Neilalien : A Doctor Strange Fansite : A Comic Book Weblog  

DC Conspirators fight!

No, comics creators and DC-co-Conspirators Chris Piers and Matt Dembicki! Please, no need to fight- especially two obvious Ditko fans! There's plenty of Neilalien t-shirts for everyone! :) Buy now in time to wear at the MoCCA Art Fest!

Posted 31 May 02007 - Permalink

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The Doctor Strange August animated movie DVD lurks pre-orderably [Amazon] [thanks Joe!]
But please consider supporting your local comics shop, of course!

Comic Foundry and Diamond make a deal- yay! [Comic Foundry]

Joey Q adjusts halo, doesn't see the tentacle porn in that Heroes For Hire #13 cover all of us naughty naughty minds see [Myriad Issues] [Newsarama interview source]

Heroes: Parodies the Marvel Universe via Clerks [Extremely Sharp Swords] [thanks Sanctum!]

Posted 30 May 02007 - Permalink

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50 years ago, on 17 May 01957, the Marvel Universe began [Best Of Most Of]

30 years ago, on 25 May 01977, in just 32 theaters, Star Wars premiered [CNN]

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Illegal Silver Surfer promo quarter

20th Century Fox and The Franklin Mint altered 40,000 quarters to promote the upcoming Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer movie- oops that's illegal! [AP via Washington Post]
The U.S. Mint sends a 'psst' that it's against the law to turn a coin into an advertising vehicle.

Posted 29 May 02007 - Permalink

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Dave Sim Reviews Steve Ditko [Ditko Looked Up]

Overview of Doctor Strange vs. Loki history [Doc uber-fan Sanctum at the Defenders Message Board]
Update: Doc uber-fan Howard Hallis has more Doc vs. Loki [Defenders Message Board]

Five comicbook industry changes proposed [Comics Reporter]

Posted 28 May 02007 - Permalink

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David Sexton to reignite Marvel's mystic fires with Mystic Arcana [interview on Silver Bullet Comics]
Also: On the Marvel Universe's sci-fi vibe, and Stan Lee's alliterations and tappings into the collective unconscious. Also: Neilalien is mentioned in the interview as a fantastic resource on Marvel Magic! Blush! Thanks! He sure hopes now that all the Dr. Strange info on his humble website is correct... ;)

Posted 27 May 02007 - Permalink

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Clea by Richard Case Richard Case draws Dr. Strange [Rhomblog] [And: Clea]
The Clea illo is awesome- Neilalien loves the clarity of it, and the colors (close to the same fave color set used as the current scheme of this website).

Posted 26 May 02007 - Permalink

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The best evidence of comics' niche irrelevant status [The Hurting]
No risk for Marvel to offend the movie megabucks audience with hyper-sexualized MJ statues and setting a black man (Falcon) on fire on a comic book cover, because no one's there to see them. And- "If they can get away with doing that for a character with one of the top two or three most successful franchises in film history, well, obviously the standards for Misty Knight and Power Girl are going to be a wee bit lower."

Posted 25 May 02007 - Permalink

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Dr. Strange "unleashes the full power of the Sorcerer Supreme" at the Hulk in World War Hulk #3 [Marvel August Solicits at Comic Book Resources] [Marvel.com [thanks Joe!]]

Neilalien highly expects that (a) "the full power of the Sorcerer Supreme" will be portrayed in an anti-imaginative way, and (b) the Hulk will nonsensically survive "the full power of the Sorcerer Supreme". But we shall see.

Also solicited: Dr. Strange guest-stars in New X-Men #41.

Doctor Strange to work blue [Blu-ray.com]
Er, August's DVD will be available in Blu-ray format, not blue.

Posted 24 May 02007 - Permalink

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Comics and the Lowbrow by Colin Upton [via The Beat]

Posted 23 May 02007 - Permalink

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Out tomorrow [Diamond Comics Shipping List]:
Doctor Strange: The Oath TPB
Action Heroes Archives Volume 2, reprinting remaining Ditko Charlton classics of Captain Atom, The Question and Blue Beetle

The destructive power of late books; the weekly 52 kept 80% of its readers [Brian Hibbs Tilting At Windmills]

Why Jack Kirby fired Vince Colletta; and the story of their black romance book that was never published [Notes From Mark Evanier]

The superhero genre is not inherently for boys, the comics are just created and marketed that way; hooray for our minority feminist readership who agitate for inclusion and less misogyny from the superhero comics that hate them [Glaurung-Quena] [via When Fangirls Attack] [more recap of recent comicsblogosphere kerfuffle at Blog@Newsarama/Meanwhile...]

New Mary Jane statue arches her back and washes your clothes like a good sex slave should; it's still better than the disemboweled zombie Mary Jane statue [Postmodernbarney]

Amazing Spider-Man Historical Comic Book Sales Figures [Comics Chronicles]

Posted 22 May 02007 - Permalink

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Dr. Strange by Dash Shaw Great funky preview pages of Dash Shaw's Doctor Strange story for an upcoming Marvel indie-creator anthology series [Meathaus Enterprises] [thanks Jason Rodriguez for the FYI!]

Posted 21 May 02007 - Permalink

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New Avengers #31 hyped: "lays the foundation for Marvel's new direction", big final page, surprise revelation [Comic Book Resources preview]

Also: New Avengers: Illuminati #3-5 hyped, preview pages [writer Brian Reed at Comic Book Resources]

Posted 20 May 02007 - Permalink

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The print version of Comic Foundry magazine has been rejected for distribution by Diamond [Comic Foundry]

Tim Leong interview at Comics Reporter

A not-horrible reality pill [Stop the Presses! (No, really. Stop.) at PopCultureShock]

Jeers to Diamond. Despite the real challenges of current print publishing, and it's so pathetic that so few seem to want that mysterious Eden of comics, other-genre comics and comics magazines in that chasm between our Wizard and The Comics Journal attitudes (or TwoMorrows niches, as great but cannibalistic as those are), and our monopolist masters must know all about what sells in the market they've shaped, and they aren't a charity. But that black-and-white price point sounds like a tinny excuse. Ideally, Diamond would be more forward-thinking and market-embiggening to try to give exactly things like Comic Foundry a chance to play the comics game- new, noble, independent, accessible, lifestyling(!?), generalist. Granted, just about every Diamond rejection under the current system is probably going to outrage Neilalien, and he has the bias of knowing Leong and other contributors personally (and knowing they usually do good stuff). But Neilalien definitely places this instance on the wronged-outrage side of his line on the Diamond-cutoff continuum between "How dare they reject that work of art" and "The higher entry barrier has spared us a piece of crap". Support and good luck to Leong re: exploring other options- including setting up with an established publisher, adding color, getting a more-complete submission sent to Diamond, seeing the world wide wonderful web as the way to go again instead of dead-tree, etc.- and if one is also so motivated, please tell Diamond's Tim Huckelbery at htim@diamondcomics.com how you feel.

Posted 19 May 02007 - Permalink

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Mashup of Doctor Strange appearances from the 90s Spider-Man cartoon and The Doors' "People Are Strange" [YouTube]

Collection of Doctor Strange's formulas and spells (and a handy pronunciation guide) from the 90s Spider-Man cartoon [YouTube]

Posted 18 May 02007 - Permalink

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Official website launches for the Doctor Strange animated movie DVD [Marvel.com]

Posted 17 May 02007 - Permalink

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How Much Closet Space Has The Sanctum Sanctorum? (or, If Loving Doc Is Wong, I Don't Wanna Be Right)

Could you introduce a character like Dr. Strange and not have people think he was gay? Why even try? [The Corner at National Review Online]

Dr. Strange with Clea Is it really so challenging a concept that Doctor Strange is straight? A straight introduction might indeed be getting more difficult over time- but it shouldn't be for an introducer who has actually read the 45-year comics record, and can communicate its 45-year context to others.

Undeniably, Doctor Strange has some lavender accessorization to rival even the best metrosexual. The flamboyant clothes. The Greenwich Village residence. The moustache (both David Niven or handlebar-pornstar varieties). The dramatic speech. The "personal slave boy". One doesn't have to live in an oh-so-sophisticated self-aware (with comics so cynically-self-aware) every-cop-buddy-movie-has-a-subtext age to see it (Doc's been asked outright in the comics record, "Are you gay?"). People will forever be making Seinfeldian-observation hay about Doc- and the rice queen slash fiction is out there, too. And hey, go for it, subversion is necessary, reinterpretation means longevity, he's just a fictional character. Doc is not Neilalien's to "own" or interpret correctly nor even to give "go for it" "permission" to other fans. Neilalien's usually laughing the hardest at the jokes- they should be delighting, not threatening, anyone's Doc fandom. Neilalien confronts the elements of Doc fandom who are offended. And one doesn't want to doth protest such things too much!

But can Neilalien protest this "Doc is gay" meme a bit- and confront other people who have apparently honestly interpreted that Doc is gay? Beacause the comics record is undeniable: Doctor Strange is a stud with the women. He makes any jacket a smoking jacket. Haven't you ever seen a pimp before? Hugh Hefner! Doc is the product of being an originally-Asian mystic in the hippie/Playboy 60's and 70's, with nary a wayward glance that his also-Asian doorman has been anything more than just a cigar in over 500 stories. Meanwhile, Doc's been barely-off-panel screwing (er, engaging in "tantric exercise" with) Clea, Morgana Blessing, Night Nurse, etc. (follow that Photon Torpedoes link for several images and Doc stories). These women aren't beards; Frasier and Niles Crane are straight and dandy, and so is Doc (he proceeded to have a relationship with the woman who asked him above if he was gay). The issue here is more context than subtext- it's not that Doc's screwing Wong, it's that the concept of cultured masculinity has changed on Doc over time. The much more supported sexual subtext/critique of Doctor Strange is that he's a fanman's (of the times, certainly) wet dream to be the luxurious ladies man hanging about the mansion in his pajamas, screwing the young dependent "I love you, Master" Clea (although she also has some strong female positive portrayals too; she fares better than many of the other refrigerator-bound). Many men today may balk at Doc as if watching a swishy Rat Packer singing in 50's Vegas- but Doctor Strange must seem terribly not-that-gay to most gay men and informed people.

Neilalien would be bummed if Marvel ever pulled the Rawhide Kid gimmick with Doc- but that would be fan entitlement and anti-"changing an established character with established traits" and anti-gimmick, not anti-gay (many previous gimmicks have bummed him out- new costumes, masks, new origins, regained youth, depowering, overpowering). Is it necessary to update the dated hot-dater- or does Doc just need a love interest, a better supporting cast than only Wong? Brian K. Vaughan seemed quite able to keep Doc as Vincent-Price-ish as Dr. Goldfoot And The Bikini Machine, comment on Wong as a "fetish", and have Doc hook up with Night Nurse, all while doing handstands (but did it sell?). And while of course nothing's "wrong" with it, it is inaccurate- so if the "Doc is homosexual" meme is going to emerge from comics humorist/blogger fare to appear in new contexts- like on major weblogs and newspapers with all the gravity of a political pundit's deduction- then Neilalien's going to be right here as a top Google search for "doctor strange gay", to try to provide that straight introduction and a counterweight of accurate information.

(Neilalien's fave Doctor Strange gay joke: it isn't with Wong: Dr. Strange and Dr. Fate by Dean Haspiel and David Lasky, "Sex Lives of The Super Heroes" in Legal Action Comics.)

Posted 16 May 02007 - Permalink

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Lessons in reality from (Dr. Strange) comics fantasy [Kathirasen column in Malaysia's New Straits Times]
From Triumph and Torment: Dr. Doom to his mother: "Had I a thousand souls, I would gladly sacrifice them all for you." Happy Mother's Day.

How the CIA Used a Fake Sci-Fi Flick (with concept drawings by Jack Kirby) to Rescue Americans from Tehran [Wired Magazine] [via Bloggity]

Nuff Said: New York City boasts the best comic shops [pre-FCBD New York Times lovenote]

Marvel reports great Q1 02007 numbers [Newsarama] [ICv2]
Spider-Man 3's minimum licensing guarantees big boost. Publishing net sales were $27.5 million, up 15% from $23.9 million Q1 02006, helped by Stephen King's Dark Tower, the tail-end of Civil War and an April 02006 price increase.

Fred Van Lente talks Super-Villain Team-Up/MODOK's 11 [Comic Book Resources]
Also in FVL news: Action Philosophers to end in July with #9 (boo!), to be followed by Action Presidents (yay!) [Newsarama]

Heroes: You Will Watch the Watchmen [Vulture] [via GalleyCat]
Neilalien's loving Heroes, but they pulled out the Watchmen master plan on us. Recently related: Lost/Watchmen connections.

Mark Waid interview: It's death for a comic to be labeled as "fun" [Comic Book Resources]
The point isn't elaborated upon, so we don't know exactly what he means, probably a silly or humor or Dan Slott book. But is it not sad for comics that rapes and heroes killing heroes sells while "fun" becomes a bad word?

The state/viability of the current comics shop ain't so good [Permanent Damage]

Spider-Man 3 surges to $250 million take so far [Marvel Comics franchise at Box Office Mojo]
Which still doesn't cover the cost to make it- yowza!
The Most Expensive Movie Ever: $350 million to make, marketing takes tab to $500 million? [What Would Tyler Durden Do?]

More Marvel-ous movies? [LA Times op-ed] [by Comics Reporter]
The contrast between A-list Spider-Man and C-list Ant-Man can be stark, but Marvel's got a shot at success, since a straightforward good movie/big-name stars/directors will sell tickets, not the small pre-loaded comic base.

Sounds like Free Comic Book Day 02007 was a huge success, from Nova Scotia to Alaska and points in between!

Retailer re: damaged comics: Diamond should follow UPS guidelines: using boxes without cushioning, not strong enough to hold the weight [ICv2]

Authors Like King, Lethem Trying Comics [AP at Washington Post]

NGOs using comics to educate young Indian men re: AIDS, violence against women [Indian Muslims]

Neilalien fave Polite Dissent in the hospital- get well soon!

Posted 13 May 02007 - Permalink

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Neilalien's Weekend Reading/Get it before it's gone: Great 152-page PDF collection of articles on comics from 01911 on, comics code stuff, many old Marvel items (Esquire, Eye, Rolling Stone) Neilalien's linked to individually over the years, Kirby, more [download link and contents list at Pmpknface thanks!]

Posted 11 May 02007 - Permalink

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Many of the Electric Company Spider-Man bits are online [YouTube]
The one vs. The Wall at the baseball game always both amused and creeped out Neilalien. Morgan Freeman plays the umpire.

Posted 10 May 02007 - Permalink

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Neilalien bows in reverent awe to Howard Hallis' Dr. Strange collection [The Sanctum Sanctorum West]
Giant Prisoner-esque bubble chair for the center of the room coming next year.

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Re: Spider-Man 3: How can a movie filled with so much- three villains (they learned nothing from the Batman movie franchise?), one artificial connection between hero and villain (in this issue!: the tenth person who "really" killed Uncle Ben!), two love interests (three if you count the landlord's daughter), etc.)- drag on so slowly?
Answer: Blame Avi Arad: "Please incorporate Venom" [interview with once-reluctant director Sam Raimi at Comic Book Resources]

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Out today for Doc fans: New Avengers #30 [Diamond Comics Shipping List]
The one with the sword-skewered Doctor Strange cover. Plus a couple one-panel, alt-world and other appearances: Marvel Zombies: Dead Days, Spider-Man and The Fantastic Four, Hulk & Power Pack, the Sanctum is part of Marvel Zombies vs. Army of Darkness.

Posted 9 May 02007 - Permalink

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Free Comic Book Day is today! Go get your free books, and then give them away to those sad people in your life who are not yet addicted to comics.

Posted 5 May 02007 - Permalink

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Steve Ditko: "Recluse?" [Best Of Most Of]

What excited Greg Pak at the Marvel creative summit this week? [Wizard Entertainment] [via Defenders Message Board]

I'm really excited about the discussion we had about ramifications for Dr. Strange coming out of 'World War Hulk.' There are enormous things going on with Strange that I think will be really fascinating.

Also: Useful Pak summary of "Planet Hulk" pre-"World War Hulk" storyline [Pulse]
The Illuminati solved their Hulk problem by exiling him on a faraway planet. Hulk get girl. Hulk lose girl. Hulk returns to Earth, pissed.

Sci-fi/fantasy author John C. Wright doesn't consider reviewer's criticism of 'too much Steve Ditko' a criticism [John C. Wright's LiveJournal]

Doctor Strange to monitor the events of the Marvel/Top Cow Unholy Union crossover with great interest [Comics Continuum] [via Defenders Message Board] [Comic Book Resources]

Why Spider-Man 3 can't save Marvel's stock [Fortune]
Marvel's got a lot on the line now that (a) they're taking on more of the movie risk, with (b) the A-list properties already mined.

Some Marvel/Jim Shooter history:
Vince Colletta's Exit 'Conversation' [20th Century Danny Boy]
Why I Never Discuss Spider-Man [Christopher Priest] [via the previous link]

Someone's assembled all of Chris Ware's fun little ACME Novelty Library toys [Niemworks] [via Waxy]

Frank Miller's darkness basks in Hollywood sun; two Sin City sequels, Dark Knight Returns, Spirit movies [Los Angeles Times] [via LinkMachineGo]

"Hi, I'm a Marvel- and I'm a DC"- parody of Mac/PC commercials [YouTube; a couple more in Related] [via Popoholic]

Posted 3 May 02007 - Permalink

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