A picture (or two) is worth a thousand exclamations of delight!

How can something so minor make me so happy?

In reply to my LAST post (about the subtle nature of Doctor Strange's involvement in this "MARVELS : Eye of the Camera" series) my friend Howard Hallis emailed me and mentioned the pic of Doc at the END of the issue (issue # 2).

I had totally forgotten that I had seen that, because I was so damned pleased about the RABBIT thing, that I neglected to mention it in yesterday's post.

Good thing too, because when I went to get the pic just now I took another look at that panel and also saw...

MAN-THING!
DOCTOR STRANGE & MAN-THING are both hidden away in this title.

click pic to zoom in.

Man-Thing is seen at the very top center of the page (behind the Daredevil & Iron Man pics).
Dr. Strange is seen to the far right of the page, in a pic obviously taken after he made the "House of Shadows" disappear (from Strange Tales v1 # 120 - and mentioned in this blog in this old post HERE).

Kurt Busiek & Jay Anacleto are making me a happy fanboy thus far.
I don't need to have Doc (or Manny) front and center all the time.

Would I LIKE to see Strange in a more meaty role in this book?
Well... SURE.
But, sometimes a good, well-placed and purposefully hidden cameo is more than enough.

Also, there's something to be said for the child-like joy of finding hidden treasures like this. Almost like Christmas. Or finding an Easter Egg (a mossy, muck-encrusted mockery of an egg, that will burn you... but that's neither here nor there).

I'd love to have some more "urban legend", "boogie-men" type of appearances for these two characters.
Sure beats "deus ex machina" and "plot device" any day.

Thanks again Kurt & Jay (and Howard)!

Dwell in Shadows - NO MORE!

ROM: SPACEKNIGHT had his trusty TRANSLATOR with which to more easily facilitate the communication process
(in this case, with the "Dweller in Shadows").
My only technological resource is to open COMMENTS for EVERYONE.

I know I have a POLL that is currently going on, which was to determine if I should have comments open to all or just "registered" users, but thus far, even though there haven't been a deluge of votes garnered, the majority seem to be leaning towards having the lines of communication wide open. I'll still let the poll continue, but unless the majority swings away from this trend, I'll leave the comment process open for all (even the "dreaded" anonymous user).

I figured I'd best do this NOW, before I had too many posts in the can.

But, WHY have ROM as the spokesman for this stage in the blog?
Well, he IS of the characters of focus for this blog (even though he hasn't been showcased as such as of yet). Still, he was the "great communicator" of 01980's comics, wishing to open discourse with words before letting his silvery mittens of justice mete out his message.

THIS issue and sequence was chosen (as a perfect launch-point) because of the connection to a certain mystic master...

This entire sequence from ROM # 05 (Bill Mantlo, Sal Buscema) where he battles
the House of Shadows,
seen prior to that in Strange Tales #120.

Sal Buscema's take on a famous Steve Ditko scene.

Doctor Strange KNOWS your secret!

And, I would like to know as well.
So, DWELL IN SHADOWS NO LONGER!

Feel free to go through the past posts and leave your comments (future posts too - when they are made manifest*).

* Even though I'm not ready for the giant blog-post that I promised (it WILL be ready for the weekend, however), I thought that I'd toss this up here now - in preparations for it and the digital tsunami of feedback that will surely follow.
Oh, yes. Most assuredly. ;-)