Neilalien : A Doctor Strange Fansite : A Comic Book Weblog  

Haunted #1 cover by Ditko

Happy Halloween!

[image snagged recently from Fortress of Fortitude]

Update: Thorough overview of the history of Doctor Strange Halloween costumes [Sanctum Sanctorum Comix]

Posted 31 October 02008 - Permalink

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Christian "Batman" Bale just weeks away from a deal to play Doctor Strange? [Cinema Blend]

Interesting Marvel Secret Invasion vs. DC Final Crisis braindump [Brian Hibbs at The Savage Critic(s)]

Posted 29 October 02008 - Permalink

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The Doctor Strange animated DVD movie will be shown on Cartoon Network this Saturday 1 November at 9pm ET [the Cartoon Network Flash schedule thingamabob has no mechanism for linkability to an actual show or day]

A Visit with Mirthful Marie Severin [Failing Better] [via Comics Reporter]

Posted 28 October 02008 - Permalink

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No one knows who Doctor Strange is, but a decent movie like Iron Man could introduce him [investment website and perpetual Marvel cheerleader Motley Fool approves]

Compilation of Calvinball rules!
Calvin: The only permanent rule in Calvinball is that you can't play it the same way twice!
Hobbes: The score is still Q to 12!

Posted 27 October 02008 - Permalink

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Uncle Stan says There's Money In Comics! Have you ever heard of "the Fires of Ikthalon", either as a Doctor Strange spell or exclamation? Doc fans and scholars- Neilalien needs your help. Is it in the actual comic book record? If yes, please send along the issue number(s). Because it feels off. Isn't Ikthalon an ice guy/god? From Ikthalon at the Marvel Appendix: "symbolizes stagnation and resistance to change... composed of an ice-like substance and can generate ice and freezing winds... he and his icy creations are immune to flames... from an immensely cold realm that nullifies flames and warmth..." (and that normally-thorough website has probably listed every appearance and invocation of Ikthalon, with no fires; bummer that the Marvel Chronology Project has no Ikthalon list). Nothing at The Lesser Book of the Vishanti. The Icy Tendrils of Ikthalon have trapped a target in ice [Doctor Strange #33]. But who knows?- maybe it's there, the comic book record is both large and not very consistent, or maybe they were cold flames. But it appears that "fires" would be the exact opposite of what Ikthalon is all about, and Neilalien suspects it's not in the comics. If not, then it's incongruous and unfortunate that there is a list of Doctor Strange exclamations out on the eternal internet that includes "the Fires of Ikthalon", apparently doomed to be cut-and-pasted forever: recent Digg thread 10/08, Adventures In Uncinema 3/07, Newsarama Forums 5/06, Marvel Database at Wikia, etc. Hopefully this post will come up on Google searches and spare a future Doc writer doing half-assed web research from a terrible, terrible error...

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You know too much about the comic book industry when... you encounter MarvelKids.com's Create Your Own Superhero web application and your first thought is, "Don't! They'll just use your idea to make millions of dollars and you won't see a cent! Safer to use HeroMachine instead!"

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Chip Zdarsky's Marvel Comics Comic Ideas Journal
So funny, so wrong, so NSFW. [via Comics Should Be Good]

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Excelsior! to The Johnny Bacardi Show for six years bloggin'.

Posted 26 October 02008 - Permalink

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During these troubled times, can Americans afford to be led by a man like Cyclops? [Gentlemen of Leisure]
"Paid for by the Committee to Elect Doctor Strange."

BBWW: The Big Beautiful Wonder Woman Blog

Posted 25 October 02008 - Permalink

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A week of Steve Ditko's pre-Code work for Charlton's The Thing! posted by Fortress of Fortitude
"The Worm Turns" [from #15, July 01954]
"Cinderella" [from #12, February 01954]
"Doom In The Air" [from #14, June 01954]
"Die Laughing" [from #13, April 01954]
"The Evil Eye" [from #14, June 01954] [and bonus: "The Room of Madness", from Haunted #1, September 01971]

Posted 24 October 02008 - Permalink

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Recap of decades of litigation involving Superman (mostly Superman's owners suing over other superhero characters deemed similar) [io9]

01968 LA Times photo showing Cal Tech students protesting to save the Star Trek TV show; caption-writing editors thought signs referred to pediatrician Dr. Spock? [Hero Complex]

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Embrace Neilalien

He loves you. Progressive Ruin, especially.

Posted 23 October 02008 - Permalink

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Doctor Strange fans will want to check out today's New Avengers #46, in which the new demonic Hood's benefactor is finally revealed- it's who many of you have suspected all along- and then tear your shirt in frustration that the enemy will probably be faced not by Doctor Strange, but by whomever Bendis will have as the "replacement Sorcerer Supreme" while he has Doc off fetaling unheroically in self-pity.

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Dr. Strange Movie Likely Among Next Crop Of Marvel Films for 02012, Says Studio President Kevin Feige [MTV Splash Page] [via Sanctum]

Posted 22 October 02008 - Permalink

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Dr. Strange and Iron Man vs. Dr. Doom and the Masters of Evil in January [Marvel.com #1; #2] [thanks readers!]

Jack Kirby draws ten pages of the Best Fight Ever in a weekend [Scans_daily of Sub-Mariner vs. Iron Man, Tales to Astonish #82, August 01966]

Posted 21 October 02008 - Permalink

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Blue Hat Man Carl Potts is blogging Ditko anecdotes; Ditko told him he had two unsubmitted Doctor Strange stories penciled [General Eclectic]

In the late '80s, Ditko told me that, when he quit Marvel in the '60s, he didn't turn in two Dr. Strange stories that he'd plotted and penciled. My jaw hit the floor... This was amazing news and I urged (begged) Ditko to bring in the story! He politely declined, saying he didn't want the pages to ever be published or copied. I told him that I'd be happy to look over his shoulder as he flipped through the pages. That way the pages would never leave his hands, but he still declined to bring them in. Since then I've fantasized about what those pages look like and what the story was about. I wonder if I'll ever find out!

You and us all! [[Previous Neilalien bloggings about the two "lost" Doctor Strange stories [April 02008]]

Also: Ditko refused to work on Dr. Strange (and Spider-Man) stories when he returned to Marvel in the '80s.

And hey, we love Alien Legion round these parts.

Posted 20 October 02008 - Permalink

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Doctor Strange, the Sheriff of Nottingham Doctor Strange, the Sheriff of Nottingham? [Jeff's Gameblog]

Praise for comics writer Dwayne McDuffie; blogpost and ensuing comments highlight how Marvel/DC has lost the "if a 12-sided die and Swahili mark your childhood" crowd, "that sense of the fantastic and the magical" [Ta-Nehisi Coates at The Atlantic]

Posted 19 October 02008 - Permalink

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Drink some Grog of Griefsavor with Doctor Strange 'Toon Tumblers [Sanctum Sanctorum Comix] ['Toon Tumblers]

Posted 18 October 02008 - Permalink

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One recent teaser image for upcoming Ultimatum miniseries is Ultimate Doctor Strange by Ed McGuinness [IGN]

Doctor Strange Ultimatum teaser

Posted 17 October 02008 - Permalink

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Marvel Comics to celebrate its 70th Anniversary throughout 02009 [two-sentence press release at Comic Book Resources]

Neat design website creates color palettes inspired by classic DC characters [COLOURLovers]

Posted 16 October 02008 - Permalink

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The Penguin debates Batman, shows mastery of guilt-by-association; possible debate tips for John McCain? [Ezra Klein; YouTube clip from the Batman TV show]

Posted 15 October 02008 - Permalink

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Lady Lotus in Invaders #40

Man, when Neilalien was a kid, he thought this panel was hot. Still does. Lady Lotus taking a bath, Invaders #40, May 01979, drawn by Alan Kupperberg [Wikipedia].

Posted 14 October 02008 - Permalink

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At long last, Doctor Strange uber-fan and comics blog/message board gadabout Sanctum Sanctorum Comix has started his own weblog! [Sanctum Sanctorum Comix]
Now Neilalien can finally retire.

Posted 12 October 02008 - Permalink

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Neil Gaiman Weighs Possible 1602, Doctor Strange Movies [MTV Splash Page]
Unfortunately, Guillermo Del Toro is booked thru 02017, with hobbitses and more.

M. Night Shyamalan Mulls Unbreakable Sequel [Sci Fi]
Neilalien's a big fan of the film- but for the director who once thought that Unbreakable was taking "so many incredible risks", this sounds like a bad-idea grasp for safety and former glory after a string of bombs.

Posted 11 October 02008 - Permalink

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Doctor Strange tentacle-rape fan-art [NSFW!] [Dandydevildog]

Posted 10 October 02008 - Permalink

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Comic Foundry #4 release party in NYC tomorrow night Thursday [Comic Foundry]

Posted 8 October 02008 - Permalink

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Most of DC/Marvel's modern mainstream superhero comic book output is losing another fan that it should not be losing [Myriad Issues]
A notoriously bad recent issue of Nightwing, already legend- having been encountered and not as easily avoided as it should have been, due to habit, obligation or nostalgia- becomes tipping point against subpar quality, gratuitous gore and boobies, piecemeal incoherence without every other last crossover/shared universe issue, lack of fun, lack of emphasis on craft or characterization, and lack of return on $2.99 or emotional investment- along with the painfully low standards of the book's defenders online.

Posted 7 October 02008 - Permalink

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Lovenote to Fandom Confidential, a Kitchen Sink one-shot collecting Jim Engel/Chuck Fiala Comics Reader fumetti from the early 01980's [Thought Balloonists]
This link is a great little ride through the hubbubs and blogtopics of early 80's Marvel: Byrne rejoicing in work-for-hire in Comic Scene #2, Bruce Banner almost raped at the YMCA in Hulk Magazine #23, the rape of Ms. Marvel in Avengers #200, the cloning of Gwen Stacy, Stan Lee not knowing what Marvel published, etc.

Posted 6 October 02008 - Permalink

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DC cancels Minx young adult/teen girl comics line [Comic Book Resources]
"Twenty-two months is a brutally short time in which to nurture a comics imprint" [Comics Reporter]
Not enough sci-fi/adventure/fantasy/horror elements that the young girls are reading nowadays, too much real-world indie-comix angst-quirk [Occasional Superheroine] [Kadymae LJ]
All the cynicism is wrong; staff not experienced enough with young-adult publishing [Comics.212.net]
Only two female creators in the line, neither with comics experience [The Beat]
Kids want trash! [The Hurting]
Great overall postmortem, with many of the above memes, and the covers/branding/art didn't help [Tiredfairy LJ]
Lots more theories, facets, Monday-morning quarterbacking; shelving [The Beat]
Just popped into Neilalien's head on this autumn Sunday: "An alternative to manga" for most young girls is probably like "an alternative to the NFL" for most guys.

Posted 5 October 02008 - Permalink

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The Green Goblin punched backwards towards the reader by Gil Kane Small gallery of those iconic, flying-backwards-towards-the-reader broken-back fearsome punches of Gil Kane [Con C De Arte] [via The Beat]

Dr. Manhattan is hung in the Watchmen movie [MovieWeb]
A recent 26-minute sneak peek of the film for journalists is being universally, and infectiously, gushed over. Even the usually calm and crusty Neilalien is starting to hear the Doomsday Clock's ticking towards the March 02009 release date (unless Fox's lawsuit over distribution rights is successful).
The Net Reacts to 25 Minutes of Watchmen Footage [Rotten Tomatoes]
ComicBookMovie.com Watchmen News Archive
Watchmen movie official site

Alan Moore on the Watchmen movie [Hero Complex]:

I will be spitting venom all over it... If you approach comics as a poor relation to film, you are left with a movie that does not move, has no soundtrack and lacks the benefit of having a recognizable movie star in the lead role.

Dr. Watson's Inner Monologue [funny slash webcomic strip]

Number of single, straight men with cats growing; feminine image of late changing; men with cats are more secure, "make the best boyfriends" [New York Times]

Small Press Expo this weekend!

Posted 4 October 02008 - Permalink

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The Big Four Defenders (Hulk, Dr. Strange, Namor, Silver Surfer) to battle their mirror "Offenders" (Red Hulk, Baron Mordo, Tigershark, Terrax) in upcoming Hulk [Word Balloon podcast of Jeph Loeb at Newsarama] [thanks Sanctum!]

Posted 3 October 02008 - Permalink

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Ditko, etc.- new Ditko coming soon [Ditko Comics] [Ditko-L Yahoo Group]
Looks like- and hopefully will be- actual comic book stories, not just texts.

The Ditko texts via Robin Snyder are essential reading; content listings and comments [Stephen Bissette] [ordering info at Ditko Comics as always]

Posted 2 October 02008 - Permalink

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Awesome graphic explains: What Is The $700 Billion Bailout Being Spent On?: $220 million: Doctor Strange movie adaptation [The Onion]

The $700 Billion Bailout

Posted 1 October 02008 - Permalink

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