MoCCA Arts Fest is next weekend 16-17 March in NYC!
→ Exhibitors
→ Programming
→ Tickets
PALINDROMENEILALIEN
A Doctor Strange Fansite
NEILALIEN STATUS
Dr. Strange Information
Email Neilalien:
Neilalien Blog Archive
Overheard in a comic con bathroom:
"We have a new character... named Dr. Strange... Twas Steve's idea."
"I'm telling you, the only reason that Neilalien has lasted so long is because he kills younger,
more innocent, bloggers and drinks their blood in some twisted Ditko-inspired mystical ceremony."
"Is that the Eye of Yaphet Kotto?"
"The funny thing about that is that comic books and wrestling are two of the original arts that America has given to the world- the other being jazz."
Creators/Publishers: Neilalien would love to help,
"Do not accept for review a book you are
|
PORTAL
Alpha News Surf
|
PURPLE GEMS
Excerpted chapter is about the 01990 Captain America movie Early ads said "Based on Stan Lee's Marvel Comic Strip Character" yikes! The screenwriter had never read a Captain America comic; "decades of stories and mythos built by Simon, Kirby, Lee, Gene Colan, John Romita, Steve Englehart, J.M. deMatties, Roger Stern, John Byrne, Mike Zeck, Jim Steranko and countless others" were merely "bullshit" to be "dropped" Why superhero films work: correct decisions about what to retain from the source material and what to change; the viewer's suspension of disbelief
Todd Klein has published his book The Art and History of Lettering Comics online free on his blog!
One of Klein's creations is the logo for Doctor Strange Sorcerer Surpreme:
Logo Design Basics page with earlier drafts of the above DSSS logo
Doctor Strange #13 is out! Collected reviews at Comic Book Round Up Variant cover regime at Midtown Comics [like the Nicoletta Baldari] Entry at Fandom Marvel Database Cobolorum, a role-playing game worthy of a Satanic panic, has run amok trapping kids, so Dr. Strange Jumanji-enters the game world with a new set of Secret Defenders as a classic Dungeons & Dragons party: Doc as magic-user, Black Cat at thief, Taskmaster as fighter, and Hunter's Moon as cleric- but Baron Mordo is the DM! Happy to report Pasqual Ferry is back as artist. One nitpick: There's a panel that shows Black Cat in her thief role saving Doc from a sprung sword-wall trap, but the Eye of Agamotto is shown as being in operation. The Eye should have easily detected the traps. Doc could really handle a lot of the dungeoneering stuff himself- the Eye can probably be about as frustrating for a DM/writer as a wand of secret door and trap location- but you don't have to go that route and nuke the story. There should definitely be traps. Just show Black Cat saving an impulsive Taskmaster from a trap in that panel instead. Or at least show the Eye as closed, if Doc must be a cursed novice here.
Additional recent Doctor Strange appearances and such:
The Sentry #3 [out 21 Feb]
Daredevil #6 [out 21 Feb]
Thanos #4 [out 6 Mar]
Captain Marvel #2-5 [#5 out 21 Feb]
What If?... Venom #1 [out 28 Feb]
Today marks 24 Years of Neilalien comic book/Doctor Strange/Steve Ditko/geek weblog goodies! Excelsior!
Copy Machine Manifestos: Artists Who Make Zines [Brooklyn Museum- Current Exhibitions] American Counterculture, Glimpsed Through Zines [New Yorker] Review: When Zines Walked The Earth [NY Times]
Trust in CGC-slabbed collectible comic books badly hit by reholdering scams Instagram post by Manu/The 9.9 Newsstand with observations that started it all The CGC Reholder Scam, Hundreds Of Fraudulent Comics Sold- What To Do If You're Affected [Personal Finance Advice] CGC Reholder Scam List Of 350 Fraud Comics, And Chilling Effect For Collectibles Investors [Personal Finance Advice] CGC Comic Book Reholder SCAM | Will CGC Lose Collector Trust? | How To Avoid These Books! [Action Figure Grader video on YouTube] CGC Reholder Scam! Two More Comics And A New Scam! [YouTube video by AutomaticComics; mutliple videos] Breaking News! Comic Book Scammers Are Getting Good Or Maybe CGC Is Getting Sloppy... [YouTube video by Swagglehaus; multiple videos] Exploring The CGC Reholdering Scandal [Immaculate Comics video on YouTube, with a heat gun] Updated: CCG And CGC Comics Statement On Holder Tampering Incident Today: A Letter From Steven R. Eichenbaum, CEO Of The Certified Collectibles Group Massive discussion thread at CGC Forums Updating... Trying to find the most effective links, best recaps and explanations, for brevity, for historical preservation, crediting the parties most getting the word out, etc...
The Doc Doll: Doctor Strange in Captain America #3-6 [#6 out 7 Feb] Doc on the cover of #6. Doc assists Cap against a serial killer empowered by the demon Asmoday- your standard "normie hero encounters the occult and needs Doc's help" appearance- but not a team-up- as mystical advisor, and eventually by placing the Eye of Agamotto in the middle of Cap's shield to create the most absurdly powerful frisbee of all time. But more importantly, something new starting in #3: Doc Doll! Doc has apparently invested a small piece of himself into 47 figurines- creepy little dolls that look like him- avatars, astral-projection range extenders (like wi-fi?), etc.- and gave them to trusted allies around the world. He can project his astral form into them, animate them, and interact with the physical world in ways he can't while in astral form. And in a pinch, you only need the head of Doc Doll! It pops right off. It likes finding mints in pockets. The command words: The Wizard of Oz's "There's no place like home." Neilalien enjoys this idea. It's Dr. Strange- creative, magickal, and a little creepy. And funny. Daredevil can't do this. We've seen Doc astrally enter people and control their bodies many times before. But: Neilalien is concerned. Isn't this a huge vulnerability for Doc now? Did he have to "invest a small piece of himself"? Hasn't he just distributed 47 voodoo dolls that can be used against him now? Wasn't Young Emergency Strange when Doc died also a spun-off part of himself? How much of "himself" has he got? Captain America's New Sidekick Is The Most Unnerving Sorcerer Supreme Of All Time [CBR] Fan speculation list: Who are the 47 allies who got figurines? [Doctor Strange Daily Appreciation] Note the figurine used in this appearance is in the possession of Misty Knight; she is one of Doc's allies, and/or the figurine was given to the Aberrant Crimes Division of the FBI Only needing the doll's head reminds of tropes Cranial Processing Unit and Oracular Head 47 [Wikipedia] [a prime number; a "strictly non-palindromic number"? Neilalien harrumphs]
Doctor Strange #12 is out! [7 Feb] Collected reviews at Comic Book Round Up Variant cover regime at Midtown Comics [like the Darboe Marvel '97 although it doesn't evoke Marvel's nor Doc's best years of comics] Entry at Fandom Marvel Database
Additional recent Doctor Strange appearances:
Thanos #3 [also out 7 Feb]
Daredevil #5 [out 17 Jan]
New X-Men #135: Quentin Quire And The Death Of Punk
Incredible: Dead Strange collectible figure from Hot Toys Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness MMS654 Dead Strange 1/6th Scale Collectible Figure [BigBadToyStore] First Look: Dead Strange Sixth Scale Figure By Hot Toys [Sideshow] [great Unboxing Video] [in pre-order, shipping this month]
50 Years Ago, Dr. Strange's Creative Team Pulled A Hoax To Protect A Controversial Tale
Marvel's March and April 02024 solicits include a new batch of Secret Defenders; Blood Hunt event by MacKay with Dr. Strange and gory art; Venom What If Symbiote Supreme
DOCTOR STRANGE #13
DOCTOR STRANGE #14
"In Blood Hunt, writer Jed MacKay and artist Pepe Larraz bring together the Avengers, Doctor Strange, Clea, Moon Knight's brother Hunter's Moon, Tigra, Spider-Man, Bloodline, and Blade to take on an army of vampires as they sink their fangs into the Marvel Universe." Each issue will be released in two versions: "a regular edition, and a 'mature' edition with 'additional pages and more graphic art too explicit for the regular edition.' The expanded 'mature' issues of Blood Hunt will be polybagged in full on red band sleeves that will make it clear which edition is which, and prevent prying eyes from looking at the gory bits without purchasing the issues. Each of the five issues of the core Blood Hunt series will get a Red Band Edition alongside its main release." [GamesRadar+/Newsarama]
BLOOD HUNT #1 (OF 5)
Also: G.O.D.S. #6 and #7
WHAT IF?... VENOM #3 (OF 5)
A Timeless issue came out 27 Dec 02023. Marvel has published a Timeless one-shot the last couple Decembers with a timey-wimey story- Kang was the POV of past Timelesses but maybe not anymore with the Jonathan Majors collapse?- that's supposed to include teasers for the following year's comics. This year's story has a white-bearded Luke Cage Power Man, "master of the living weapons" with the powers of Sentry, Hulk, and Iron Fist, in a post-Age-of-Heroes Khonshu-dominated future dystopia fighting against Danny Rand as a Moon Knight with Stark-Iron-Man tech and the Eye of Agamotto. This Timeless "for 02024" has two Doc-related "teaser images", among many time-disjointed collages and panels, causing speculation:
1. Doc happily with Clea and a baby. (Thought the baby would be Donna, but it's shown younger than Donna already. Doc issue #11 did have all that baby talk...) Neilalien mostly dismissed these images as in-story "Prime Minister Electro" multiverse future stuff. But do these images apply, when the hype machine says Timeless is supposed to show "a SHOCKING glimpse into the next year of Marvel stories". Isn't said "glimpse" simply the page at the end of the comic with all the #1 covers, and the X-Men "from the ashes" reboot page- not actually anything in the story? We're supposed to believe this year's comics and character choices set up this Khonshu dystopia? Did the past issues of Timeless have many accurate in-story teasers for the following year (02021's teased Miracleman/Marvelman)? But some have scuttlebutted, namely Bleeding Cool and the headline-clickbait websites, that these images mean huge changes are afoot for Doctor Strange, Doctor Doom will be Sorcerer Supreme in 02024, etc. Neilalien hopes not! Also, that the upcoming Blood Hunt event is a possible vehicle for these Doc changes, since it's supposed to kill someone off (Doc dead again?! So soon already?!). Timeless trailer by Marvel on Instagram; "a sneak peek at [0]2024's Next Big Things" Marvel's Timeless Trailer Spoils The Future Of The Marvel Universe [ComicBook.com] A Major Marvel Villain Is Replacing Doctor Strange As The Sorcerer Supreme [ComicBook.com] Timeless #1 Review: Flash Forward To A Story No One Needed ["The collage sequences inserted at moments tied to the time travel tropes provide some hints at crossovers and events for a few key franchises in the year ahead... while the issue might tease big things for the Marvel universe, it's still ultimately not that satisfying a read on its own... bound by its very nature to never qualify as more than an advertisement"] [ComicBook.com] Marvel's Timeless Teases The Future Of Doctor Strange For [0]2024 [Bleeding Cool] Which Of These Will Marvel Comics Kill Off In [0]2024's Blood Hunt? [Bleeding Cool] Marvel To Have A Brand New Doctor Strange In [0]2024 [this was first-draft-of-history speculation that Doctor Strange was ending with issue #10; but seemingly wrong as #11 has come out since] [Bleeding Cool]
Doctor Strange #11 is out! Collected reviews at Comic Book Round Up Variant cover regime at Midtown Comics Entry at Fandom Marvel Database This issue did absolutely nothing for Neilalien. Disliked the cutesy filler story, disliked the new Circus of Crime, disliked the art.
Strange Supreme returns as the big bad in a wild What If...? Season 2 Episode 9 finale "What If... Strange Supreme Intervened?" Breakdowns:
Stan Lee would have had his 101st birthday today! [Wikipedia] Lee appeared in 50 films that grossed over $30 billion. All those cameos made him the highest-grossing person in film of all time.
The Superman Problem
Marvel Comics And The Illusion Of Change
Doctor Strange #10 is out! Collected reviews at Comic Book Round Up Variant cover regime at Midtown Comics
Update: Jonathan Majors Fired By Disney/Marvel Studios After Assault Guilty Verdicts; Actor Had Played Kang The Conqueror [Deadline] The actor was set for life to play Kang in the MCU. Now he faces jail time instead. Speculating about the path forward: Drop Kang plans as the main MCU antagonist going forward ("Calling Doom, calling Dr. Doom...")? Actor swap? And/or Kang variants- they certainly have the variant storytelling mechanism available to them. Update: Marvel Studios Is Looking For A New Big Bad As It Begins Erasing Kang From Its MCU Plans (And Movie Titles) [Popverse]
Disney Vs. Ditko Ends With Settlement Over Spider-Man And Other Marvel Hero Rights [Deadline] ["an amicable resolution"] Also: [Bleeding Cool]
ICv2: Comics Direct Market 50th Anniversary: year-long series of commentary, interviews, and history
Dungeons & Dragons stamps to mark the game's 50th anniversary
Marvel's February 02024 solicits include a Bats story!
DOCTOR STRANGE #12
CAPTAIN AMERICA #6
DAREDEVIL #6
SENTRY #3 (OF 4)
Did Deadpool Sexually Assault Doctor Strange?
X-Force #45 and #46
Jonathan Hickman Ties G.O.D.S. To Black Swans & Black Priests Black Priests Black Swans Library Of Worlds [Fandom Marvel Database] Doctor Strange Meets Marvel's Newest Characters In Preview Of G.O.D.S. #3 While Neilalien is pleasantly surprised that there has been so much Doctor Strange in G.O.D.S.- and his accoutrements- Living Tribunal's staff, In-Betweener's Skinner box- and Hickman is referring to his Incursions/Secret Wars, Black Priests and Swans- we must assume Doc is mostly here as audience, clueless-reader stand-in, connection to the rest of the Marvel Universe, passive observer of these new characters in their own book. We shall see...
Comics Retailer: It's Nearly [0]2024 And I'm More Than Concerned
Retailer Warns That Comics Are Dying Again
Interview: Retailer Ron Hill Talks About The Closing Of JHU Manhattan
AI Is Coming To Comics Whether We Like It Or Not. Are There Ways It Could Help?
Update: More Salkowitz/ICv2: Is A Post-Superhero Direct Market Even Possible?
Letterer Todd Klein with some long lovely posts lately: [via LMG]
Update: Marvel Studios Taking Stock Of Strategy Amid 'The Marvels' Meltdown
[Hollywood Reporter]
Doctor Strange #9 is out! Collected reviews at Comic Book Round Up Variant cover regime at Midtown Comics Entry at Fandom Marvel Database
Also: Crypt Of Shadows (V4) #1 02023 one-shot [out 18 Oct in time for Halloween] This year's installment of Crypt Of Shadows has "the insane vampire brother of Doctor Strange", Victor Strange, continuing his new appearance-meme from last year's digital Strange Tales: Victor Strange Infinity Comic, a mirror-trapped phantom in the Sanctum Sanctorum, with Crypt-Keeper-like horror-comic-hosting duties, knowing all, plotting revenge, wearing pajamas, and teased to be free and coming to the pages of Doctor Strange when we least expect him. The ex-Baron Blood is back in the toybox for Marvel creators to use.
Steve Ditko would have had his 96th birthday today! [Wikipedia]
Marvel's January 02024 solicits include:
DOCTOR STRANGE #11 (out 3 Jan) Update: Doctor Strange appearing prominently with Wyn on the cover of G.O.D.S. #4
Jewish Comics Experience [JewCE.org] The Museum and Laboratory of the Jewish Comics Experience is an exhibition that opens 9 October at the Center for Jewish History in Manhattan, and runs until the end of the year.
Doctor Strange #8 is out today! Collected reviews at Comic Book Round Up Variant cover regime at Midtown Comics Entry at Fandom Marvel Database
Also out today: Doctor Strange by Jed MacKay Volume 1: The Life of Doctor Strange TPB G.O.D.S. #1 Skottie Young variant cover; is Wyn a Doctor Strange variant?
Marvel's November and December 02023 solicits continue Doctor vs. General
DOCTOR STRANGE #9
DOCTOR STRANGE #10
CAPTAIN MARVEL #3
The Tradd Moore Doctor Strange: Fall Sunrise Treasury Edition oversized TPB is out!
And if you've seen it in the shop- it's huge and beautiful!
Doctor Strange #7 is out! Collected reviews at Comic Book Round Up Variant cover regime at Midtown Comics
Longtime Marvel X-Men Artist Dan Green Passes Away Worked at Marvel for over 25 years, primarily as an inker. Re: Doctor Strange, Green inked/finished many Gene Colan books, drew Roger Stern's run vs. Dracula, and beautifully painted the Doctor Strange: Into Shamballa graphic novel. Dan Green [Wikipedia] Daniel Green [Penciler] [Inker] [Fandom Marvel Database/Wiki]
"It Could Be Better, But It Could Be Worse": Shops Discuss The Often Difficult Year So Far In Comics Retail [by David Harper at SKTCHD] [via Comics Retailers See Uncertain Future [The Beat]] "70% of the publishers could disappear tomorrow, and 90% of the customers wouldn't even notice... My wish for this year is that the chasm between what publishers put out and what we can actually sell gets smaller... pump out more and more variant covers in the vain hopes to find more buyers..."
Can Anything Cure Marvel's Malaise? [The Beat] Marvel Needs New Imprints If The Company Wants To Take Bigger Risks [CBR]
Marvel Might Be In Need Of A Fresh Start [SKTCHD (paywall)]
Update: CBLDF Calls for Collective Action
[Publishers Weekly]
To Mr. MacKay, With Apologies
[SKTCHD (paywall)]
Overworked And Underpaid, VFX Workers Vote To Unionize At Marvel [Vulture] Marvel VFX Artists Vote To Unionize [Variety] Marvel Studios VFX Workers File To Join IATSE Union [Hollywood Reporter] Marvel VFX Workers Vote To Unionize Under IATSE [Vanity Fair] I'm A VFX Artist, And I'm Tired Of Getting 'Pixel-Fked' By Marvel [Vulture 7/02022] Marvel VFX Workers On 'Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania' [Vulture 2/02023] Inside The VFX Union Brewing In Hollywood [Vulture 1/02023] IATSE = International Alliance Of Theatrical Stage Employees [Wikipedia] VFX = Visual Effects [Wikipedia]
Doctor Strange #6 is out! [2 Aug] Collected reviews at Comic Book Round Up Variant cover regime at Midtown Comics Braindump:
|