Sunday, October 26, 2014

6 YEAR BLOGGIVERSARY!
-or-
The "BEST OF" vol 6: 2013-2014


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WELCOME to a VERY SPECIAL POST!


Those words were never more true - at least not on this blog.

This post, while seeming to be merely just the latest in a string of annual "best of" posts, is in truth the reaffirmation post to a blog which came precariously close to going the way of many a fine blog... shuttering.


With ever-less limited time (and ebbing interest in the way certain characters have been treated *cough*... *Doctor Strange*... *cough* in comics), my blogging waxed and waned for many months as I slowed my blogging - and then... came to a halt.


This space grew long dormant for NINE MONTHS.


The lack of posts, less the (oxymoron) by-product of the mixture of lack of time and interest and more the all-too-easy cessation of momentum (see: Galileo's "Concept of Inertia" and Neuton's "First Law of Motion", The "New Year's Resolution Effect" and/or Interweb's "First Law of Blog-Shuttering")... the very fact that I hadn't posted made it easier not to post again.

Still, I always knew that, like Oscar Madison's and Felix Unger's belief for their marriages... I WOULD return to "her"... my blog.

 I’ve somehow managed to make it to SIX YEARS of producing "content" (all of varying quality) for this blog!
(This, on top of the many years - since 1997 - of my being an omni-present commenter/ know-it-all loudmouth on others’ blogs, message boards and random street corners.)  

So, now, in the vein of anniversary episodes of various television shows (or did you think that "ODD COUPLE" reference a few lines back was just going to stick there on the wall like a plate of spaghetti... er... I mean, linguini [and YES, I know that's a scene from the MOVIE and not the TV show - but c'mon, give me a break... ok?]) or GIANT-SIZED ANNUALS of old, I would, once again, produce a “best of” post - thus revisiting a few of the "high-points" of this past year's blog-post entries.

Seeing as how I began my official blogging on one random October day in 2008, any semblance of a calendar-year can be tossed right out the window. So, we will focus on what I blogged from OCTOBER 11, 2013 to OCTOBER 11, 2014.

Feel free to use this opportunity to peruse some of these old posts - whether you have read them already or not, there is actually some really good stuff in here.


Disclaimer: I only posted 7 entries in the last 12 months, so... even if they're not the "best", each one will get a mention here (although, really... these were all pretty darn good).






Let's see:

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While this is (primarily) a DOCTOR STRANGE blog, I think it best to start off with a post that has NOTHING to do with him. Instead, this is a wondrous tale of kindness, destiny, original artwork, TV documentaries... and my personal history with JACK KIRBY!

- THE KING and I - [HERE]

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But, yes... this IS (primarily) a blog about DOCTOR STRANGE, so I guess I'll add a few of those here as well.

Here's one that showcases a cool DOCTOR STRANGE VIDEO PINBALL GAME (also featuring, Nightmare, Dormammu and SHUMA F#@%!ng GORATH!):

- PINBALL WIZARD
- [HERE]

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Although, as a blog that ALSO shows love to a few other heroes, my "Founding Fathers" (ROM; Spaceknight, MAN-THING and DR. STRANGE), this past year I revealed that the Pantheon also includes a Time-Lord from Gallifrey... DOCTOR WHO.

But some times... the two might not be mutually exclusive.

- SEPARATED at BIRTH - [HERE]

and

- DOCTORS WITHOUT (DIMENSIONAL) BORDERS
-or-
Doctors Across Space, Time & Dimensions        - [HERE]

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There were also other articles and entries to long-running series, as well as revisits to previous discussions.

Such as...

Interested in collectibles and comic swag? Sure! In fact, that was the main reason for my even starting this blog in the first place!
I managed to have at least one entry in the SWAG category, which was a New Year's revisiting to my long-running series:

- MARVEL CALENDARS "TIME WARP" SERIES (update) - [HERE]

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And speaking of “New Year’s Day”, while not quite as extensive (or always as serious) as my essays, there is also a history of HOLIDAY POSTS wherein I might display a little razzle-dazzle (or a facsimile thereof) for your general enjoyment.(Or, in this case, pose a few action figures around snap a photo and add what counts for "wit" around here):

- MERRY CHRISTMAS - (A "not-so" Nativity Scene)  - [HERE]
*Disclaimer: Not for celebrators of Christmas who may be easily offended.

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But I really want to wrap up this special post with two entries which form important posts of not only the past 12 months, but in the history of this blog:

First, the post that begun not only my revelation of my long love for Doctor Who, but how that character had a unique mirror history with Doctor Strange - and how the two characters greatly affected me - especially at the time of writing - when my interest in comics and this blog had taken a drastic blow, and helped to see me through the dark times into what I hoped would be a new time of personal resurgence:

- I AM the DOCTOR - [HERE]


And finally the latest post (just before this one)... wherein I announce my RETURN (and showcase the comic story wherein Doctor Strange also made a Return after he had first given up the ways of magic):

- THE RETURN - [HERE]



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I would be remiss if I didn't thank the many friends, fans, readers, followers, fellow-bloggers and wonderful souls out there who have helped, inspired, cajoled, cudgeled and commented over the years, but especially over the past 12 months. Thank You all!


And creators without whom this blog would be about my collection of rare molds, spores and fungus':
- 
- Steve Ditko -
- Jack Kirby -
- Stan Lee -
- Steve Englehart -
- Gene Colan -
- Marshall Rogers -
- J.M. DeMatteis -
- Steve Gerber -
- Dan Green -
- Michael Golden -
- Paul Smith -
- Mike Ploog -
- Dan Adkins -
- Steve Rude -
- Bill Everett - 
- John Byrne -
- Peter Gillis -
-Roger Stern -
- Frank Brunner -
- Kevin Nowlan -
- Chris Warner -
- P. Craig Russell -
- Gerry Conway - 
- Sandy Plunkett -
- Alan Davis –
- Jeff Parker -
- Mike Allred -
- Mark Buckingham -
- Howard Chaykin -
- Kurt Busiek -
- Mike Weiringo -
- Al Milgrom -
- Rudy Nebres -
- Tom Sutton -
- Steve Mellor -
- Ian Akin and Brian Garvey -
- Sal Buscema -
- Bill Mantlo -
and many, many, MANY more!

And that should do it.
Of course, there ARE an additional 5 years worth of blog entries.

Many are well-researched, and in-depth articles, while some are hit-and-run bits of nonsense.
Others are to showcase new products or comics that were to be released, and still others are tongue-in-cheek bits of whimsy, or tips of the hat to various holidays.

But if you like that sort of thing, open up the blog-history drop down lists and just jump around.

I'll catch you all in a few.  I DO have more planned for YEAR 7!
Join me, wont you?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good to see you back, PTOR! I'll be looking forward to your thoughts on the upcoming movie; I, for one, would be quite happy if current casting rumors pan out. Cumberbatch seems to have the right balance of hauteur, gravitas, eccentricity, and otherworldliness to be convincing as both an archmage who conducts a lot of his business in places that look like blacklight posters and the arrogant stuffed-shirt neurosurgeon he once was.

Anonymous said...

Yay! Very belated congrats (mostly because I don't know what to say that won't sound too generic. And yeah, can't wait to see if our Dr. Strange movie draws you out of semi-retirement.

Predabot - aka L.R Johansson said...

Hey Ptor! =D Happy belated new year, man. I had to dig up your blog and see if you were around, since A - they have announced DR. STRANGE MOVIE!! ^^ And it's bloody Benedict Cumberbatch playing the good Dr.! Funny... always figured he'd be playing another Dr before the Sorcerer Supreme.

Also - Marvel has just announced a new DR STRANGE ONGOING!! :D With none other than Jason Aaron and Chris Bachalo as the creators! If you've read any of Aaron's Thor, you will know that he did some tremendous work there - his God-butcher and God-Bomb story-arc is pretty much a modern classic. And as you probably know, Chris Bachalo is a tremendous artist - especially when he ventures into the esoteric and mystic - his runs with Neil Gaimann on Death and Sandman pretty much made him a super-mega-star.

I'm hoping for some more of that magic... anyways, hope to see you return to blogging soon! I want to hear your thoughts on these awesome news-bits. =)

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