STRANGE BUT FAMILIAR: A Bit of FUN-KO POP-Culture. An IDOL PURSUITS: SPECIAL EDITION

Welcome back for a FUN...KO bit of POP Culture!

I'm just going to post a quick hit-n-run entry,  But before I do, let me hep you to a few projects that I'm in the middle of for this blog; such as...

1. Writing ALL-NEW blog posts, including; 

1a. A year-in-review post for the current Jason Aaron / Chris Bachalo DOCTOR STRANGE series

1b. Posts involving the (very soon) upcoming Benedict Cumberbatch MOVIE

1c. Assorted deep, introspective thoughts and reviews of other, older published bits of the Doctor Strange library and the swag from 40 years of comic collecting.

 as well as...

2. Gathering the data for updating long-running series on this blog:

2a. The IDOL PURSUITS series (my last entry was for the 1996 Doctor Strange action figure. There have been 20 YEARS of additional figures and statues since then, and I've got them ALL.)

2b. The STRANGE LOVES series (many new additions to the list of lady-loves in Strange's life)

2c. The MYSTIC GARB series (I've since acquired well OVER 100 additional garments, moving the total to OVER 200+, so I have a LOT of photos and descriptions to compile)

2d. the CLEA LOVES SEX series (Seriously. There are a LOT more instances to chronicle.)

2e. The SANCTUS INTERRUPTUS series. (Both Doc's and my OWN Sanctum Sanctorum have undergone destruction / reconstruction again and again since my last entry).

...and MORE besides!

(While we wait for me to get those new updates and posts, you may wish to follow the links above, in order to get started on reading what I've posted before now, so you'll be up-to-date when we really get rolling.)

In the meanwhile, THIS quick entry is a mix of at least three sub-categories of posts:

1. IDOL PURSUITS (as it deals with "toys / statues / action figures" of a sort)

2. GRAIL ITEMS* (actually this is a brand NEW category that I've only just begun to filter some old posts into, as some rarities are indeed, one-of-a-kind "Grail items". I'll filter more into it soon.)

3. FAME and FORTUNE (A tongue-and-cheek category, but valid, as I acquired the starring item via a Twitter caption contest with Funko)

You can find the categorical breakdown of ANY post at the end of that post, and also links to those subjects can be found on the left side-bar in alphabetical order

But, ENOUGH of this pre-amble... let's get to the SWAG!

If you follow me at my tag of @SanctumBlog on Twitter (and if not, why not? It's basically DOCTOR STRANGE 24/7/365 with some animal tweets and other stuff tossed in) you'll know that I have just recently received a rare and coveted PROTOTYPE of the DOCTOR STRANGE - CLASSIC Version- Funko POP!

I won this fantastic item during a "Caption This Photo" contest that was sponsored by FUNKO a few weeks ago. I'll include my entries at the end of the post.

I'll also post the photos of those selfsame Funko Pops from Funko's site.

And now, without further ado, are my entries into the "Caption This photo" contest.
While I have NO idea WHICH one garnered me the win, perhaps YOU'LL all vote for YOUR favorite(s) in the comment section.


THIS was the blank photo that FUNKO tweeted.

And THESE are my entries...
(I was the only person to actually use the photo itself as a mini-comic, adding word balloons. Everyone else just replied with their captions in text form within their tweets. ...slackers LoL).

So? What'cha think? Worthy of a win? But WHICH one? Maybe make your own! Take the blank image and submit your entires to ME. I'll post them in a follow up blog-post. Maybe I'll make a contest of it!
I must have some Doctor Strange swag to send (even if it's a hand-drawn sketch).

So, VOTE for which of mine you like AND/OR submit your own today!
Who knows... you might WIN ...er... something.

And HEY! Don't forget to check out the new additions to the DOCTOR STRANGE-CAST podcast (new posts will be uploaded SOON - [HERE] ), wherein we talked about THESE and MORE of the FUNKO POPs - and other similar collectible goodies.

MYSTIC GARB : DR. STRANGE APPAREL - part 1 : CAPS and TIES

Welcome to the first of a series of posts that will seek to catalogue my extensive collection of Doctor Strange (and related 6-Dimensions characters) apparel!

This is a series that I have been meaning to do since DAY ONE on this blog.
Seriously, every time I wanted to get to this series, something would preempt its inclusion.

New Years, spring-time, summer, even "Fashion week" came and went and still I missed the opportunities. So now, the week before Halloween, I feel I might be able to justify this series as a showcase of Marvel apparel that, theoretically, could be seen somewhat as "costume" wear.

LAST YEAR, I showcased all of the official Doctor Strange costumes by Ben Cooper (post found [HERE]), so I thought that this year I'd use this series as a take on the "lazy trick-or-treater's" easy way out.

Think about it, those old Ben Cooper Halloween costumes were just plastic smocks with the name and picture of the character on the chest. If you were lucky, there was a mask. So, who's to say that t-shirts, baseball caps and other apparel couldn't be acceptable?

OK. Preamble complete, I'll try to keep the verbiage to a minimum and just let the pictures tell their thousand words.

And as usual, click on pics to make "Supreme" sized!

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First up, possibly one of the RAREST of the RARE items in the Doctor Strange collector's wish-list. This could be seen as the "crown jewel" - ironically enough.

The DOCTOR STRANGE Baseball Cap!

Shown here in its protective crystal sarcophagus...
ok, it's just a plastic hat case.

Produced circa 1994, this was to be one of a series of the Marvel caps, produced by AMERICAN NEEDLE, that were released for sale from 1993 - 1994.
However, while several other character hats were released officially, the Doctor Strange cap never hit store shelves.

Allow me to remove the cap from its plastic case to show it to you in greater detail.
And ONE detail is very important indeed: looking at this next photo, you'll note the word: "SAMPLE" stamped on the underside of the brim.


This was a production sample, perhaps what would have been the final product, or perhaps not.
We'll never know since the Dr. Strange cap was never released to market.

There's no way to know for certain how many of these production samples survived, or even how many there were to begin with.
All I know is that it took me several years to track down.

I DO have another character cap; DR. DOOM - that I purchased when it was originally for sale - and which I'll also showcase here today. DOOM was one of the first hats to be officially released.

Doom shall not be contained!

However, I'll get to the Doom cap in a moment.
Let's get back to STRANGE!

A purple cap with red accents, it also features embroidered artwork and a logo for Dr. Strange.


The embroidered artwork here is taken from the artwork of Ron Lim from the cover of Doctor Strange - Sorcerer Supreme # 25.



The logo chosen was the one that originated during Dr. Strange's first official series (the one that spun off of his run in STRANGE TALES), and was also resurrected during the 1980's-1990's "Sorcerer Supreme" title, as you could see in that previously shown issue's cover..

In my many years of searching this is the only Dr. Strange cap that I have found.
It's never been worn and looks much better in real life - the photos simply don't do it justice.

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Back to DR. DOOM; I had purchased this, ordering it directly via the PREVIEWS catalogue while I was working in a comic shoppe at the time.
Like many of the ancillary items in my collection, this was purchased on the hope that if enough people supported a fledgling product line, eventually they would get to release a Doctor Strange version of the item.

Thinking that the line would last longer than the few months that it did, I intended to order a second Dr. Doom cap since I actually WORE this one quite a bit.
Sadly, the line was discontinued before I had the chance.

Featuring embroidered art - the front is based upon John Byrne 's artwork.


while the side panel is based on classic Jack Kirby artwork.

The logo is taken from the most excellent:
DOCTOR STRANGE / DR DOOM : TRIUMPH & TORMENT original graphic novel.


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*UPDATE*

04-30-2013

While I won’t wear my one 1-of-a-kind Doctor Strange cap, that doesn’t mean that I couldn’t wear a 2^nd “1-of-a-kind” Doctor Strange cap.

And thus, I had sewed onto a new baseball cap, assorted Doctor Strange PATCHES, to make a special edition just for me.

I’m not much of a baseball cap wearer. I have one for the Pittsburgh Pirates, but that’s primarily for the big golden “P” in the front. “P” is for PTOR. I couldn’t care less about any particular team. Not since I was a kid (and my two faves were the NY Mets – and, coincidentally, the PA Pirates). But I wanted a hat that spoke of what I like – what type of mojo works for me.

Well, this, while a bit garish, is it.

The third eye sits atop my brow.

All without serious meditation or soul-searching.

Doctor Strange heads/busts on either side & the made-for-TV movie logo at the back.

While I do wish that the heads were smaller, their placement - set further back - and the curve of the cloak’s high-collar frame the logo in the back quite well.

With the Eye of Agamotto up front, twin “Doctor Strange” heads set back on either side, and the “Dr. Strange” logo from the 1970’s TV movie around back, this hat shows that I've always got Doctor Strange "on my mind".

Incidentally, I am nearly 100% sure that the maker of these patches (a seller from Argentina) used one of MY uploaded pics of the title screen for the movie logo as visual data for the patch-making machine; which makes this patch yet another of my little unintentional offerings to the world-at-large (as I detailed in this post [HERE]).

*END UPDATE*

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Let's move down from head wear to neck wear, and show two neckties that feature Dr. Strange and Dr. Doom.

This one, produced in the mid-late 1990's is a montage of assorted Marvel characters.
Obviously, Dr. Strange is well represented - by the artwork of Marshall Rogers.

Fine silk - made in Italy.
Produced exclusively for the "Tie Rack".

And then there is this tie of Dr. Doom with artwork by Steve Rude.

Produced by Ralph Marlin and released in 1996.

There was supposed to be a Dr. Strange neck tie released in the mid 1960's available from the various Marvelmania ads that were shown in the early issues of some Marvel comics.
In 20 years of my active searching, I have never found even the slightest hint that such an item was ever released to market. Sadly, many Dr. Strange items that are solicited never garner enough interest to reach production.

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Come back tomorrow for the 2nd installment of this series:

MYSTIC GARB : DR. STRANGE APPAREL
- part 2 : SOLO APPEARANCE T-SHIRTS

The "Magic" of Video: SPECIAL EDITION Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends Doctor Strange Model-Sheet Animation Cel

As I wrote in the last installment of "The 'Magic' of Video" series, we'll be looking at Dr. Strange's appearances in multiple cartoon series.

The first animated series that Dr. Strange appeared in was

"Spider-Man & his Amazing Friends".

This animated series, which ran for three seasons, from 01981 - 01983, was produced by Marvel Productions Ltd. and starred established Marvel Comics characters; Spider-Man and Iceman, and a then-original character, Firestar (who would later be brought into the Marvel Universe proper).

Strange appeared in three episodes * (which we'll view in their own post entry - HERE), but the most famous episode, quite possibly the most famous episode of the entire series, was;

7 Little Superheroes!

Title card for the 01981 episode.

Captain America, Shanna, Iceman, Spider-Man, Firestar, Doctor Strange & Namor; the Submariner, all under the thrall of the Chameleon!

I go into greater detail the plot and events of the episode in the posted entry - HERE, but first I thought I'd take this opportunity to showcase one of my most prized Dr. Strange collector's items...

An extremely rare, authentic production cel for the episode.
Not just any production cell, but a even rarer "model sheet cel".

It's a bit hard to read, but it states:
Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends
Series # 6000
"7 Little Superheroes"
Prod. # 6006
Model sheet # 0
"Doctor Strange"
(c) 1981 Marvel Productions LTD

Note the multiple angles and proximity of viewpoints (and the notation of "Cloak of Levitation"); as these poses were to be the definitive reference for the animators.

A traditional character model sheet is a series of drawings, reproduced via photostat (think modern day black and white photocopy) and distributed to all the departments to thus insure consistency between all artists working on a project. There might be hundreds of these produced.

The model "cel" sheet, as I am showcasing, is the same series of drawings, reproduced onto clear animation acetate, and hand painted for use by the studio artist for color reference purposes.
There would be a very small number of these produced.
Most likely in the single digits.
(quite possibly only a couple of them)

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The tale of how I came to own this item is sadly, quite mundane.
Sometime around 1987 or 1988, I went to a convention in New York. Among some pages of original comic art, a vendor had a small selection of animation cels. This was one of them.

I'm fairly sure that my hand moved so fast to my wallet, producing the cash for the sale, that to any who would witness it, the movement was imperceptible, and appeared to all that I conjured forth the currency from thin air.

It has been a treasured artifact within my collection (even causing my splurging on custom framing) and always receives a place of prominence when displayed.

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* Technically, Strange really only appeared in this ONE episode. In the other two episodes it was only a dress-up costume - once on a mannequin in a costume shoppe, and the other it was a costume-party-goer dressed up as Strange.
All will be revealed in the next installment of
"The 'Magic' of Video".
Check out those episodes and clips in my (future written and then link-loved here) post - HERE.