;

"Your character is currently being written by Matt Fraction!"


And then continuing with the near-winner;

"I picture every woman I meet in Clea leggings. And Namor."


And the unnerving;

"Did I mention I'm an OB/GYN?"

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Bill tossed his hat in the ring with a last minute entry;: "Rick Santorum is beating Obama."

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And... the WINNER, with the absolutely MOST TERRIFYING thing that ANYONE could say to a fictional character is...

Oh. The HORROR!

This entry (which I photoshopped into the entry presented above) was submitted by an "anonymous" commenter.

Such a shame, because the PRIZE for the Winning Entry was to be a truly awesome and valuable one - I was to appear at your home, or place of employment - in full Dr. Strange costume - and give to the winner a mint copy of Strange Tales # 110 - signed by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko (and the deed to the Brooklyn Bridge).

Oh well... better luck to everyone next time!

Neilalien : Not Quite Gone - Never Forgotten

2012-02-25T06:00:00.001-05:00

When someone has been a part of your life for a long time, and then, they are suddenly no longer there, it is inevitable that there be a period of mourning - whether they be deceased or having merely moved on.

Such is the case today, on the 1st year anniversary of the recusal of long-time comics blogger; NeilAlieN.

Seriously. He was the very first comics blogger, having detailed the published existence of Dr. Strange, his peripheral worlds (including the real-world connections, such as famed creator Steve Ditko), as well as the business of comic book publishing... for 11 continuous years.

Every comics blog owes a debt of thanks to the he who came before all others, as there was no such thing as a comic blog before he invented the format which all others emulate - in some capacity - to this day.

It should be known, he hasn't totally forsaken his blog, as he is still posting occasional links to news and items of interest... from his orbital HQ.

Still, it would be a poor thing if this day was not honored - at least for this, the first year, in commemoration of the day a trailblazing maverick decided to step back and admire what he hath wrought...

...from his orbital HQ.

ASH WEDNESDAY Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust... Unless You're DR. STRANGE

2012-02-22T06:00:00.002-05:00

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ASH WEDNESDAY is the day, in the Christian faith, that is the beginning of Lent; a 40-day liturgical period of prayer and fasting, before Easter Sunday - the day that believers the world-over celebrate the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.

Traditionally, the ashes (which are the burnt remains from the previous year's Palm Sunday palm-tree leaves) are placed upon the forehead of the worshipper in the shape of a cross.

This is to be a visible reminder of our mortality.
While applying the ashes, the priest or celebrant will typically state:

"Remember that thou art dust, and to dust thou shalt return."
—Genesis 3:19

However, for we comic book nerds, Doctor Strange had his own version of this marking, and it also appeared on his forehead to let him know that he was in mortal danger.
I am, of course, referring to the Ankh.

1st appearance of the Ankh, from Doctor Strange; Master of the Mystic Arts # 4

Steve Englehart (writer), Frank Brunner (artist)

Starting from Doctor Strange; Master of the Mystic Arts # 4 and continuing through a few decades, until it was eventually phased out, the Ankh was the go-to method for letting the reader know that something dire was happening to Dr. Strange, as it also made Doc aware of his own impending doom.

Image from Man-Thing v2 # 4
(Man-Thing drowning poor old Doc.)

Chris Claremont (writer), Don Perlin & Bob Wiacek (artists)

John Costanza (letters), Ben Sean (colors)

However, unlike you or I, the threat of our mortal form reverting back to the dust whence we came isn't something that deeply concerns a Master of the Mystic Arts.

For, earlier in the same issue that this previous image was taken (Man-Thing v2 # 4), Doctor Strange was drained of nearly all of his life-energies and reduced to an elderly, withered husk of his former self - yet, with the power of magic, he was able to completely rejuvenate himself.

Ashes to Ash...uh, nevermind. Feelin' fine.

The ankh was bestowed upon Strange when he passed the test of mastery over death, and was granted an immortality of sorts. Details of that can be found in a previous blog post [HERE].

So, during this Lenten season, when you reflect upon your failings and mortality, remember... Doctor Strange is better than you.

NOBODY EXPECTS... THE SPANISH INQUISITION!

2012-02-16T00:01:00.043-05:00

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No. This hasn’t suddenly become a MONTY PYTON fan-site. It’s just that I was working on a series of upcoming posts detailing a number of concerns that I have with Doctor Strange’s handling over the years, and the number of specific points kept going up. As soon as I detailed what my major peeve was, that one would bring forth another. What started as ONE item, soon became THREE. Then, after I detailed those three (and actually wrote much of the three posts, and then wrote this post), a FOURTH rose to the top (and I had to toss out some great jokes dealing with "3's"). Between this increasing number of points and that thought of how my accusatory in-the-works blog-posts might be seen as some kind of “Inquisition”, thus led the ‘Spanish Inquisition’ skit to bloom full into my noggin.

That which THEN led me to think of the time that DOCTOR STRANGE came close to dying at the hands of those he would least expect...

Because....

DUM-DUM-DUMMMMM…

NOBODY EXPECTS...

THE SPANISH INQUISITION!

So, here, as a prelude to my standing as Grand Inquisitor over Marvel’s unholy witchcraft on Dr. Strange (yeah, I know… that was a bit much, just go with it)… I present to you a portion of DOCTOR STRANGE; Master of the Mystic Arts # 52 by Roger Stern, Marshall Rogers and Terry Austin.

This issue blends the "romance" of an eternal love, the sexiness of a shirtless, sideburns-rockin' Stephen Strange, a little time-travel cosplay, and the dynamism of an action-hero adventure where Strange relies more on his muscles than his magic!
(So, to the ladies and my gay readers, I say; "You're welcome.")

*Remember... all images can be made larger by a click (or a right-click - open in new tab)

Now THAT's a cover! Not only is it a stylishly designed "pin-up",

but all of that crazy crap actually happens IN the issue!

While on a journey through time, Doctor Strange traveled back through the multiple past lives of then-future girlfriend; Morganna Blessing, in order to capture her soul-shard and thus save her life and the very existence of humankind’s collective consciousness.

This mission was cast to Strange by the fear-lord; Nightmare, who knew that if the shard was not stopped, mankind would soon go mad – or perish, and so too would he.

After materializing in 15^th century Spain, Stephen Strange meets the living incarnation of she who will bear the soul shard, but is quickly betrayed… drugged… and cast before the Inquisitor’s tribunal.

What happens next is a delightful hallmark of the Roger Stern era of Doctor Strange – one where he is an adept physical combatant - wherein he fights, hand-to-hand, utilizing the martial arts training that he received while studying magic in Tibet, this time against the forces of the Spanish army.

Marshall Rogers’s exemplary input was his always innovative and imaginative displays of sorcery –especially his method of portraying dimensional travel – but also his skills as an architectural illustrator.

His Doctor Strange existed within realistically rendered settings. With an added flourish of choreographing scenes in a manner that the great Steve Ditko or Will Eisner would admire, (and future artists like Marcos Martin would emulate,) Rogers allows for a sequence of events to be carried out over a multi-panel backdrop that manages to maintain showing the whole of the environment in which it takes place.

Still, despite not EXPECTING the Spanish Inquisition, Doctor Strange more than proved himself able to handle this sect and not only escape with his life, but defeat its lead Inquisitor.

I won’t give away the rest of the battle or the ending… save, suffice it to say, sadly, he failed in his mission, and had to continue his quest for the ~~macguffin~~ soul-shard further into the past.

But therein lies a tale for another day.

There is nothing about this issue that causes me grief. It is excellently written, with a tightly-paced plot, on-the-nose characterization, superb (if not a little cartoonish at times) illustration, and best of all, while it is a part of a larger multi-issue arc, this issue stands on its own and is not, in any way decompressed. In fact, this is but one chapter in the issue (there are three – each fully realized with beginning, middle and end)!

THIS is how comics should be done!

I did not present scans of the entire issue, nor the entire story (but one chapter in that issue), so that you might enjoy the experience of discovering it on your own (and keep me under the radar of litigious mouse-eared lawyers).

The issue and the arc can be found – among other stories, in the following collected editions:

The team of Roger Stern and Marshall Rogers were among the very best tenures of caretakers for the mystic master. While Rogers was only on the title for a scant few issues, Stern’s other artistic counterparts included; Paul Smith, Dan Green, Steve Leialoha, Bret Blevens, Michael Golden and more!

MYSTERY DATE!--- HAPPY ST. VALENTINE'S DAY from DOCTOR STRANGE

2012-02-13T00:01:00.004-05:00

Normally, on St. Valentine's Day, I like to commemorate the "day of love" with some presentation of 4-color comic-book romance!

Be it with deep, introspective gazes into the love-life of Doctor Stephen Strange (like HERE) or an in-depth look at his numerous love-interests (in an epic post HERE) or with an entry to the "Clea Loves Sex" series (which can be found HERE), - or even the year where I immersed the blog into the mire of the Man-Thing's sensitive side ([HERE]), we always took a look back at previous romantic histories of our favorite mystical characters.

However, this year we have to look to the future and wait - with baited breath and eager anticipation of a love to come... a romance unknown...

...a MYSTERY DATE.

Who Is The Great Lost Love Of Dr. Strange’s Life?

DEFENDERS v4 # 4

Written by Matt Fraction,

Interior Art by Michael Lark, Cover Art by Terry Dodson

It would seem that while contemplating the Concordance Engine, Doctor Strange releases some aspect of his own inner desires and this red-haired beauty steps forth into his life.

With scenes of tranquil, resplendent, youthful love, DEFENDERS v4 # 4 promises to feature some bright, hopeful spark for the romantic life of Doctor Stephen Strange.

Sadly, however, this love can not hope to last.

Firstly, this fair, red-haired ingenue seems to be exactly that... a youth. Far too young (at least as she is depicted in the preview art and cover) for Stephen Strange - who is by far her senior (as his official Marvel bio states he was born in 1930). Coupled with the fact of Strange's improper dalliance with a college grad-student in issue # 1, this is a disturbing trend.

And secondly, seemingly as a product of the Concordance Engine, I'd have to wonder at exactly how REAL this young lady might actually be. Could she be naught but an answer to an unspoken desire by the Doctor? The dream-stuff of another reality to serve as a temptation for the mystic master - to lead him astray from his true path? OR perhaps she is meant to be an incentive - to leave behind his life of strife and instead begin a life of leisure, pleasure and love?

According to the solicits and interviews, we are asked "Who Is The Great Lost Love Of Dr. Strange’s Life?" Initially, I was not overly exited by the prospect of Matt Fraction performing some ret-con on Stephen Strange's romantic history - especially as Fraction has been a huge let-down thus far as far as his handling of Strange is concerned, yet the teaser images of Michael Lark's artwork is winning me over.

I would have preferred that this issue, a love-story, would have hit spinner racks in February, (Defenders ships the first week in each month and this issue would have been perfect as a Valentine,) but sadly, this won't manifest until March - so we will have to mark the calendar - wait and wonder at what is to be.

Be assured, that as soon as this issue ships, I will add this young lady (as well as some other 'Strange Loves" that I have unearthed) to the complete list of every romantic interest of Stephen Strange - [HERE].

Until then, please let me express my LOVE for you all - in the manner which will be familiar to those followers of Doctor Strange: The 'American Sign Language' symbol for " I Love You".

"I LOVE YOU!"

HAPPY ST. VALENTINE'S DAY!

~P~

PTOR

ROAD TRIP! Doctor Strange in: 'The Incredible Drive'Marvel/Toyota: Yaris commercials A "MAGIC of VIDEO" Post

2012-02-11T12:01:00.008-05:00

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Coming off of the mammoth, herculean task of orchestrating my Annual SANCTUM AWARDS post and with a lot of big things planned for this blog over the next few weeks (and beyond) I thought it best to toss in a few "lighter" pieces in the interim.

Not that these aren't good posts, but for those who are used to my epic-length dissertations, the next few days will be of briefer (yet awesome) stuff.

To that end, for this weekend, I wanted to present something fun.

This four-part, online-only commercial series for the 2012 Toyota Yaris "It's A CAR!" promo, was a collaboration by TOYOTA and the folks at MARVEL who produce the "WHAT THE--?" stop-motion animated shorts.

Starring; Hulk, Doctor Strange and the Punisher, and featuring Marvel Super Heroes & villains (or at least their Marvel Legends Action Figure equivalent), this series shows them taking part in a road trip to Cleveland - with all the “hilarity” that thus ensues.

Originally begun in November 2011 with monthly installments, I waited until the 4-part series was completed to present it here complete.

While I'm not thrilled with Doctor Strange's treatment here (or in any of his previous "WHAT THE--?" appearances), still, there ARE some good parts.
And look for an AWESOME cameo appearance by MAN-THING in episode two!

I'm presenting these as lower res videos hosted here on my blog, rather than on YouTube, because frankly, while i want to showcase them, I don't need any hassles with "the man" wanting me to take them down, or having my YouTube account shuttered.
However, by placing them here, with some commentary, criticism - AND helping to advertise their respective products, I call into play the "FAIR USE" clause.

The quality here is pretty good, but if you absolutely must see them in sparkling high-res, they can be found on Marvel's and Toyota's pages.

Enjoy!

As I pointed out in my 4th ANNUAL SANCTUM AWARDS [HERE], the first two episodes had the dubious honor of "winning" for "WORST MEDIA APPEARANCE".
(The last two came out in the first two months of 2012, respectively - and as such, will probably be contenders for that self-same "prize" in the 2012 SANCTUM AWARDS.)

While it should be freakin’ awesome for there to be Doctor Strange featured in a national advertising campaign, and one that isn’t utterly terrible (there are a few funny points to each episode), the fact that Doc is portrayed as a whining, irritatingly high-pitched-voiced, annoyance makes me feel that it might be better to not have him involved at all, rather than be so poorly represented (especially as Marvel needs to increase Doc's media Q-rating for any future big-media push... *cough* Feature Film *cough*).

The 2011 SANCTUM AWARDS! 4th ANNUAL EVENT!

2012-01-31T23:40:00.005-05:00

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The "Sancty"

WELCOME to the 4th ANNUAL
"SANCTUM AWARDS"*!
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These awards are to be awarded to the BEST (and WORST) of what 02011 had to offer for the devoted, die-hard, discriminating (and/or desperate, as the case usually is,) Doctor Strange / "6-Dimensions" fan!

This year's awards are the most detailed, discussion-intensive (meaning: LONG) incarnation of the Sanctys than ever before. (See what happens when there's no orchestra to play loud music in order to move the show along? Or a giant hook to pull me away from the keyboard?)

Let's get to it, shall we?

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BEST DOCTOR STRANGE APPEARANCE:

GOOD Doctor Strange appearances are a rare thing indeed.

Sadly, these days (years), with the handicapping that Doctor Strange has to endure from Marvel, even if he does have a good appearance, it’s hardly ever great.

Still, even this year, there were some appearances that rose to the top of the heap and cast a favorable spotlight on Doctor Strange and the rest, and in some cases from surprising sources.

Here are a few of the top contenders:

The Runner ups:

- INCREDIBLE HULKS # 633-635 (“Heart of the Monster” story arc : parts 4-6) -

The “Heart of the Monster” arc, awesomely written by Greg Pak and lavishly drawn by Paul Pellitier, Danny Miki & Morry Hollowell, was the final storyline that wrapped up the old Incredible HULK series, so it HAD to be something BIG. In it, a mystical macguffin, in the form of a wishing-well, grants the heart’s desires to a plethora of Hulk villains and assorted heroic Hulks of varying hue and gender.

Due to the fact that it is magic, and thus, not a straightforward artifact, much like the tale of the Monkey’s Paw, the wishes you ask for are granted, but with some mellifluent twist. You wish for an apple, you get a rotten apple. And so on.

Thus, many of the wishes made by the Hulk’s foes actually cause Hulk to be granted HIS fondest desire, (or at least, what would truly be best for him,) and that would be to be tossed headlong into the Dark Dimension as the lover-king of Umar (Queen of the dimension, sister of the Dread Dormammu and one-time sexual partner of the green goliath [Defenders mini-series 2005]). There, Hulk is able to smash and kill as many demonic hoards and Mindless Ones as could serve his pleasure.

This is where Doctor Strange’s involvement comes into play. As one who has done so to the Hulk twice already (in the classic Hulk # 300 & the much more recent ‘Planet Hulk’ storyline), Strange believes that banishment is indeed the BEST thing for Hulk, yet at the urging of Amadeus Cho, Rick Jones and Jennifer (She-Hulk) Walters, he acquiesces that perhaps a rescue mission – or at least a fact-finding recon - might be called for.

To that end, Dr. Strange opens a portal to the Dark Dimension so that he, along with Amadeus Cho, as well as the leading authority of ancient mythological magic and the ‘scientist supreme’ of A.I.M., may go forth with another macguffin (a scientific one to help parse the mystic one) to make sure that the Hulk is safe and happy (or else bring him back home). Once in the realm of Umar, everyone’s garb is transformed into a D&D cosplay (for no apparent reason other than it is humorous to have Cho call out Doc for probably possessing any number of multi-sided die), and they find that Hulk is indeed in his element. Except for the fact that Betty “Red-She-Hulk” Ross, Tyrannus and Fin Fang Foom are hell-bent on slaying the green gargantuan.

One serious flaw in the story had it where the Dark Dimension was uninhabited, save for a legion of orcs and demons. Whatever happened to the vast populace of humanoids (like Dr. Strange’s former love; Clea, and those she sought to protect)? Did they migrate away to a pocket-dimension? Were they all killed off at some unknown time? This plot point turns out to be important to the story, but for the sake of convenience (or perhaps the fulfillment of a “wish”) there are no innocents left in the dimension.

At the end of it all, Doctor Strange stops time(!) and pulls forth the astral form of Bruce Banner to ask if this new life-path is indeed what he wants.

I won’t give it all away, but this arc (and the last issue especially) is so jam-packed full of gamma-irradiated goodness, it is a bravura work by all! While a multi-issue arc, this is NOT some watered-down, decompressed-storytelling yawn-fest with talking heads and snail’s pace story progression. Oh, Hell No. Each issue is filled-to-bursting with action, high-concepts, characterization and Hulk-worthy, powerful artwork (and did I mention all the SMASHING?) – reading more like a comic from the high-points of the 1980’s than anything today. And… Doctor Strange – alone of ALL heroes - was there as a major player.

If there was a little more for Doc to do here, this could have been the winner of this category.

- AMAZING SPIDER-MAN # 673 (“Spider-Island” : Epilogue) -

This is a minor Dr. Strange appearance as far as overall length is concerned, but in terms of impact, it is a critical one. Writer Dan Slott puts the final nail into the coffin of the ‘One More Day / One Moment In Time’ “no-one-can-learn-Spidey’s-secret-identity” bologna, as Doc is called out by Peter Parker because someone had discovered the dual-identity of the web-slinger. Doc appears in his astral form (hey, he’s busy and can’t always be around to be Parker’s personal prestidigitator) and tells Peter that he has no one to blame but himself. I’ve seen numerous treatments of Strange’s astral form, and this one is one of the best; beautifully rendered by artist Stefano Caselli – with the truly perfect touch by colorist Frank Martin, wherein the shaded pencil art is partially transformed in “reverse” (things that are black are now white, and shades of grey are now hues of blues) and gives a wonderfully full, yet intangible look to Strange’s ectoplasmic personage.

This appearance is nominated almost purely on the beauty of the artistic representation, with a bonus being the fact that Doc finally tells Peter Parker “no more magic-reset-button”. But, that’s not enough for this to actually win.

- FEAR ITSELF : THE DEEP (4 issue mini) -

During the ‘Fear Itself’ “event”, there were several spin-off tales which elaborated of the rise of the Asgardian “Serpent” and his empowering via magic hammers of his emissaries; the “Worthy” in an attempt to overcome Asgard and the Earth. One such mini was ‘The Deep’, which told of the specific rise of the Atlantian warlord; Attuma. As evidenced by the samples of the original art that was leaked online, the working title for this series was “Fear Itself : Defenders”, as it was an unofficial reuniting of the Defenders. Basically, Attuma attacks Atlantis and Namor isn’t up to the task of taking him down solo. Thus, with the X-Men otherwise occupied, Namor seeks the aid of his OTHER old team, and calls to Doctor Strange for aid.

Strange then sends out a mystical summons for “the defenders”, but due to the ad-hoc nature of his improvised spell it seeks out even those who are only tangential to the team (as Strange says; “My gifts are not what they once were… I’m afraid I’ve had to learn to be a little more CREATIVE when it comes to spell-casting.”) . Thus, since the Hulk is one of the possessed “Worthy”, the spell brings forth Lyra, the Hulk’s alternate-world daughter, herself a ‘Savage She-Hulk’, to the group. Also arriving is the Silver Surfer to round off a new Defenders line-up which also includes Loa; the neophyte mutant/Atlantian.

Writer Collin Bunn weaves a standard tale, with nothing truly outstanding about it, but since it was most likely an assignment to fill out a basic spin-off to a company-wide “event” he probably didn’t have a whole lot to work with (and maybe not a lot of time to conceive of anything epic).

What Bunn DOES do is to bring back the Defenders’ very FIRST villainous entities; the Undying Ones. For this, he gets thanks from me, as they are the type of Lovecraftian horrors which Doctor Strange and the Defenders should spend most of their time battling. He also writes a very capable Stephen Strange, who is powerful and resourceful, while still retaining some limitations – all without resorting to any uncharacteristic or unnecessary incompetence or hindering hamstringing. Bunn also tosses in just enough levity and one-liners to make the otherwise tense scenario feel like a Defenders tale of old.

The artwork by Lee Garbett and David Meikis is of varying quality – some times, quite good, and other times, fairly basic – but the colors of John Rouch really help to make it all shine, figuratively and literally and adds depth to ‘the Deep’.

Aside from the Undying Ones, Strange also needs to do mystic battle against Aradnea, a mystically born and bred, BDSM fetish-garbed hottentot, to be the conduit for the Undying Ones. Strange is able to defeat her (and also win a few other skirmishes) by using a variation of a spell that should sound familiar to anyone who had watched the made-for-tv pilot Dr. Strange movie from the 1970’s. I had to wonder if Bunn did that intentionally. I’d like to think so.

- AVENGERS # 11-12 -

This next contender comes from a source that, while often on the “Worst of” lists, also occasionally reaches “Best of” heights; Brian Michael Bendis - and he makes the list this time with the Avengers.

With the villainous ‘Hood’ on the loose, collecting the all-powerful Infinity Gems – which were supposedly well-hidden by the secret cabal known as the ‘Illuminati’ (Iron Man, Mr. Fantastic, Namor, Black Bolt, Professor Xavier and Doctor Strange), it becomes a race to prevent the Hood from finding all 6 gems and reforming the Infinity Gauntlet, which would make him the supreme power of the universe.

The Illuminati and the various Avengers teams are out to prevent this from happening, and at one point, after all assorted teams have united, a ploy is put into effect.

Doctor Strange disguises himself as Thanos and confronts the Hood, one-on-one, on another dimensional plane. A nice gambit. Sadly, Strange doesn’t quite pull off an all-convincing impersonation, and the Hood knows that this is a bad bluff.

This nifty feint is one of the only stellar points of the arc, as the rest is filled with the usual tropes of having the heroes fail on so many levels, and the pumping up the big-bad’s apparent threat-level. The sloppy-looking artwork of John Romita Jr. and Klaus Jansen doesn’t help matters, but didn’t factor in to this nomination.

Just one good bit. Worthy of mention.

However, that really ISN’T all there was to the issue worth mentioning.

In the back of the various Avengers titles, around that time, was a written “Oral History” of the Avengers, relating ‘interviews’ with the various team members about the various points of the team’s existence. In issue # 11 the first meetings with the Defenders is told, and Bendis writes an excellent, short “spoken-reply” as said by Dr. Stephen Strange. Suddenly, Bendis shows that he sort of ‘GETS’ Dr. Strange. If only his handling of the character were always as positive.

- NEW AVENGERS v2 # 9 -

Another Brian Bendis comic in a “Best of” category! However, I don’t know how much of what I liked about Dr. Strange’s appearance in this issue is the work of writer; Bendis, and how much was the work of artist; Mike Deodato. In Bendis’ corner are some good usages of Astral Projection for reconnaissance purposes, and an effective spell of illusion to rout several goons. In Deodato’s corner is a dark, creepy and ominous panel showing Doctor Strange, Wolverine, The Thing and Spider-Man all lurking, menacingly in the darkness as they enter the lair of the villains. Strange being portrayed as a spectre, chiaroscuro-laden, with only his eyes glowing white in the darkness… I love it! I don’t know if that was dictated in the script, or if it was purely an artistic choice.

Either way, this issue, while not being anything overly amazing by any regard, still grants Doctor Strange one of his best appearances of the year.

- NEW AVENGERS – Annual # 1 -

Yet another all-too-brief, yet noteworthy showing of Doctor Strange by Bendis, takes place when the Avengers are being decimated by the REvengers, and Dr. Strange casts a spell of firey illusion that sends Ultra-Man running. However, it adds to nothing overall as the team is handed their asses and Doc is buried under debris of the destroyed Avengers Mansion. Illusion spells seem to be one of the only things that Doc is able to do with any level of success in Bendis’ “care”. Doc’s good showing was a mere two panels, but the art of Gabrielle Del’Otto helped to sell it.

The WINNER(S) – for the 1^st time in SANCTY history, an Unbreakable TIE!:

- DOCTOR STRANGE : FROM THE VAULT #1 –

- THUNDERBOLTS #155 –

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*WINNER # 2*

- DOCTOR STRANGE : FROM THE VAULT #1 –

The reasons:

A one-shot issue that told the untold tale of Doctor Strange’s first night in his Sanctum Sanctorum.

Originally created back in 1998 for the late, lamented “Marvel Universe” series, this story was heretofore unseen, due to that previous series’ cancellation. Written by the esteemed Strange-scribe; Roger Stern, penciled by Neil Vokes with inks by Jay Geldhof, this issue stands tall above almost everything else put on the market this year.

Once again, decades after he last wrote the ongoing exploits of Stephen Strange, Roger Stern shows that he still groks Doc better than most every other writer in Marvel’s current stable. Sure, this story might have been plotted and illustrated over 10 years ago, but Stern scripted it shortly before it saw print in 2011, so he proves that a classic handling of Doctor Strange CAN be achieved.

Even where the art or story may be slightly weak or lacking, (a few points in the script seem too simplistic, and the cartoony art style unfortunately lessens the impact of the story, giving it a “youth audience” sort of vibe, instead of the “Strange Tales” era that it looked to portray,) isn't enough to knock this issue from receiving a top honor.

I was concerned when I saw that on the cover, the colorist incorrectly paints Doc’s old cloak in red, when it should be a deep, rich blue. I was SO glad to have my fear allayed by the cloak being colored blue in the interior. I wonder if an editor just didn’t know that the tale was supposed to be set back when Doc was wearing his old cloak, or if they thought that the bright red cloak was more recognizable, and as such, allowed the incorrect color to be applied as an attempt to grab better sales.

Sadly, the EYE was wrong though... it should have been the square one (or the overly ornate round "fried egg" version as seen in Strange Tales # 110).

But that is a MINOR nit, easily glossed over as an artistic hiccup.

Stern gives us a throw-back to the classic Doctor Strange; he of the rhyming spell and using his brain to defeat a more powerful foe.

I can’t truthfully let it have the top spot by itself because it IS an older story that should have seen print over 10 years ago, and is thus not a true representative of the current publishing scheme of Marvel’s handling of Doctor Strange. More so’s the pity.

---

*WINNER # 1*

- THUNDERBOLTS #155 –

The reasons:

This comic, more so than the previous winner (Doctor Strange : From the Vault # 1) shows how, even being handed a power-weak, editorially kneecapped Stephen Strange, a good writer can turn a sow’s ear into a silk purse… or a pointy dunce-cap into a star-encrusted wizard’s cap.

First of all, to start off the issue, Doc is shown as having made magic doorway from Avengers Mansion to his Sanctum Sanctorum.

Jeff Parker fixes, in one panel, what Bendis screwed up so royally in New Avengers v2. # 7 (re: Doc's living arrangements – see “worst of” category below). In this way, Parker sets up an elegant solution to Bendis' ham-fisted handling of the former Sorcerer Supreme, by allowing Strange to actually live in his own home, all the while permitting other writers' (Bendis) to have Doc keep a room in the Avengers' mansion.

But that’s not all Parker was able to do so magnificently. Next, despite the fact that in most other appearances, written by…others with Doctor Strange usually depicted as being nearly useless, in this issue of Thuderbolts Jeff Parker gives us a mildly powerful, very resourceful, confident and still knowledgeable sorcerer of no minor skill. Even better, Parker’s Stephen Strange is shown to not only be able to cast complex spells, as well as some interesting uses of minor magic, but is also always one mental step ahead of his foes. This harkens back to Strange’s earliest adventures in the original Strange Tales series by Stan Lee & Steve Ditko, when for all his abilities, Strange would have to somehow defeat much more powerful entities than he is – and usually did so through guile and bluff as much as he did so by powerful sorcery.

The artwork by Kev Walker, and colors by Frank Martin are a visual delight. And with the only exception in that Walker gives Dr. Strange a Joseph Stalin mustache, there is nothing I would change about the artwork.

Adding to the enjoyment of the issue is the quest to recruit Satana, the wonderful use and newfound respect for Man-Thing and the logical assistance of the Son of Satan, all mixed in with interesting locales and imaginative usage of powers.

To top off the entire issue’s greatness are the excellent words of wisdom that Jeff Parker has Strange speak of concerning the nature of magic.

EVERY Marvel writer should read this issue and take its example to heart.

BRAVO!

*As this issue was the BEST new work featuring Dr. Strange, you really should check out my love-note to this comic - featuring my in-depth review, with scans, high praise and verbal genuflecting – [HERE]

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WORST DOCTOR STRANGE APPEARANCE:

Far, far too many this year (much like last year, and the year before that, and the year before that...). And I didn't even include ALL of the bad ones...

The Runner ups:

- NEW AVENGERS v2 # 7 -

In case you thought I was going soft on Brian Bendis (awarding him numerous nominations for “Best of” categories), I assure you that he did not fail to… FAIL… in his handling of Doctor Strange – and thus garners several “Worst of” nominations as well.

New Avengers # 7 could almost get a pass, as the treatment of Doctor Strange is, at first, merely to securely place him on the team roster, and treats him – for the most part – with the respect and deference that he deserves. The issue shows Strange, slowly awakening in a bedroom at Avengers mansion, (after sleeping for 15 hours to recuperate from the night of the battle with “Agamotto” [see last year’s Sancty’s [HERE] where the arc “won” the “WORST of” category, or the in-depth review of the battle-issues [HERE]],) and joining the rest of the team in the dining room. He is greeted by all with warm regards and open arms in their hopes of helping him through a difficult time. Every one of them is in his debt, and he is apologetic that the weirdness of his life has intruded upon theirs yet again. Up to this point it’s all good.

Then, after the team tries to get Strange to stay at the mansion and become an Avenger (after some “yes, but” and “no, because” back-and-forth) Bendis has Strange act all mopey and say, as if defeated; “It’s just been so hard…” Right there, we see the “torn-down” version of Stephen Strange that Brian Bendis has been cultivating over the past many appearances of the character under the writer’s tenure.

Stephen Strange has been down-and-out on many different occasions – something that he actually admits to in the dialogue – and yes, even to the point of having his confidence shaken - but each time, Strange was treated as a hero who could pull himself up by his own bootstraps and stride forth into the unknown, to begin anew (usually forsaking even the assistance of his own surrounding supporting cast).

The defeated, dejected Stephen Strange is NOT why I read of his exploits. If I want to see the “realism” of someone beaten and struggling to get back on their feet I’ll look at my own life the past bunch of years, or watch the news and bear witness to the plight of many in this country, if not the world. I look to comic book superheroes for an escape from the realism of life, not to always have it reflected back on me. And if the heroes’ lives are to be realistic (one of the reasons Marvel has always been so popular) then at least let the heroes ACT heroically in the face of misfortune and show a positive role model for us all.

This attitude of mine might be seen as a selfish, personal problem, and one that should have no place in a “best of / worst of” assessment, but I disagree. I am sure that there are many fans of Doctor Strange (or any other heroic character) that doesn’t want to see him behave as if defeated. It’s ok to get knocked down. It’s ok to maybe have a hard time getting back to your feet. It’s ok to admit to your friends that you might need help. But, it sucks to be shown in a totally out-of-character manner of being a sad-sack.

Far, far better would have been if Bendis had Strange mourn the passing of his friend (Doctor Voodoo), the demise of his ‘god’ (Agamotto) and the loss of his entrusted item of power (the Eye of Agamotto), instead of moaning how hard it has been. And yet, as bad as those losses are, Strange has endured similar tragic events over his history; he has had friends, lovers and comrades-in-arms perish, he has lost the support and been forsaken by his ‘gods’ and has lost – or thought destroyed – the artifacts of his office. And he found ways around those obstacles. But here, Bendis continues his knock-down of Stephen Strange in order to squeeze him onto a team of street-level heroes.

Aside from this, the issue also gets a “worst of” nod because in it, Bendis has Doc and Wong move in to the mansion, despite the fact that in many other comics at that time, it was shown that Doctor Strange’s Sanctum Sanctorum was actually habitable and being repaired. Just once again, Bendis writing what Bendis wants, without acknowledging the other books in the shared Marvel universe.

Luckily, we had Jeff Parker and the Thunderbolts title (issue # 155) to straighten out the whole debacle, in an applauded, efficient and elegant (and as seen above, in a WINNING of the “BEST OF”) manner.

- NEW AVENGERS v2 # 10 -

Doctor Strange can't medically treat, mystically heal or transport gunshot victim; Mockingbird, to a Hospital? He needs to use a phone to call 911? Really? Can I tell you how many times in the past Strange was able to do such things for injured teammates? Yes. Yes I can. But, that was before the days where he lost his mantle as Sorcerer Supreme and before Marvel dictated to stop using Doctor Strange as a Deus ex Machina, and Bendis interpreted that to mean; “Doctor Strange can’t do much”.

This is only a minor nit to pick, as at least Doc is shown casting a somewhat affective health-boost spell to keep Mockingbird alive in order for an ambulance to arrive. I’ll say that maybe Mockingbird’s condition was so critical that she wouldn’t be stable enough to survive the stress of teleportation – even with some kind of mystical stasis. Of course, Bendis never actually WRITES such a thing, and it is, once again, left to the reader to fill in the blanks. I can understand modern writers trying to get away from the extensive exposition that the comics of yesteryear would use to fill the mouths of characters. However, since Bendis seems to be able to have his characters speak so much jibber-jabber and smack-talk and pages of stammering, repetitive “Bendis-speak”, would it hurt to toss in just a little of what is actually going on for the sake of the reader?

- AVENGERS ACADEMY # 10 -

Behind a beautiful cover that shows Doctor Strange conducting a class at the Academy while in another dimension and beset by a tentacle-monster, (the header banner across the top of the comic touts; “Magic 101”,) Doctor Strange’s appearance in the issue is a mere, boring, single panel of him looking at the magic medallion of teammate; Reptil. I give it a grade of: FAIL.

- INCREDIBLE HULKS # 620 -

The wrap-up to the “Chaos War” arc, this issue has Doctor Strange overcome, once again, by the evil energies of the demon; Zom, whose essence Strange had ingested in order to try to battle the Worldbreaker Hulk (during the World War Hulk storyline). As is the case when one hero appears in another’s title, Strange can not defeat the big-bad of the story, or even overcome his own tormentor, without the assistance of the titular hero (or in this case, his entourage). In fact, through the issue (and those before this one), Strange is transformed into an actual lackey to the main villain; the Chaos King. Sure, they let Doc have the credit for fighting off the Zom-force just enough for the others to break him free, but it was still very, very little – far, far too late.

*For more on the Doc/Zom Hulks story – see last year’s worst-of entry [HERE]

- DEFENDERS : FROM THE VAULT # 1 -

This “lost” story tells the tale of the Defenders’ routing an alien invasion. The invasion is of a psychic nature and the Defenders are called to action as a by-product of the curse that affected them at the time (as the story was originally written as a fill-in for the 2001-era Defenders series). However, since their minds were in thrall to the alien invaders, the Defenders’ bodies were inhabited by the minds of 4 slackers who were unaffected by the mental attack (either high on marijuana or loaded on Red-Bull). So, this issue tells a Defenders story that, for the majority of the issue, is WITHOUT the actual Defenders!

Even with that taken into account, and the various storytelling angles that arise from such a tale, it, sadly, wasn’t all that good a story. Kurt Busiek scripted the issue many years after it was drawn by Mark Bagley from a plot by Fabien Necieza. According to the afterward, the original plot/script was lost and neither the artist nor the original writer could remember what it was about. So, Busiek wrote a brand new story from what he “read” from the illustrations. The fact that he produced a workable and somewhat original tale is a commendation to just how good Kurt Busiek can be. Sadly, it was just a bit disappointing since, in this day and age with the lack of good, respectful treatments for Doctor Strange (and the Defenders), that this was a missed opportunity. It could have been a drastically different story (although, there’s no telling if it would have been better or worse.)

- POINT ONE # 1 – (Dr. Strange in: “The SHAMAN of GREENWICH VILLAGE” – Defenders prelude)

One of seven short stories presented in this anthology issue is a Doctor Strange tale that is a prelude to the new Defenders series. While setting up the scenario of the “Concordance Engine”, Matt Fraction introduces (and kills off) a waste of a character; “Notebook Joe”, who serves absolutely no purpose whatsoever except to show that Matt Fraction has almost no insight into Doctor Strange’s character or history. Terry and Rachel Dodson’s artwork is rushed-looking and cartoony (which wouldn’t be a problem if it were intended or consistently so).

I won’t wax on too much about this entry as I have a full critique/review/rant in a previous blog entry [HERE].

- DEFENDERS v4 # 1 -

Matt Fraction writes an off-character version of Doctor Strange, complete with a sexual impropriety, out-of-character behavior and stilted dialogue. Terry and Rachel Dodson render uneven illustrations of same. This would have been a sure shoo-in for “winner” of the Worst, if not for the fact that I am willing to give the benefit of the doubt that Doctor Strange’s poor treatment and behavior is a part of the negative effects of the demonic entity; Nul, being manifest on Earth. If not, with all that is wrong with the treatment of Doctor Strange (seriously, read my review [HERE])… this would be THE Worst.

The "Winner":

- FANTASTIC FOUR # 600 (“Forever”) -

The Fantastic Four and all assorted Avengers are trying to ward off a Kree invasion of New York City, and while all the various heroes are shown to be in some way fighting against the Kree soldiers, only Doctor Strange is shown to actually take down one of the Kree Armada Warships. However, because the new rule at Marvel is: ‘Doctor Strange can’t be too powerful’, many writers show him as being fairly inept.

And so, writer Jonathan Hickman has Doctor Strange cast a gravity spell to ground one of the warships, only for the trajectory to be all wrong and instead of landing in the ocean, the spaceship crashes into a row of residential apartment buildings, on a busy street (most likely with storefronts on the main level) and kills untold number of men, women, children (and alien Kree).

After that tragic mistake, we do not get a panel of Strange feeling remorse or any statement that “the buildings were already evacuated, no one was hurt”. And we never see Strange again in the issue (or any subsequent issues in the storyline).

Unacceptable.

*See review/rant : Doctor Strange; Sorcerer Substandard - Disaster of the Mystic Arts, Master of the Spastic Arts, Master of the Mystic Oops [HERE]

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BEST "6-dimensions" APPEARANCE (hero):

The Runner ups:

- The Defenders in: Fear Itself : The Deep (mini-series) -

While not their best showing, the Defenders get treated fairly well in this mini-series spin-off to the ‘Fear Itself’ event. Feeling like a Defenders issue of old, this tale hits some of the high points of the team’s usual adventures;

One of their number needs help and calls for the others to join in the battle.

Battling against the Undying Ones and demonic hoards.

Just enough snark and humor to make it fun.

Still, despite the fact that this mini-series felt a little uninspired, as it was hampered by the fact that it was an editorially-mandated spin-off instead of an organically cultivated idea, it was still fairly good. Good enough that it did win an honorable mention in the “Best of” Doctor Strange appearance category, and is also deserving of the same “runner-up” status in this category as well.

- The Last Defenders in: Vengeance (mini-series) -

With the advent of the return of the “classic” Defenders to a proper title, one of the most recent previous incarnations of the team; the “Last Defenders”, might have been thought to have been written off by Marvel. The team, consisting of: She-Hulk, Son of Satan, Warlord Krang, and a new Nighthawk – all under the guiding hand of original Nighthawk; Kyle Richmond, are shown to be active as a covert, super-secret, high-concept superhero team embroiled in a clandestine plot dealing with a new generation of Super Heroes, the multiple layers that exist in the villainous hierarchy, trips to other dimensions and the existence of a teenage incarnation of the In-Betweener. To say that this mini-series is so outside the oeuvre of Marvel’s current publishing style is an understatement. However, it was just that “do what you want, no one is watching” attitude that let writer JOE CASEY and artist NICK DRAGOTTA to fashion a truly fascinating tale.

While the Last Defenders have only a supporting role in the story, they play an important one nevertheless, and are treated with seriousness and respect all around.

- The In-Betweener in: Vengeance (mini-series) -

OK. Did you read the previous entry? Yup. Same goodness. But c’mon… the IN-BETWEENER! As a teenage emo-goth type with cosmic awareness. It’s crazy fun!

- Ikon; the Spaceknight in : Annihilators (mini-series) -

OK. It’s not ROM; Spaceknight. With all of the legal red-tape surrounding that property, it’ll be a few more years until there might be any headway into a return of ROM. Still, Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning bring a Spaceknight into high profile – standing shoulder-to-shoulder with a Guardians of the Galaxy team of cosmic heavy-weights; Beta-Ray Bill, Silver Surfer, Quasar, Gladiator and Ronan the Accuser. Better yet, Ikon is a female warrior and more than equal to any of the men on the team. As a bonus, artist Tan Eng Huat seems to have deliberately modeled Ikon’s Galadorian armor to look as close to ROM’s as possible (within the boundary of copyright).

- Valkyrie in: Fear Itself : The Fearless (mini-series) –

Valkyrie is such a tragic comic character. While her actual canonical history and life-story is filled with grief and death (some of that history is told in this series), but her actual published history is spotty and filled with missteps and false-starts. She may have long been a member of the classic Defenders (the longest-serving member actually), but her role therein was still fairly uninspired for most of that time. However, now, after a resurgence in popularity with appearances in a few mini-series and other projects, and alongside her new tenure being a member of the Secret Avengers, Valkyrie is being given a time to shine. Taking on the majority of the Marvel Heroes in order to collect the lost hammers of the Asgardian serpent, Valkyrie is on a mission that will show her to be one of the strongest, bravest, most dynamic heroes that Marvel has to offer.

- Scarlet Witch in: Avengers : Children’s Crusade (mini-series) -

Look. I love the Scarlet Witch. Sue me. And this mini-series features her official return to the Marvel universe after several years of being an amnesiac in hiding (or whatever the heck Brian Bendis was attempting to portray in his apparently aborted storyline from the New Avengers issues a few years ago). Writer Allan Heinberg weaves a tale that has Wanda romantically involved with Doctor Doom (!), and is trying to rectify the harm she committed during “House of M”. The intrigue is ratcheted up from there as she is sought by “her sons”; Speed & Wiccan, of the Young Avengers, and is hunted by the X-Men and the Avengers. The fact that the issues (and Wanda) are beautifully drawn by Jim Cheung and Mark Morales makes this the first book I crack open when it arrives. Unfortunately, with a publication schedule of every other month (when it isn’t late by a thirdmonth), that wait is too long for me to endure.

- Man-Thing in : Thunderbolts # 154 -

Much like my love for the following issue (#155 – which won “BEST OF” for the Doctor Strange appearance) this issue’s treatment of Man-Thing shows him as a heroic entity, not just a walking plot-device, with the ability to empathically know what is the right thing to do. Saving the lives of innocents from an other-dimensional hunting expedition and then returning to his “friends” in the Thunderbolts was a touching tale that paints Man-Thing as part-hero, part-faithful-companion, part-man, part-thing.

Also, the appearance and devotion of his long-time friend (and pseudo girl-friend), and sorceress; Jennifer Kale was most welcome. She tries to rescue him from his apparent abductors to allow him to return to the Nexus to perform his cosmic duties as its guardian, only to find that he wants to live with the T-bolts, for there, with them, he has at long last… found a home.

*See my love note to the issue [HERE].

The Winner:

- Satana in : Thunderbolts # 155-167 -

I hear you saying; “But Satana isn’t a HERO!” Ah… but that’s the wonder of her characterization here. While she is traditionally a villainess, a succubus born to Satan himself, she is shown in this title to be a cross-purpose hero. Sometimes doing what might seem to be the bad thing, but strangely, for the most part, on the side of doing what is right. I know I should pick a single issue or arc to focus on, but truthfully, Satana’s character has been an ever-growing treatment in the pages of Thunderbolts. Whether her devoted fascination for the Man-Thing (or as she calls him; the Vagornis Koth), her Machiavellian machinations, or her innovative uses of sorcery, Jeff Parker has been bestowing upon Satana some serious love and attention.

From her earliest printed appearances, Satana has been an ever-changing tabula rasa. Each writer bestows some generic demonic aspect upon her, but her abilities, alliances, allegiance and alignment (good, evil, chaotic neutral, neutral evil, etc…) fluctuate wildly. Jeff Parker has an explanation for that; she CAN be good, but the demonic aspect of her soul sometimes flares up out of control. Parker’s Satana seems more interested in the mystical variation of “the scientific process”, wherein she likes to try experimental spells and see what happens. Her etching of the “world song” on the body of the Man-Thing which led to his evolution, her casting runes on Ghost to allow the team to venture into a inner-dimensional mindscape, her mystically greenhousing the Man-Thing’s essence into a doppelganger and using the energies of the Nexus of All Realities to allow for the entire Thunderbolts Tower to move through time and space… ALL of these things (and her infectiously wild nature and sexy attributes) are an absolute delight to watch unfold.

Like the song by SANTANA says;
I got a Black Magic Woman
Yes, I got a Black Magic Woman
She's got me so blind I can't see
But she's a Black Magic Woman and
she's trying to make a devil out of me

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WORST "6-dimensions" APPEARANCE (hero):

The Runner Ups:

- Defenders : From The Vault # 1 -

As I detailed in the above category of; “Worst Dr. Strange appearance”, this comic also earns a dubious nomination for worst appearance by “6-dimensions” characters; the Defenders.

As noted above – the majority of the issue deals with 4 normal college kids operating in the bodies of the Defenders. So, it’s a comic that doesn’t really even have the team in it. Nice idea, but not worth the cover price or the loss of an actual Defenders story.

- Brandy Clark in : Annihilators (mini-series) -

The wife and love of ROM; Spaceknight (and Queen of planet Galador), Brandy Clark is portrayed in a sometimes negative manner, as she is a dupe to a Skrull disguised as a Dire Wraith sorcerer; Dr. Dredd.

There are some positive aspects to her appearance in the mini, such as her willingness to once again become a cyborg Spaceknight in order to defend her world, but for the most part she is treated badly.

- Mortigan Goth; Immortalis & Marjorie Brink in : Wolverine: Best There Is # 2-6, 11 & 12 -

Last year, I nominated issue # 1 of this series for the same reason, Mortigan Goth; Immortalis having been reduced from an elegant, tragic soul to a punk rock, S&M, pain-junkie. And in the following issues he is joined by Marjorie Brink (one of Doctor Strange’s former loves – check out her listing in my epic post detailing every romantic partner of Stephen Strange [HERE]), and she is reduced to a number-crunching, emotionally-detached slave to the series’ villainous mastermind by writer Charlie Huston and artist Juan Jose Ryp.

Lame.

The only justice being that the series (which earn the name; Wolverine: The WORST There Is) sucked so badly that it was cancelled at issue 12. Good riddance to bad rubbish.

- Dr. Druid in : Secret Avengers # 20 -

During a multi-layered time-jumping adventure, the Black Widow seeks out Doctor Anthony Ludgate Druid, a mere 36-hours before his death at the hands of Son-of-Satan, to learn that she can close a time-warp-loop-portal with a large enough explosion. Druid then follows up with a very odd statement. He says, during mystic combat, sorcerers don’t do anything more than toss various types of radiation at each other – irradiating one another, and that one can do much the same with an explosion as one might with runes and chicken-bones. Reading this one-page appearance made me want to toss some radiation at writer Warren Ellis. Oddly enough, Ellis was the one who penned the excellent 1995 DRUID mini-series that set up Dr. Druid as a serious mystical threat (well… before Ellis had Hellstorm kill him off at the end).

- Wong in : Avengers # 18 -

Bendis portrays Wong as a somewhat stereotypical, totally out-of-character, butcher-knife-wielding, angry-Asian-chef who threatens to cut off Avenger’s butler; Jarvis’ #%&@ if Jarvis ever ventures into Wong’s kitchen. But that’s not the worst mistreatment Wong has had to suffer at the pen of Bendis.

No, that is next…

- Wong in : New Avengers Annual # 1 -

In this annual, Wong is only present for 2 panels, but Bendis makes sure to make it the worst appearance Wong ever had the misfortune of enduring. During an attack of Avengers Mansion by the REvengers, the house is shaken from its foundations by a frontal attack by giant-sized villain; Atlas. While all the other Avengers are dramatically tossed about the rooms of the house, Wong is shown, as a 1 panel comedy-relief, stuck on the toilet with a towel and various toiletries tossed loose having landed on his head. His spoken; “What now?” being exactly how I felt when seeing this.

Then, to add insult to injury, as the Avengers are shown charging out to do battle, Wong, in his 2^nd panel appearance, is shown stuck in the bathroom, unable to open the door.

All throughout Bendis’ tenure as “caretaker” to Dr. Strange and Wong, he has treated Wong as 1-dimensional, and just when I thought that Bendis couldn’t lay Wong any lower… I am proven wrong.

The "Winner":

- Man-Thing, Howard the Duck & Nighthawk in : Fear Itself : Fearsome Four (mini-series) -

Good grief! Where even to begin? All right… the ‘Fear Itself’ “event” that brought the Asgardian god of fear to Earth caused an all-pervasive wave of terror to overwhelm everyone on the planet and you know what they say; “Whosoever Knows Fear… BURNS at The Touch of The MAN-THING”! So, in what should have been a no-brainer move, Marvel made sure that Man-Thing would have some substantial part to play in the big picture. Certainly, it would make some sense that if fear was uncontrollable and escalating, that the Man-Thing’s empathic nature would be overloaded, to some drastic and devastating outcome – such as Man-Thing going on a rampage in New York City to randomly kill or maim whomever’s path should cross his. Among those whose paths would deliberately cross Manny’s would be; Howard the Duck, She-Hulk, Nighthawk and Frankenstein’s Monster; an ad-hoc team dedicated to bringing Man-Thing down peacefully.

With artwork by the likes of such veterans as Michael William Kaluta, Tom Grummett and Simon Bisley, and relative newcomers like Tim Green, Ryan Bodenheim and Ray-Anthony Height, that sounds like it should be pretty good, right?

Unfortunately, what was put to print was such an abomination of poor characterization, multiple miss-matched artistic styles and a poor underlying plot (with glaring canonical errors) that this entire mini-series was one of the worst things published in 2011. One problem is that an untested writer was put at the helm and strove for more than he was able or could reasonably hope to achieve.

Man-Thing is showing powers that he hadn’t ever before exhibited (something that has been done fairly often lately since he joined the Thunderbolts), Howard the Duck is involved in a nigh-impossible ret-con and is acting totally out of character (with no real explanation except that he wants to save his “friend”, Man-Thing), Kyle Richmond is again dressed as Nighthawk and is acting like an out-of-his-mind “Christian-Bale-as-Batman” type of gritty vigilante (which, I’ll give a pass as being a by-product of the ‘Fear Itself’ wave of terror) despite the fact that he has bequeathed the identity to another (as seen in “Last Defenders” and “Vengeance” mini-series).

I can’t go into this mini too much or my head will explode. Suffice it to say, there’s so much bad stuff here that almost no amount of the good parts can redeem the rest.

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BEST "6-dimensions" APPEARANCE (villain):

The Runner Ups:

- Dire Wraiths in : Fantastic Four & FF -

Truthfully, the Wraiths don’t make much of an appearance in the FF titles, but the fact that they DO appear, and thus carry forth the ROM: SPACEKNIGHT canon is a nice thing.

- Hybrid in: Avengers Academy # 23 -

Like his wraith cousins above, Hybrid is an awesome foe of the much-missed ROM series. In fact, he is ROM’s greatest foe. While he has been seen once every decade or so since the end of the ROM series, it has been since an issue of X-Man in 1997 since we’ve seen Hybrid in any sort of worthwhile appearance.

While only a surprise ending twist in this issue, Hybrid is to be featured as the villain in the next few issues. So, look for his nomination next year.

- Shuma Gorath in: Invaders NOW # 5 (of 5) -

As the big “end boss” of the series, and the architect / dark power behind a recent mystical upheaval, Shuma-Gorath has to be defeated by the combined forces of the Invaders and the spirits of multitudes of the deceased. Requiring the use of the mythic “Spear of Destiny” to pierce the elder demons’ barriers, Shuma-Gorath is shown to once again be a serious threat, despite the sad fact that writer Christos Gage and artist Caio Reis don’t really have Shuma DO much of anything but hover around.

Still... like in each previous year's awards; "Shuma shows up, Shuma gets respect!"

- Umar in : Incredible Hulks # 633-635 -

Returning, after her last appearance in the 2005 Defenders mini, and continuing her sexual desire for whatever…er… “Incredibleness” there may be in Hulk’s purple pants, Umar is resurrected via a magic wishing well. Like many older, yet not well-established characters, recent Marvel writers have played a little loose with Umar’s personality and objectives. Still, Greg Pak lets Umar show us all a good time.

- Satana in : Thunderbolts # 155-167 -

I hear you saying; “But Satana won for her appearance as a HERO!” Ah… but that’s the wonder of her characterization here. While she is acting in altruistic manners as a hero, she is traditionally a villainess, a succubus born to Satan himself, and even her best intentions and actions are tinged with the dark taint of evil.

See? She did make a devil out of me.

- Hellcow in : Deadpool Team-Up # 885 -

OK. C’mon… HELLCOW! An obscure throw-away gag from an old issue of Howard the Duck brought back to make some serious yuks in a wacky issue of Deadpool Team-Up. Of COURSE it gets a nod.

- Mephisto in : Journey Into Mystery # 627 -

The Devil walks into a bar and the bartender, by some rule, has to ask him about his day. Mephisto then tells the tale of the multiple realms of hell and the denizens within. Even Shuma Gorath makes a cameo appearance. But, Mephisto is the star of the issue, as he navigates, through gile and treachery, the pathways of knowledge and power.

The Winner:

- Loki in : Journey Into Mystery -

There’s no way to choose a single issue, as this series has been a delight since its reboot.

After sacrificing his life to defeat the power-mad Sentry during the Siege of Asgard, Loki, reincarnated as a youthful boy, is trying to forego his mischievous past and is striving to do the right thing, for Asgard and for his brother; Thor – who is the only one who has any faith in, or love for the trickster god.

Writer Keiron Gillen weaves such an intricate web of amazing stories that it sometimes seems as if he must be rewriting lost, hidden manuscripts from half-mad scribes of the ancient Norse civilization.

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WORST "6-dimensions" APPEARANCE (villain):

The Runner Ups:

- Mortigan Goth; Immortalis & Marjorie Brink in : Wolverine: Best There Is # 2-6, 11 & 12 -

Yes. These two were also nominated in the “Worst guest appearance : HERO” category, but since they were basically turned into pseudo-villains for this horrific series, they must be placed here as well.

I only hope that they make a future appearance – somewhere – with a return to their heroic natures.

- Baron Mordo in : Iron Man / Thor # 1 (of 4) -

Pwned by Ulik in a theft of mystical artifacts, Mordo can do nothing but swear vengeance for such ignoble treatment – vengeance that is never shown to occur. He’s just slapped around and left to deal with it.

- Baron Mordo in : Marvel Adventures; Spider-Man # 16 -

I know that the ‘Adventures’ line is written for ‘the kidz’, but I also know from reading past issues of similar comics, that the writers don’t have to treat the material in such a “childish” manner. Writer Paul Tobin has been writing these Adventures style comics for years, and has often done so with excellence and sublime ability. Unfortunately, in this case, he writes a kiddie comic, simplistically written with inane plot points. It’s bad enough that Dr. Strange is treated lightly, but worse still is the fact that Mordo is defeated by having ketchup and mustard squirted on him.

The "Winner" :

- “Agamotto” in : Iron Man 2.0 # 6 & 7 -

As much as I am hesitant to list Agamotto as a “Villain”, as he has long only ever been one of the deathless Vishanti: mystic entities that empower (or at least bequeath their power to) many of the mystic artifacts and spells in the Marvel Universe. But for the sake of these awards, since an entity claiming to be Agamotto nearly caused the destruction of the Earth (and did cause the death of Doctor Voodoo), he/it must be classified here as a villain.

As of this writing, it has been a full year (and two months) since the apparent demise of “Agamotto” (and Doctor Voodoo) in the pages of New Avengers v2 # 6. Even though, Brian Bendis set up a possible return of the former mystic deity, we all knew that the costume-change of Iron Fist had to do with some kind of “taint” by the entity calling itself Agamotto. Yet, in this entire past year the only headway into this development was for Iron Fist to be possessed by some unknown force and fight against War Machine and the ‘Immortal Weapons’. It took some magical assistance from Doctor Strange to stop Iron Fist, and then Strange too foreshadows some further Agamotto development. It’s been a full 6 months since this issue shipped. We’re still waiting.

What can sometimes be worse than poor treatment of a character is the neglect of a character.

While some may say that I need be patient, and the promised storyline will manifest, I can’t confidently say that will occur. Too often have promised stories and series been canceled or changed before they ever see the light of day.

Now, for the upcoming 2012 Avengers vs X-men event, we see Iron Fist being somehow linked to the Phoenix Force (oddly enough, the very first thing I thought of when I saw his new white/gold costume change, since those were to have been the original colors for Phoenix’ costume in X-Men). Has the Agamotto link been altered? Or, perhaps, as I suggested in my many reviews of those New Avengers issues, it was never Agamotto at all?

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BEST DOCTOR STRANGE/6-Dimensions-related (overall) TITLE:

The Runner Ups:

- DEFENDERS (v4) -

I can’t always be trashing this series, as it only exists by the good will and graces of Marvel and a few senior editors. The creative team of Matt Fraction and Terry/Rachel Dodson promise high-concept, high-weirdness, high-action, high-adventure stories, and thus far I can see (at least) the potential of all of that in the works. It’s far from anywhere near being good, but I am willing to see the slight worth that is presented and hope my good faith pays off.

- VENGEANCE (mini-series) -

As I gave it high praise for its nomination in the “Best 6-Dimensions Appearance” category, this title was just so weirdly beyond the typical Marvel fare that it could only be awesome or suck – no room for middle ground. Luckily it was awesome all around. Crisp writing by Joe Casey. Elegant artwork by Nick Dragotta. High concept. A weird mix of classic Defenders and Nextwave with some X-statiX tossed in. Loved it. I hope to see some sort of continuation soon.

- THUNDERBOLTS -

This title has been a consistently excellent read during each story arc, even managing to be good during an editorially mandated crossover (Fear Itself). Writer Jeff Parker somehow actually turned that crossover into valuable story seed which grew into several different bountiful yields; Juggernaut’s escape and development and the alluded-to mysterious growth of the Man-Thing into an as-yet-unseen new form. The alternating art teams of Declan Shalvey and Kev Walker, with colors by Frank Martin truly do wonders with such diverse story subjects as the landscapes of the Himalayas, the Swamp of the Nexus of all Realties, a trip into the subconscious of the Juggernaut, and a multi-era time-travel adventure. Even though Man-Thing has been temporarily turned into a seed-pod for the past half-year, the mystery of his eventual metamorphosis has me riveted. But, while I come to the book initially for Man-Thing, I am staying for Satana, who (as she WON the “Best of” slot for “6-Dimensions Hero” in this title) is delighting me with her wicked ways.

It was only by the narrowest of margins that this title did not win top slot.

The Winner:

- JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY -

I can't comment enough how I have enjoyed the new interpretation and dichotomous aspects of Marvel's magical, mythological universe, and Loki; child-god of mischief, as handled by Keiron Gillen: writer and Doug Braithwaite: artist (for most of the issues). At the same time: intricate and intimate, sublime and simplistic, funny and fantastical, bawdy and beautiful, each issue peels a new layer off the skein of old Asgard to reveal a golden apple beneath – ripe and juicy and just waiting for us to take the first bite that will grant us an eternity of enjoyment.

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WORST DOCTOR STRANGE/6-Dimensions-related (overall) TITLE:

The Runner ups:

- DEFENDERS v4-

I know that I also nominated this title for the “Best Title” category, but that was purely on its being indebted to the classic Defenders title that came before, and the promise of great and weird things to come. However, the actuality of what has been published thus far (only 2 issues, but only ONE issue in 2011) with out-of-character portrayals, unnecessary sexual improprieties, one of the worst reasons for having a teammate (Iron Fist has a plane), and artwork of varying quality by the Dodsons, and so it seems to be more bad than good. Thus far, as far as the paying for the hype-machine that they have going, writer Matt Fraction is writing checks his writing can’t cash.

- NEW AVENGERS v2-

How this title did not end up "winning" the "Worst Title" slot is a matter of degrees. Let me assure you, it was SO CLOSE.

The handling of Doctor Strange at the hands of writer Brian Michael Bendis has continued to be aggravating, to say the least. I am convinced, and can prove it with empirical evidence, that in the mind-set of Brian Bendis, Doctor Strange is only able to perform three feats of sorcery, and only two of them well or consistently.

They are:

Astral projection - when not standing around uselessly, there is a good chance Doc is out of his body (thus letting it sit around uselessly)

Casting of illusion spells – smoke and mirrors, mind-games, nothing substantial. This is Bendis’ idea of Strange’s main contribution, purely defensive, as Bendis has severely limited Strange from making any kind of offensive strike.

Teleportation (alone or a group) – this one Bendis doesn’t allow to happen often, if at all, and usually the physical toll upon Strange now leaves him out of action for quite some time.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I do enjoy reading New Avengers. Honestly. I do. And that is what saves it from the "prize" here, it’s just that most of what I like about the series would be better served as a Spider-Man/ Luke Cage Marvel-Team-Up style buddy comic, and not a cornerstone of the Avengers’ franchise and Marvel Comics publishing.

The "Winner":

- FEAR ITSELF (mini-series) -

This is another “neglect is as bad as abuse” type of win, as in this storyline of giant, mystical upheaval, Doctor Strange is almost nowhere to be found. Yes, it was revealed that he was in the spin-off mini-series; ‘The Deep’. However, other characters in the primary series were also in spin-offs, so why not give Doc a little more face-time?

What makes this get the “prize” for worst title, aside from not having Strange in it (much) is that when Doc does get a chance to join the battle, he is hyped up as being one of the “Mighty”; heroic counterparts to the evil Serpent’s “Worthy”. Now, in order to combat against the mystical hammers that the “Worthy” did wield, Tony Stark created (and had Odin energize) mystical weapons for the “Mighty” to take into battle. However, after months of teaser images and hype by Marvel about the identity of the various members of the “Mighty” and what type of weapons they would wield, (not to mention the subliminal “who will win the great battles?” type of propaganda,) the entire “Worthy/Mighty” battle is over in a scant few pages. Doctor Strange’s involvement is a panel or two of him shooting generic magic-beams out of a Staff with the Caduceus (a symbol of two snakes entwined on a stick with wings).

But, with Doctor Strange apparently power-weak from his loss of the Mantle of Sorcerer Supreme, wouldn’t one think that perhaps they’d allow Doc to keep the weapon? Nope, with the exception of Red-She-Hulk’s “big-ass sword”, they all get melted back down to slag.

I found nothing of merit to have come from this poor mini-series, this lackluster “event” and especially the handling of the most senior mystic that the Marvel heroes have at their disposal.

Poor.

-------------

BEST EASTER-EGG-type APPEARANCE:

The Winner:

- Dr. Strange & Man-Thing in : Marvel vs Capcom 3 : Fate of Two Worlds video game -

While not playable characters, both Doc and Manny (and other 6-dimensions characters, like Blade, Satana, Mephisto, Satannish, Ghost Rider, Iron Fist & Silver Surfer) make Easter egg appearances at the end-credits to some of the playable characters final scenes.

Check out the videos for Doc and Manny [HERE]:

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WORST EASTER-EGG-type APPEARANCE:

The "Winner":

- Dr. Strange in : Marvel vs Capcom 3 : Fate of Two Worlds video game -

Yes, he just won the “best” category, but unlike Man-Thing’s end-scene, Doctor Strange’s end scene isn’t even “really” him at all, but a make-believe fantasy drawn in comic book form by the video game character. So, aside from not being a playable character, we don’t really even get DOC at all here, do we?

(At least not until ULTIMATE MvC3 that is.)

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BEST DOCTOR STRANGE/6-Dimensions-related SWAG:

The Runner Ups:

- Doctor Strange : Strange Tales TPB -

At long last, one of my all-time favorite Doctor Strange storylines is reprinted in a beautiful trade paperback edition. Reprinting the 1980’s ‘Strange Tales’ series written by Peter B. Gillis, wherein Doctor Strange has lost all of his talismans of power, has let loose all of the ancient evils of the earth and is too weak to battle them with good/white magic… he is forced to fight black magic with black magic. Thus begins one of the most intense arcs in the history of the Sorcerer Supreme.

- Doctor Strange : Dark Dimension HC (and available in a variant edition as well) –

One of the most beloved storylines by many Dr. Strange fans, allow me to just post the text from the solicitation for this Roger Stern written work, with art by Paul Smith and Bret Blevens:

“Dr. Strange, the Master of the Mystic Arts, starts his day by curing a mystically cursed sword and ends it by overthrowing a dimensional dictator! The Sorcerer Supreme faces threats on cruise ships, military bases and alien planets — seeking to restore the cosmic balance! And as the origins of the Dark Dimension stand revealed, Strange's true love, Clea, heads the rebellion against her evil mother, Umar! Featuring the Black Knight and the Beyonder! Collecting DR. STRANGE (Master of the Mystic Arts) #68-74.”

Seriously. It’s one of the best.

- Dr. Strange ‘Marvel Universe’ 3.75” figure (also available in "astral form" variant) -

Long-awaited by many Marvel action figure collectors comes one of the most critically acclaimed figures in the Marvel Universe line. Praised for its attention to detail in both sculpt and paint application, as well as the many points of articulation, (despite the fact that I prefer my action figures to be of a larger scale) this figure could be one of the very best Doctor Strange action figures ever produced.

Add to that fact the joy at FINALLY having a translucent Astral Form figure (sold as a variant), as the only other Astral form Doc figure was merely an “unpainted” (white with pale blue shading) re-release of the Spider-Man animated figure in the late 1990’s.

The only downside to this figure is the fact that distribution was ridiculously spotty, with many markets either getting it severely late, or - as in the case of stores in my area – never receiving the wave at all. Sadly, I (like many) had to obtain mine from an ebay seller.

- Doctor Orpheus “Mego” style 8” action figure -

Fans of Doctor Strange might very well have to hunt down this 8 inch action figure of Doctor Orpheus; the Dr. Strange homage character from the fan favorite animated series; ‘The Venture Bros’.

Dressed in a real-cloth costume and styled in mode and packaging to the Mego figures of the 1970’s, this figure, one in the line of 'Venture Bros.' figures, was produced by "BIF BANG POW!" .

Limited to a production run of 3,000 pieces, it’s not super-rare, but not exactly widely available.

Face it, it’s awesome and a welcome companion to the Dr. O bobble-head from a year or so prior.

- Doctor Strange apparel -

I was able to score several pieces of official Marvel apparel in 2011 as well as two rare pieces made as a cross-promotion for Marvel and Stussy designs, and one featuring SHUMA-GORATH which was a special promotion for pre-ordering the Special Edition of the Marvel vs Capcom 3 video game.

The Marvel shirts feature:

A shirt featuring the heroes who had their own TV shows or movies (yup, Doc had his TV movie pilot).

A shirt reproducing the John Byrne cover to Fantastic Four # 243 with Everyone vs Galactus.

A shirt showcasing the wraparound cover art from House of M # 1 by Olivier Coipel.

The Stussy shirts were the product of various indie/underground artists and their take on various Marvel characters. (There were also limited edition trading cards of the shirts, which, while I also have them, are merely the same art as the shirts. Still there are 17 cards, but I was only interested in 2 of the shirts.)

I was able to get:

Doctor Strange by Noah Butkis (with thanks to Howard Hallis for his kind generosity)

Eternity by Will Sweeney.

And the Marvel vs Capcom 3 SHUMA-GORATH limited edition shirt, entitled; “Waste of Flesh” designed by ‘Meat Bun’.

All of these shirts are made of 100% pure awesome (although, if I had to pick a fave of the lot, it might be a tie between the Eternity and the Shuma-Gorath. Eternity: Printed in Silver ink, posed giving the peace-sign, it is something I never thought I’d see. I mean… ETERNITY! On an officially licensed, limited edition shirt! And Shuma-Gorath: well, ‘nuff said!

Sadly, the Stussy shirts ARE such limited editions that they sold out almost instantly and are almost impossible to find at a reasonable price. Otherwise, they might have had a chance at winning this category. Same goes for the Shuma shirt. It was not a widely advertised special, and as such, slipped under the radar of many.

I blogged about all of those garments – with photos - as a supplemental entry to my long-running garment series [HERE].

The Shuma-Gorath shirt was featured in an earlier post, found [HERE]:

- Sanctum-Designed apparel -

I unveiled the LOOONG-awaited inaugural wave of my Sanctum-Designed t-shirts with two initial product launches (each with several designs in a multitude of garment choices), and while I have more designs ready to be released for spring 2012, the first wave was a 2011 joint.

Featuring designs with my own artwork, either variations of the Sanctum Sanctorum window design (both with or without my blog logo)

and/or a multiple-option shirt featuring a ‘Scarlet Witch’ style woman saying “NO MORE…” with your option to select any number of peeves you’d like to see go away forever:

NO MORE... MUTANTS
NO MORE... BENDIS

NO MORE... BENDISASSEMBLING

NO MORE... QUESADA

NO MORE... BREVOORT

NO MORE... LOEB

NO MORE... J.M.S.

NO MORE... P.A.D.

NO MORE... DIDIO

NO MORE... MARVEL

NO MORE... RETCONS

NO MORE... REBOOTS

NO MORE... "BIG EVENTS"

NO MORE... VARIANT COVERS

NO MORE... KILLING HEROES
NO MORE... DEATH

NO MORE... WOLVERINE
NO MORE... DEADPOOL

NO MORE... DEUS EX MACHINA

NO MORE... RULES FOR MAGIC

NO MORE... "F*** YOU, IT'S MAGIC"

"F*** YOU, IT'S MAGIC"

AND MORE…

They are made of the best quality shirts with excellent, durable printing. They are still available for sale – with more designs on the horizon! Check them out [HERE]

- Marvel vs Capcom 3 : Fate of Two Worlds video game -

We’ve discussed the periphery of the game; the Easter-egg appearances, the swag apparel, but the game itself was a pulse-pounding product featuring the pugilistic powers of many heroes and villains of the Marvel and Capcom universes. My interest in the game was due to the ability to fight as Shuma-Gorath and Dormammu (making his first appearance in a video game), as well as Doctor Doom.

However, as awesome as the game was/is, it was flawed, because Capcom knew full well that they were going to re-release it within the year as an upgraded “Ultimate” version.

Check out videos of Shuma Gorath and Dormammu in action in this post [HERE]:

The Winner:

- Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 video game -

Take all of the kickassery of having Shuma-Gorath and Dormammu featured as fighting characters and include the ability to also battle with all of the mind-blowing mystic and martial arts mastery of DOCTOR STRANGE (and two dozen other characters, like Ghost Rider and Hawkeye), and then you’ll have ULTIMATE MARVEL vs CAPCOM 3!

Doc’s got some awesome moves, although the names and styles of spells chosen could have been done more in keeping with pre-existing in-canon spells. Why “Hosts of Hoggoth” (which traps a foe, while a secondary wave of punishment washes over them) when the “Crimson Bands of Cytorrak” could do the same thing. There are other examples, but I’m here to praise, not nit-pick.

Also add to the nerdgasm the fact that every character has about 9 different costume choices (most reflecting pre-published alternate costumes worn by the fighter) and you can duke it out as your favorite version of any particular character.

Me? I got Strange sporting a black cloak with a black tunic and red insignia – just cause it’s awesome looking (and similar to what he is wearing in the comics today).

I blogged full video samples of Doctor Strange in action, with a listing of all his moves [HERE]

And also showcased two full videos of Doctor Strange in tournament play (with interviews by Capcom creators) [HERE]

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WORST DOCTOR STRANGE/6-Dimensions-related SWAG:

The Runner Ups:

- Atlantis Attacks Omnibus HC -

$75.00 US for a reprinting of a handful of annuals from 1991?!?!

If you purchased the original comics off the stands would be about $30.00 - if you bought them from the back issue bins today they wouldn't cost more than $5.00 total.

- Acts of Vengeance Omnibus HC –

(2 editions - at least - 1 for main series and one for crossovers) -

$99.00 US (EACH!!) for a reprinting of a MEDIOCRE "event" from 1989?!?!

And not one but two HC books!?

If it weren't for the sweet, new cover art by Alan Davis, this would be a complete and total abomination.

- Marvel vs Capcom 3 : Fate of Two Worlds video game -

Yes, this was also nominated for the “best of” award, but it didn’t win for a few very important and basic reasons:

It was only made for two gaming platforms: Playstation3 and Xbox360.

Also, when it was released, Capcom knew full-well that they were going to re-release it in an “Ultimate” version within the year, but with a few extra characters, bells and whistles.

- Bowen Designs - 'Eternity' limited edition bust -

I’m a fan of Bowen statues, although, many of their recent output just seem to be repetitive, generic poses of D-list characters. Still, when a cool Doctor Strange item is released, I’ll move heaven and earth to pick one up. However, in this next instance, not only did I NOT buy one (I’m no longer able to just buy any and everything these days), but I truly lost interest in it when I saw the final product.

Not even sculpted by Randy Bowen, it is instead the work of two of his studio artists. Featuring a generic, featureless face, with a curly-que “headboard” laying flat against the back of his head, all atop the most generic, basic base, this Eternity bust’s only “special feature” is that it is made of semi-transparent material with sparkles embedded within.
With a paint application of an airbrushed "galaxy", planets, moons and stars, of a similar style to the cheesy personalized airbrushed license-plates that you can get at a carnival.
All it needs is a Pega-corn flying up over the airbrushed saturn and it could be on the side of a 1979 van or in a 10-year-old girl's room.

At the price of $150 (+ $15 shipping) and with the only way to be eligible to order one being to join the Bowen Collector’s Club at an extra $25, this blasé-looking piece would cost $200 – all for a flawed design.
Eternity would be better represented by a HALF-face, emerging as a high-relief from a curved, rounded headdress/cowl. The face should be both within and outside of the backdrop.

If it was of any redeeming artistic value, I might have done all I could to move heaven and earth to acquire one, but for ME, of all people, to have absolutely NO interest in it, this must be one "meh" piece.

With a mannequin head, some flexible semi-stiff clear plastic and assorted stained-glass paints, I could make a similar, yet better, custom product of my own for under $20.

The "Winner":

- Variant Covers –

I am SO tired of there being variant covers for every comic, paperback, hardcover… everything! I might be able to deal with a variant cover for a new number one issue, or maybe even an anniversary special. However, these days, every single comic seems to have multiple variant covers – all of different level of rarity – thus making it nigh impossible for the die-hard fan to collect their favorite funnybooks without either going broke or insane (or both).

Personally, to prevent myself from going either route, I only try to get variants that actually feature Doctor Strange or Man-Thing on the cover. If they might be in the issue, but not in the cover, then I don’t have any interest. I feel self-loathing and shame when I do buy variants. Sure, some are kinda cool, but they’re so unnecessary. However, to alleviate some of my stresses, when I do hunt for variants, I typically wait about a year (give or take some months) unless or until I can find one for sale at a reasonable price when sellers are practically begging to give them away.

1-in-25 variants, 1-in-50, 1-in-200… and other strange permutations of variant to regular order ratio that retailers must jump through to obtain the variant edition…just seems to be a repeat of what helped cause the implosion and near death-knell of comics in the 1990s. Luckily, there haven’t been (m)any holo-foil covers or anything, but if the bullshit with these variants doesn’t stop soon… that dark future may arise.

Y’know what, comics industry? If you want to pump up the sales figures for your series, don’t artificially inflate the numbers by making retailers order hundreds of copies to get “rare” variants so that collectors might buy multiple copies of the same issue. No. How about just making your actual product better and worth reading? If you do, perhaps you’ll attract more readers and sales will rise naturally, organically, and most of all; ethically.

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BEST DOCTOR STRANGE/6-Dimensions-related HOMAGE:

The Runner Ups:

- Billy / Wiccan in : Avengers : Children’s Crusade : Young Avengers # 1 -

In a (possible alternative) future tale, Billy (now known as Wiccan) must have ascended to the position of Master of the Mystic Arts (or perhaps; Sorcerer Supreme) as he is shown wearing Doctor Strange’s classic costume (Blue tunic, red Cloak of Levitation, Eye of Agamotto, etc…). It’s not Doctor Strange, but ANY excuse to see “Dr. Strange” as drawn by Alan Davis is a good one.

- Magneto in X-Men # 2 (Marvel 50^th Anniversary Variant) -

One of those horrible menaces – the villainous variant cover – but in this instance, done in a clever and interesting way. Paying homage to the classic cover for Marvel Feature # 1 (the first appearance of the Defenders) there are thre X-Men taking the places and poses of the Defenders: Namor takes his place as he did on the Marvel Feature cover, Collosus/Juggernaut is charging front and center where the Hulk once did so, and to the right, stands Magneto doing his best Doctor Strange pose.

The Winner:

- The Traveler # 1 (variant cover) -

Oh yes, I KNOW I am sending mixed signals by condemning variants as “the worst” and then awarding variant covers with “best of” nominations – and in this case; the “best of” win… I'm a complicated man. However, this variant cover, for one of Stan Lee’s new creations for BOOM Studios; ‘The Traveler’, sports an homage to my all-time favorite cover EVER: Doctor Strange # 169.

Drawn by Paul Rivoche to emulate the late, great Dan Atkins’ classic cover, this Stan Lee / Mark Waid / Chad Hardin comic was a Midtown Comics exclusive.

By playing to my favoritism in choice of covers to homage, there is no way that this comic would not win some sort of Sanctum Award. By being the BEST homage of 2011, it won the top slot.

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WORST DOCTOR STRANGE/6-Dimensions-related HOMAGE:

No poorly done homage that I could find or think of this year.

Can you recall any?

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BEST DOCTOR STRANGE/6-Dimensions-related MEDIA APPEARANCE:

The Runner Ups:

- Doctor Orpheus in: “Jacket” music video by 'Shallow Gravy'-

Not quite a real Doctor Strange appearance, but I still have to give a nod to Orpheus.

You can check out the video (and the insanely catchy tune) [HERE]:

- Nightmare in : Super Hero Squad TV show -

Episode 209; “Blind Rage Knows No Color”. Original Airdate: January 15^th, 2011

Thanos uses the Mind Gem to control Hulk who goes on a sleepwalking rampage. The Super Hero Squad must enter the dream realm to fight back, even if they have to get help from Nightmare.

Voiced by “Big Bang Theory” star; Jim Parsons, while not a very good episode, it isn’t the worst either (especially as “good” and “poor” are difficult to separate as far as this extremely juvenile show is concerned). Made for the kiddies, it is perfect for what it is. Toss in a few cool classic characters and a tempted adult will watch as a guilty pleasure.

- Doctor Strange in : Super Hero Squad TV show -

Episode 220; “1602 – Six Against Infinity Part VI”. Original Airdate: October 6^th, 2011

Only making the briefest of appearances, Doctor Strange nonetheless does appear on a nationally syndicated animated series seen by millions, thus getting some name recognition out there.

The Winner:

- Man-Thing in : Super Hero Squad TV show -

Episode 217; “This Man-Thing, This Monster – Six Against Infinity Part 3”. Original Airdate: October 3^rd , 2011

After being thrown into a portal by Dark Surfer, a powerless Iron Man finds himself stranded on a world of monsters. There he meets Man-Thing and Werewolf by Night and battles Dracula a gang of mummies led by N’Kantu, the Living Mummy.

Man-Thing is extremely cute (if you can get past the flatulence noises he makes), but you have to get past the fact that the producers have him making audible noises [grunts and pootie-sounds] when Manny is traditionally mute and have him acting sentient when he usually absent of intelligence. A fun little comedy shtick to the episode is the voice-over that repeats the episodes’ running gag of stating Manny’s catchphrase; “Whatever Knows Fear Burns At The Man-Thing’s Touch”. That made me smile a little.

The episode also has some vignettes of cool monsters like; Living Zombie, It; the Living Colossus, Frankenstain’s Monster and classic Kirby monsters, like; Gomuu, Groot and others.

At the end, Werewolf, Man-Thing and a new female Vampire form the “Supernatural Hero Squad”.

While I am not the biggest fan of the series, this could be one of the very best episodes of the show that I’ve seen thus far. I WILL still give props to the fact that it is great that characters like Man-Thing and Doctor Strange ARE being shown on TV to kids (and those young in mind and heart) on this Marvel cartoon.

Now, if only they’ll make a Man-Thing SuperHero Squad figure.

-------------

WORST DOCTOR STRANGE/6-Dimensions-related MEDIA APPEARANCE:

The "Winner":

- Doctor Strange in : TOYOTA Yaris; It’s A Car “Incredible Drive” commercial -

A four part commercial for the 2012 Toyota Yaris (although only 2 parts aired in 2011) features Marvel Super Heroes (or at least their Marvel Legends Action Figure equivalent) in a stop-motion “comedy” by the online team that produces the “What The---?” series of animated shorts (which can only loosely be likened to ‘Robot Chicken’).

Hulk, Doctor Strange and the Punisher take part in a road trip to Cleveland and “hilarity” ensues.

While it should be freakin’ awesome for there to be Doctor Strange featured in a national advertising campaign, and one that isn’t utterly terrible (there are a few funny points to each episode), but the fact that Doc is portrayed as a whining, irritatingly high-pitched-voiced, annoyance makes me feel that it might be better to not have him involved at all, rather than be so poorly represented.

Sometimes, a Doctor Strange fan just can’t win for losing.

-------------

BEST DOCTOR STRANGE/6-Dimensions-related NEWS:

The Runner Up:

- A DR. STRANGE movie -

Once again, talks of a Doctor Strange flick are being bandied about.

However, with a script seemingly completed, it is but a matter of time for this to be made manifest.

The Winner:

- Brian Bendis to leave the Avengers / New Avengers titles -

Bendis has stated that sometime during 2012, he will stop writing the Avengers / New Avengers titles. This means that, at long last, (barring some tragic twist of fate) Brian Bendis will no longer be writing Doctor Strange!
But alas, we still have several months left of his poison pen. I can only hope his replacement better understands the character and history of Doctor Stephen Strange. It would be an near impossibility that Marvel could find anyone who understands Doc less than Bendis.

-------------

WORST DOCTOR STRANGE/6-Dimensions-related NEWS:

- A DR. STRANGE movie -

Yeah, it’s good news and bad news all rolled into one. My reasoning is; the script was worked up by a writing team that has had a lot of negative buzz, having been involved with lackluster projects in recent past.

Also, the suggested casting choices that are being tossed around; Patrick Dempsey, Jonny Depp, Liam Neeson are all totally wrong for the part. Sadly, that’s pretty much all that Hollywood has to offer, unless the director either makes an inspired choice or goes with an…*ahem* unknown actor *aHEM*… to fill the role. ;-)

At this point it’s all wait-and-see, as the film won’t begin until next year.

"Definitely NOT the Winner":

- Gene Colan passes away -

Just thinking of the loss of such a great talent, fills me with sadness.

When I bought my very first issue of Doc's own mag, it was Gene Colan's ethereal, moody chiaroscuro that made me a fan for life. In my little world of comics, Gene Colan was a giant. One of the very best illustrators who ever graced the medium, he is beloved (by me) for his work on so many titles and properties, including: Howard the Duck, Night Force, Nathanial Dusk, Tomb of Dracula, and of course… Doctor Strange.

The only reconciliation is that, as an artist, Gene Colan's work is immortal, and will be seen forever.

My tribute to the great artist [HERE]

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2012 PREDICTIONS:

- MAN-THING and monster characters are on the upswing!

New pathways of greatness for the once-man, including the release of the looooong awaitied; Man-Thing graphic Novel – written decades ago by the late, great Steve Gerber and illustrated by Kevin Nowlan. Long in limbo, and s.l.o.w.l.y being painted by Mr Nowlan, this long-dormant project was resuscitated and is scheduled to be published soon.

- The Mayan Doomsday -

Yeah… not gonna happen.

- The Sanctum Sanctorum Comix blog will see another year!(?) -

Not to be a drag, and end on a downbeat, but I can’t promise this one – at all. I’ve often been very close to having to just abandon it all, quit my hobby, and try just to survive in this harsh economy, but the status quo around the Sanctum has taken another turn for the worse, and sadly, everything is uncertain. I’ll try to continue, as I strive to turn things around for my little family, but sadly, unless I – or fate – can manifest something for the better, this blog might be in its last year.

That Mayan doomsday prediction might have some truth to it, after all.

--------------------------

Well, that's it for this year!
Thanks for stopping by.
Any thoughts, criticisms, agreeing and/or differing opinions?
Discuss them in the comments section.

--------------------------

* Award image at top of the post is a re-tooled image from Strange Tales v1 # 117, by Steve Ditko.

The DIMENSIONAL-PORTAL to ...The 2011 SANCTUM AWARDS! 4th ANNUAL EVENT!

2012-01-31T23:25:00.010-05:00

* Sent here from a Twitter Link?
I had to move the original post.
It can be found by clicking [HERE].
See the reason why below.

---

The "Sancty"

WELCOME to the 4th ANNUAL
"SANCTUM AWARDS"*!
-------------

CLICK [HERE] TO GO TO THE

4th ANNUAL SANCTUM AWARDS!

Showcasing all that was great - and not-so-great - for the devoted, die-hard, discriminating (and/or desperate, as the case usually is,) Doctor Strange / "6-Dimensions" fan in 2011!

*WHERE did the post go that was already HERE?

CURSE ME FOR A NOVICE!
Due to an error on my part, I accidentally posted the 2011 Sanctum Awards with a bad cut/paste job of last-year's header, for the 2010 Sancty Awards.
While I was later able to rectify the oversight in the actual title, the URL (as still seen above) retained the 2010 date information.

And because I am a crazy-person, that means I had to cut/paste & re-post the entire thing anew (so it would get a proper URL) and leave THIS post as a placeholder / link to the awards.

So sorry for the inconvenience.

CARELESS WHISPERS -or- NEVER TALK TO STRANGE(RS) A Reader-Interactive-Participation Post

2012-01-13T21:48:00.013-05:00

---
*A Portion of Post Not Safe For Work*

(I'll note WHERE -in RED -below.)
---

- DEFENDERS # 2 –

By Matt Fraction and Terry & Rachel Dodson.

Whether you've read it or not, you may have heard of at least one scene from the issue, where Doctor Strange whispers something mysterious – and SCARY – into Red She-Hulk’s ear to thus trigger her transformation into her human persona; Betty Ross.

CLICK to "Red-She-Hulk-Size" any artwork.

Stephen Strange; Graduate of the Dale Carnegie School.

So now, I’m asking YOU FOLKS to grab the scan that I provide and put some words into the mouth of Stephen Strange. Either grab a quote from another comic, or think of your own and then, either post the image – sending me the link – or send me the art and I’ll post them all at a later date. Or, if you've no means to muck around with the image - just write it in as a comment below. Winner gets some kind of honor or prize. We’ll see.

To save full-size image:
CLICK to open image full-size,
then Right Click and 'Save As' to your computer.
Then, have fun!

I have my OWN theory as to what Strange may have said, and thus have made it into an interactive “game / contest” of sorts – in its own post (separate from the actual REVIEW of the issue [HERE]). I took a quote (an actual word balloon) from another comic and pasted in place.

I present it here and now for your amusement / dismay.

*Warning: MY entry is NSFW*

(turn away now if you're at work)

My entry uses an actual PUBLISHED word balloon from an actual PUBLISHED comic (albeit, one of the worst comics ever created): Jim Balent's T-n-A gorefest;

TAROT : WITCH of the BLACK ROSE - issue #53.

Possibly one of the most famous (or infamous) quotes from that issue (If not of the entire title’s published history) – and seen all over the interwebs:

“Samatha Brown! You have to get out of here! Your VAGINA Is HAUNTED!”

Obviously, this comment is all kinds of wrong, and would certainly be enough to freak out Red She-Hulk. The "haunted" aspect was just something that I'd imagine Strange being able to perceive.
(Not that Red-Shulkie's nether-regions are nether-dimensional in any way.) Heck, I didn’t even bother changing the name from Samantha Brown to Betty Ross, because I think keeping the other’s name makes it even creepier.

Here's the original panel from Tarot (if you don't believe me).
And, No. I don't own the actual comic. I got this scan from the inimitable ISB - [HERE]

The black nudie-censor bar is not in the comic.

It's not exactly Archie's Double Digest.

Originally, I wanted to use a line from an actual Doctor Strange comic, something that HE had stated, and use it out of context, but the Tarot quote just would not let go.

Oddly enough, the concept of a 'haunted vagina' isn't just limited to comics.
There is an actual NOVEL of the same name (and subject) by Carlton Mellick III (Amazon sales page HERE). So, maybe Dr. Strange WOULD have encountered this. That would be some house-call.

So, I leave it to you, surfers of the web, to create your own version of this scene, and either post the image – sending me the link – or send me the art (or, if you've no means to muck around with the image - just write it in as a comment below) and I’ll post them all at a later date (both HERE and in their own post).

If you have your own blog and want to use it as a post there, fine. Just send me a link to it so i can direct people your way. And I'd ask that you put the link to my post there, so as to keep it all nice and friendly-like.
Pass the word. I’d love to have a big array of entries to showcase.
Yes... They can be submitted anonymously. (I certainly wish MINE could be.)

---

Also, don't forget to check out the actual review of DEFENDERS # 2 [HERE].

THE DEFENDERS # 2 (2012) - A REVIEW

2012-01-13T21:47:00.007-05:00

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regular cover art by Terry and Rachel Dodson

"Venom" Variant art by Chris Stevens -"Red She-Hulk" Variant art by Mark Bagley

Doctor Strange - "I Am A Defender" - Variant Cover

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Defenders #2
Written by Matt Fraction
Art by Terry Dodson, Rachel Dodson

Colors by Sonia Oback
Letters by Clayton Cowles

Editor : Well... there are 7 editors!
Published by Marvel Comics

$3.99

---

Note: One of the reasons I don't post reviews immediately after the drop date is that in the course of my discussions I may deal with SPOILERS and don't want to ruin anyone's reading experience right off the bat. While I don't think that I spill too many secrets about the issue, I should, of course, say that if you haven't read the issue yet, I may mention some story specifics which could be considered to be Spoilers. So... Spoiler Alert. Maybe. Kinda.

---

Defenders # 2 starts off right where last issue’s cliffhanger left off; The Defenders (Doctor Strange, King Namor, Silver Surfer, Iron Fist & Red She-Hulk) - On Wundagore mountain, surrounded by mutated Tiger-Men which are led by Prester John; wielder of the ‘Evil Eye’ - all the while with Iron Fist lying on his back in the snow, shot in the chest.

Where last issue was all set-up and putting the pieces in place, this issue is where things come to a head - and events are left ready to start knocking the pieces down next issue. The classic, basic, story structure is being followed; with an introductory build-up, high mid-point and then the denouement. Since next issue is to wrap up this arc, it seems as if each issue is standing alone as its own segment of the story pattern; one issue per segment. No complex, multi-tiered writing here. At least not on the surface.

Even with this issue showcasing the Defenders in a fight or two, their capture, escape and introduction to the big MacGuffin, with some quirky character moments tossed in for good measure, it really doesn’t add up to much of anything but a story segment. It certainly doesn’t have the feel or “weight” of an actual issue. Most definitely not one that has a price tag of $3.99.

I said it in my review of issue # 1 as well [HERE], but it would have been better for Marvel to have released this full story as an oversized first issue spectacular, and really blow the lid off of the introduction to this team and title rather than the watered-down, slowly moving product that is being serialized here. I can’t imagine that each issue is giving readers that “I gotta see what happens next” feeling. I know I’M not feeling it.

There are big, bold, bombastic moments to the story. Sadly, most are not a part of the script. The artwork by Terry and Rachel Dodson is a step up from the previous issue and really helps to make this title seem larger than life. The story, with its big concept still as of yet unrevealed, and the big-bad of the arc; Nul – Breaker of Worlds, only seen in a brief interlude, Matt Fraction is instead turning to little character bits to carry the reader’s interest. It doesn’t always work.

There are a few story moments worth mentioning:

- Iron Fist focusing his Chi to survive the gunshot wound.

- Silver Surfer pleading with his foe to not force the Surfer’s rendering him unto atoms.

Although, with Surfer’s power-level, I am SURE he could have otherwise incapacitated his attacker without utterly destroying him. That was out of character – especially as Surfer is now trying to recapture his humanity. Nothing says “humane” like blasting a kitten-man to pieces.

- I like the fact that Red-She-Hulk still isn’t 100% used to her power level, and doesn’t realize that she is nigh-invulnerable, instead carrying a shield into battle

- Near the story’s end, Doctor Strange totally takes charge of the investigative and diplomatic duties and stands as an authority figure, trying to reach the sensible portion of Prester John’s fractured mind. Very good.

The dialogue, however, is often groan-inducingly bad:

- Iron Fist calling his attacker “Stupid! Tiger! ASS!”

- Namor stating defeatedly: “Good luck with that. I shall be vomiting into my helmet.”

- And Iron Fist’s comical, slapstick pratfall while yelling: “RENDERED LIKE UNTO A THING OF IRON!”

(Yes, he was in an equilibrium-disrupting headpiece, and so his fall is understood, but still… why would he yell that?)

- Red She-Hulk once again speaks like a 13-year-old boy: “Give Me Back My BIG-ASS SWORD!”

The biggest (and guaranteed to be most talked about) character moment of the issue deals with a tense moment between Doctor Strange and Red She-Hulk.

Click to embiggen artwork.

Right-Click to "Red-She-Hulk-Size"

Trapped in a prison cell, each of the Defenders are held by a specially custom-tailored method of incapacitation; Iron Fist in equilibrium-destroying headgear, Namor in a helmet apparently filled with noxious liquids, Silver Surfer trapped in an energy bubble of the Evil Eye’s making, Doctor Strange with his hands dipped in concrete - all trapped with She-Hulk in a prison with specially constructed other-worldly metal bars that she is unable to rend. However, Red-Shulky has a plan. She can revert back to her Betty Ross persona, a much smaller physical frame and thus squeeze between the bars, and then destroy the machinery which powers their prisons from the other side. All she needs is someone to scare her.

Fear triggers her reversal of physical manifestation.

To this end, Stephen Strange quietly whispers something (which is kept secret from the reader) in She-Hulk’s ear.

Wide-eyed, she instantly reverts to her smaller, human form. She is also repulsed by Strange and tells him:

“I don’t like you. I don’t like you one damn bit. Stay AWAY from me from now on.”

She then goes forth to destroy the equipment and thus tells the Defenders:

“Come on. Bring ‘the CREEP’.”

The scene ends with Namor filled with some smug self-satisfaction that Strange has been labeled thus.

This interactivity between the characters is fun. It is the typical, insult-laden, harshly “not-always-playful” banter that has always existed between the Defenders. However, with the removal of the dumb, green Hulk and his replacement with a smart, sassy firebrand of his ex-wife; the Red She-Hulk, the abuse has an even greater potential for over-the-top, “in your face” insults than has ever existed prior.

The down-side to this is that we have no idea (yet?) as to what it was that Strange whispered to Betty to cause her so unnerved. (Although, truthfully, I don't care if we never learn what it was. Some mystery is good.) However, it was obviously something that sufficiently SCARED her.

THAT is excellent. Stephen Strange SHOULD be able to scare the pants off of you by a simple hushed word. Something scary. Something unnerving. Something to make your blood run cold. It is those types of secrets that a true Master of the Mystic Arts would know. Would have experienced. Would have survived.

And yet, I fear that Matt Fraction may have put words in Strange mouth that paint him as more of a “creep-ER” than someone who is “creep-Y”. Creepy scary = good. Creepy “guy who says things that make women freak out” = bad. Sadly, at this juncture, I do not have enough faith or proven history with Matt Fraction’s take on Doctor Strange to believe that he was staying clearly in the “good” range. I can only hope that he isn’t (secretly) making Stephen Strange into a total creep (of the aforementioned “bad” variety). Since it is currently unknown what was said, I will give Fraction all benefit of the doubt and hope that it would have been something suitably macabre.

***

I have my OWN theory as to what Strange may have said, and thus have made it into an interactive “game / contest” of sorts – in its own post [HERE]. I took a quote (an actual word balloon) from another comic and pasted in place for your amusement / dismay.

I’m asking YOU FOLKS to grab the scan that I provide and try something similar. Either grab a quote from another comic, or think of your own and then, either post the image – sending me the link – or send me the art and I’ll post them all at a later date. Winner gets some kind of honor or prize. We’ll see.

***

However, so it doesn’t seem like I’m being overly critical or too negative about the issue, I must say that I’m happy that Matt Fraction – and Marvel – are giving this team / title a shot. I’m eager to see how weird and creative the stories can become. I’m hoping that after the initial “warm-up” period that the creative team really turn this title into all that it can be.

One of the bits of “weirdness” that Matt Fraction is tossing into the mix is the commentary on the events of the issue; by an omniscient narrator. That, along with the hype blurbs / secret messages are an increasingly “meta” addition to the story.

While, like last issue, many of the bottom-of-the-page ad blurbs are used to hawk other Marvel publications – as did Marvel Comics of the 1960’s & 1970’s, as the issue progresses the messages become more “aware”, more “alternate reality” in nature.

While some of the messages speak directly to the characters (and us) – others spoke of other things… “universe-breaking” things. Some repeating the mantra that was used to hype the series; “Fight To Save Everything”, “Everyone You Love Dies”, “Shut the Engines Down”,”The Universe Will Break”. Other messages speak of things “un-real” or “surreal”, like an ad-blurb for an obviously non-existent comic; “Werewolf By Night Nurse”. While another speaks of “…Breathing The Air of Caesar of Hannibal of DaVinci of Galileo”. And still others break the 4^th wall and comment directly on the comic book itself, such as stating a positive viewpoint on the quality of the paid full-page ad or noting that the “story interrupted previous page”.

It is this meta commentary that is reaffirming my belief that the “secret of the Marvel Universe”, that Matt Fraction is hinting towards, is something along the lines of “Marvel U. is in a comic book”, and the narrator is a writer of sorts. Maybe it’s not going to be that obvious, but it seems to be leaning to something along those lines.

The only “out” is that the MacGuffin of the tale; the ‘Concordance Engine’ is some sort of time/space/reality machine, so perhaps its presence (and/or activation) is what is breaking the walls betwixt and between the realities of the Marvel Universe and our own world. The Engine, of course, is the mystery item that Dr. Strange saw in his astral premonition back in the "Marvel Point One" issue prelude.

While this arc ends next issue, I don’t think the mystery of the ‘Concordance Engine’ will be unraveled that soon. I’m on board for awhile longer to see where this all goes. But honestly, if Doctor Strange weren’t a part of it, I’d be seriously contemplating bailing on the title. Right now, the next issue is the make-or-break component.

And now some minor nit-picks:

Doctor Strange: Are his gloves black or red? In the first issue, they were black. Here, they are red. Pick a color. Personally, I prefer black gloves with the red gauntlets.

Also, the gauntlets, (like the white and gold shirt design that Doc wore at the end of his “Sorcerer Supreme” title, as designed by Marc Buckingham,) seem to be something that no one but the original artist can draw correctly. The gauntlets were designed by Gabriele Dell’Otto (originally for a cover-only costume) and then incorporated into a new costume in New Avengers v2 Annual #2 [all found HERE]. Terry Dodson can’t seem to get them right, just drawing big, gaudy bands with random squiggles on their surface.

Doctor Strange’s height: Why is he bring drawn as the shortest member of the team? At 6’.2 ½” he should be taller than everyone but Silver Surfer (6’.4”) and Red-She-Hulk (around 6’.7”).

In the escape battle, Doctor Strange’s hands are encased in concrete, yet he is able to walk around without any apparent effort and can swing his arms with apparent ease, despite the fact that concrete slabs would be quite heavy. (Still… seeing Strange throw down is fun!)

And lastly, at the end, when forced to surrender, Dr. Strange is the only one to raise his hands – and keep them raised to the end. Personally, I am thinking that he is doing so to hide the fact that he is prepared to cast a spell. It is my hope that issue 3 starts off with him zinging some mystic bolts at his oppressors. Otherwise this is a poor showing for Stephen Strange.

Lastly, a “Compliment Sandwich” (where I say something critical in between two nice comments):

I am secretly beginning to groove on Doc’s new garb. Black and Red beat Blue-on-Blue in my book. I do, however, miss the inclusion of a cloak. The “tails” of his waistcoat are a bit of retro-fashion, and while I am gradually warming to them, they do seem to be a bit of cliché’d “Stage Magician's Tuxedo”. But, I am admittedly looking forward to the sale of a Doctor Stange in-new-costume action figure.

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Also, don't forget to check out the "Special Reader-Interactive-Participation" post of DEFENDERS # 2 [HERE].

TWO RIGHTS make a WRONG or WHY IS THIS MAN(IAC) SMILING?

2012-01-08T00:01:00.018-05:00

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*UPDATED*

(01-13-2012)

-see end of post-
-----

There's an old joke that goes like this:

Two wrongs don't make a right, but three rights make a left.

That oldie doesn't really have much to do with this post, except for the points of:

Two rights make a wrong
and
this post is about a different joke (or two):
Marvel Comics editorial (and perhaps Brian Michael Bendis).

cover art for Avengers # 24 by Daniel Acuna

A month or so ago, the solicitations for the March 2012 comics were announced and among the Marvel listings was this cover for Avengers # 24, by writer Brian Bendis and artist Daniel Acuna.

When I first saw this image I felt a mixture of admiration (for Acuna's intense painting and stylish design) and unease (for two reasons upon which I am about to expound).

Unfortunately, I did not post my comments when I first saw this, and so, I'm sure that someone somewhere must have mentioned it by now, but still a month later and I have yet to see a major internet fanguish/ field-day about the obvious problems with this cover and the story that it teases.
I mean... how can this NOT be commented on by anyone yet?

---

First off: OSBORN's LEFT HAND (the one that is all Doctor Strange-y)... is a RIGHT HAND!
I've heard of having two left feet, but Osborn is so right-wing that right hands are all he's got?!?

Seriously, that weird artistic gaff aside, I love Acuna's work. To be honest, as an artist, I know that weird mistakes can crop into one's work. However, that said, if even a moment was spent actually looking at the work at any stage of its progress, the error would have been revealed.

Sadly, the days of working on art as a "fine art" process are on the wane. With the increase of "crank-it-out-fast", work-for-hire, deadline-oriented art requests, the ability to produce an actual "work of art" is, in itself, a lost art.

Still, that doesn't excuse ANY of the supposed "Editors" at Marvel for letting this slip past.
I noticed it immediately.
Perhaps, it helps to actually BE an artist. I don't know.

It seems as though every time I read an interview from editors or writers and they speak of seeing artwork coming in to the offices from any artist, it is always with a gush of unbridled praise, as if there could never be anything better put to paper, no matter how good or bad it may be.
Yes, that is the nature of P.R., I know. And Daniel Acuna's work, while occasionally stiff, is a treat for the eyes. Yet, an editor should truly go over all words and pictures and act as a quality control filter... and actually edit.

If this cover actually makes it to PRINT as such, then I will be aghast.

---

Secondly, (and most importantly) how does Bendis think that Osborn will be able to cast magic spells?
I know the current storyline is such that Osborn has acquired genetic stuffs and incidental superhero artifacts in an attempt to emulate the powers and abilities of the Avengers. As shown, Osborn is utilizing Daredevil's radar sense, Spider-Man's spider-sense, Wolverine's claws, Dr. Strange's magic, possibly Iron Fist's chi-focused "fist like unto a thing of iron", and Iron Man's armor-tech (and some sparkly sparkles from Luke Cage's bag-o'-glitter. I dunno).

However, with the exception of study, meditation and practice, I don't see how picking up any magical doo-dad which may have been left lying around would allow for Norman Osborne to be able to cast spells.
Certainly, some mystic artifacts may be able to be used to perform some magic which may be imbued within the item itself, but actual spell-casting, such as shown on the cover should be out of reach.

While it may be that the cover is acting as a visual shorthand, and is merely giving an artistic interpretation of Osborn emulating the Avengers' abilities, that doesn't negate the fact, unfortunately, that many writers seem to think that Doctor Strange has POWERS which can be taken away, lost, stolen or absorbed. I will say this a thousand times, if I have said it once; Doctor Strange does NOT have POWERS! He has KNOWLEDGE! And that knowledge allows for him to know how to manipulate the mystical energies of the universe.
End of story.

To my dismay, this "Magic powers" meme is one that has been touched upon in the course of Doctor Strange's published career more than once, so maybe I can't fault Brian Bendis for adding to the mess.

It also adds to my peeve that in the Marvel Universe as of late, anyone - with little or no training, as long as it serves the easy needs of a writer's story, can perform the magic that it took Doctor Strange years to study, practice and master.

---

I don't want to continually grouse about things that have yet to see print. It's not professional, and it's not practical. For all I know, the end product could be great. Sadly, my track record of pre-critiquing in this manner, based upon my keen insights and suppositions is far better than the track record that the end-product will be better than I may suppose.

And that, sadly, is the ironic punchline to the joke.

-----

*UPDATED*

(01-13-2012)

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I saw solicitations for Deadpool the other day, and there is a "Frankenstein" version of him running around (Evil Deadpool) who has TWO RIGHT HANDS! Intentionally - as he is composed of bits ond pieces of (normal) Deadpool - which may have been shot off or in some other way "discarded" over the years. So as a JOKE, the creative team gave "Evil Deadpool" 2 right hands, since he is a composite entity. THAT is hilarious. This image of Osborn is not. (Although, how weird is it if Osborn is to lose his left hand in order to gain a mystical right hand of power? Nahhh....)

HOUSING CRISIS : SANCTUS INTERRUPTUS - Part VIII - The REBUILDING...

2012-01-06T00:01:00.002-05:00

After over three years since the original blog-series and over two years since the last updated entry in this series, we can now revisit this, the annals of the many cases of the...

RISE and FALL of the SANCTUM SANCTORUM of DR. STRANGE.

All in a series entitled:

HOUSING CRISIS : SANCTUS INTERRUPTUS
The chronological rise, fall, rise and fall (repeat ad nauseum) of the
- Sanctum Sanctorum -.

(Hey. It's happened more often than you might think.)

Previous installments can be found at the following links:

-------------

* Addendum : here*

* Part VII in this series: here*

* Part VI in this series: here*
* Part V in this series: here*
* Part IV in this series: here*
* Part III in this series: here*
* Part II in this series: here*
* Part I in this series: here*

-------------

As was the case when I began this series, while the actual post is all about the Sanctum Sanctorum of Doctor Strange, and the many times it has been destroyed and rebuilt - like when I first started this series, this entry is also inspired by my real-life "Sanctum Sanctorum"; in my home.
Actually this very post was actually (mostly) written over a year ago (Sept. 2010), but never posted, as many of you may know from reading the posts around that time, I was undergoing a relocation and was moving to a new "Sanctum", thus my old one was being boxed up and the overall look and feel of the place was one of "tearing down".
Well, after moving most of our belongings to the new place, we were informed that due to emerging circumstances with the land-owner, that it was no longer going to be available - and I had to move all of that stuff BACK.

Since then, there were instances where I had to dismantle what little was left standing (like during the Hurricane Irene storms) to prevent any possible breakage that might arise. I've only recently begun to rebuild rooms and areas of their spartan furnishings and effects.

And so, it made me think upon the state of Doctor Strange and his Sanctum Sanctorum after the events where he recently destroyed his Sanctum and left - to find himself (those events seen in New Avengers Annual # 2 - and showcased in PART VI in this series - found [HERE].

---------

After Dr. Strange laid waste to his sanctum, he wandered around a bit, doing what he could to reconnect himself to the realms of "white" magic.
Without a specific base of operations, as the Sanctum would be undoubtedly under constant watch by government agencies and Initiative task forces, and not wishing (or being able) to waste energies mystically hiding from sight there anymore, Strange would always just seem to appear at places where magic was going awry and/or people needed him.

Whether it was nearby his Sanctum, in Greenwich Village's Washington Square park - where he aided the Son of Satan. (Last Defenders # 3)

The Sorcerer and Satan's Son - Defenders and "friends".

Last Defenders # 3Joe Casey (story) , Jim Muniz (pencils), Cam Smith (inks)

... or in the deep (and supposedly eldritch) woods of the Pine Barrens of New Jersey - where he aided Thor in reconstituting a broken Mjolnir... (Thor # 602)

Getting in touch with "green" magic.
Straczynski (story), Djurdjevic (pencils), Miki (inks), Mounts (colors)

...Strange was out and about trying to find his center once again.

Perhaps, that is why when called by Spider-Man, who was in need of mystical aid against the Cytorrak-empowered Juggernaut, Strange was "unavailable" - again (Amazing Spider-Man # 627).

Once again, exactly like Amazing Spider-Man # 228 (1982) Spidey only gets Wong - as Doc is "busy".

Roger Stern (writer), Lee Weeks (art), Dean White (colors)

In that issue, the Sanctum is shown looking much like it did during New Avengers Annual # 2, wrecked, ruined and boarded up.

While this Spider-Man issue shipped later in the year than the next appearance that I'll be presenting, I believe it was meant to take place sooner, as in the next instance (Strange v2 # 4), after Doc abdicated his role as Sorcerer Supreme and losing the Eye of Agamotto along with it.

Appearing intact from the outside, but only when made to appear at all (as it is under a spell of concealment over an abandoned lot - much like back during the days of the "Midnight Sons" - as seen in Part V of this series [HERE]), the Sanctum is now fairly fixed up from the outside - while the inside is more of a "work-in-progress".
(Obviously why Wong was there before.)

Strange v2 # 4

Mark Waid (story), Emma Rios (art), Val Staples (colors)

(a complete review of this series can be found [HERE])

The story that followed on the heels of this mini reveals that the Sanctum was still magically hidden, but that now the interior of the Sanctum was looking more "up to code" and quite livable.

Christine Boylan (story), Cynthia Martin (art), June Chung (colors), Kathleen Marinaccio (letters)

This scene from a tale entitled "Rondeau" (from Girl Comics # 2 - with an in-depth review found [HERE]) sets the stage for a Sanctum and Sorcerer - on the mend.

---

In Thunderbolts # 155, Jeff Parker starts the issue off strongly... and not just a bit "strangely" by immediately rectifying a glaring mistake made by Brian "I don't read or care what came before, I just make 'em up as I go along" Bendis, over in the New Avengers.

In recent issues of New Avengers, Bendis had Dr. Strange (and Strange's manservant/assistant/acolyte; Wong) move into Avengers mansion, because (Bendis believes) Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum is uninhabitable - despite several issues of other titles' showing Doc and/or Wong actually fixing up the place, as shown in the examples above.

Parker puts that mistake to bed by explaining that Doc has set up a mystical doorway from his Avengers Mansion attic-space to his Sanctum-proper - for anyone worthy of admittance.

"I really set up the mystic portal to keep out that hack; Bendis!"

In this way, Parker sets up an elegant solution to Bendis' ham-fisted handling of the former Sorcerer Supreme, by allowing Strange to actually live in his own home, all the while permitting other writers' (Bendis) to have Doc keep a room in the Avengers' mansion.

You can read my glowing review of this issue (and it's previous lead-in) in my reviews:

- THUNDERBOLTS # 154 – with MAN-THING & DOCTOR STRANGE - Love… Like THUNDERBOLTS Straight to My Heart – Part 1 : An Ode to Muck and Magic . - [HERE]

- THUNDERBOLTS # 155 - with MAN-THING & DOCTOR STRANGE - Love… Like THUNDERBOLTS Straight to My Heart – Part 2 : Strange Thing… You Make My Heart Sing! You make everything…GROOVY! - [HERE]

---

More recently, it has been re-established that Doctor Strange resides in his Sanctum Sanctorum, especially as he is now a part of a reborn team of DEFENDERS.

To this end we see the Hulk seek out Strange's aid, first in the 2nd epilogue of 'Fear Itself' # 7 (which also acts as a prologue to the new Defenders series).

"Same Address, Same House.

Gotta give the creepy old magician credit for his consistency."

...and then from the other side of the P.O.V. in 'The Defenders' (2012) # 1.

Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum has been neater, but at least it is intact.

There is one other interior scene from the issue - Doc's bedroom - and it shows the fact that the house is not only habitable, but also sound enough to..."entertain guests".

I won't get into it all again now. Seriously, go read my post on this scene [HERE] - and my review of the issue [HERE].

Sadly, while the Sanctum has been rebuilt, this scene - and the similarly poor treatment that has been shown to Doctor Strange - shows that Strange as a character is still in danger of being torn down.

We can only hope that trend will change.

And this brings us up to date on the multiple rises and falls of the Sanctum Sanctorum of Doctor Strange.

If more examples present themselves (and they most certainly will), I will be sure to add them here - or in a new post in this series.

------------------------------------------
Even though it was already posted years ago, I should direct you to check out the series wrap-up - HERE - in:
Housing Crisis : Sanctus Interruptus -
* Addendum *
------------------------------------------

Time Warp : - The Modern Marvel Calendars ADDENDUM 2

2012-01-01T00:01:00.019-05:00

Happy New Year - 2012, Sanctum Dwellers!

In this, the first post of the new year, I once again thought it appropriate to blog about the passage of time. Well... honestly, about calendars.
This post also doubles as an updated add-on to an old post from this time in 2009 wherein I showcased all of the various Marvel Calendars - from 1975 - to the "present"... well... at least the ones that featured Doctor Strange or any of my "6-Dimensions" interests.

The original series can be found at the following links:

(Part I : the "CLASSIC" calendar series can be seen - HERE)
(Part II : the "MODERN" calendar series can be seen - HERE)

(Part III : the 1980 Doctor Strange calendar - in its entirety - can be seen - HERE)

Anyway, this entry is just to post 2 added entries into the "Part II - MODERN" portion of that series
(yes, the added entries will also be added to that post directly, as well.)

Here, I present, the most recent appearances of Doctor Strange in a Marvel Calendar.

The 2012 - MARVEL HEROES - SPECIAL EDITION CALENDAR
(# 4 in the Special Edition series)

(And a POP-UP Calendar, at that!).

Produced by 'Act Responsibly', a Mead Corporation, this is a calendar with pop-up images for each 2-month spread.
By pop-up, I mean, like children's books... when the page is opened, the artwork has been diecut and assembled in such a way that it unfolds and literally is raised up off the surface of the page... it "pops" up off the page.

Each pop-up features a hero and a villain (usually a pairing of a hero and one of his primary foes - or at least a foe who makes some sense to have with that hero), and is in the center of two months worth of date boxes. The date boxes go down the sides of each page's outer edge, which leaves the majority of space for the pop-up art.

The truly screwed up thing is that the heroes shown on the wrap-around cover are not (for the most part) the ones showcased in the inner pop-ups! So, if you're like me, and bought this for one (or more) of your favorite heroes who are on the cover, the odds of that hero being on the inside are slim-to-none.

Left to Right / Top to Bottom:

Ice-Man, Storm, Human Torch, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, Black Panther, (Arch)Angel

Mr. Fantastic, The Thing, Cyclops, Black Widow, Daredevil, Hulk, Iron Fist

Elektra, Black Cat, Beast, Hawkeye, Wolverine, Invisible Woman

The six 2-month spreads feature the following hero/villain pairings:

January/February : Daredevil / Bullseye
March/April : Spider-Man / Lizard
May/June : Hulk / Abomination
July/August : Wolverine / Sabretooth
September/October : Silver Surfer / Galactus
November/December : Hawkeye / Ultron

Like the cover artwork, all of the inner artwork is computer "airbrushed" art either from published comics or promotional / production art. Fortunately, the airbrush coloring helps make so many differently drawn styles of art work almost seamlessly with a cohesive look. Unfortunately, the coloring is so totally over-rendered that everything looks ridiculously artificial.

The wraparound cover is filled with a diverse assemblage of Marvel superheroes. At first glance, it is hard to fathom the method for selecting the characters represented. However, it would seem that many of these heroes are either in already established film franchises, or like Doctor Strange, are to be in up-coming films.

The selection for the interior spreads makes less sense, as most of these featured pairings are either in old (or especially bad) movies or those who may be part of some future project.

Spider-Man / Lizard is most likely the pairing of the upcoming Spider-man flick.
Ultron is probably going to factor into the Avengers film (of which Hawkeye will be a part).
If there is a new Hulk film, the Abomination is the most likely candidate for baddie.
A Silver Surfer film would be awesome - and if so, a non-cloud version of Galactus would be a must.
And so on...

However, I bought it for Doctor Strange, who is on the cover in a heretofore unseen bit of production artwork. Happily for me, he is dressed in his classic garb, and they even got the overall look of the cloak of levitation correct - with the gold embroidered area covering his shoulders.

Sadly, he is not showcased anywhere on the inside.

Maybe when his own film comes out in 2013 (?).

---

The next calendar, also for 2012, also showcases Doctor Strange on the cover.

Artwork by Nick Bradshaw, from the variant cover to Marvel POINT ONE # 1 issue

(I blogged a review of the DEFENDERS story therein - [HERE])

A FREE promo item, this calendar showcases images for the upcoming year's publications and events.
(~~Sadly, I don't have one, and have made due with scans from online. Anyone have one of these? I'll probably have to hit up eBay or something.~~ I was just told by the fine folks at Horizon Comics in Lancaster, CA that they'll toss in 2 free calendars in my recent order of some discount variants. Thanks Guys!)

Unfortunately, like the previous calendar, although he is shown on the cover, this one also does not showcase Dr. Strange in any of its interior pages.
Still, it does have this spread for March that features the Scarlet Witch - one of my '6-Dimensions of Doctor Strange' characters.

Artwork from Avengers vs X-Men # 0 cover by Frank Cho

Also, as can be seen on the 17th, with the little picture of Banshee on St. Patrick's Day, this calendar also is a tiny throwback / homage to those "classic" Marvel calendars of old (as can be seen in this post [HERE]) wherein most of the days had cool little Marvel art within.

---

Will we have to wait until 2013 for a calendar to showcase Doctor Strange in the interior?
Not if the Mayan Calendar is to be believed.
(Don't worry. It's not. Maybe. I hope.)
;-)

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Tamam Shud!

~P~

HAPPY NEW YEAR the SUPERHERO Way!

2011-12-31T00:01:00.002-05:00

To Celebrate the END of the OLD YEAR - and to ring in the NEW, let's all drink a toast * and sing a chorus of Auld Lang Syne... like the Marvel Superheroes!
(* If need be, it can be a drink of Non-Alcoholic cider. No one will judge you here.)

From Avengers v1 # 60.

Yes. This scene originally depicted a gathering to celebrate an Avengers' wedding, with all of superherodom in attendance, but so what? Taken out of context, this could be a New Year's Celebration! And thus it is!

In this coming New Year, let's all make a resolution to be as heroic and awesome as we know we all can be!

At least to be as awesome as Doctor Stephen Strange...

Doctor Stephen Strange - the Most Interesting Man in the World!

Stay Magical, My Friends!

HAPPY NEW YEAR'S EVE & HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012!

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY HOLIDAYS -2011- A GIANT-SIZED TREASURY EDITION!

2011-12-23T21:41:00.008-05:00

I just want to take this time to wish everyone all the Happiness of this
Holiday Season!

And to help celebrate your

VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS,

HAPPY HANUKKAH,

KOOL KWANZAA,

WILD WINTER SOLSTICE,
and A FESTIVUS FOR THE REST-OF-US...

...I present to you this scene of

MARVELOUS MIRTH and MERRIMENT...

(click to make FESTIVE-SIZED)

This YULTIDE TABLEAU featuring; Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, Luke "Power Man" Cage, Nick Fury and the Hulk, is my own re-staging of the CLASSIC cover to the 1975 MARVEL TREASURY EDITION; GIANT SUPERHERO HOLIDAY GRAB-BAG!

It was bigger than most kids, and only $1.50! (sigh)

I wasn't going to use any photoshop re-touches, but I didnt have a Santa-Suit small enough for Hulk.
I didn't even have a "classic" Hulk figure, but had to substitute my "Professor Hulk" as a stand in. Nor did I have any ~~dolls~~, er... action figures of a young, tow-headed lad. If I did, that would be weird. So, I had to draft a holiday elf as a stand-in. Then, I figured, what-the-heck, and tossed in a little colorful glow for Doctor Strange's mystic zaps - which otherwise is just a red twisty-tie thingee from a bread bag.
With the exception of Hulk and Kilkeel Elf, these are all MARVEL LEGENDS Action Figures (which, aside from the old MEGO figures, are the very best Marvel action figures - ever).

I was originally going to make it an animated gif with glowing and blinking lights on the tree, like on my "Sanctum Window" graphic, but then one might wonder why no one else was moving... so I nixed it. Sorry.

However, to keep up with modern trends of VARIANT EDITIONS of cover images, I present to you this alternate take, with the MAN-THING in the place of the Christmas Tree.

(click to make Giant-Size Man-Thing sized)

Dr. Strange, Man-Thing, Spider-Man, Luke "Sweet Christmas" Cage, Nick Fury, Hulk and Irish 'Kilkeel' Elf

- all balanced by ~~hidden props and wires~~...er...Christmas MAGIC!

Let's all sing a chorus of "O Man-Thing Tree"...

"O Manny-Thing, O Manny-Thing, Thy leaves are always burning..."

...EVERYBODY!

Peace on Earth, Good Will to Men-Things.

THE DEFENDERS # 1 (2011) - A REVIEW

2011-12-17T02:46:00.010-05:00

THE DEFENDERS #1
Writer: Matt Fraction, Penciler: Terry Dodson,Inker: Rachel Dodson

Colorist: Sonia Oback, Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99

-----------PRE-(R)AMBLE----------

“And there came a day, a day like no other…” Oh wait. That’s the other “Avenging” guys.

So, what’s the Defenders’ raison d'être? Traditionally, since the team was first formed in 1971 within the pages of MARVEL FEATURE # 1, it has been to gather together and to DEFEND the world from the forces of darkness, most usually those of mystical origins, which are so great that they threaten to overcome the world, if not all of creation.

A new # 1 Issue of a new volume of DEFENDERS hit spinner-racks in December 2011 and its new tagline is “Protecting Humanity From The Impossible”. While that might sound somewhat like the métier of the Fantastic Four, writer/co-plotter Matt Fraction and penciller/co-plotter Terry Dodson feel that it would better suit these Defenders.

Of course, if one wants to nitpick, “Protecting Humanity from the Impossible” – while not a bad line, kind of makes it seem like they’re not really doing ANYTHING. I mean, if it’s IMPOSSIBLE, that means it CAN’T happen, so why the need to defend against it? It just smacks as the inception for the line is that it “sounded cool”. But again, that’s just nitpicking to the degree of my being a jerk. While I still feel a better tagline is out there, I will gladly accept this mission statement, because, hey… I want to see some “impossible” stuff.

Just as a head’s up; this review might at times veer into “jerk” territory, but hopefully I should be able to explain my way of thinking satisfactorily. But also, fair warning, it is a FULL REVIEW – so, even though absolutely NOTHING really happens in the issue until the last 2 pages, I should nevertheless state:

SPOILER ALERTS ARE IN EFFECT.

-----------JUDGING A BOOK BY ITS COVER----------

So, let’s start at the beginning. The cover being the logical place to start, and thus the first real item for me to critique... or criticize, especially as I should say covers (plural) since there are 6 (SIX!!!) COVERS for this issue. One standard cover and 5 (FIVE!) VARIANTS! To make matters worse, only one of the covers is really any good (or maybe two, since the standard cover by Terry and Rachael Dodson isn’t half bad). No offense to the legendary Neal Adams (who provides two variants – well, really one variant illustration, as one variant cover is in color and the other is just the line-art)…but his artwork here is horrendous. Well, ok... maybe not as bad as that, because he obviously still has the chops. Still, it's not that good.
Yes, it’s cool that he is paying homage to his own 40-year-old cover to Marvel Feature # 1 (the first appearance of the Defenders), but it’s much more "wonky" than his older work. Also, if you look carefully, he basically swipes the poses for Iron Fist and Doctor Strange from The Dodsons standard cover. The other bit of bad artwork is that here, Adams draws a giant-body for the Hulk with a pea-sized head. No, he’s not the only one guilty of such a thing, but I thought that style of anatomical aberration ended after the 1990’s. I’d expect better from an illustrator of Neal Adams’ ability.

Neal Adams' new homage variant covers.

Adams' 1971 classic.

The best cover (in my opinion, anyway) is the Doctor Strange solo cover by Stuart Immonen. Immonen is a phenomenal illustrator and once again has delivered nothing less than greatness.

Awesome! And yes, I WANT it.

The other covers are; a BLANK cover – ostensibly so one could bring it to a convention and have an artist illustrate the character of their choice, and an “I Am A Defender” cover, which showcases the teaser artwork that were used to hype the project (as can be read about in this prior post [HERE]). The first issue uses the image of Iron Fist from that series. It is expected that each of the next 3 or 4 issues will utilize the other similar images; each showing a silhouetted image of the character from a classic pose and within the outline is multitudes of words, definitions and clues about the character.

Do I want all the covers? Well, yes. As a die-hard collector of all-things Doctor Strange, I do. But I fully expect to have to wait a few YEARS to be able to get them, well after the mania and high-prices have subsided to lower, more manageable levels.

Next, we can look at the logo. Personally - and I feel bad continuing on a negative streak here - I think it sucks. It does nothing for me. The letter style isn’t dynamic or eye-catching, so it fails in its task of drawing in a buyer’s eye, and there is some inexplicable zig-zag line above it that just sort of ends at the letters. The line would work better as a sort of border, encasing the logo, instead of it just being this half-finished bit of design. I know that famed letter and logo-designer; Todd Klein has often stated that comic publishers love pointy logos, but this one, while filled with all pointy angles, just falls flat. I don’t know who designed it (no idea if it was Klein or any of the other multitudes of designers out there), or if an editor passed over a potentially better logo for this one, but I’d have loved for them to have taken another crack at it.

As for the title itself, with the nature of their mission (not fully disclosed in the issue, but more than done so in interviews online, as being a threat that they are unable to speak of) as well as with Marvel’s infatuation with the appellation, the title should be “Secret Defenders”. Just sayin’.

The last thing of note, which can be seen first on the cover, is that this team’s costumes seem to almost have a theme; and that theme is “SASHES”. Red She-Hulk wears a black bodysuit whose sole ornamentation is a red flowing sash at her hips. Doctor Strange’s new costume, much like his original, has a belt sash, although this one is red as opposed to his original orange. Iron Fist has two – one on his waist and the other trailing from his headdress. Only the Surfer, (who is, for all intents and purposes, naked), and Namor fail to have a sash adorn themselves, and I don’t think Namor’s costume would be hurt by one. Perhaps he can have one across his chest, to join with another at his waist, like a buccaneer.

-----------ISSUE REVIEW----------

The issue starts with pre-amble scenes the world over as madness, mayhem and molestation (!) memories via Motorola are made manifest. These things are shown and it is suggested that they occur now that Nul: the World-Breaker - and one-time Hulk-invading evil entity - walks the Earth.

Unfortunately, this entity is one who had possessed the Hulk during the Fear Itself “event”, and was only mentioned a few times in some spin-off comic or other, until the last issue of ‘Fear Itself’ (# 7), where it is shown that Hulk has split from the invading spirit. As such, Nul is a new, unknown foe – and one who is given no real description in this issue. All we are told is that weird stuff is happening, and it seems to be because NUL is on Earth. A very poor intro for the “big-bad” of a new series.

The story quickly brings Doctor Strange into the equation, as he is shown in a post-coital scene of shared regret. I have already discussed the awful missteps of this “Doc diddles debutante” debacle – and it can be read [HERE]. (If you haven’t yet read that recent post, it might make sense to go there first and then come back here.)

I won't get into it all again now. Seriously, go read my post on this scene [HERE].

Although, a new thing to add to my critique of that scene is the notation at the bottom of the page;

“Who loves Doctor Strange? Defenders # 4!”

That, and the other, similar notations on bottom margins of other pages, is a sweet touchstone to a halcyon time, now long gone by, when every Marvel comic would tease its other publications in exactly the same way. Let me tell you, as a young lad, reading copies of 1960’s and 1970’s comics, those little blurbs always filled me with eager anticipation and made me want to hunt down the other issues being hawked. To see them return, if even in such a minor way, is a nice touch.

It also fills me with an interest in actually sticking with the book to issue # 4 to see WHO loves Dr. Strange. (For those of you who haven’t yet read it, I have an old post that lists EVERY romantic involvement that Stephen Strange has ever had. It can be found [HERE]. Feel free to check it out. It always gets updated whenever a new love is introduced.)

However, I have a bad sense of what these page margin notations can also mean.*

* But since it is too early in my review to touch upon that theory, as it does come up again later, I’d be best to make it footnote # 1 at the end of this post.

Doctor Strange’s diner scene – as I wrote in my review of the preview pages [HERE] - makes use of minor, ‘practical magic’ and is a welcome display of non-nigh-godlike sorcery. Not everything has to be the Crimson Bands of Cytorrak, or the “Gooey Kablooey of Calvin the Angry”.

Sadly, whether by a slip of art or story, one character nuance of Stephen Strange was missed here.**

** Since it is a perceived slip of no great importance, but merely one of interest to fans (new or old) of Dr. Strange, I’ll toss it at the end of this post as footnote # 2.

Next we see Doctor Strange in his Sanctum Sanctorum proper. Studying and trying to resolve the mystery of the vision he saw in the POINT ONE issue (review of same [HERE]). Here Matt Fraction sets a good tone for Stephen Strange, as one who “seek(s) refuge behind the ramparts of knowledge”. A positive touchstone for Dr. Strange is that he gains his ability through study. Knowledge is ever his weapon. And it is one he will need, as the Hulk comes, pushing past Wong, seeking aid.

Here, Wong is portrayed as a typical Manservant, calling Strange ‘master’. But that is slightly problematic to the character - unless the reset button has been hit for Wong, casting him back to a former mode of behavior and comportment. ***

*** See the final footnote #3 (“Collect ‘em all!”) at end of post for more info.

Fraction slips up on Strange’s characterization again, soon after, when he addresses King Namor (by the way, I prefer KING Namor to PRINCE Namor. It has a much better ring to it). Fraction tries to play up the familial bickering banter between these two long-time allies, but drops the ball by Doc saying; “’Tis Doctor Strange”, and then having Namor retort; “I know… You’re the only man alive that still says ‘ ’tis.’”

Except, that NOWHERE in my memory do I think I have EVER read Doctor Strange use the word; ‘tis.

I’m nearly 100% sure. (And just for sureness’ sake, I just checked out the one issue that I thought – perhaps – Doc may have uttered the word (Strange Tales v1 # 139), but no. He always states “It is....” and never ‘tis.)

This is a small nit to pick, for certain, (maybe somewhere, some-when Doc might have said ‘tis,) but when making such a definitive statement as he has Namor speak, Matt Fraction must know that will just draw attention to it.

King Namor is seen in the Aegean Sea, threatening corporal punishment to a bunch of surface men who are in the process of slaughtering some form of fin-backed sea-mammals (what could be sharks or dolphins. - I’m thinking Sharks since shark hunts are prevalent these days.) Namor, dressed in a variation of his X-Men uniform - itself a variation of the old black, scaled, ‘sharkskin’ outfit he wore in the 1970’s, makes me wonder why they just don’t return him to that great old outfit good and proper, instead of ‘watered-down’ (sorry for the pun) versions of it. Either way, anything is better than the green Speedo.

One of the fishermen has a red colored circle on the back of his glove. This reddish circle design is seen again later in the story, as a part of Danny Rand’s new plane’s interior, although there, it is more of an orange circle. Matt Fraction has hinted that there will be any number of repeated patterns, numbers and phrases within the issue(s). Coincidences that are really patterns of the universe on display. However, with the exception of one phrase repeated by the Captains of two different doomed aircraft, I have seen no other coincidental patterns, and as with the case of the red circle, have begun actively searching for some. Fraction stated in interviews that two people say the phrase; “I hate myself and want to die”, but with the exception of the title of the issue (as that is the title) only one person (Hulk) says that phrase. In this issue anyway. It’s a bit weak if we have to wait for more issues to see the re-utterance of the phrase(s). If that is the case, this is being “written for the trade”.

Another character being used in (slightly) new ways is the Silver Surfer. Since he is a being of energy (I guess) – previously shown to be able to transmutate his personal form and that of his board, the Surfer has begun to experiment further. In this issue, he appears to have taken the form of a snowfall on the Cantabrian Mountains, where the Defenders have gone to find him. Having recently been shown to be seeking a reconnect with his lost humanity (as in recent issues of THOR), the Surfer is now a child-like, wide-eyed, wonder-filled being of exploration and delight.

One slight problem with this scene is that since the events in THOR, the Silver Surfer has begun a new (mortal) life in Broxton, Oklahoma.

The scene also contains a problematic utterance by the Hulk. He states the aforementioned; …I Hate Myself And Want To Die…” (the title of the issue) but the Hulk has ever only been the embodiment of the spirit of survival. I find it odd that he (and not Bruce Banner, of whom he is now separate) would espouse such a sentiment. So, is this a new, more penitent, Hulk? Or is it an example of a writer missing the point of a character?

Next we are brought to Pamplona, Spain and the running of the bulls… and the bullish, to find Red She-Hulk. There’s not all that much to her introduction with the exception that she asks if she can bring her “big-ass sword”. The sword in question is the one that she was given by Tony Stark, as forged by the Asgardian dwarves and blessed by Odin. Hers is the only such weapon that wasn’t re-melted to ore when the “Fear Itself” battle was over. I can’t bring myself to decide whether the usage of the term “big-ass” is a sign that comics are now more interested in being “cool” than being good, or not. It just struck me when reading it and tore me out of the story for a moment.

But, Wait... They needed a strong woman with a "big-ass" sword to be a DEFENDER?

Uh... VALKYRIE, who has been a Defender more consistently than ANY other character (even Doctor Strange) would have been the perfect choice. *Sigh* Oh well, she is currently busy gathering the "Worthy" Hammers over in the 12 issue maxi-series; 'Fear Itself: The Fearless'.

The Red-Shulk scene continues, with Strange relating to her how they arrived thence. The fact that all travel methods were via conventional contrivance shows us a severely sorcery-poor Master of the Mystic Arts, unable to transport the team via the means of magic. The subsequent scenes of travelling also present a few character slip-ups (which I say “slip-ups” instead of “F#@k-ups” just to be nice).

First off, there is a panel showing Doctor Strange in a railway car, levitating in the lotus-position in plain sight of the other passengers – something that he would never do. So often, in times past, Strange would go out of his way to obscure his abilities from other ‘mere mortals’, and would most likely have either cast a spell of illusion about himself, to make it appear as if he were sitting normally, or would have let loose his astral form, so that it might perform any mystic searching while his corporeal form would sit dormant, as if asleep. This just seems like again, either writer or artist is just trying something cool, despite how a character would normally behave.

Secondly, as Strange is explaining his theories to Red-Shulk, Namor accuses Strange of acting like a “spooky old conjurer” as a means of trying to sleep with her. What-the-what? Never mind the continued, questionable sexual references, which I find myself wondering if they serve the story or just the adolescent whims of the writer, but, this is poor characterization for BOTH; Namor and Strange. It is wrong for Namor, because, as a known philanderer, he truly would not care if Strange got it on with Red-Shulk or not – unless he had desires for her himself. It is damaging to Strange, because since when (aside from Fraction’s own poor portrayal of Strange a few pages earlier) would Strange have ever done such a thing? What would give Namor the slightest idea that Strange would even attempt to “impress” a woman in such a manner? Is this comment, reflective of Strange's earlier sexual misconduct supposed to be one of Fraction's "coincidences"? Either way and even so, Matt Fraction is so off-base here it makes me wince.

Next up we are given the intro to Danny Rand; A.K.A. Iron Fist, as he is on an experimental airplane prototype for performing zero-G tests. His appearance, while – to me – seeming out of character, has him express a sentiment that I all-too-often also echo;

“The older I get, the more life seems to be the stupid, frustrating stuff that gets in the way of you and reading comics…”

Amen, brother. Amen to that.

Iron Fist’s “Zero-G Kung Fu” is fine and an interesting idea, but the artwork is far too static to do the concept any justice. Dynamism was called for and not delivered, thus, the opportunity was lost.

In an example of clunky storytelling, however, as I felt that my copy of the comic must be missing a page, the next page jumped to a scene of Rand in bed (with the issue’s 2^nd example of a regretted sexual hook-up, and the 4^th sexual reference). He is being awakened by the Astral Form of Doctor Strange who is requesting to use Rand’s new plane. (Here, Strange is shown for the first time in the issue in his new costume – which nowhere in the issue is explained in any way: ie; WHY a new look? What is the significance of it? What do the gauntlets do? These are all things that a Stan Lee joint of old would have addressed).

But wait again... They needed a RICH superhero with a plane? Was Kyle (NIGHTHAWK) Richmond too busy running his "Last Defenders" team (in the 6-issue limited series; 'Vengeance') to join the REAL Defenders? *sigh* (again). Actually, I like Iron Fist, and with his recent linkage to Doctor Strange's mythos and Agamotto, I look forward to his inclusion on this team.

Finally, the team assembled and aboard the experimental aircraft, Dr. Strange is asked to explain the mission at hand, as well as the destination of Wundagore Mountain, as newbie Red-SHulk has no idea of it. Strange makes a few curious word choices, as he says that the mountain is “a place of WEIRD SCIENCE and ASTONISHING TALES brought to life.” Again, the subtext of comics is alluded to since both; WEIRD SCIENCE and ASTONISHING TALES are the names of old comic series.

The fervent comic-book reading of Danny Rand is also revisited again here (as he is reading a comic seemingly titled “Marvelman”), and as such, it must be a clue as to the story at large. Of course, if the “secret of the Marvel Universe” is that it is all a “breaking-the-fourth-wall” comic book within a comic book universe, I will officially give up reading Marvel comics.

(And even the "Red Circle" design from the fisherman's gloves and now on Rand's plane could allude to the old "Red Circle Comics", as Weird Science alludes to EC Comics of old.)

I would hope that Matt Fraction would be aware of the fact that such plot devices were started as far back as Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in the Fantastic Four work, and later expanded and expounded upon by John Byrne in his She-Hulk series. There’s nothing original there, so let’s pray that doesn’t factor into the series.

Strange also states that it is a mystery place, a strange place filled with secrets and impossible things. “It is our job to protect the world from the impossible.” To that I say; Wait. Since when? I thought the job of this team, as laid down in the first few pages, was to defend the world from the NUL-HULK. To destroy it and stop the damage that it causes by being manifest on Earth. Or, even as Strange has seen in his prophetic vision from POINT ONE # 1, to find and confront the mysterious cosmic machine. So, when did the job title get changed to “protect the world from the impossible” (as is obviously the header of the comic title)?

While Iron Fist is reading old comics, Strange has been researching within an ancient tome; “something very old and rather FRIGHTENING…” This would grab my curiosity if my faith in the writer hadn’t been subjected to numerous disappointments already.

Of course, the plane is soon in trouble, with its captain repeating the same phrase as the Captain from the first page (one of Fraction’s “coincidences”) and then their plane explodes around them - a first for the Defenders (of any incarnation).

As is the norm for such situations, flying characters must hurriedly rescue non-flyers, as the Surfer aids Iron Fist and Namor carries Dr. Strange, whom without benefit of his old Cloak of Levitation might be able to do some minor levitation on his own, but is most definitely unable to fly outright unaided. The Red-She-Hulk however, like any strong-guy type is left to plummet earthward to thus prove to the reader that she is nigh-invulnerable.

Once again, sadly, a vital piece of characterization is mauled by Matt Fraction. He has the Silver Surfer, who is currently trying to reconnect with his own humanity, enjoying the experience of the plane burning around him as he thinks; “This is New.” Since when would explosions be new to the Surfer? In his first appearance in the book, the very first thing he states is that the team only gets together when things are exploding. How would the Surfer not have been privy to the experience of a vessel being blasted apart (even with him aboard) as I am sure that such a thing must have happened to him while either in the service of Galactus or else on his own adventures. So I am left wondering just what the heck here is “new” to the Surfer?

The issue ends with the shooting of Iron Fist, and the apparent surrender of the team to Prester John and the Evil Eye (something that will come as a treat for all really old-school Defenders fans- as it was this artifact that led to the Defenders attempt to rescue the Black Knight and thus the impetus for the Avengers / Defenders Clash [War]).

Thus are we left with this cliff-hanger for the next issue.

-----------WRAP-UP OPINIONS----------

My overall opinion of this issue is a mixed one to say the least. It doesn’t suck outright, but neither is it truly any good. The writing contains SO many character flaws while it attempts to come across as writing “cooler” than it is. The artwork, that at times seems neat and beautiful, at other instances seems to be a rushed mess of weird anatomy and spilled ink. Colors, by Sonia Oback, that enhance the art and story nicely, but the colorist can’t seem to make up her mind about how to handle blacks on reflective surfaces, as some are left on uppermost photoshop layers (to let the black stand out) and other times to have the black layer lie below a color effect layer, to thus mute the black) - oddly, sometimes both on the same page or even same panel or figure! The lettering, by Clayton Cowles, is very good, and utilizes a computer font that looks like a handwritten style.

One nice touch is that each of the characters’ “voices” are given their own color shade, so that you always know who is speaking. Except for one “voice”; the unknown, omniscient narrator, whose text boxes are in yellow. This narration is yet another possible clue as to the nature of the Defenders’ overall mission. Perhaps, this entity is watching their actions from afar? Or, perhaps, as I made mention of my fear, it is the narration of a comic book writer.

Still, the story hums along and gets the team together (mostly, as teasers show Nick Fury and Ant-Man also being a part of the team, if not perhaps a part of this assemblage), and builds to a head by the last page. However, it still feels like a rip-off. A mere 20 pages of comic story (well, comic story build-up) with neither a single true battle, nor spell cast for $3.99?

Aside from the last 2 pages, NOTHING HAPPENS! I would have been happier paying $5.99 for a double-sized, first issue spectacular where we at least get to SOME sort of SOMETHING happening.

It's just hard for me to imagine finding many DEFENDERS of this type of publishing.

-----------FOOTNOTES----------

· * Footnote # 1)

As I had noted in earlier discussion about the comic-book theme that runs through the issue, to have the warning notes (the same notes as found in the “secret messages” of the silhouetted teasers –as I blogged in detail [HERE]); “Shut The Engines Down”, “Everyone You Love Dies”, “The Universe Will Break” and “Fight To Save Everything” along the bottom of the pages, right along with the other comic teaser notes, leads me to believe that they are also hinting that the comic itself is a clue. Or comics themselves. And, if as I (half-jokingly) guessed, that the secret of the Marvel Universe is that it is all a COMIC BOOK UNIVERSE (or something similar), then I just want to scream.

· ** Footnote # 2)

The minor ‘lost character moment’ of Doctor Strange in the diner is where it is shown that he is drinking ‘Earl Grey’ tea. The selection of tea, while not a major problem, is indeed a small window into the character of Doctor Strange. In many past appearances, Strange has often shown a preference for ‘Darjeeling’ tea. As opposed to ‘Earl Grey’ tea, a tea with no true ties to China, (but is well-known as the tea of choice for Capt. Jean-Luc Picard of Star Trek; Next Generation,) ‘Darjeeling’ is a tea that originated in the Himalayan region of West India (the near-Tibetan region of Bengal, Sikkam and Nepal) where Strange would have learned under the tutelage of the Ancient One, and a tea that would be better for helping him collect himself after his previous evening. Even ‘Oolong’, a traditional Chinese tea, would have been a better selection. As an avid tea drinker, myself, I am partial to many varieties and blends of tea, and have been known to enjoy some ‘Earl Grey’ as well as the other blends I have noted above. Certainly, Stephen Strange can be depicted drinking ‘Earl Grey’ without it being a problem. This is especially so, as the scene takes place in a diner, which are not typically known for a wide selection of teas.

· ***Footnote # 3)

A nitpick that I have with Marvel currently is that they have little care for past continuity. Even recent continuity. But definitely, anything that has happened before the Quesada-era is up for debate.

In this case, the problem is what to do with Doctor Strange’s manservant; Wong. For much of his history, Wong has been portrayed as the subservient, yet fairly treated, acolyte to a wise man (Strange). Not a stereotypical “chinaman” caricature at all, but not too deeply characterized either. It wasn’t until the mid to late 1980’s that Wong started to get a personality and a semblance of a life; love interests, history, etc… But in the 1990’s Wong turned against his former master because Stephen Strange failed to save the life of Wong’s betrothed; Imei. It set servant against master in a harsh way that by the time that the relationship even remotely started to heal, they were only able to reconcile if as near-equals. No longer did Wong call Strange ‘master’. They were on a first name basis.

But then, Doc lost his series, and appeared mostly in a few mini-series, and in each one, Wong’s relationship and personality changed a little. Sometimes, more of a retread back to his former subservient manner, while in others as a more eccentric personal secretary to the good Doctor. Of course, currently in the Avengers titles, Brian Bendis has chosen to portray Wong in a manner in which he has NEVER been shown; that of the angry, near-stereotypical, Chinese cook - a punch-line and a disrespectful treatment of a character older than many in the M.U.

But here in the DEFENDERS, for that one panel appearance, we have the Wong of old. I have no idea what Matt Fraction has in mind for him. Only time will tell.

Doctor Strange : Sorcerer Substandard Disaster of the Mystic Arts orMaster of the Spastic Arts or Master of the Mystic Oops

2011-12-06T22:00:00.012-05:00

Fantastic Four # 600, written by Jonathan Hickman with art by Steve Epting, shipped a week or so ago and in the issue was a scene that I wanted to discuss... or... at least show my disgust.

With a surprise invasion of Kree forces, the Fantastic Four attempts to defend Earth and repel the invaders while aided by multitudes of other Earth heroes (99% of them from various "Avengers" teams - especially since nearly all Marvel characters are on at least one Avengers roster).

Among them: Doctor Strange.

Given a suggestion on what to do by Ms. Marvel (since Doctor Strange, while a veteran of superhuman events, and a sorcerer for at least 40 Marvel-time years, hasn't had much experience with interstellar invaders), Dr. Strange affects the vessels ability to defy gravity via a spell cast with his mystic mastery...

... to a less-than masterful execution. And Disastrous results!

WTF?!?!

Seriously, Marvel. WTF!?

Did Doctor Strange just cause the deaths of untold numbers (both; the HUMANS living in the building and area around the crash as well as the KREE on board) because he screwed up a "basic" gravity spell (casually cast with a snappy quip)?
The only real example of a hero taking down one of the invaders in the issue and it is an epic fail.

So, my question is:
How long are we going to have suffer this screw-up version of Doctor Strange?

Before the modern-era of Joe Quesada / Brian Bendis with the recent additions of Matt Fraction and now Jonathan Hickman, Doctor Strange hasn't ever been this inept. At least not as blatantly.

Certainly, there have been classic adventures, written by the likes of Stan Lee/ Steve Ditko, Steve Englehart, Roger Stern and Peter Gillis (among others) where Doctor Strange has made grievous errors - resulting in terrible consequences. However, in each of those previous tenures, his chroniclers allowed him the ability to rectify those errors, and in doing so, rise and advance his spirit and ability to the next level.
This current crop of "realistic" write-it-to-sell-to-the-Hollywood-grist-mill hacks have neglected to truly connect with the characters; by-passed their history, ignored the true essence of these characters - or even worse, lost all sense of heroism for their characters.

In eras past, if a Marvel hero screwed up this badly, they felt remorse - the plight of the everyman was shown on the page and the grief of the hero was played out for all it was worth (melodrama, yes, but at least the emotion was there). Nowadays, the world seems populated by super-humans only and the cityscapes where they wreak their havoc are as soulless as the so-called "heroes".
Regular people are rarely shown and if they are, they are backdrops against which the "real" characters get to run rampant.

Nowhere in the issue is a reaction shot of Stephen Strange, possibly showing his grief at being a cause of such devastation. Not one. This may be more the blame of the artist than writer, but I am willing to bet good money that such a follow-up was not in the script.

I just want to apologize to Steve Ditko for this.
I am complicit in my continued assent, by spending money on this assassination of the heroic ideal.
But, it is only due to my love for the character that HE created, and my eternal hope that once more, a sense of greatness and grandeur can be returned to Stephen Strange.

Sorry Mr. Ditko.
Marvel owes you more apologies than can be counted.

THE DEFENDERS :Does Matt Fraction Add or Subtract from the Equation?

2011-11-26T02:30:00.022-05:00

The DEFENDERS.
A favorite Marvel comics property - to me anyway.
Founded, and usually led by Doctor Strange, the team has been, more often than not, a loosely united assemblage of loners, monsters and freaks.
First starting from the 1970's, with several incarnations, iterations, and volumes - of varying success - which have come and gone sporadically through to recent years, Marvel is once again going to try to have this "team" burst forth into the realms of the unknown.

I WANT to enjoy this title.
I truly do.

However, to anyone who has read my past few posts which reviewed material from the upcoming DEFENDERS volume, it may seem obvious that my enthusiasm for the project, as well as my faith in the creative team in charge (writer, Matt Fraction and artist(s), Terry and Rachel Dodson) has all but vaporized.

Those posts dealt with the poor – many should say ‘destructive’ – characterization of Doctor Strange, about to be set into canon by the (perhaps) poisoned pen of Matt Fraction (as well as the unusually sloppy artwork being showcased by the Dodsons).

First, I took issue with the preview pages from DEFENDERS (v4) # 1, and their portrayal of some uncharacteristically unsavory sexual predilections of Stephen Strange, which can be read [HERE]. My unease continued when I read the prequel story that was a part of Marvel’s POINT ONE anthology issue, touted as the roadmap to Marvel’s 2012 publishing direction, and its off-base written and visual handling of Doctor Strange - which can be found [HERE].

Another source of contention is that with 6 covers for the first issue and at least 2 or 3 covers for each subsequent issue (for each issue solicited, thus far anyway), I am rapidly losing any good-faith with Marvel. With the fleecing-the-flock predatory practices that Marvel is subjecting to its loyal fans, I wonder how much longer I can remain loyal, and not feel like a victim who has finally decided to stop going back for more abuse.

Now, before I launch into a lengthy diatribe, which will come not from some fan-nerd sense of entitlement (“GAH! They’re breaking MY character”), but instead from a position of “unofficial historian and caretaker” of a well-established property, let me just state that it is because I truly care about the proper handling of these modern myths. I don’t wish to see any writer mangle the better, more heroic natures of these 4-color heroes simply because it suits the whim of some half-baked story – or worse, because the writer just felt like it.

I want to let it be known that I am not against changing a character, be it for “personal growth” or even to keep up with the times, but some changes are obviously wrong-minded and detrimental to the character. I should state that I am not one of those who insist that characters need to be preserved in amber. In fact, some of my favorite tenures of Doctor Strange are from when writers took him into deeply troubling, radically different, supposedly detrimental territory ( - for instance; Peter B. Gillis’ Strange Tales v2 [1987], where he turned Doc to the dark side and transformed him into a practitioner of black magic) .

Strange Tales v2 # 15
Part of one of my all-time favorite character arcs for Doctor Strange.

The difference is; those had a plan for a complete character arc, a way for him to emerge from the troubled path renewed and refreshed. Fraction’s direction seems more for “coolness’ sake”. Most likely, these poor changes will be later retconned away, or flat-out ignored by future writers, but still, the missteps can be made, and in this age where everything in the past, present (& future) canon is being reprinted in trade format, and thus available to be read, any missteps are “eternal”.

The latter is my usual complaint of Marvel’s handling of Doctor Strange these past few years. Too many writers don’t do proper due diligence and neglect to fully research the characters in their charge. Some just fit any character into whatever plot they had in mind, paying little heed as to how the character, based upon their multiple decades of published history, would speak, behave or even if they might do such a thing.

Or, worse still, Marvel has thrown up its collective hands and said; “We have NO IDEA what to do with this character. Do what thou wilt.” It is that devil’s deal which I address first.

“Kitty Porn”:

This is the area, of which, I find myself most perturbed. In the preview to Defenders v4 # 1, Matt Fraction has Doctor Strange engage in an improper sexual hook-up with a nubile, young grad-student who had approached him for help with her thesis research.

Wrong, Matt Fraction. Wrong on EVERY level.

As far as I can hazard a guess, this is ostensibly due to the ill effects of the rise of NUL (the big bad of the story). Supposedly, Nul is able to influence everyone and everything on earth, for the worse, merely by his being manifest on the physical plane. So, having Stephen Strange fall victim to a poor moral lapse due to this negative nul-effect would be acceptable – and almost excusable.

Almost.

In a recent interview [HERE], Fraction states:

"... I'm doing a creepy, f*cked up Doctor Strange love story right now. The Tom Waits/Doctor Strange song I've always wanted to do. The first time we see Doctor Strange [in Defenders] he's in bed with a girl he shouldn't be in bed with. He's a teacher who sleeps with his students. I think that crosses a line, and I also think it speaks volumes to his character. It's an interesting lack of character.”

“An interesting LACK OF CHARACTER.” But, how can it be a lack of character when it is THE WRITER who just added that wrinkle to the character’s make-up? Never before has Strange done such a thing! And before anyone toss Strange’s carnal relationship with his former disciple; Clea, let me reaffirm that they started as lovers first! (Check out my post on the subject – and read the comment section where the Clea relationship is deeply discussed – [HERE].) Then, when Clea’s natural other-dimensional magical abilities faded away, Strange started to tutor her. While it might have been wrong to do so, while still retaining their intimate relationship, is a source of contention. (As I looked at in a slightly humorous, yet straight-forward examination of their relationship [HERE].) It should also be readily known that Clea, as a denizen of another dimension, is far more long-lived than we mere humans, and is, in fact, centuries old, thus removing any old-man/young-girl sexual accusations from the equation.

Doctor Strange & Clea discuss their Strange relationship

Doctor Strange; Master of the Mystic Arts # 45,
by Chris Claremont (story) and Gene Colan (art)

I need to be fair and state that Fraction does show a pattern of not-so-coincidentally improper behavior among the other Defenders, who are also involved in improper relations at the story’s beginning. This also hints at a tainting of personages by Nul’s existence. So, in this instance, Strange is not being singled out.

However, Fraction expounds upon his assessment of Strange’s inappropriate sexual proclivities by stating;

“Yeah, it's not that you're weird, it's that you're an a**hole. With Doctor Strange, he's a little grungier, a little creepier. Doctor Strange is a creepy dude. He sleeps with his students; he crosses lines most peoples wouldn't cross...”
“…Wolverine has never slept with Kitty Pryde. Doctor Strange totally would.”

Is he serious? Has the man EVER read ANY pre-Bendis-era comics with Doctor Strange? Please, no one tell Steve Ditko of this character maiming, because I truly think that Ditko would flay Fraction alive for such a transgression. Not just to his former creation, but to the heroic ideal itself.

Many have been the situations where a female character has shown an attraction to Stephen Strange, and in each instance, Strange has politely, but definitively sidestepped the pitfall. Noble. Honorable. This is even in an instance when the woman throwing herself at him was a former incarnation of his then-current girlfriend; Morganna Blessing! One of his lover’s past lives (a hand-maiden of Rama-Tut from Ancient Egypt) – and from whence her deep, soul-mate-level love for him originated – and he politely lets her down easy, only to vanish in a puff of smoke. If ever there was an easy lay, having sex with the young-girl-who is-totally-enamored-and-whose-soul-would-eventually-evolve-into-his-then-girlfriend would BE the easiest of conquests. She was a total groupie for him. And he left her unmolested.

"Hush, Little One. It Is Not Meant To Be."

From Doctor Strange; Master of the Mystic Arts # 53

Stephen Strange has only ever had mature, consensual relations (and/or sex) with adult, fully-consenting women.

If you were to ask me, (or I’d wager, many X-Men fans,) I’d have put good money on Wolverine indeed having HAD sex with some of his young charges. Certainly, I’d believe that his sense of honor would demand that he would turn away any such schoolgirl-crush advances - maybe twice - before he would let it happen, with the thought of; “Hey. I tried to wave ‘em off, but if they want some animal sex… I’m gonna give it to ‘em.” Kitty Pryde might have had no interest, during her younger, Colossus-infatuated years, but later, when she was being trained by Logan, she may have had a weak moment or three and had the primal urge for the strong, male dominance that is Wolverine’s stock-in-trade. Jubilee and some others I can definitely see being attracted to Wolverine (in a “girl-with-daddy-issues” kind of way). But still, whether or not Wolverine ever had improper sexual relations with any of his young students, I know that there is no way that Stephen Strange would do so.

Not that Doctor Strange hasn’t been indirectly accused of such lascivious behavior. In the mostly forgotten mini-series; ‘WITCHES’, (by Brian Patrick Walsh and Mike Deodato) each of the three “Witches”; Satana, Topaz & Jenifer Kale, cast accusations against the others of sleeping with Strange. But, that’s all it amounted to: verbal cat-fighting between the three women. Strange was never in the room when these barbs were tossed about.

As listed in my complete listing of every woman that Stephen Strange has had any kind of romantic relationship (that epic post can be found [HERE]), there was even a case (in a recent Marvel Christmas Special) where the female heroes; Felicia “Black Cat” Hardy, Monica “Photon” Rambeau and Patsy “Hellcat” Walker teased Angelica “Firestar” Jones about her infatuation with Dr. Strange. They told her to buy a sheer, negligee and just show up at his door. He was never a part of this exchange. But, this was also (I hope) lighthearted fun, as the age difference (even without taking Strange’s true age into account, as he was born in 1930,) or should I say the “apparent” age difference - since he no longer ages as a mortal (due to his defeating "death", as I discussed in detail in a previous post [HERE])- would still be too large for an “appropriate” relationship. Firestar’s “love” of Strange was the by-product of a reverse “Florence Nightingale syndrome”, since he helped to administer to her during her battle with breast cancer.

That isn’t to say that there aren’t cases where a much older man is married to a very much younger woman, but those usually fall within the realms of foreign-countries with outdated marital arrangements, rich old billionaires and the gold-digging floozies who want to give them myocardial infarctions to inherit their wealth, and Elvis Presley with his child-bride (I’d even list Woody Allen and his “daughter”, but that is just TOO weird).

While I appreciate trying to return the creepiness-factor to Doctor Strange – a trait that he has been sorely lacking over much of his history – being a sexual predator is NOT the way to do it. This is an especially touchy subject recently, as the Penn-State sex conspiracy is a hot-button issue everywhere in the country. A trusted, older person, tasked with the enlightening of a younger person’s horizons, should never do so “horizontally”.

“Strange Tales”:

Counterbalanced, and to bring me back to his good graces, Fraction adds:

“Back in Strange Tales (vol 1), there are stories where he's in an ascot, waistcoat and fedora fighting wraiths in weird back alleys of unspecified Asian countries. I wanted that vibe from that first year or two of Strange Tales.”

To this I say; “I hope he succeeds!” Those Ditko/Lee Strange Tales issues are among the very BEST of the Doctor Strange stories, and a style only infrequently revisited in Strange’s subsequent history.

Strange Tales v1 # 131

Lee / Ditko

But, as I made mention in my blog post about the Point One issue, I surely hope that Terry Dodson learns how to properly draw a hat.

But, he follows up with:

“Do you know what my way into Doctor Strange was? James Spader. Would you want to be on a road trip with James Spader? Just imagine three days in a car with James Spader. It's that "you're not from around here" feeling. He's a metric dude in a standard world. He's silently judging you constantly because he knows more than you…”

While truly a fan of James Spader, I don’t see him as the “voice” of Doctor Strange. Certainly, he has the dry, wry, knowledge-fu delivery that can be an interesting take, but if you are looking for someone with whom to liken the “creepy, know-more-than-you” aspect of Doctor Strange, I would suggest Jeff Goldblum. Just the way that Goldblum LOOKS at you is unnerving. When he speaks, you feel. Freaked. Out. (and not to mention, dumber then he is).

Heck, if you want to be on a road trip and get spooked out of your mind, sit in the passenger seat on a trip with Christopher Walken. Or Crispin Glover. That’ll teach you not to hitch-hike a ride.

I also put forth the truly classically accurate suggestion of Vincent Price. Price was known for his sojourns into the darker side of characterization. Not only a master thespian, known for his dramatic delivery, Vincent Price was also a fiercely intelligent man – an accomplished art historian and chef. Price possessed all that and his creepy voice, mannerisms and chilling laugh.

I have trepidations about Fraction’s infatuation of James Spader. Spader’s most recent star roles are from “Boston Legal”, where he played an affected, sexually dysfunctional and predatory, morally challenged bizarro, and now his taking over the lead role in “The Office”, as a manipulative executive shows me that Fraction is looking in the wrong direction for his inspiration.

Still, I am unsure WHY Fraction needs a "way in" to Doctor Strange at all. You know what MY "way into" Doctor Strange was? Reading DOCTOR STRANGE!

“No one likes the Golden-Child”:

The sexual misconduct, and Spader-ness aren’t the only missteps in Matt Fraction’s approach to the Defenders title. In fact, it is but a minor, easily explained away, error of judgment as compared to the real problem. Fraction has set in motion some universe-spanning machination that is supposed to “explain everything” in how the Marvel Universe came to be – the heroes, the history, everything. He’s likening it to Einstein’s oft-sought-after “Grand Unification Theory”.

Fraction states that everything that has happened, and will happen has been the secret cultivation of some outside force.

However, the very nature of having a “method” behind the madness of the Marvel Universe betrays the very essence of what it is that causes it to be special – or even relatable. The very nature of fandom for these characters is that, in some cases, a reader can picture themselves in the place of their favorite heroes- if only the accident or happenstance that led to the fictional person becoming a superhuman would have instead happened to them (and, y’know… that you’d get spider-powers and not cancer from a radioactive arachnid bite, or that a trip to study at the feet of a Himalayan guru would give you occult mastery, and not just a deep sense of harmony with the universe).

I am talking about the “chosen one” dilemma. Not to get into the theological debate of Calvinism vs Catholicism vs Lutheranism vs Unitarianism, but If things “happen for a reason” or more to the point; if things happen to a predestined plan of some cosmic googum, then there exists little (or no) hope that the possibility of greatness could be bestowed upon an average Joe (or Jane) of the 99% of us. Instead, the golden apple is held out of reach, except only for the select few. The 1%.

There have been a few instances of writers branding Doctor Strange as a “chosen one”, and that he was predestined to become the Sorcerer that he would become and that the Ancient One even protected him as a child, to ensure his continuing along the path. This ruins the “road to redemption” aspect of Strange’s origin, that it was only through great loss, soul-searching and acceptance of a greater power than he that he was able to ascend to greater heights. Personal growth.

There have even been similar attempts to introduce the same “chosen one” status to heroes like Spider-Man – the ultimate example (aside from Batman) of an origin that any child can imagine as being possible for them.

Such secret puppetry with invisible strings connected to an all-powerful hand diminishes the specialness of the heroic ideal. Despite the tag-line, Captain Universe may NOT be the hero who could be you or me. Perhaps the uni-force doesn’t come to anyone that needs it, but only those whom the cosmic machine has pre-selected. Truly Deux ex Machina.

A hero may or may not truly have free will to act heroically, but instead is merely performing a part, pre-written for them, like a play where they are unknowing performers.

To help counterbalance this, Matt Fraction details;

“… It's not about what-if minutiae stuff. I wanted to tell a story about the root of all the Marvel myths. What if there was a reason why they happened? What if it was something that was grown and cultivated rather than this collection of stories that we happen to be looking at? I wanted to tell a story about the Marvel Universe, not about the specifics. Every now and again, a pawn gets all the way down the board and gets to upgrade. The Defenders are pawns that have accidentally made their way down the board and get to upgrade and learn a little bit more.”

The idea of his last line there, that every so often someone gets to look behind the cosmic veil to gain a “level-up” of knowledge is an exciting one. There is a famous illustration from a centuries-old woodcut that portrays an ancient philosopher (or truth-seeker) peering beyond the curtain of the sky to behold the mysteries of the cosmos beyond. This image has always held some fascination for me, as it is a basic representation of all that we, as humans, strive to attain. The same sense of curiosity that caused man to leave the safety of the cave and to eventually voyage to the stars, is portrayed in this sentiment.

colorized adaptation of a centuries-old woodcut

To have the Defenders be the cosmic seekers of truth (or, finders of truth) is an exciting prospect.

With this direction - and the fact that due to the nature of the threat, the team is made physically unable to even discuss the conflict they are in - the best title for this title would have been; THE SECRET DEFENDERS. That seems more appropriate now than it was for the 1990's Defenders series of the same name.

However, if the truth is that they find that the Prime Mover and the Shaper of Worlds are putting on a puppet show on the Earth, that would be less ideal.

“The Proof of the Pudding is in the Eating”:

Lest I be accused of criticizing a product before it has even been released, I assure you that I have tried to be as fair and balanced as I can – given what evidence has been made available.

But, to act as my own defender… if you are being given an official, behind-the-scenes tour into the inner workings of a 5-star restaurant, and the chef is showing you his very best recipe for a pudding, but his ingredients are all wrong (or, perhaps even poisonous) – would you want to eat the pudding? Or even want to dine there anymore at all?

Still, tastes differ, and I am sure that there will be many fans who will not see anything wrong with the handling of the characters and title’s direction, and may absolutely love it. Who is to say that they are wrong? Especially, if what we are being shown as teasers and previews are not the best representations of the title.

Still, as someone who can safely state to be a bit of a resource on the history and overall character of Doctor Strange, I am wary. However, I await the first few issues and hope that my concerns are addressed and allayed by some rational explanations in the plots.

I WANT to enjoy this title.
I truly do.

*UPDATE*

12-17-2011

I have read the issue and gave a FULL review of it [HERE].

The long and the short of it: It's not bad. But it's not very good either.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING 2011 From A TURKEY of a DUCK! WAUGH!

2011-11-24T13:35:00.002-05:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

to all my American friends!

(And a Happy Thursday, to all the rest of the world.)

From Howard the Duck and Beverly Switzer!

Since my previous Thanksgiving posts dealt with Doctor Strange (the Sanctum Sanctorum as a part of the MACY's Thanksgiving Day Parade [HERE]), (the culinary tastes of Doctor Strange -[HERE]), I was looking for some sort of image that might feature either of my other blog-centric characters (Man-Thing, ROM; Spaceknight, etc...) and thought that it shouldn't be too difficult to find one of Howard the Duck facing the fate of a Thanksgiving Day turkey.
Face to face (so to speak) with a cooked cousin.

Turns out... it has been hinted at, and alluded to, but never shown outright.
Weird. I would have thought the threat of being plucked, stuffed and basted would have been a default threat for our favorite feathered fowl.

But, not to be deterred, I came across some stills from the 1986 Howard The Duck film and I knew that I had found my image(s).

Seen as a TURKEY in its own right, that movie, while ROASTED, and lambasted for the gastrointestinal discomfort experienced by most (if not all) of those who have ever seen it, has always held a sweet spot in my heart.
I always come back for a second-helping.
Seriously. I truly like that movie, Marvel's very FIRST official big-screen outing.

And one of the reasons is Lea Thompson, as Howard's human love; Beverly Switzer.

So, without further ado... I present some pics (trust me, there are plenty more - and far naughtier photos - that I could have posted) to show Howard... OBVIOUSLY THANKFUL for the bounty which has come into his life!

(The easiest jokes would be something about: "would you prefer breast or thigh?", stuffing, a wishbone and saying grace... but I won't do it.)

I, however, am thankful for many things, not the least of which are my many readers and the fine friendship which they show to me and my blog.

I love you all.

Howard does too.

With The Aid of Time Travel... My 3rd Anniversary Blog Post!

2011-11-13T17:14:00.000-05:00

I made it to 3 years on this blog!
Who hoo!

OK. Actually, my bloggiversary was OCTOBER 11th.
But things have been SO DARN HECTIC around here that it was impossible to put together the required mega-post in time.

SO... with the aid of internet "time-travel" technology (back-dating posts), I have popped the actual post into the proper slot where it belongs (a month ago - sheesh!).

Filled with links to the "VERY BEST" of my Oct. 11 2010 - Oct 11, 2011 blog posts, it is a readers delight - and valuable resource for anyone wanting a "table of contents" for this blog.

Please feel free to go check it out - [HERE]

IF AN EYE OFFENDS THEE This STRANGE DEFENDER Reviews POINT ONE # 1

2011-11-12T00:01:00.010-05:00

Marvel’s highly-touted, intensely hyped “POINT ONE” (# 1) issue has dropped and it is purportedly a preview of the big things to come in the Marvel Universe for 2012.

With 6 short preview stories - all tied together by a flimsy 7th encapsulating "Watcher" story, my primary interest in the issue was for the DOCTOR STRANGE / DEFENDERS preview story written by Matt Fraction and with art by Terry & Rachel Dodson. I can only say that if this issue is to be a roadmap, then this story seemed to be a speed-bump - or worse, a “wrong way” sign in that road.

The scattered leaf effect is the ONLY thing about this page that I like.

That mustache needs its own postal code.

Is that supposed to be an EAR on the side of DOC's head?

And "...My Village, and I am her magician"...? Ugh. Really?

The story, “The SHAMAN of GREENWICH VILLAGE” tries to hearken back to two landmarks in the publishing history of Dr. Strange and the Defenders; Doctor Strange’s first appearance in Strange Tales # 110, and his return to magic (and his joining the Defenders) in (the back-up tale of) Marvel Feature # 1 (also the first appearance of the Defenders). A teaser that has Doctor Strange discovering the traces of a great cosmic mystery and the involvement of a new roster of Defenders, this story fails to meet the mark of the classic Steve Ditko / Stan Lee Strange Tales story as well as the Marvel Feature issue.

The allusion comes via Strange’s investigation of a sleep-affected individual (ala Strange Tales # 110) as well as his initial stroll through the village, the gathering of the Defenders and his story-end re-affirmation to his task (ala Marvel Feature # 1).

It starts off with, Groucho Marx is walking along Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village. Wait. That’s NOT supposed to be Groucho? It’s supposed to be Doctor Strange? With THAT mustache? Oh. OK. Whatever.

Anyway, Stephen Strange is wandering down the streets of the village and in a very man-on-the-street manner, speaks of one of the denizens of the area; “Notebook Joe”, who acts as a personal grimoire of the village’s history - secret or otherwise. This he does by soliciting individuals to write their observations and experiences into composition notebooks. That is a factoid that is proven useless since only Joe’s own stream-of-consciousness somnambulist-written notebooks will come into play in the story. Mentioning that there are others who feed him information is a dead-end plot point. It would be just as effective if Joe were to have produced all his “writings” on his own.

An apparently major error is that in his musings of “Notebook Joe”, Strange states that Joe has been in the village even longer than he. I fear, from what I have seen of his handling of Doctor Strange, that Matt Fraction is yet another writer who doesn’t research the characters he writes all that well. For in Marvel’s own official wiki (and handbook entry) [HERE] of Doctor Strange, (even taking into account the “10-year sliding timeline”) Strange has been residing as a sorcerer in his Sanctum Sanctorum since the late 1960’s (or early 1970’s – depending on how many years he spent in search of a cure for his nerve-damaged hands until journeying to seek the Ancient One). Joe isn’t portrayed in the artwork as being over the age of maybe 40-something. So, unless Doc is counting Joe’s years as an infant, there’s no way Joe is there longer. According to the story, Joe was an archeology grad-student and saw the cosmic mystery which – for all intents and purposes – took his mind, and then he came back to NYC and spent his life ever since on the streets. It was stated as happening “decades ago”, and even if we put Joe’s age in his 60’s, that would mean that coming to NYC as a late 20s to 30-something grad-student, he was in NYC for approximately 30 years. That is still a shorter span than Doc’s tenure. Certainly, if Joe were drawn as a late 60's – 70+ year old man, this wouldn’t be a point. But as shown, it is just a further reminder that modern Marvel knows not its roots. That, despite his appearance, Stephen Strange is far older than most others around him (with the exception of guys like Captain America, Thor, and/or Wolverine).

So, unless the artwork mistakenly drew Joe as being too young, there’s just no way he is old enough. But that brings me to one major problem that I have with the creative team; the artwork presented here (and in the preview of issue # 1 - which I blogged about [HERE]) by the team of Terry and Rachel Dodson is too cartoony and slack for my tastes (and saying that, I am saying it for ONLY MY tastes. I’d expect some readers to like it). It’s in the realm of the “manga-esque”, which I know is popular, but too close to “kiddie manga” than “serious manga” for my belief of what this series’ mission statement has led me to believe is its intended objective; to showcase the weird and arcane secrets of the Marvel Universe.

But, to point to something specific, to start with, as with my mustache comment earlier, there is far too much that is wrong with the artwork and Terry’s portrayal of Stephen Strange. First off, Strange is looking de-aged (maybe that’s why “Notebook Joe” also looks too young. Maybe Terry Dodson’s characters skew young. Certainly, the female artist-friend; Abby, whom, in the story, is said to have sold a series of paintings in the 1980's doesn't look old enough to have even used crayons in her coloring books in that decade). Perhaps, it just the fact that Dodson has all but grecian-formula’d away all of the white hair at Doc’s temples, and “Village-people’d” up the volume of his mustache. Even his gestures and posture are off character. It just doesn’t seem like Doctor Strange. (At least not to this loooong-term reader.) As for Stephen Strange’s apparel, this is not the first time that Strange has been portrayed as a 3-piece suit wearing dapper dandy. It’s a look, of which, that I will approve. As a nitpick, I wish Terry Dodson would learn how to draw a hat. The thing on Strange’s head is no hat that I’ve ever seen. A strange mixture of fedora top with bowler derby brim. Some panels it’s drawn as a fedora top and other panels it’s seemingly all derby. And always just plopped on his head at a weird angle.

The characterization isn’t only the problem of the artwork, however. Matt Fraction also has Strange behaving in a manner which he has never been previously portrayed. Stephen Strange has ever been a secretive and reclusive mystic. Not one to visit one local artist and sit, lotus position, in her living room to astrally project himself into the dreams of another. I don’t mind some kind of growth on the part of fictional characters, but I tend to like to see the character arc, and not have it be sprung on me, full-blown, with it happening between appearances. Even taking Brian Bendis’ treamtment of Strange over in the Avengers titles, this is an otherwise new, bright and friendly, touchy-feely Stephen Strange.

That is, except for when a modicum of personality might have been required; such as when Joe dies - Strange just abandons the artist friend; Abby, by spouting that Joe has just died as he runs out the door with Joe's notebooks. A moment to console Abby might have been nice. But sure... only a few pages to tell the story. Whatever. Still bad characterization. A one-line; "So sorry, Abby. Joe is dead. This is terrible! Are you going to be OK?" statement would only have taken the space of one word balloon.

And, as the title of this blog post will allude, there is one HUGE friggin’ problem with this story, and truthfully, the main reason that I decided to write this review. While Doctor Strange is in the dreamscape of “Notebook Joe”, he has a 3^rd eye visible on his forehead.

This has always, ever been the actual EYE of AGAMOTTO, released from its housing in the amulet, that would alight upon Strange’s brow, to help him see into the realms unseen. NEVER, has there been any other eye to perform that task. And with the EYE of AGAMOTTO’s apparent destruction in the pages of NEW AVENGERS v2 # 6 (as detailed in this epic post [HERE]), this shouldn’t be possible. Perhaps this is a “lesser quality” Eye, made manifest via some incantation, but alas, there is no indication in this story of the origin on this eye. It is just there.

Is this the fault of the writer or the artist? If in the plot, then Fraction needs to bone up on the mystic weapons that Strange has at his disposal. If it’s to be a new trick up Strange’s sleeve (or between his eyes), then the method of its appearance should have been revealed in this preview story. It’s already been stated that this Defenders series is being produced “Marvel style”, with the writer producing a basic plot, the artist drawing the pages by extrapolating events from that, and then the writer scripting the events as portrayed in the artwork. Due to this process, it is possible that Terry Dodson drew the eye on the forehead as a reference to Doctor Strange’s abilities of old, without knowledge of the history of the EYE – purely as a visual treat. It has, sadly, been well over a decade or more since any story has had Doctor Strange call the Eye to his brow, so it is likely that there are many new readers who may not know of the history of the spell/effect/visual. Sure, it's cool. But there is a method and reason for it that is not being explained - or even possible in the classic usage. Either way, this team needs to cram on Doctor Strange history. Or at the very least, ask of the learned “scholars” at their disposal – be it on the internet (I’ll be glad to offer any help to their questions) or old-school comic historians like Peter Sanderson.

Considering that this story, and the issue it appears within, is to be a big, important showcase into the workings of Marvel’s upcoming year of output, it should have been a product of nothing but the very best that the creative teams could produce.

Sadly, nearly each of the 7 total short preview stories were of equally bad quality.
Either poor writing, rushed-looking artwork, or flimsy plots marred the bulk of the project.
For those who wish to know, the other stories were:

Behold the Watcher
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artist: Javier Pulido

Nova: Harbinger
Writer: Jeph Loeb
Penciller: Ed McGuinness

Age of Apocalypse: The Myth of Man
Writer: David Lapham
Artist: Roberto De La Torre

Scarlet Spider: The Scarlet Thread
Writer: Chris Yost
Penciller: Ryan Stegman

Coldmoon & Dragonfire: Yin and Yang
Writer: Fred Van Lente
Artist: Salvador Larroca

Doctor Strange: The Shaman of Greenwich Village
Writer: Matt Fraction
Penciller: Terry Dodson

The Avengers: Age of Ultron
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Penciller: Bryan Hitch

Each of these stories are lacking in any real "wow" factor. The Bendis Avengers tale being the possible best, purely due to the severity of the alternate future being shown wherein Ultron rules all. Unfortunately, it acts purely as a set-up, giving no information whatsoever as to the story at large.

The others:

Coldmoon & Dragonfire are Marvel's new "Wonder Twins" (siblings who have opposite powers but they are stronger when in contact with each other). A lame attempt at new character creation.

Scarlet Spider: purely trying to cash in on those fans who long for the crappiness of the 1990's Clone Saga debacle.

Age of Apokolype: Yet another alternate X-Men future, but one where humans are the hunted, near-extinct species fighting against the ruling mutant population.

Nova: Harbinger: The Phoenix force is coming! And Jeph Loeb attempts to write it. (And "Epic Fails" - a joke you'll get when you read this tripe.)

And... Behold The Watcher: An unknown race is seeking the Watcher's intel, and is planning on killing him to get it. Writing is substandard and the art was a poor man's Steve Ditko.

All in all, I feel that this issue was more of an afterthought, to cash in, and the quality present in this POINT ONE issue seems to support my belief. If not, and it was a planned-in-advance "event" - as reported - then the editorial staff didn't ensure that only the very best quality be present in this 2012 primer.

11-11-11 11:11 o'clock TAPPING INTO THE MAGIC OF THE UNIVERSE

2011-11-11T23:11:00.004-05:00

While not a cosmic syzygy, the palindromic date of 11-11-11 does touch upon the mystical, primal nature of mankind. Our wish that something magical will alight upon our lives and create change.

From DOCTOR STRANGE; SORCERER SUPREME # 80

Warren Ellis and Mark Buckingham

Here's to change.
Better things on the horizon.

Dedicated to NeilAlieN; Palindromic Master of the Mystic Arts

STRANGE BEDFELLOWS: A SUPREME IMPROPRIETY? Dr. Strange scoring some "strange" seems so... strange

2011-11-05T17:49:00.007-04:00

Earlier today, I read a 4 page preview of the new DEFENDERS (vol 4) # 1, by Matt Fraction and Terry/Rachel Dodson over at CBR [HERE], and I find myself becoming... disenchanted by the forthcoming new DEFENDERS series.

Let's go back a few months first, shall we?
When the release of a new DEFENDERS series was announced back in July of this year, I blogged favorably [HERE] about the promise of this new volume of the title. Sure, I wasn't won over 100%, but I was more than willing to give all benefit of the doubt to Matt Fraction to deliver something worthwhile.

However, after reading the 4 page preview, those doubts are now growing, and the benefit of my good nature is starting to wane.

Well, "starting" isn't all that accurate.

Even in that original announcement blog post, I showed some dislike over the looser art style that artist-team of Terry and Rachel Dodson were putting forth for the promo materials and initial cover art. I hoped it would be of better quality when it all came to press, but I did state that it didn't seem that was going to be so. (The jury is still out on that one.)

Also, readers of my Twitter feed will know that yesterday I tweeted about my disdain over Marvel's producing 5 covers (yes, that means 4 variant covers) for DEFENDERS # 1.
*UPDATE: There were 6 COVERS! (5 VARIANTS!!!) - GAH!

This multiple cover B.S. is getting to be worse than it ever was in the dreaded boom-and-bust 1990's.
At least THEN there was a thriving economy. Now, we are still mired in the worst economic environment since the Great Depression, and comics cost $4.00 cover price. No telling how much of a price gouging retailers will put on "rare" variants.
So, for Marvel (and any other publisher) to be trying to pull this kind of predatory practice smacks of all that is wrong with the "anything to get a buck" mentality of corporations. (Hey! Let's start the "Occupy Marvel" movement.)

Just for the sake of complete transparency, here's my tweet:

"SanctumBlog So. DEFENDERS # 1 will have 5 covers!? This is getting worse than the 1990's. But there was economic BOOM then. F#@% YOU, Marvel. Seriously."

Anyway, Marvel's greedy practices of nerd-fleecing are not the point of this particular post.
What IS the point of the matter is this brief, but totally uncharacteristic portrayal of Stephen Strange, wherein he is shown to have just bedded a young grad-student, taking advantage of the young lady, who had basically contacted him to help her with her thesis on occult something-or-other, out of her probable respect and fan-worship of his status as head mystic of the M.U.

Bad form, Stephen.

Is that his place or hers? And is she wearing CLEA leggings? Was there some role-playing going on?

OK. So she IS pretty hot.
Sexy, smart, nerdy girls just DO IT for me, okay?
And she's into magick (with a "k"), so she's also a little on the goth side of the street. I'd fall for her too.

A point could be made that she is of legal age, and as such, is not an improper sexual partner. Even for the far older Strange (seriously, according to Marvel's OFFICIAL bio of him, he was born in 1930). However, she came to him in his capacity as a role-model and more experienced scholar of mystic lore. Any kind of activity such as this scene shows is a serious breach of trust on his part.

As she also points out, in a morning-after accusation, that no matter how much he may be able to help her, Stephen Strange's taking advantage of this young, eager "groupie" has hurt her far more.

Oddly enough, Strange then allows himself to ruminate upon the dalliance as something both moreso and less-than anything more than just a night of sex.

"What he wanted most wasn't on the menu"

In one narrative breath, Stephen Strange admits to a deep longing for the girl, the admission that she was "just" a girl (and thus, a toss-away hook-up), and the admission that perhaps his indiscretion was due to the deep human fear of dying alone.

What-the-WHAT?!?

In what previous scenario has Stephen Strange ever shown an inclination for ANY of those three thoughts?!? With perhaps the exclusion of the "height-of-his-own-hubris", "pre-nerve-damaging-career-ending-accident" years as a surgeon, Stephen Strange has always been on the opposite end of the spectrum of each of those beliefs.

NONE of this makes any sense to anyone who has read the character for more than a few issues (of non-Bendis-era stories), and as of the time of this writing, this is taken from a 4-page preview of DEFENDERS vol4 # 1 and as such, I have no way of knowing what the explanation for such a poor piece of character assassination might be.

Either, this new Stephen Strange is a by-product of a new "laid-back" acceptance of his no longer being the Sorcerer Supreme, and his own willingness to try "living" like one of us regular folks, or it is a detrimental by-product of the ill-effect caused by the baddie of the story (NUL, the WorldBreaker - last seen possessing the HULK in Fear Itself) - OR - worse still... is a by-product of Marvel editorial and yet another Marvel writer just not understanding the character and/or history of Doctor Stephen Strange (and possibly trying to "Peter Parker" him a bit to appeal to the younger demographic).

I can only hope that my 2nd theory is the accurate one, and that the reality-twisting, despair-raising events being caused by Nul, that are being portrayed in the first two pages of the preview are indeed what has caused Strange to take leave of his senses and abuse his position as a respected and learned man in order to get some hot-college-girl action.

Am I a prude who is against seeing Doctor Strange get some "strange" (the slang term for sex with an otherwise unknown partner)? No.
I'm not offended by the sex. Nope. Give him Night Nurse or Clea, or Sister Nil or someone that makes SENSE... but this? It just seems "beneath" him (sorry, that is not meant to be a euphemism or double-entendre'. If I wanted to make one of those I'd have noted that having the much older Strange on top of the younger girl would make it an "Improper FRACTION" - and thus play up writer Matt Fraction's name).

In fact, I have posted a long list of every known instance of Stephen Strange's loves and hook-ups and it shows the character to have had a fairly consistent pattern of sexual growth and activity, against which that this particular liaison just fails to be justified.
Sadly, I have to add this incident to that list.
You can check out all of Strange's other loves, lusts and hook-ups there - [HERE].

Now, I will say that right after the panels that I have shown, in the same diner scene, Doctor Strange uses a little rudimentary divination spell to try to determine what kind of event is on the horizon. I appreciate the practical magick. Small, subtle uses of the craft can be excellent touches (it doesn't always have to be the Crimson Bands of Cytorrak, y'know). That was where the 4 page preview ended - and so I have no way of knowing - for sure - how this will all play out and if any of my theories will come into play and if my fear of Strange's being mishandled in the series has any merit, or if Matt Fraction will indeed pull off an interesting, odd and different Stephen Strange - for good or ill.

Go and check out the preview for yourself [HERE] (since the CBR preview was an exclusive for them, and as such, I do not wish to usurp their position by showing more than a brief portion of the pages).

Then come back and check out that thorough and complete history of all of Stephen Strange's assorted romances. Presented to you in order of their appearances IN HIS LIFE (not in publication history) - [HERE].

MAN-THING : "NIGHT of the LAUGHING DEAD" HALLOWEEN - SPECIAL EDITION - 2011

2011-10-31T00:01:00.016-04:00

---

Welcome to a
SPECIAL EDITION
of the
SANCTUM SANCTORUM COMIX BLOG!
- HALLOWEEN - 2011!

(previous entries can be found at links at the end of this post)

---

It is HALLOWEEN!
Time for creepy, crawly, and slime-encrusted things of all kinds...
and that includes MAN-THINGS!

As a treat for everyone, and in keeping with last year's audio entry (of a Doctor Strange Halloween audio play - link can be found at the end of this post) I am pleased to present the audio (and "video") of

Man-Thing – Night Of The Laughing Dead

Produced as a part of the "Book and Record Set" series by Power Records in 1974, this is an adaptation of a story begun in Man-Thing #5, May 1974,

written by Steve Gerber and with art by Mike Ploog and Frank Chiaramonte.

Produced by Herb Davidson and Charlotte Saunders, and narrated by Peter Fernandez, this is a tale of existentialism, despair, love and death.

Inner jacket with 45 RPM record in sleeve.

Back Cover

Created with voice actors reading the comic, panel by panel, the idea was to present a comic book as a fuller experience, but, unfortunately, one that while adding the depth of sounds and effects, also removed the imagination factor from the reader, allowing them to merely read along with the audio presentation.

These video presentations (with thanks to SecretCavern) have "animated" the comic book pages to be in synch with the audio.

So, turn down the light, turn up the volume and try not to be afraid.

---

Part 1

Part 2

---

Oddly, this is but the first half of the complete tale, as it continued in Man-Thing -vol. 1- # 6, but Power Records did not produce the subsequent issue as a record set.

A part of the Book and Record series by Power Records (and Peter Pan Records), this was but one of a "Monster Series" (which was a sub-category of Marvel book and record presentations).

Other releases included: Tomb of Dracula, Monster of Frankenstein, and Werewolf by Night.

"Trick or Treat. Smell My Feet..."

(actually, I don't think ANY of these guy's feet would be something you'd want to smell.)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

-------

Previous entries in this series include:

- HALLOWEEN - SPECIAL-EDITION! 2008 -

Featuring: Three different variants of the official licensed "Ben Cooper" costumes of Doctor Strange. [HERE]

- HALLOWEEN - SPECIAL-EDITION! 2009 -

Featuring: Two of my own home-made Doctor Strange costumes that garnered me a "win" in the Wizard Magazine annual costume contest (Wizard mag appearance included). - [HERE]

- HALLOWEEN - SPECIAL-EDITION! 2010 -

Featuring: The 1994 Marvel Halloween Edition Phone Cards, and the audio recording (and written transcript) of the Doctor Strange card's audio play. - [HERE]

Sanctum Sanctorum Comix

Let's Do The TIME-WARP, Again....

CARELESS WHISPERS : REDUX The RESULTS of a Reader-Participation Post

Neilalien : Not Quite Gone - Never Forgotten

ASH WEDNESDAY Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust... Unless You're DR. STRANGE

NOBODY EXPECTS... THE SPANISH INQUISITION!

MYSTERY DATE!--- HAPPY ST. VALENTINE'S DAY from DOCTOR STRANGE

ROAD TRIP! Doctor Strange in: 'The Incredible Drive'Marvel/Toyota: Yaris commercials A "MAGIC of VIDEO" Post

The 2011 SANCTUM AWARDS! 4th ANNUAL EVENT!

The DIMENSIONAL-PORTAL to ...The 2011 SANCTUM AWARDS! 4th ANNUAL EVENT!

CARELESS WHISPERS -or- NEVER TALK TO STRANGE(RS) A Reader-Interactive-Participation Post

THE DEFENDERS # 2 (2012) - A REVIEW

TWO RIGHTS make a WRONG or WHY IS THIS MAN(IAC) SMILING?

HOUSING CRISIS : SANCTUS INTERRUPTUS - Part VIII - The REBUILDING...

Time Warp : - The Modern Marvel Calendars *ADDENDUM 2*

HAPPY NEW YEAR the SUPERHERO Way!

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY HOLIDAYS -2011- A GIANT-SIZED TREASURY EDITION!

THE DEFENDERS # 1 (2011) - A REVIEW

Doctor Strange : Sorcerer Substandard Disaster of the Mystic Arts orMaster of the Spastic Arts or Master of the Mystic Oops

THE DEFENDERS :Does Matt Fraction Add or Subtract from the Equation?

HAPPY THANKSGIVING 2011 From A TURKEY of a DUCK! WAUGH!

With The Aid of Time Travel... My 3rd Anniversary Blog Post!

IF AN EYE OFFENDS THEE This STRANGE DEFENDER Reviews POINT ONE # 1

11-11-11 11:11 o'clock TAPPING INTO THE MAGIC OF THE UNIVERSE

STRANGE BEDFELLOWS: A SUPREME IMPROPRIETY? Dr. Strange scoring some "strange" seems so... strange

MAN-THING : "NIGHT of the LAUGHING DEAD" HALLOWEEN - SPECIAL EDITION - 2011

Time Warp : - The Modern Marvel Calendars ADDENDUM 2