CARELESS WHISPERS : REDUX The RESULTS of a Reader-Participation Post

Last month, I posted a contest, of sorts, asking for suggestions to just what it might have been that Doctor Strange whispered to Red She Hulk in order for her to transform back to her human self in DEFENDERS v4 # 2. That post can be found - [HERE] (My complete review of the issue can be found [HERE]).

As anyone who read the issue (or even just my post(s) on it) knows, Red She Hulk needed to be SCARED in order to revert back to her human persona (that of Betty Ross). But, as a 7 foot tall, invulnerable, super-strong powerhouse, one can only imagine that it isn't an easy task to find something with which to sufficiently scare her. Even harder; imagine what could be so terrifying to be able to frighten her by it merely being whispered into her ear.

However, as seen in that issue of Defenders, Doctor Strange did just that.
The catch being, that the readers were not made privy to what was said. Only that it scared the living heck out of her, and that she then referred to Strange as; "the Creep".


So, to that end, I posed the aforementioned hypothetical question / contest to see what you, my readers, thought Doctor Strange may have said.  My own entry can be found at the original post - [HERE]. Your entries are now revealed below:

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Fanfix left a slew of entries; each as odd as the last. The best were:

"I’ve never been so hard.";

"...demonic, pants, fantastic, farewell!"

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H went classic Star Wars-ian with...

 "Betty... I am your father."

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DrFurball actually went to the effort of using the template I provided and produced an actual image.
 http://i.imgur.com/wX0A5.png

click to embiggen

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H came up to bat again with a few new entries:

 

Starting with the appropriately meta;

 

"Your character is currently being written by Matt Fraction!"

 

And then continuing with the near-winner;

"I picture every woman I meet in Clea leggings. And Namor."

 

And the unnerving;

"Did I mention I'm an OB/GYN?"

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Bill tossed his hat in the ring with a last minute entry;

"Rick Santorum is beating Obama."

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And... the WINNER, with the absolutely MOST TERRIFYING thing that ANYONE could say to a fictional character is...
 

Oh. The HORROR!

This entry  (which I photoshopped into the entry presented above) was submitted by an "anonymous" commenter.

Such a shame, because the PRIZE for the Winning Entry was to be a truly awesome and valuable one - I was to appear at your home, or place of employment - in full Dr. Strange costume - and give to the winner a mint copy of Strange Tales # 110 - signed by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko (and the deed to the Brooklyn Bridge).

Oh well... better luck to everyone next time!

CARELESS WHISPERS -or- NEVER TALK TO STRANGE(RS) A Reader-Interactive-Participation Post

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*A Portion of Post Not Safe For Work*

(I'll note WHERE -in RED -below.)
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- DEFENDERS # 2 – 

By Matt Fraction and Terry & Rachel Dodson.

Whether you've read it or not, you may have heard of at least one scene from the issue, where Doctor Strange whispers something mysterious – and SCARY – into Red She-Hulk’s ear to thus trigger her transformation into her human persona; Betty Ross.

CLICK to "Red-She-Hulk-Size" any artwork.

 

 

 Stephen Strange; Graduate of the Dale Carnegie School.

So now, I’m asking YOU FOLKS to grab the scan that I provide and put some words into the mouth of Stephen Strange. Either grab a quote from another comic, or think of your own and then, either post the image – sending me the link – or send me the art and I’ll post them all at a later date. Or, if you've no means to muck around with the image - just write it in as a comment below. Winner gets some kind of honor or prize. We’ll see.

To save full-size image:
CLICK to open image full-size,
then Right Click and 'Save As' to your computer.
Then, have fun!

 I have my OWN theory as to what Strange may have said, and thus have made it into an interactive “game / contest” of sorts – in its own post (separate from the actual REVIEW of the issue [HERE]). I took a quote (an actual word balloon) from another comic and pasted in place.

I present it here and now for your amusement / dismay.

*Warning: MY entry is NSFW*

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(turn away now if you're at work)

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My entry uses an actual PUBLISHED word balloon from an actual PUBLISHED comic (albeit, one of the worst comics ever created): Jim Balent's T-n-A gorefest;

TAROT : WITCH of the BLACK ROSE - issue #53.

Possibly one of the most famous (or infamous) quotes from that issue (If not of the entire title’s published history) – and seen all over the interwebs:

“Samatha Brown! You have to get out of here! Your VAGINA Is HAUNTED!”

Obviously, this comment is all kinds of wrong, and would certainly be enough to freak out Red She-Hulk. The "haunted" aspect was just something that I'd imagine Strange being able to perceive.
(Not that Red-Shulkie's nether-regions are nether-dimensional in any way.) Heck, I didn’t even bother changing the name from Samantha Brown to Betty Ross, because I think keeping the other’s name makes it even creepier.

Here's the original panel from Tarot (if you don't believe me).
And, No. I don't own the actual comic. I got this scan from the inimitable ISB - [HERE]

The black nudie-censor bar is not in the comic.

It's not exactly Archie's Double Digest.

Originally, I wanted to use a line from an actual Doctor Strange comic, something that HE had stated, and use it out of context, but the Tarot quote just would not let go.

Oddly enough, the concept of a 'haunted vagina' isn't just limited to comics.
There is an actual NOVEL of the same name (and subject) by Carlton Mellick III (Amazon sales page HERE). So, maybe Dr. Strange WOULD have encountered this. That would be some house-call.

So, I leave it to you, surfers of the web, to create your own version of this scene, and either post the image – sending me the link – or send me the art (or, if you've no means to muck around with the image - just write it in as a comment below) and I’ll post them all at a later date (both HERE and in their own post).

If you have your own blog and want to use it as a post there, fine. Just send me a link to it so i can direct people your way. And I'd ask that you put the link to my post there, so as to keep it all nice and friendly-like.
Pass the word. I’d love to have a big array of entries to showcase.
Yes... They can be submitted anonymously. (I certainly wish MINE could be.)

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Also, don't forget to check out the actual review of DEFENDERS # 2 [HERE].

CLEA LOVES SEX - ADDENDUM Limericks from the Book of Vishanti Warning: "Adult" Content Advisory

Over at Neilalien's blog, he is requesting limericks (Dr. Strange related would seem appropriate) in order to test out a new email account at his orbital HQ.

I sent him two that I conjured up on the spot.
Due to lack of time for any serious content on my own blog, I'm posting them here as well - and linking back to Neilalien's request [HERE] - so don't forget to go there and submit your own!)

In keeping with my "Clea Loves Sex" motif, I, of course, focused on her desires.
They're both the same basic idea, but with slightly differing angles (one tame and merely suggestive - the other ... fairly blatant)

Anyone who is easily offended by bawdy limericks or hints at sexuality best move on to other sites for today.

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Stepping forth from a sorcerous plume
Doctor Strange dropped the Wand of Watoomb
For by a spell it did shake
And undulate like a snake
So Clea took it back to her room

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Doctor Strange granted Clea a treasure
Watoomb's Wand; its worth far beyond measure
In her chamber she'd stay
Using it night and day
For she found it was ribbed for her pleasure

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My apologies to any impressionable or sensitive readers out there.
While hardly "Adult" content, I still placed the warning up in the subject header - as a fail-safe.
I don't think it strong enough to actually FLAG as such, however.


I truly need to wrap up my other reviews and get onto other stuff.
Sadly, I have had no time lately.
Packing, packing, and more packing here at the Sanctum as we prepare for a move in the next month or so.

I'll get something new here soon.
In the meanwhile, don't forget to stride over to Neilalien's dimension and send him your own limericks.

"Tamam Shud!"
~P~

By the Hoary Hosts of the High-Speed Modem!

Hello once again, my friends.

This is just an update to let you know that while my helpers are working on getting my stuff up on the eBay, it's taking a bit longer than we had expected.

I used to blog (rather quickly, I might add, and mostly late at night) via the Macbook Pro laptop computer than I was given by my ex-employer.
It was a thing of beauty.

However, now that the machine has been lost to me (taken back by the job), I am left with a few very outdated tower machines (and a horrid Dell laptop that needs to be taken out into the field and given the "Office Space" copy machine treatment).

So, long story short... it's taking a little longer than expected to get things up and running.

However, I'd imagine that the first wave of items will be ready to go soon, and then it should be a constant stream of stuff.

I'm having them release to the masses some NON-Sanctum swag in the first few waves.
(y'know... just in case a miracle happens)

This is still primo stuff.
Lots of vintage swag, old out-of-print TPB's, hardcovers, games, toys, posters, statues, action figures, apparel, pinbacks and buttons, entire runs of comics (anything from SANDMAN, HELLBLAZER, STARMAN, MAGE, An unbroken run of X-MEN from # 95 all the way to the mid-late 1990's. And every other title known to geeks worldwide). Marvels, DC's, independents, oddities and rarities.
Silver age goodies. Bronze Age too. Modern titles and variants as well.

And it's not just comic stuff either.
I've got the original VERTIGO TAROT - in VG/NM condition, old TSR game modules and hardcover guides.

All stuff that I was supposed to have used as starter stock for a comic shoppe that we had wanted to open many years ago (hence the name; "Sanctum Sanctorum Comix").

THEN, when (and if I need to put) the Doctor Strange and my personal Sanctum Sanctorum Comix collection up for grabs... well... look out!

I have things in there that I had so fervently wished to share with the world via this blog.
Rarities, one-of-a-kinds, impossible-to-find stuff and some fairly common but still super-cool goodies - I get excited just thinking about it all.
I might be able to still blog about the stuff as it's going up for sale, but the orderly manner in which I was carefully crafting here (prior to all of this) may have to be sacrificed.

That's bothering me almost as much as the thought of having to unload it all.

As for me... I need to update my resume and continue looking for gainful employment.
If anyone out there knows of a place where a very creative, dedicated and detail oriented artist/ illustrator/ designer/ storyboard artist (and sometimes writer & voice-over guy) with extensive Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator (as well as other software and traditional hand-drawing) experience (as well as being web-savvy and a heck of a nice guy) can get a telecommuting gig (I'll be picking up the new laptop soon enough) - OR a good in-house position anywhere from Eastern PA to NYC... just send a note via the email addy on the sidebar.

Sadly, I have found it to be all too true:
It's sometimes not WHAT you know... but WHO you know.
And I know you people are some of the greatest I've "met" in years.

Thanks everyone.
Watch this space for more updates.

And EVENTUALLY, I'd like to get back to actual BLOGGING here.
(wouldn't THAT be nice?)

Could DR. STRANGE extending Credit Card privileges have led to the "Progressive Ruin" of the economy?

It's a rainy, miserable day today, and I can't quite think straight, so I was going to take the day "off" from the blog.

That was before I saw that Mike Sterling, over at "Progressive Ruin" ran an entry today dealing with THIS item:

Marvel Comics retailer promo "sign" (1992)

As a collector of ALL-THINGS DOCTOR STRANGE, I, of course, have this curiosity.
(I yoinked the image from Mikester. I mean... they're identical, so honestly, why take a pic of mine?)

I obtained mine while working at an antiquarian book store / comic shoppe back then.
My shoppe never used it as it was intended, and the managers (my friends) knew of my propensity towards Dr. Strange. So... like the "Tower of Power" ... it became mine.

It's not quite a "poster", since it's printed on a medium weight card stock and measures only about 9 inches wide by 12 inches high.
It's more of a "sign" than a "poster", and it's function falls squarely within "sign" territory anyway, since it's purpose (aside from being a ghastly eyesore - as I'll describe later) was to inform comic shoppe clientele that said establishment accepted credit cards.

However, (and I'll paraphrase what I wrote in the comments section of Mike's blog entry):
Whenever I look at this sign, it always makes me wonder;
"What the hell is UP with this thing?"

From top to bottom it's a train-wreck.

- First off; as much as I lurve DOC, I can't imagine ANYONE in a comic shoppe thinking that HE would be the BEST, most recognized figure to hawk their credit card policy.
(Unless it's that he's an upright, elder gentleman, as opposed to Marvel's corporate trademark, who is just some punk kid with a full face-mask who may or may not be a "Threat or Menace".)

- Another problem (well... it's all part of this problem really) is the DESIGN... GAH!!!
Is it SUPPOSED to be hard to determine that the "spell" Doc is casting is in the shape of the U.S. Dollar "$" sign? But then, his right hand should be pointing "the horns" downward, in order to more accurately make that work.

It's also impossible to know what the hell that red pointy thing is behind him (unless you KNOW who Doc is and what his costume looks like and that it is the collar of his Cloak of Levitation).
To the average customer, it's just a distraction.

- The art and coloring are ATROCIOUS and actually cause the consumer to look away, recoiling in horror at it's badness (and not "bad" as in "good", either).

RED lettering on a pale BLUE background?
Besides being illegible (with a crappy font) it causes the text to appear as if it's vibrating (because the two opposing colors are vying for your eyes' attention) and will seriously cause epileptic fits.
Speaking of the font itself; a "scary" font? Really? Why would you make a sign that looks all "scary", if for all intents and purposes, it's supposed to soothe you into using your credit card (ostensibly to make larger purchases)?

And shouldn't it state: "Dr. Strange SAYS..."?

This thing is just a train-wreck of signage, at cross-purposes with itself.

However, as a collector of ALL-THINGS DOCTOR STRANGE... I have it.

I loathe myself sometimes.



My apologies to Mr. Sterling.
I have no desire to "steal" his content.
It's just that, y'know... I've got a Dr. Strange centric blog that focuses on the items in my collection.
C'mon!

It's bad enough, that I'm presenting this "out of order" (as readers of this blog may have realized that) since I'm presenting items in their respective category/ subjects in a chronological manner.
When I get around to posters, prints and signs... I'll have to link BACK to this entry when this item comes around in rotation.

Let's see...
Geek? Check.
Became a comic reader/ collector? Check.
Obsessive-compulsive about it? Check.
Getting worse as the years go on? Check.
So much so that I now have a blog about it all? Check.
Obsessive-compulsive about that too? Check.

That darned Mike Sterling is right... it is a "Progressive Ruin".


Read Mike Sterling's PROGRESSIVE RUIN every day.
I do. And YOU should too.
(...and this blog. You should read my blog every day as well.)

The Search for, Nature and History of... the Sorcerer Supreme : EXCLUSIVE! Choice of WHO will be the NEW Sorcerer Supreme - REVEALED!

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*** SPECIAL NOTICE ***

MAJOR SPOILERS
are revealed in this post
- about the Search for the Next Sorcerer Supreme -
and just WHO has been chosen!

If you do not want to have that mystery spoiled for you...
DO NOT READ THIS POST!

* ------------- *

Continuing the coverage of my exhaustive overview of
"The Search for, Nature and History of the Sorcerer Supreme"
I bring you THIS exciting EXCLUSIVE SCOOP!

By intercepting an erroneously posted (and almost immediately deleted) message board post, by Brian Mickael Bendis, the identity of his selection for the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme has been uncovered.

The brief missive (ostensibly written as a private message to Jo Quesada and artist, Billy Tann) named his choice and gave his reasons for the selection.

For reasons of privacy and potential issues of legality, I will not reprint the entry here - instead just paraphrasing and making known the choice that was made for the new bearer of the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme.

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Readers of Marvel Comics over the past several years have obviously become aware of writer Brian Michael Bendis' affection for certain 01970's characters, and his desire to raise B-list (or even C or D-list) characters to a level of prominence, will not be shocked by the news revealed in that aforementioned board entry.

Previous characters who have been given the golden touch are:

Luke Cage and Spider-Woman

"Sweet Mama!" is an apt quote for both characters.

The new golden-child is from the same mid-01970's era.

In fact, as to the identity of the "Chosen One"... if close attention was paid, readers of such works as New Avengers and Secret Invasion would have seen the subtle clues that were laid out in previous issues.

Brian Mickael Bendis' choice for Stephen Strange's replacement is present in ALL of the images shown below (as well as many other scenes and panels).

*click images to make "Supreme-sized"*

Would you like to hazard a guess as to the character in question?
DO you believe that you can pick ... "the One"?

Lest I keep you in the dark for too long, allow me to reproduce those above images, but with the selection - REVEALED!

Yes.


YES!


YES!

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YES!!
The choice for the new Sorcerer Supreme is...

HOWARD the DUCK!
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Take a close look at this image:

Notice that both Doctor Strange and Howard the Duck
are looking at the same thing
(and the same direction - metaphorically sharing their view)
and share the exact same expression.

COINCIDENCE?
Not likely.

The fact of the matter is; Howard was being hidden... in plain sight.

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Now, I am SURE that many of you are doubting the truth of this revelation.
However, to prove the point of Howard's suitability and worthiness of the title, we can look directly at his prior magical experience and tutelage under Doctor Strange as both; mentor and mystic instructor.

Read these few selections, if proof is what you require.

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Howard reveals his inclination towards do-goodery,
despite the personal cost.

Howard the Duck # 10
Steve Gerber / Gene Colan / Steve Leialoah

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Given instruction by Dr. Strange, Howard temporarily became
Mallard of the Mystic Arts!
Sensing the duck's inherent talents, future tutorship was offered.

Marvel Treasury Edition # 12
Steve Gerber / Sal Buscema / Klaus Janson

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It is obvious that the erstwhile student shall become the Master and Supreme Sorcerer of the Marvel Universe.

Howard's entire storied history details a character with mystical origins, as he had first come to our world via a shift in the cosmic axis; falling through to the Nexus of All Realities.

His first adventures were with such mystic entities as:
the Man-Thing, sorceress Jennifer Kale, master mage Dakimh the Enchanter, Korrek the barbarian, and more.
Steeped in mystical lore, having battled against wizards and magically enchanted monsters, Howard is no stranger to the ways of magic.

This will be a bold new day will show Howard's true valor, worthiness, selfless nature and eagerness to be protector of his adopted homeworld, as evidenced by his first edict when assuming the mantle...

Howard the Duck Magazine # 08
Dave Sim

And AS kumquats, we will be safe in the tender gloved hands (wings?) of this caring gardener of spirits...

DOCTOR the DUCK: Mallard of the Mystic Arts
and
SORCERER SUPREME!

Unfortunately, message board writer Brian Mickael Bendis is not Marvel writer; Brian Michael Bendis, and frankly, the crack-job opinions of some hack message-board troll writing to two other clowns (Jo Quesada and artist, Billy Tann) who seem to have screen-identities similar to Marvel creators (real original, guys) have no bearing as to what will come to pass in the comics written by Marvel's Bendis.

Maybe.
If anyone had tried to lay claim that Luke Cage would eventually become an A-list power-player and leader of the Avengers... they'd have been laughed-at to death.

But, by the same token, anyone claiming that Spider-Woman would be a hot character would have been met with emphatic agreement - as she has the sexiest costume of any female super-hero - ever.

The Sorcerous Sauce...

The past few weeks have been brutal.
Replace Doc's bottle of Vodka * with one of Bourbon, and that's me there **.

* Don't worry. He doesn't take the drink.

**I however, will. ***
I may even imbibe out of my Doctor Strange toon tumbers.

*** I'll avoid driving my sports car into a tree though ****...
The likelihood of my hooking up with a centuries-old Tibetan monk and his teaching me the mystic arts is pretty slim.

****Even slimmer than the chances that I would even HAVE a sports car.

CURSE ME FOR A NOVICE! : 03-16-09 The Forgotten Things...

From Marvel Premeire # 12
Steve Engelhart & Frank Brunner

Alas, I too have been so fixated upon the multitudes of weightier matters as of late, that I let myself lose sight of the basic, structured order of things around here.

Besides being far behind on 2 major posts that I'm eager to get in the can soon, I ALSO missed announcing when I had my 100th POST (several posts ago) - but to top it ALL off, I find myself having to squeeze in some RETRO-POSTS in between older ones (thusly screwing up further which post truly was the 100th - not that it was anything specially prepared for the occasion), in order to correct a mistake in the chronological nature of my "Idol Pursuits" series.

Somehow, I had skipped over two items that needed to be blogged about before my last batch of entries (of the Dr. Strange PVC, the "Man-Thing" rubber figure & the assorted Marvel PVC's).

Those forgotten items are: the 01984 Marvel / TSR r.p.g. metal figures - & - the standees for the same game!

So, now that I have made sure that the forgotten posts have been placed in their rightful order, and renumbered the entries to make right the error, I'll have to make THIS post the official "gatekeeper" for them - by using it to direct you kind readers there.

• 01984 Marvel / TSR Metal Miniature figurines (HERE)

• 01984 - 01991 Marvel / TSR r.p.g. standees (HERE)

Hope springs eternal that it will be quite some time before I err enough to exclaim;
"Curse me for a novice!"

Who Wants to Win WATCHMEN Wares?

I am besides myself to think of some kind of link between WATCHMEN and the focus of my blog which would justify my posting this shameless bit of sales pitching.

However, I just tossed a few items up on eBay - all of them WATCHMEN related.

Because it sometimes takes several hours (6 - 12 hours!!) for some items to show up in the search, I'm going to link to the individual items.

The eBay ID (the_nook_shoppes) belongs to a seller "commune" I belong to; basically a group of affiliated sellers all under one banner. I used to have my own seller account, but I never have the time for packing and whatnot, so I give them the items for shipping.

Here are the items up for grabs:

WATCHMEN Metal Figures Set - EXTREMELY RARE!

***EDIT***
Auction for this item has ended

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WATCHMEN SOURCEBOOK - Extremely RARE!

***EDIT***
Auction for this item has ended

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WATCHMEN - issues 11 and 12 Alan Moore! Dave Gibbons!

***EDIT***
Auction for this item has ended

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WATCHMEN MOVIE! Promotional Poster! SILK SPECTRE! HOT!

***EDIT***
Auction for this item has ended

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WATCHMEN MOVIE! Promotional Poster! The COMEDIAN! HOT!

***EDIT***
Auction for this item has ended

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Yeah... you'll notice I went to the school of ALL CAPS AND EXCLAMATION POINTS!

And, yes, BOTH Silk Spectre and the Comedian are "HOT"!
I'm open-minded.
:-)

My listings are as verbose as my blog-posts - but I make SURE to give every bit of useful information you might require.

So... feel free to take a gander.
All lots start at .99 cents - no reserve.

Bid Early, Bid Often.

Now, if only I could somehow link WATCHMEN to this blog, I'd feel much better about all this.

"Dead WRAITH in alley this morning, tire tread on burst stomach!"

Oh, BLESS you, ROM! Bless your silver soul!

An Evil deed in tribute of an Evil entity

OK.
I'm not sure what the rules are for proper web-etiquette, but I'm sure misappropriating someone else's blog-content for your own blog might be the # 1 "sin".

Still, I don't wish to be a content thief, but this is too awesome not to steal er... share, and have as a permanent addition to the blog.

As stolen... oh, heck... yeah... stolen from Neilalien, a YouTube tribute to MY favorite Doctor Strange baddie... heck, probably my favorite villain - PERIOD:

SHUMA GORATH!!!



Set speaker volume to "Bleedin' from the Ears!"

It. Is. Too. Freakin'. Cool.

Anyway, I can always say I was mind-controlled or something.

Sorry Neilalien. 'twont happen again.

Although, maybe I can use this as a good forum for a question I have:
While checking out the original vid on YouTube, I saw someone's comment where they inquire about the image that is shown at 2:15 ... he wanted to know WHERE that image came from and I am at a loss.
As a HUGE Shuma Gorath fan, I also have (so I thought) all of his appearances, and can name each and every other image's origin (except for the original pencil drawings,) but that one image doesn't ring any bells.
Can anyone help place that pic?

Perhaps if someone might be able to answer, some GOOD might come of this EVIL deed.

Regular original content will resume later tonight.