DOCTOR STRANGE (2016) A PREview REview. An 8th BLOGGIVERSARY SPECIAL EDITION!

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Today, October 11^th (2016), being the 8^th bloggiversary of this SANCTUM SANCTORUM COMIX Blog, I am pleased to be able to commemorate this occasion by giving a REview of the PREview Event shown last night (see my blog post yesterday [HERE]) for the DOCTOR STRANGE film, directed by Scott Derrickson and starring Benedict Cumberbatch.

As this IS my  “bloggiversary” for this DOCTOR STRANGE-centric blog, it is an especially touching event to share with something as momentous as a DOCTOR STRANGE movie, (well, a 15-minute Preview, anyway,)since being an avid Doctor Strange reader/ collector/ archivist/ activist/ pontificator/ blogger/twitterer for a continuous 40 years*.

That the character who used to be my “solitary” championing focus, is now being recognized by the world at large; and while, I obviously know that I was not the only Doctor Strange fan in existence, and that we are, in fact, many, it seemed, however, especially in the days before the internet, that I could not help to feel like a “lone voice in the wilderness”. Yes, we were many, but we were also a very tiny minority, and becoming more-so, as more and more of us walked away – were pushed away -  by the lack of care shown for nigh unto 20+ years, by Marvel, his publisher.

But the universes are separate. There is the Marvel COMICBOOK Universe, and there is the Marvel CINEMATIC Universe, and it is of THIS Universe that I am now going to discuss.

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The DOCTOR STRANGE IMAX 3D Footage Event was a 15-Minute (PG-13) viewing of select scenes from the upcoming film. And, while only 15 minutes… packed in an insane amount of awesomeness and spectacle!

Drama, mild comedy, phantasmagorical visuals and ACTION!

The SUPERMAN movie of 1978 had at its tagline, “You will believe a man can fly!”

For the DOCTOR STRANGE 2016 film, the tagline is “Infinite Impossibilities” (but it should be “You will believe a selfish jerk neurosurgeon can totally wreck himself in a horrific, high-speed car crash, fall to ruin, slowly try and fail to build himself back up, STILL be a jerk, meet a mystic guru, be a jerk to HER, get his head set straight, learn of a broader reality – realities… begin to think of others besides himself, and fight to defend our reality from those who would tear open the walls between dimensions by opposing them using his mystical abilities to harness the forces of creation to warp the very fabric of time and space (while wearing a semi-sentient Cloak of fabric, btw)” – but THAT would be a bit hard to fit onto the posters.

Having been in a state of mild urgent, near-panic all day (should I leave early from work?, should I even go in at all, and just camp out at the theatre? Will I get a seat?) I ended up going in to work super-early and leaving at 4pm, arriving at the theatre three hours early for the 7pm show time at the Regal UA Westbury Theatre Stadium 12 & IMAX at 7000 Brush Hollow Rd., Westbury, NY 11590.  I was the first on line (ok, tied for first with a mother and her teenage son) and I was joined before long with fans of varying age and experience. Most of us joined in conversation, ranging from the recent New York ComicCon, Doctor Strange merchandise and, of course, the comics.

Let me say that I wasn’t even supposed to BE at work that day. I normally telecommute on Monday’s from my home in PA, but I made sure to come in – not because I had a lot of work to get to, or meetings that I needed to attend (both were true, and, because I’m a professional, I made sure to be there to do those things as well, but). No. I made sure to come in to work PRIMARILY to attend this showing, as there were no theatres near my home that were screening this event.

Dedication, people. Dedication.

We filed into the theatre and a huge photo of Cumberbatch as Dr. Strange was looming large on the screen; an advertisement for a snapchat filter.

(This was pretty SUPREME sized, I must say.)

(or, as the kids say; "he big")

And for those who don't use snapchat (like me) here is the actual filter that would appear around your photo.

 (snapchat filter)

It wasn’t long before the entire theatre was filled and the lights went low…

At first, upon wearing the IMAX 3D glasses (that are extremely uncomfortable, btw, as they don’t really have a notch for the bridge of your nose,) I was not impressed with what I saw; various ad spots and lead-ins to the preview. I thought it not much of a 3D experience, and couldn’t understand what the big deal could be.

THEN the actual preview started and I realized that none of the previous stuff was even in 3D because the Preview IMMEDIATELTY leapt out and smacked me in the face. The 3D effect was mind-blowing.

What follows now are my recollections of the preview, and I will go into detail so from here on out SPOILER ALERT…

I’ll first detail the events of the Preview and then will give my reactions to it.

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THE PREVIEW:

The trailer begins with Benedict Cumberbatch (as Doctor Strange) speaking with Rachel McAdams (portraying ER Doctor Christine Palmer). They have polite, friendly banter and definitely give a feeling as having once had a relationship.

Stephen asks her to attend some kind of medical symposium or speaking engagement with him and she declines. He says; “You used to enjoy coming to those with me.” She replies, still friendly, “No. YOU enjoyed them. It’s always about you, Stephen.”

We then cut to Stephen driving in his Lamborghini. He’s driving away from NYC and over what appears to be the George Washington Bridge to head out of Manhattan to some location out on the Hudson River. He’s driving on wet, slick roads, and he is driving like an entitled jackass; weaving around cars, using the opposing lane, and speeding way too fast.

He’s also committing the grievous sin of being a “distracted driver”, looking at his cell-phone digital display to see medical scan photos sent to him by someone at the hospital, with whom he is also speaking, discussing potential next-clients.

A few hints to the timeline are dropped here, as one of the cases is of a Marine Colonel who had been crushed inside some experimental exo-suit. This seems to refer to the events of IRON MAN 2, and placed Strange accident at that time, because Strange is about to have a Very. Serious. Accident.

Driving at top speed across a dangerous mountainside roadway that winds and twists like a fun-house slide, with a rock-face to his right and an abyss to his left, he once again takes his eyes off the road and he clips another car and spins out, his car losing all traction on the slick roadway. Spinning like a top, it is then jettisoned out over the guardrail like a projectile, to spin and crash, over and over, end-over-end, like a child’s toy thrown away in anger. The sports car’s engine whines as it races with nothing to hold it in check, its metal screaming and groaning with each successive twisting strike of an outcropping of rock or a tree. At this point we see inside the car and Strange’s hands lose their grip of the wheel and strike forward to then be enveloped and crushed within the dashboard, which has folded, sickeningly around them. Striking multiple times as it careens outward and downward, along the mountainside the car finally comes to a sickening crunch, inverted in what looks like a building site. Stephen Strange is bloody, pulped and barely alive.

Scenes follow, with a voice over by the Ancient One (played by Tilda Swinton), that portray a montage of events; a barely conscious Strange on a hospital gurney being wheeled into the O.R. by Palmer, a recuperating Strange in a hospital bed, his scarred hands held still by cables and clamps, Christine Palmer, again by his side, a wandering, destitute Strange journeying to far off Nepal.

Here the preview once again shows dialogue, as Strange meets the Ancient One in a lamasery retreat in an area known as Kamar-Taj.

She speaks to him and calls him “MISTER Strange”, to which he replies, curtly, “DOCTOR, actually.” And she retorts, “Not any more.”

She shows him pictures in books that show the body’s chakra points and one of an M.R.I., all the while, speaking of non-surgical cures and remedies and practices.

At this, Strange loses his composure; “I’ve spent my last dollar to come here and your showing me images from a new age gift shop.”

The Ancient One tries to assure him that there ARE means and ways and methods and energies that lie beyond what conventional “wisdom” say are the limits.

Strange won’t hear any more and bursts out; “…I don’t believe in chakras and the healing power of belief! We are matter and nothing more. There is no spirit! You think you can see through me, but I see through YOU!”

At this last word he pokes an angry finger at the Ancient One’s sternum and she grasps his arm, and then punches him in the chest, sending his astral form out of his body!

Strange’s astral self looks astounded at his hands, and then at his body below, which, now without animus, is only held upright by Mordo’s caring hands (Karl Mordo being played by Chiwetel Ejiofor). Mordo continues to hold him as the Ancient One makes a mystical pass and pulls Strange’s astral form back down into his body.

Strange, aghast and disbelieving accuses them of lacing his tea with some kind of hallucinogen. “What was in that tea?” “Just tea. With a bit of honey.” Comes the just-as-sweet reply.

The Ancient One is now beyond coddling him and she grasps his arm, placed her thumb upon his brow (where the 3^rd eye chakra is) and commands him “Open. Your. Eye!” This sends Strange jettisoned out backwards through the lamasery, and then out through the walls of reality.

“This isn’t real, this isn’t real, this isn’t real!” he tries to repeat to himself, as if repetition will make it true.

From dimension to dimension, we see Strange hurtling, buffeted by forces beyond understanding, with the voice of the Ancient One ringing around him. “There are other realities, other worlds, other dimensions…” “Some are good, some exist just next to our own, and others are Dark Dimensions with entities that only seek to do us harm…”

Strange is then flailing, screaming, through alien landscapes and cosmic vistas, at one point to see a monstrous façade, the size of a hillside, which has bands of flame and what appear to be two… searing… eyes…

Being turned inside out, having himself attacked by an endless multitude of grasping hands – each one growing from his own body and then the landscape around him, he is drown down into darkness, to emerge inside his own eye! Before falling down in its darkened recesses again.

We hear the voice of Mordo saying; “His heart rate is getting critical.” And soon we see Strange back at the lamasery, seated next to the Ancient One, who smiles and says, “He seems fine to me” and sends Strange BACK out into the void.

More otherworldly scenes await us and some of these phantasmagorical scenes are obvious homage to Steve Ditko’s early portrayals of otherworldly dimensions.

When Strange finally returns to earth, it is in a heap, tumbling across the floor, where he looks up, shaking, and says to the Ancient One, while on bended knee… his voice hoarse from his helpless screaming, no more than a whisper; “teach me.”

Next are a series of montages showing Stephen Strange training with other students at Kamar-Taj. While their gestures and strikes produce mystical formations, his do not. But still he seeks to catch up to them. At one point he asks the Ancient One, “How do I get from here to there?” (asking about how to bridge the gap from broken, mortal man to wizened sorcerer.) And the Ancient One relies with a question of her own; “How did you become a doctor?” Strange realizes the answer to her question is the answer to his own as he states; “Study and practice.” And then with a weight of realization, “…YEARS of it.”

Strange now meets (Benedict Wong, playing appropriately enough..) Wong: the keeper of the mystical library. Asking his name, the stoic Wong merely states “Wong”. Strange can’t help but let some of his jerk-humor escape as he chides; “Wong? That’s it? Like Adele?” Wong is still unresponsive to Strange’s “charm”. “Or… Aristotle?” Strange says trying to save face. Stephen also rattles off a few other mononymous individuals of note; including Bono and Eminem. All in an attempt to be “funny”.

“Hmmm…” Strange muses, “People usually think that I’m funny.”

“Do those people work for you?” Wong’s reply is pointed.

“Ookay… thanks for the books.” Strange is about to go, but is stopped by Wong.

Strange holds a book and Wong reproaches him that if any attempt to take a book from that library, they would be dead before they made it to the door.

“What about if they’re just late? Any late fees that I should know about, that perhaps are a bit less lethal?”

More montages follow. Now with Strange gaining ability and dressed in his sorcerer’s garb. Attempting spells and learning.

Wong and Mordo meet, “There is a strength to him.” “But is he ready?”

More montages show Strange opening the glass door in an antechamber to reveal a roiling sea/ he walks by the Cloak of Levitation, which reacts to his presence, as if aware and beseeching/ Strange is floating through another dimension to alight upon an alien landscape/ the flaming “face” appears yet again, looming before him…

Now we see the forces that Strange must face as Kaecilius is revealed (as played by Mads Mikkelson), a dangerous zealot who, with his followers, is out to destroy our reality by harnessing the mystical forces for his own ends.

A quick return to normalcy as we see a wounded Doctor Strange being administered to, once again, by Christine Palmer who thinks he has been drafted into a cult.

“It’s not a cult. I’ve been taught secrets of the universe.” Strange attempts to explain.

“So… a cult.” Palmer retorts. “No, it’s not a cult.” Strange laughingly replies. To which Christine smugly says, “Which is exactly what someone in a cult would say.”

And at this point the preview turns to all-out action, as Strange and Kaecilius battle, in alternating scenes; a hospital, an Asian city (or at least a “Chinatown”), as Kaecilius uses the mystic arts to cause wanton destruction, and to create weapons out of the very air and smoke. Once while his foe lunges at his throat with a conjured, glass-shard javelin, Strange is forced to halt – and reverse – the flow of time itself, casting his foeman away, and rebuilding the devastation to its previous state of being.

Kaecilius and his minions chase Strange and Mordo throughout an ever tilting, changing, warping cityscape.

Up the sides of buildings, across suspension scaffolding, through city streets; a dogged pursuit of a stronger malevolent force, chasing after the hero and his teacher, Kaecilius chases after Strange and Mordo.

Time and again Strange attempts to cast a spell to create a mystical portal, a swirling, golden disc through which to escape, and time and again he is hindered by the interference of his enemy.

Landscapes fold in upon themselves and alternate angles of reality are colliding and gliding past one another, as Strange and Mordo must jump (and fly!) and fall(!) between them, until finally, while running up the side of a building Kaecilius causes it to split, and bend as if tearing apart the double-helix of reality itself.

The biggest moment of the preview was when, attacked by Kaecilious, inside the Sanctum Sanctorum (the very home of the Sorcerer Supreme), Stephen is pushed over the railing of a third-floor balcony to his…apparent death, when, in a flurry of motion, a streak of scarlet is seen to rush past the villain and down, over the railing to follow the fallen hero…

Only to show Stephen Strange slowly arise, the CLOAK of LEVITATION draped about his shoulders, bringing him back into the fray.

While floating aloft, Strange conjures a fiery whip and uses it to strike at his enemy.

The world is besieged. It is being killed. And it needs a Doctor to save it.

DOCTOR STRANGE!

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The RE-VIEW:

While I MAY have forgot (or omitted) some scenes from the preview, I have to say, I am fairly sure that I have accurately described well over 95+%.

But that was just a description of the events that occurred on-screen. A play-by-play;

fleshed-out bullet-points, at best.

What is my intent NOW is to give some perspective, from a fan’s p.o.v. of what was seen, and how faithfully (or even how unique) the vision presented to us may be.

Here, there shall be 

SPOILERS APLENTY.

You have been warned.

It is obvious that Strange and Palmer once had some kind of romantic relationship, perhaps if only at its beginnings, but a relationship that now has cooled, obviously because Stephen Strange is an egotistical man.

It seems to me, that the film-makers opted to have Strange be merely a selfish egotist, and perhaps not a greedy, uncaring bastard (as he was portrayed, while still a surgeon, in the comics)

If Strange were a completely reprehensible person, it is highly unlikely that he would still retain the friendship of a former lover. It wouldn’t preclude him from retaining some kind of physical “love”-life with any number of women, but the fact that Christine Palmer still interacts with him on a one-to-one basis (even taking their professional co-worker relationship into account) means that he can not be beyond hope. So it is with this tie to another decent human being that we can safely conclude that this version of Stephen Strange isn’t an utter bastard.

I should say, the IMAX 3D, even in the most mundane scene, is stellar. Figures leap forth from the background and certain elements streak towards you with alarming virtual-proximity. Just watching Stephen and Christine walking through the hospital hallways is a wealth of 3D riches, as perspective and depth-of-field are in full heightened display.

Later, when we get to the point of Strange’s astral journeys through other dimensions, other realities, the 3D effect, at this point, is unbearable, as we, in the audience, are immersed in that unreal landscape and are in danger of falling headlong into worlds within worlds.

Speaking of those other dimensions, those other worlds; when we see that flaming façade the size of a hillside, it looks like a most familiar… face(?).

I’m only mildly holding back the reveal, but this was most assuredly the large and looming face of the despot of the Dark Dimension; the Dread Dormammu!

This is to be expected as, even the most casual research into the history of the characters in the film would show, Baron Karl Mordo is typically a thrall of Dormammu and can not be trusted for long. Kaecilius, who is the lead villain in this first film, was almost always a mere pawn of Mordo’s. So, it would stand to reason that while they are endeavoring to make Mordo a more well-rounded human character from his very 2-dimensional comicbook counterpart (with the same care going to transform Kaecilius from his ONE-dimensional comic appearances), that it won’t be long before Dormammu is revealed as being a source of power and temptation to Mordo as well as a source of power behind Kaecilius all the while.

Speaking of power sources, there is a book that is shown in the preview (and hinted at in many trailers and online interviews) and that is the Book of Cagliostro. The book of Cagliostro was indeed featured in the comics, but unfortunately for a portion of one classic 1970’s storyline (and then hinted at in an aborted 1990’s sub-plot). In the comics it was merely the book of spells and magic of the famed sorcerer; Cagliostro (who, in fact was a real historical person, albeit not quite the level of mystic that lore would have you believe). Caliostro, in the comics anyway, was a master of sorcery and possessed the secret of immortality. However, in the classic story told in the old Marvel Premiere series, Cagliostro was, at one point, impersonated by a time-traveling sorcerer named Sise-Neg. Since the manipulation of time seems to be a heavy aspect of this film (with the “Time” Infinity Stone seemingly at the heart of the Eye of Agamotto) it may be that the Sise-Neg/ Cagliostro time-manipulation aspect has been merged for the sake of the film, as Kaecilius definitely desires the ability to affect time.

While that was mostly a bit of conjecture on my part, so is this; the fact that in the preview and trailers, we don’t really see many instances of the classic spell-casting hand & finger position that closely resembles the “American Sign Language” formation for “I love you”, with the index and pinkie fingers extended, the middle and “ring” finger folded down and the thumb usually out to the side. 

Instead, (quite possibly because most people take the general hand-position as being the stereotypical, allegedly blasphemous, “devil horns” gesture, with the thumb tucked in and crossed over the two middle fingers,) the filmmakers have the sorcerers holding their hands either with open palm with fingers splayed, or in a position that is more known to be used by those in the Martial Arts, with the index and middle finger extended and the “ring” and pinkie finger tucked. The cheat here, is that the hands are held in the position with the two main fingers extended by the use of a magic ring, which aids the wielder to create golden portals of swirling energy.

That's not to say that Strange and the others WON'T make the classic Ditko-finger-pose, but it was sorely missing in the Preview and any teasers.

As for the “magic” shown, I am very grateful that there were other dimensional landscapes and surreal perspectives shown, as thus far, only the kaleidoscopic affect was ever really shown in the trailers, and that, I found to be sorely lacking.

Even the bending, folding cityscape (which many had likened to the effect seen earlier in the movie “Inception”) was not quite up to snuff.

None of these things spoke to me of the Doctor Strange that I had read for the past near-40-years. Doctor Strange has very little ability to affect the physical plane; his abilities being more attuned for the other realms beyond our own.

With each teaser-trailer that I saw, the more disinterested I became with this film, and more convinced that it was far from even coming close to capturing the otherness of the abilities and realities that ARE Doctor Strange.

However, aside from the reality-bending and building-warping effects shown in this 15-minute preview, there was also, thankfully, enough other-dimensional interplay that I feel that maybe – maybe – like the fact that there was ever only ONE hint at an Astral Form scene, that perhaps much of the weirder stuff is still being kept from us until we see that actual film.

So it is, while I believe, from what I’ve seen within this 15-minute glimpse, this is not quite the DOCTOR STRANGE from the comics of my youth, with not quite the same power-set of abilities as from those stories, I do believe that this is a DOCTOR STRANGE that I can willingly accept. I would prefer more of his persona and abilities to be directly ported from the 1960’s and 1970’s era stories, and even some from the 1980’s (and possibly a few from after that point), but this is the Marvel CINEMATIC Universe, and this is the DOCTOR STRANGE that many, if not most, new fans will consider to be ‘THE” definitive article.

At the VERY least, Benedict Cumberbatch is a better choice then Cammeron Powell; HIS mustache is too short. **

I have been told that I will be seeing the full film at a Disney/Marvel “friends and family” event on November 1^st in NYC. I will hopefully share more with you after then (but keeping a respectful silence until the 4^th, and with HEAVY “Spoiler” Warnings at the top of the page).

BONUS CONTENT:

HEAR myself, Dee and Howard Hallis all discussing this preview in EPISODE 11 of our DOCTOR STRANGECAST podcast [HERE].

Tamam Shud!

*(ok, in the interest of transparency, while I was reading comics since, at least, 1976, and MAY have seen him in one of those earlier comics, I only recognize having discovered Doctor Strange in late-1979/early-1980. I have been an avid fan ever since, having long gone back and not only reading every past issue, but having collected them as well – thus cramming 53 years of Doctor Strange into 36 years of Doctor Strange-specific time. /LegalDisclaimer)

** If you don't get THIS reference, then hang up your cloak and hit the books. You're not yet ready to call yourself a true Doctor Strange fan.

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.

LO! THERE SHALL COME... THE RETURN!

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(scan taken from Marvel 1980 Doctor Strange Calendar - of a panel taken from Marvel Feature # 1) *

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At long last… after many months away…

I AM RETURNED unto you!

After a gestation of 9 months… I am reborn!

Alright… I’ll stop the added melodramatics.

But seriously, I’ve been away from this blog for far too long, but I’m looking to make a return to producing posts wherein I discuss various subjects of nerdity; ie: Doctor Strange, Doctor Who, my “6-Dimensions” philosophy, comicbooks, pop culture, and showcasing my (admittedly awesome) collection.

Just as Doctor Strange has returned from (multiple) cancelations (although the last issue of his last true long-running series was in 1996, and we’re STILL waiting for the 1^st issue of a new series), and even Doctor Who came back from his own cancelation (in 1989 – although, the revitalizing made-for-tv movie in 1996 led to nothing [except a series of excellent audio dramas] and it took until the 2005 revival to really “regenerate” the series), so do I return to this blog.

Interestingly (and potentially cosmically-coincidental) is that TODAY is SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11th - the very same day and date which I started this blog 6 years back (as seen [HERE]).

Thus it is a perfect time to return to my blog.

But that isn’t the ONLY return that I am announcing here.

I am ALSO returning to REAL, gainful employment, utilizing my artistic abilities, as an illustrator and 3D designer. 

Even MORE “return” oriented is that the place where I am to work is the OLD place of employment where I worked back when I started this blog. After being “downsized” due to the collapsing worldwide economy (aka; Armageddon), I was occasionally still being commissioned by that selfsame corporation as a independent contractor / freelancer to produce artworks for them whenever something truly difficult came their way or the shit hit the deadline fan and they needed a miracle save. Luckily, I departed them with an air of professionalism, I continued to maintain my professional level during the freelance projects, and so when it came to thinking of whom to hire for a new 3D design position, my name was top of the list.

It is into this atmosphere of hope that I find myself now and while I will be initially sporadic in my blogging (due to the rigors of the new position and the insane commute / living arrangements where I’ll find myself [I’m living in Pennsylvania and the job is in New York on Long Island]), I do hope to develop a rhythm to my new life where blogging can be fairly consistent.

So, while I ask you to please bear with me during the rough starts and stops, I am not leaving again any time soon.

But, to quote a famous Sorcerer Supreme:

"I have once again picked up the mantle of Doctor Strange... 

And I can never again -- put it down."

*fun fact: the panel scanned atop this blog post is taken from the DOCTOR STRANGE 1980 calendar (which you can view in its entirety in this old post [HERE]) wherein they added a witty, yet apropos caption to a panel from (the back-up story in) MARVEL FEATURE # 1 wherein Doctor Strange returns to the role of Sorcerer after forsaking the role (one year prior [thankfully, I didn't take THAT long to return here], back in INCREDIBLE HULK # 126)… the title of that Marvel Feature story? Why, “THE RETURN” of course.

And as a treat, I’ll post that story here for you now.

(click pages to embiggen)

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SEPARATED AT BIRTH -or- DOCS OF A FEATHER

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First, let me ASSURE you that this isn't becoming the "TARDIS-BLOG"; virtual fan-home of THE DOCTOR (WHO).
It's just that much of my time now is being spent immersed in all-things "Time Lord", and so, while reading of new 12th DOCTOR (or 14th Doctor, depending on how accurate/pedantic/OCD you may be) Peter Capaldi's unveiling of his new Doctor Who costume, I IMMEDIATELY did a double-take when I saw the photo.

Peter Capaldi's DOCTOR is to wear a dark blue Crombie coat with red lining, dark trousers, a white shirt and Doc Martens boots. While not EXACTLY a perfect match, it is certainly an amazing close coincidence to a certain STRANGE Doctor's most previous outfit.

Both of these Doctors looks are dashing, dynamic, decidedly different.

The red-lined coat, the dark coloring, the black boots... interesting coincidence, is it not?

Now, just so you don't think me grasping at straws, look at Capaldi's pose. Close enough to the pose of Doctor Strange above?

Yes? Well... then how about how SPOT ON it is to the pose below?!

This is nearly "the" definitive "Doctor Strange pose", going as far back as his official image for the original "Marvel Universe Handbook" (as drawn by Paul Smith).

Now, before any WHOvians get up in my case about how Capaldi's duds are a nod to the original 3 DOCTORS: William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton and Jon Pertwee (and indeed his look IS a tip of the hat to those three incarnations, to be sure), still.... this fashion trend between Strange and "Who" is a bit odd.

So... YOU tell me.
If not "SEPARATED AT BIRTH", then is it coincidence or an homage (subconsciously or not)?

DOCTORS WITHOUT (dimensional) BORDERS –or- DOCTORS Across Space, Time and Dimensions

---

As I’ve noted in the last post of 2013, I’ve been less than enthusiastic about my DOCTOR STRANGE interests/habit/mania/obsession/fix as Marvel has not been treating the character well at all, and instead, while watching-and-waiting to see how Strange is treated in each month's new comics, have been focusing on RE-discovering my love for DOCTOR WHO.

More often than not, while I’m totally exhausted from my current job, when I come home and pour myself into bed, the last thing that I have energy for is to type out blog entries (even though I DO have the desire). What I DO have energy to do is watch old episodes of DOCTOR WHO – or – peruse other media appearances of THE DOCTOR.

Well, wouldn’t you know that when you cross the 4^th Dimension of Time, and the dimensional doorways of Space are ajar, there’s a good chance that OTHER dimensions may be traversed as well.

So, when I was reading some of the Doctor Who Comic strips from Doctor Who Magazine (and other sources), I wasn’t the least bit surprised to see that an alternate Dimensional interpretation of a certain STRANGE Doctor making an appearance.

(right click to make bigger on the inside)

Seen taking in some culture at an art museum (where the 9^th DOCTOR and ROSE [Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper] have just materialized in the TARDIS, we see a familiar looking cloak of levitation being worn by some slug-like creature.

Perhaps, it’s NOT “Doctor Strange”, but perhaps it’s another “Sorcerer Supreme” in possession of the Cloak of Levitation (or, since neither TIME nor SPACE are hindering factors when dealing with either Doctor Who or Doctor Strange, then this might be Agamotto [the FIRST Sorcerer Supreme himself, who also frequently appears as such a caterpillar], or the Sorcerer Supreme of the 37^th Century (wherein this story takes place, in an pan-dimensional gallery) resplendent in the cloak.

Either way, this page from DOCTOR WHO MAGAZINE # 358, featuring a story; “ART ATTACK” with story and pencils by Mike Collins, shows that perhaps other people aside from myself feel that these two Doctors should have a meeting.

 So, as STRANGE as it is, WHO’s to say that my two current interests are mutually exclusive of each other?

Certainly not either DOCTOR.

TIME WARP: The Modern Marvel Calendars *Addendum 4*

Time is relative.

It seems "Time Flies"… (whether you’re having fun or not) and as such, I’ve missed several opportunities to post new blog entries. My apologies.

And so...

Happy (belated) New Year - 2014, Sanctum Dwellers!

In this, the first post of the new year, I once again thought it appropriate to blog about the passage of time. Well... honestly, about calendars.

This post also doubles as an updated add-on to an old post from this time in 2009 wherein I showcased all of the various Marvel Calendars - from 1975 - to the "present"... well... at least the ones that featured Doctor Strange or any of my "6-Dimensions" interests.

The original series can be found at the following links:

(Part I : the "CLASSIC" calendar series can be seen - HERE)
(Part II : the "MODERN" calendar series can be seen - HERE)

(Part III : the 1980 Doctor Strange calendar - in its entirety - can be seen - HERE)

This blog post is just to add two "new" entries into the "Part II - MODERN" portion of that series (these added entries will be added to that post directly, as well)

Occasionally, the "addendums" focus on the new calendar for the new year (new, new, new!). But, of late there have been no new calendars to feature DOCTOR STRANGE. This is made especially “strange” by the fact that, as one of the “Illuminati”, the super-secret cabal featured in Jonathan Hickman’s NEW AVENGERS title, and that editor Tom Brevoort continually touts NEW AVENGERS as “the most important title that Marvel is publishing…” you’d think that group (or any member(s) of that assembly) would be featured on at least one of the 12 months of the calendars over the past two years. But, no.

And so, today’s entry is to showcase some old calendars that I acquired since my last such entry; one from 2005 and the other from 2007. Both of which are of the “Page a Day” desktop variety (of a type which I have exhibited here in time’s past - the 1995 desktop calendar - found with the "Modern" Marvel calendars [see link above]).

With this sort of calendar, each day has its own tear-off page, and on that page is featured some artwork or tidbit of info about a character or comic issue.

The 2005 “Characters of Marvel” Calendar, a “Day At A Time” edition, has DR STRANGE right on the cover page! (With a portion of the cover to “Sorcerer Supreme # 51 showing.) A good start!

The format of this edition was to have sequential pages/days devoted to a character, before moving on to the next. This has several pages dedicated to the Master Mystic!

It also had pages on several of my 6-Dimensions characters; Scarlet Witch, Ghost Rider, Nick Fury, etc… as well as a plethora of other characters, so… a good calendar!

The 2007 edition, is a “Marvel Heroes” “Year In A Box” calendar, and was not as kind to Dr. Strange.

It has Doctor Strange featured on ZERO pages! WTF? Well… he’s not featured solo on any pages, but is seen as a small figure in a few group shots, and is mentioned in some write-ups (for "House of M" and such).

Still, Scarlet Witch is featured on a few pages (solo and as a group member) so… that’s ok.

Otherwise, it’s fairly light on my 6-Dimensions characters.

Except… it DOES have MAN-THING as shown on the cover to “Marvel Comics Presents” # 5, so… alright!

---

Also of note, is that this year (2014 for any future visitors from the year 2525 [if man is still alive]) features the same day-of-the-week-per-month pagination as previous years wherein a past Marvel Calendar can be reused to perfection!

Such previous years are 2003, 1997, 1986, 1975, 1969, etc… , and I’ve already featured those calendars (well, the ones that actually HAD Marvel calendars) in previous entries of the MARVEL CALENDAR series [see links above].

So, no Doctor Strange in ANY 2014 calendar? No problem. Let me slap my 1975, calendar on my wall.

Heck, I’ll put the 1997 calendar in my study, the other 1997 in my bedroom, the 1975 calendar in my Sanctum Sanctorum, the 2003 in my bathroom....

See?...

Time is relative.

"I AM THE DOCTOR!"- Just What The DOCTOR Ordered.

---

Many people may have been wondering why my blogging has been sparse over the past few months. Well, I could say that it has something to do with a new schedule at work that leaves me tired and lacking time, but while true, in part, that's not really the whole truth.

The truth is... I've been feeling out of sorts for many months. Tired. Worn out. Despondent.

Life, at times, has simply got me down.

Add to that, the fact that I've simply been losing my interest in Doctor Strange, in whom this blog is mostly dedicated. A character who had carried my interest and fascination for much of my life, and had carried me aloft whenever I've felt down in the doldrums. But, a character whose own publisher has been systematically destroying over the past 20 years or more.

Thus, with little interest in the very raison d'etre for this blog, and having lost that, also losing a valuable therapeutic tool, I was simply finding it a chore.

With symptoms like that; losing my desire to or even care about blogging, and also, due to the loss of interest in other aspects of life, lie dangerously close to having a hard time time really caring about much at all.

I don't like thinking that way, as I've always sought to live the life of a good man, no matter what else may occur (as I have detailed in an introspective post [HERE]).

But, as such, to help make me feel more like my old self, I have been seeing
The Doctor.

---

WHO IS THAT STRANGE DOCTOR?

-or-

THE TWO DOCTORS

---

"I AM THE DOCTOR."

Those are familiar words. They carry weight, gravitas, and a sense of comfort and hope; exactly what is desired when addressed by a Doctor.

However, those words are not spoken by any traditional physician. For those alive and even moderately possessing a nerd pulse, they are the "immortal" words of "THE" DOCTOR.

"DOCTOR... WHO?", you might ask.
Exactly.

For the past 50 years, since November 1963, DOCTOR WHO (a nigh-immortal "Time Lord", with the ability to regenerate a new body when dying, who ventures across time and space in his TARDIS spacecraft,) has graced the world (via the UK) with his reassuring presence - be it on television, novels, audio plays, DVDs, and yes... even comics.

"I AM THE DOCTOR."

Those 4 words immediately fill you with hope and tell you that you are in good hands. Four words that state that wonderful things are about to befall you. Weird happenings, and high adventure are soon to be yours in the deepest recesses of time and space.
And oh yeah... RUN! Because STRANGE things are right around the corner - and they aren't always friendly.

And yet, there was also another DOCTOR who was comforting us while confronting the bizarre dangers across space time and other dimensions. And he came first. Cover dated JULY 1963 (which in comicbook dating terms means it was on the magazine racks at least 2 or 3 months earlier), DOCTOR STRANGE (a former greedy and arrogant surgeon, whose hands were rendered incapable of performing delicate surgical ability, and when searching for a cure, found instead an aged Tibetan mystic who taught Strange the ways of magic, after the young man showed a deeper, caring nature) was first featured as a back-up story in STRANGE TALES # 110 (as celebrated [HERE]).

For the past 50 years, he also graced the world with his mysterious presence - in comics, novels, audio dramas, DVD's, and yes... even television.

FIRST VISITS & INOCULATIONS

-or-

Open wide and say, "AH!"

While I started reading comics around the time I was ten years of age, in 1977 (as discussed at length in this defining post [HERE]), I didn't discover DOCTOR STRANGE until 1980. But when I did, I was immediately hooked! Even though comic distribution was a spotty and haphazard affair in those days before "comic book shoppes" were the norm, and stationery store spinner racks were the only delivery system available, I still managed to score my fix. My "prescription" as it were.

Cover art by Michael Golden

It would be only 2 or three years later that I would first be introduced to "The Doctor", as local PBS stations (in my case; WLIW 21 in New York) began to broadcast DOCTOR WHO here in the USA. These would be the TOM BAKER 4th DOCTOR episodes, with some of PETER DAVIDSON's 5th DOCTOR mixed in. I was immediately hooked on Tom Baker's mad, mirthful and menacing incarnation, but Davidson's "beige-on-beige" look and style did nothing to maintain my enthusiasm. I tried to show my interest even then, by pledging monies to the station, earmarked for more episodes of this wonderful new show (and received a black plastic mug with the "DOCTOR WHO" logo emblazoned in silver ink upon it). This was besides the point, since, the episodes would soon stop being shown on those few Public Broadcasting Stations, and it would retreat across the Atlantic ocean, back to Britain, like a fog on the waters.

Soon the desire to see more would be like unto only the faintest of smoke on the waters of my memory. I KNEW I wanted to see more of Baker's 4th Doctor, but, knowing he would be replaced by Davidson, and that his episodes were finite, and impossible to view... the desire retreated to the further recess of my mind. (Of course, I had NO idea at the time that Baker was "The Doctor" for seven years! That would have been a nice cache upon which to stumble. But alas... time and tide.)

But still... I loved Baker's performance and his iconic, yet insanely long scarf, and desired one of my own. So much so, that I had, over the years purchased several overly long scarves (but sadly, not as long or colorful as his), if for no other reason, as a subconscious reminder of my love for the little I had seen.

Tom Baker (#4)

All the while, I was fully immersed in the comicbook world of Doctor Strange, and amassing what is arguably the (or one of the top 2 or three) collections of Doctor Strange comics, merchandise and eclectica the world has ever seen. Such was my love and mania for the character.

Yet, even when I first saw that Marvel was producing DOCTOR WHO stories (first in Marvel Preview and then in his own magazine), they weren't accessible in my usual haunts (although, I still vividly remember a 4th Doctor story entitled "Spider-God" written by Steve Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons). And thus, once again, Doctor Who would slip out of my grasp.

Years would pass. I would continue to be fascinated by the myriad worlds, the above-the-rest-of-we-mere-mortals workings of the mind of the "Master of the Mystic Arts", and the reproach with which he would admonish himself whenever he thought that he was "above-the-rest-of-we-mere-mortals". From his redemption-quest origin, steeped in dark magics and mystery, to his ability to be gentle and caring one moment and filled with righteous fury in the next heartbeat... DOCTOR STRANGE checked all my required boxes for fan admiration.

Art by Dan Adkins

But, over the years the weight, the gravitas, the things that made Doctor Strange GREAT were being lost. Lost or deliberately taken away by editorial fiat or writers who simply didn't know either what to do with him, or even understand him at all.

Notwithstanding the occasional bright gem, Doctor Strange has been left to tarnish since the early 1990's.

I won't go into specifics. Any reader who has experienced Doctor Strange stories at nearly any point from 1963 thru 1990 knows what I am speaking of, when I say that anywhere from 1990 onward, the quality of stories and artwork for the good Doctor was hit-or-miss. Mostly miss.

But, like any fan, we hold on to the memories of the good stories and we wait. We wait for the next writer or artist to bring back some of what made the character great. We don't necessarily want or need a retread of old works. No. Bring in new concepts, new story angles, new foes and friends and realms and dangers. Increase his abilities and decrease his abilities, as long as it's done intelligently in a way that makes sense to the story. Fine. Do it. Just do it WELL!

But, like any fan. We wait... and we wait... and we wait for it to be good again.
Sometimes it happens! Like lightning, the spark of electricity is alive in the work. It is inspired. It is all new, but with enough of the old for the character to peek out from behind years of dust and misuse. We are hopeful... and we are then disappointed as the next steward fails to fulfill his trust.

Thus it has been an arduous task for even one such as I, to continue to feel any connection, interest or even care what happens to the character, as it seems that his publisher surely doesn't.

A SECOND OPINION 

(or an 8th, 9th, 10th or 11th)

Back in 1996, Doctor Strange was undergoing a hiatus. His "Sorcerer Supreme" titled comicbook having just been canceled, after a nearly unbroken run of 33 years of published works (Strange Tales # 110 in 1963 to the end of his 1st solo title in 1969 was only separated from his return in Marvel Premier #3 by a 4 year absence, and from thence forward, to his own "Master of the Mystic Arts" title, straight into a planned "Strange Tales v2" revamp and then directly into the "Sorcerer Supreme" masthead, was another 24 years of uninterrupted publication of his own starring [or co-starring] titles). That was after years of already poor treatment, as the Sorcerer Supreme comicbook simply wasn't all that good and was filled with lackluster periods which lasted years, interspersed with a few high points throughout, but sadly not enough to save its sales.

However, in 1996, emerging from a 7 year hiatus of its own, DOCTOR WHO returned to television (which, for many viewers in the USA was a 12 year absence) with a made-for-TV film, featuring a new, 8th DOCTOR.

Paul McGann (#8)

Certainly, it wasn't great. The story had holes. The acting was overly melodramatic (mostly by the scenery-chewing villains). But... it was DOCTOR WHO. And he was back!

I felt that old interest for the show and the character being rekindled. However, poor ratings in the USA meant that no production companies would back a return to the series (despite it doing extremely well in the UK). And so, once again, I found myself without a Doctor. (I was totally unaware that the 8th Doctor, as performed by PAUL McGANN would continue in audioplays from that point onward.)

However, as time went on, and up through present-day, Doctor Strange was/is still without a title of his own (a scant few mini-series here and there). My fandom being held together by my love of what was, as well as the few good guest appearances he would make over the years, and the quest for the collectibles. Anything to stem the ennui that was taking over in regards to my interest in the character. Even beginning a new blog - this blog - would help to keep my interest fresh.

But then, gradually... the real world wears you down. Day-to-day life drains the color from your cheeks, the strength from your stride.

You need to see a Doctor.

And then you hear it. Those four words. Four words that help you to know that help is at hand:

"I AM THE DOCTOR."

It was into 2008 that I found, once again via a PBS station, that DOCTOR WHO had returned!
2005 had seen a return of what is known as "NuWHO", a renewed continuation (not a reboot) of the character, and CHRISTOPHER ECCLESTON became the first face of the Doctor for many new fans, and the newest face for one renewed WHOvian - me.

While I loved Tom Baker's 4th Doctor, and felt an immediate liking to Paul McGann's 8th Doctor, this new 9th Doctor was a whole new twist! No need to retread the old, as new concepts and looks are welcome! Especially when dealing with a character who, as a Time Lord, with the ability to regenerate multiple times into a new body with a new face, is essentially immortal.

And so, I watched every episode of the 9th Doctor and wanted to see more!

Christopher Eccleston ("9")

But more would be denied me for a while, as the PBS station had only paid to broadcast that one season (or "series" as they would now be labeled).

I would watch, whenever possible, those same 9th Doctor episodes each time they would air over the next few years, knowing that there were new episodes - just beyond my grasp.

To my great pleasure, over the past few months, via the internet and Netflix, I have totally caught up with DAVID TENNANT's 10th Doctor, MATT SMITH's 11th and even delighted at the return (and regeneration scene) of the 8th as he transformed into an unknown incarnation, played by JOHN HURT.

Matt Smith ("11"), David Tennant ("10"), John Hurt ("War", but the real #9)

In the time since my current job started to abuse me even more than usual, and real life seems to refuse to get any better than it has been over the past several years, I had little sustaining energy from my love for Doctor Strange, but my renewed interest in Doctor Who was helping immeasurably. A "shot in the arm", so to speak.

I've even gone back and after sampling some episodes of the other early Doctors and am watching all the episodes from the very beginning! I'm already halfway through the 1st DOCTOR's tenure. I have so much more with which to look forward.

The 12 Doctors

PRIMARY HEALTH CARE PROVIDER

-or-

My First Doctor KNOWS Me.

But now... floating above the drek of the usual poor treatment of DOCTOR STRANGE, we have writer Jonathan Hickman take on Doctor Strange in Hickman's incarnation of the Illuminati, the super-secret, big-decision-makers of the Marvel Universe, as seen in the pages of NEW AVENGERS. And while his treatment of Doctor Strange has been hit-or-miss, it is more accurately... remiss. He seemed to be deliberately holding Strange in reserve, in the darkened corner, with only the occasional glimpse of the greatness that what once was peeking out from behind the shadows.

Still, that has been enough for me to feel my interest renewed. My hope kindled.

And what is the sound of that hope?
As I said earlier, it is the sound of four words:

"I AM THE DOCTOR."

STRANGE's OATH from NEW AVENGERS v3 # 5.

Words - Jonathan Hickman. Art - Steve Epting

Certainly, there have been other bright spots, but those are ironic and oxymoronic, since the brighter the indicator of great things to come, the darker the Doctor's path.

However, as we all know, it is when the Doctor strides down the darkest pathways that his magic and might shines the brightest.

Could it be that Hickman knows that whatever The DOCTOR (WHO) can do, with his all-purpose Sonic Screwdriver, then DOCTOR STRANGE with the Eye of Agamotto can do it better?
Certainly, that would hopefully be the case.

For while "The DOCTOR" can roam all across space and time, in his TARDIS ship, however haphazardly he does so, saving worlds along the way, DOCTOR STRANGE needs no external drive to step from one world, one time, one dimension to the next, and save untold worlds in one fell swoop.

Both live lives where things are "bigger on the inside" (The Doctor's TARDIS, and Doctor Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum merely two such indicators of the depths within these two men).

Still, as is the case with both of these DOCTORS... the brightness of heroism is forever the other side of the darkness wherein he walks.

No matter what good they do, each of these men are forced to bear the weight of ensuring others live in the light - despite each victory tinging these men with darkness. They live bearing their sadness in order to bring hope to others.

New Avengers v3 # 12/13

Writer - Jonathan Hickman. Art - Mike Deodato

DOCTOR, HEAL THYSELF!

-or-

I AM THE DOCTOR

So here I am. New Year's Eve. The dark night before a bright new year.
And here I am, typing in the darkness, with the hope that this act, this promise to continue my own administrations, is in essence a way to say in my own mind, "DOCTOR... HEAL THYSELF!"

For it is with this, act, and the hope that it fills within me, to strive to not let the darkness or drudgery of life wear me down. I have done great things in the past. I will do great things again, be it now or in the future.
Time is never run out when you have hope that things will get better.
And so, I stay hopeful.

Hope is the one thing that can help anyone do heroic things.

And every life made better by my hopeful and helpful actions is a great thing as well.
So to that purpose, though I strive to do the work of the light, while I stride in the dark, I shall not let life turn me grey.

And hope is what I feel that the adventures of my long-time fan-favorite characters will once again obtain a level of greatness.

But that's not even where I hang all my hopes.

For while I do have a "real" life, and many other interests and goals aside from those detailed in this blog, even taking the pleasure to do something as silly as enjoy a TV show, read a comic, write a blog post or share my enthusiasm with others... all those little things, and the other day-to-day activities we all undertake, as long as they are undertaken with joy and hope, help to make everything seem worthwhile.

To that extent, I am renewed in my enjoyment for making plans for new projects, personal and professional.
I am rejuvenated in my desire to work on this blog.

I am prescribing a new regimen for myself; STAY HOPEFUL!

For it only takes four words to remind myself of that goal, four words that remind me that I am the administrator of that change...

"I AM THE DOCTOR."

HAPPY NEW YEAR!