Wednesday, October 28, 2009

MYSTIC GARB : DR. STRANGE APPAREL
- part 3 : TEAM-UP APPEARANCE T-SHIRTS

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Welcome back, to this, Part 3 of a series of posts that will seek to catalogue my extensive collection of Doctor Strange (and related 6-Dimensions characters) apparel!

Previous parts of this series:
MYSTIC GARB : DR. STRANGE APPAREL

- part 1 : CAPS and TIES
- part 2 : SOLO APPEARANCE T-SHIRTS

can be found at those links.

Today's installment continues with my collection of Doctor Strange T-SHIRTS.

As discussed last time, since I have so darn many Dr. Strange related shirts, I have to divide them all into three groups.

Today is Subsection B : Dr. Strange TEAM-UP Appearances (meaning; shirts that have Dr. Strange and any other number of heroes - from a duo to a group)!

---

*Note*
LOOK FOR UPDATED ENTRIES

- Placed in chronological order of manufacture and release! -


While Dr. Strange had his first SOLO shirt in the 1960's, it took a little while longer for him to appear on a TEAM-UP and/or GROUP shirt.

First up (at least as far as I know) was this 1991 shirt featuring the George Perez cover art for INFINITY GAUNTLET # 1.

I'll show the cover here so you may get a better view at the work.

Dr. Strange in the far left quadrant.

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Next is this spectacular shirt produced by Marvel license-holder; COMIC IMAGES from 1992 featuring a full-shirt wraparound image of the
MIDNIGHT SONS!

Because this blog is also about characters like the Midnight Sons, I'll list the characters, from left to right / top to bottom:

Background:
-Big-Assed Ghost Rider skull

Front of shirt:
Giant head of Dr. Strange, Ghost Rider, Hannibal King, Johnny Blaze, Morbius

Back of shirt:
Agent Sam Buchanan, Victoria Montesi, Nakota, Lilith, Pilgrim, Infinks, Blackout, Meatmarket, Frank Drake, Blade, Dwarf


This kick-ass image was used on the kick-ass "Rise of the Midnight Sons" trade paperback as well as the kick-ass poster shown here.

Artwork by Ron Garney

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The next year, 1993, Comic Images released this shirt, that reproduced the artwork from the promotional ads for the
SECRET DEFENDERS!

As with some other shirts in this section, I only have one of this shirt and it is still in its original package-wrapper. No worries. As usual, I will also show the whole image in the original context from whence it came. In this case... a Secret Defenders promotional in-store poster.

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Anyone who read the previous post in this series saw that one of the SOLO appearances shirts showcased an image of Dr. Strange from an issue of Uncanny X-Men (# 329). I mentioned that the following issue (# 330) also featured a TEAM-UP image that would garner its own shirt.

This shirt, produced by Comic Images in 1996, reprinted the image of Doctor Strange in a team up with The Angel (although, I'm pretty sure he was still being called ArchAngel then) and ancient Asian mystic, Gomurr against many shadowdemons.


The original image, from the issue, looked thus...

Uncanny X-Men # 330
(Joe Maduriera - artist /Scott Lobdell, Jeph Loeb - writers)
info found [HERE] on the GCD

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The following year, 1997, Dr. Strange was shown in a TEAM-UP image, with Elektra, in this Comic Images shirt.


This image came from Elektra (vol 1) # 4 with artwork by Mike Deodato.


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This next shirt, released in 2000 was one of the wares of GRAPHITTI DESIGNS, who was the Marvel license-holder at the time.

With artwork by Alex Ross, based on painted covers for the EARTH X series, it is one of the rare shirts that feature both a front and back image.


On the FRONT image, Dr. Strange displays his magic in the presence of the "classic" incarnations of the Marvel heroes.

However, on the BACK image, it is Mistress CLEA, the Sorceress Supreme of the "Earth X" reality, casting her spell along with the altered variant Marvel heroes.
These images showcased thereupon, were also released as deluxe edition lithographs.


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By the year 2000 numerous companies held licenses to produce Marvel apparel, and this is one of the generic pieces released during that time.
The graphic reproduced here is also by Alex Ross and was first released as a cover for a hardcover Marvel Encyclopedia.


If you're having a hard time spotting Dr. Strange, he is waaaaay in the back, using the light from the Eye of Agamotto to shine a bright spot on Ben Grimm's bald, rocky head!

The graphic is one those "rubbery" iron-on x-fer types that were ubiquitous on t-shirts in the 1970's. Back then, the rubbery material of the transfer would usually tend to dry up and crack if washed and dried more than a few times. Thus, between the uncomfortable nature of the rubbery-clinginess and the short lifespan, this shirt is safe from ever being worn by me.

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One of the more recent license-holders for Marvel apparel is MAD Engine. In 2007 they released this "retro" image of the George Perez artwork from the cover of Infinity Gauntlet # 3.



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*UPDATED Sept-02-2010*
- NEW ENTRY! -

Next, also from Mad Engine in 2007 is a reproduction of the 2-cover diptych image from 2007's New Avengers v1 # 27 (1:100 variant) and Mighty Avengers # 1 (1:100 variant).



Art by Leinil Yu

Image detail showing Doctor Strange - behind Wolverine.
(How wrong is it that ONLY Wolverine is in color.
Not even Spider-Man.
Although, Spidey is in his black costume so maybe he IS in color...).

Here are the original comic covers.


The full image would also be used as a full-color poster - allowing everyone and not just Wolverine to be given the limelight.

---

*UPDATED Sept-02-2010*
- NEW ENTRY!


Also from Mad Engine in 2007 is this cover image by John Romita Jr., taken from the cover to WORLD WAR HULK : Prologue.


What? Can't see Doc? Check out one of the bodies at Hulk's feet.
Here's a close-up.

Momma say; "Knock Doc Out!"
or should that be; "Mamma say; "Doc, You Out!"

This was the cover to the issue in question.


However, in typical "not-easy-being-a-Dr.Strange-fan" fashion, the UPC code box covered Strange on the cover.
Luckily, there was a promotional poster and card for this event - that didn't obscure Doc.


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2008 saw Mad Engine's release of this bright blue shirt showcasing a reworked variation of the cover of MARVEL TEAM-UP (vol3) # 1.


As an ADDED BONUS!!! This shirt is the FIRST ONE to also feature the MAN-THING!
Manny is to the far left, his head behind Hulk's bicep. Doc is up top at the right flying behind the Human Torch.The difference between the shirt image and the comic cover is that for some reason, someone decided to replace Scott Kollins' very good upside-down Spider-Man with a more generic right-side-up version.
Frankly, they both showcase Spidey with legs akimbo, and his ass and junk prominently displayed, so I don't see any reason for the new drawing of Spidey. I guess aside from a reason of pseudo-censorship, it might just be that they thought that asses-up Spidey was less marketable than a head's-up version. Go figure.

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Mad Engine (and Marvel?) is heavily into the "many characters on one shirt" concept, so they keep cranking out items with that type of image. So in 2008 we saw the release of this bright yellow garment with a reproduction of Sal Buscema's cover art for Marvel Legacy Handbook - 1960's Edition.


The printing style is "distressed" and as I mentioned at the end of yesterday's post, I loathe
pre-damagedstressed clothing.

Since the nature of the "distressed" image makes it difficult to see who's who, here is the cover to the comic from whence it came.
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2008 saw this "Marvel Civil War" themed item. Also by Mad Engine, featuring the art of Steve McNiven.

For some unknown reason, the image has a raised rubbery border of puffy-paint around it, with raised rubbery puffy-paint lettering below.
The image was the wrap-around cover to Civil War # 1 (as well as a poster released around the same time as this shirt). Dr. Strange is the figure on the far right - at the graveyard scene.


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2008 was a banner year for Dr. Strange group shots because next we see a Mad Engine shirt with the group shot from the CIVIL WAR "Whose Side Are YOU On?" campaign.


Art by Steve McNiven

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Next up in the 2008 hit-parade was this shirt, produced by Mad Engine for HOT TOPIC, showcasing the Leinil Yu artwork that heralded the beginning of the SECRET INVASION!


The cover to SECRET INVASION SAGA showed typical disrespect to Dr. Strange by placing the UPC barcode over his face, so I'll give you the unadorned version below.
No respect.
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*UPDATED Sept-02-2010*
- NEW ENTRY!

Next up from 2008, again from Mad Engine is this cover image to New Avengers v1 # 42.

Can't see Doctor Strange? Look down to the bottom left of the image
(bottom right of the shirt).
See that EAR and bit of the side of his head?
(Yes. I got it even with such a small bit of an appearance. Such is the power of the magic monkey on my back. Quiet you. Don't judge me.)

While Strange is shown even less on the actual comic cover of New Avengers v1 # 42 (although for a promotional ad, he was more plainly visible) I knew it was him - because as this cover image should look familiar to old-school Avengers fans, it is the "Skrullification" of the cover to Avengers v1 # 221.

ROM was replaced with Jocasta in the modern version.
*SPOILER* Hawkeye and She-Hulk are the winners.

So, to recap, if you put Dr. Strange's left ear on a shirt, I will obviously buy one.

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The next release in 2008 was this black and white jumbo all-over print, showcasing a massive GOOD GUYS -vs- BADDIES confrontation, produced by Mad Engine.
The artwork is the generic computer "inked and airbrushed" works that are ubiquitous in today's license packets for all Marvel licensees to utilize.

Dr. Strange is at the top left-center, flying just under the neck-line of the shirt.



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My last such "TEAM-UP" shirt is another 2008 release by Mad Engine featuring the same artwork as the previous B/W shirt, only rearranged slightly.


Doc is at the middle height, at the far right of the shirt. Here he is shown in detail.


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*UPDATED May-05-2010*
- NEW ENTRY! -


Both of these new shirts are from 2010, also from Mad Engine, which feature mass groupings of Marvel comics' Super-Heroes.

The first is a reproduction of the "famous" cover to the first issue of the very first Marvel mini-series crossover "event" ; Contest Of Champions".

Doctor Strange is seen on the right side
(our right side, not the shirt's right side)
above Hulk and below Human Torch.


And- here's mine - still in baggie.



For the sake of context, this is the cover to the issue from 1982.(drawn by John Romita Jr)

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*UPDATED May-05-2010*
- NEW ENTRY! -

The second is a mash-up of recent comic covers all featuring groupings of teams.


Doctor Strange is seen on the left side
above Iron Man.


And- here's mine - still in baggie.


Doctor Strange is a part of the clandestine "Illuminati" team, and is taken from the cover to
New Avengers : Illuminati # 1 (2007)

(as drawn by Jim Cheung & Mark Morales)


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*UPDATED Jan-09-2011*
- NEW ENTRY! -
 This shirt, a 2010 release from MAD ENGINE reproduces the cover artwork from the
Origins of Marvel Comics 1-shot comic.



Here is mine, still in packaging.


For SOME unknown reason, MAD ENGINE made changes to the artwork for the shirt, by replacing Deadpool and Rogue with obviously out-of-context-and-style poses of The Beast and YellowJacket.

And this is the original comic cover.

  artwork by CHRIS STEVENS

 The Marvel Pyramid, as I call it - with Doctor Strange at the top - as it should be!

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*UPDATED Oct-09-2011*
- NEW ENTRY! -

This shirt is a 2011 release from JUNK FOOD and features "THE MIGHTY MARVEL SUPERHEROES" with a blurb that says "MARVEL'S TV SENSATION!" That is because this shirt features all of the various Marvel heroes who have had their own TV SHOW (or in the case of Doctor Strange... a TV MOVIE - which was really a television PILOT episode for a show that wasn't picked up by the network).


Here's a close-up of the shirt graphic.

 

Hulk (who sported one live-action and one animated series), Spider-Woman (she had a cartoon series), The Thing (the FF have a few animated series under their belts), Doctor Strange (hugging up against Spider-Woman's hip), Captain America (a veteran of several made-for-TV movies/pilots), Invisible Woman (also of the FF shows) and of course, Spider-Man - he of live-action and animated fame.

Since these shirts are manufactured to be "stressed" and pre-faded, it may be hard to see Doctor Strange in there. To help you find him, they used this old John Romita Sr. artwork - just look for this pose:


Notoriously absent are Sub-Mariner, Thor and Iron Man who had their own "animated" series' in the 1960's (although, Iron Man did also have a cartoon in the 1990's).

Since I have only purchased one, and this isn't a design that I would wear around town, I have not removed mine from the packaging, and so here it is.




 ---

*UPDATED Oct-09-2011*
- NEW ENTRY! -

This shirt, a 2011 release from MAD ENGINE reproduces the John Byrne cover artwork from the classic Fantastic Four v1 # 243.


From one of the very best issues of Fantastic Four - evah!

Doctor Strange joins with Avengers and Fantastic Four to battle Galactus!

For the same reasons as the previous shirt, here is mine, still in packaging.


However, I should note that there was one weird little tweak that Mad Engine did to the artwork. They added a figure of Spider-Man on the far right side. While Spidey does make a brief appearance in the comic story (with Daredevil), he does not join the fight against Galactus, nor is he actually on the cover.

This is the original comic cover.
 Doctor Strange kicking out kneecaps since 1963.
Story and artwork by John Byrne.
1000% awesome! (That is NOT a typo.)

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* UPDATED Oct-09-2011*
- NEW ENTRY! -

 The next "Team-Up" shirt is this one - also from MAD ENGINE in 2011 - that features a veritable 'Who's Who' of Marvel's super-heroes.



Allow me to present a close-up shot of the assorted members of the cape and cowl crowd.


 As many may immediately recall, this artwork was originally from the wrap-around cover for the first issue of (and poster for) "House of M" by Olivier Coipel. I present the color version below.

Mad Engine's design crew turned the "landscape" image into a "portrait" image by simply photoshopping the right side of the image to the bottom half on the new pic. They also, for some inexplicable reason, flipped the right side of the image which caused some heroes chest emblems to be seen in reverse (see YellowJacket, Dazzler and most obviously Daredevil). A little extra work and this could have been easily fixed. Truthfully, I'm not a big fan of Mad Engine because most of their designs are slapped together like this, with not quite enough work to make them of truly professional quality.

Still, since Doc is on it, I had to get one. Here's mine.



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* UPDATED May-05-2013*
- NEW ENTRY! -





OK... that was yesterday.
But, to commemorate the event, I'd like to share a certain bit of swag that I got as a result.

Instead, it is probably more "fitting" to showcase a piece of apparel (hence the "fitting" pun) that was the official t-shirt for Marvel's FCBD comic preview of INFINITY!


I'm not likely to take mine out of the plastic wrapper, due to the fact(s) that:

A) Doctor Strange is but a tiny head in the illustration

B) It's a bit too "busy" for me to wear

C) I only got one, since I had to pre-order it sight-unseen - as they had only a blank shirt with some lame question mark/ T.B.D. note on it, and thus had no idea if Dr. Strange would even BE on the shirt or even a part of the FCBD comic (as it was all hush-hush, super-secret, kept-under-wraps a few months back when the pre-order was due).

But, so you can all see what it looks like, I've whipped up my own photoshop mockup.

All current mock-up pics online (even Marvel's official one) are incorrect, having the wrong logos, but this is accurate (you're welcome).

Of course, the artwork, by Jim Cheung is taken from the cover to the FCBD preview issue of INFINITY - the 2013 Summer Event which sees many of writer Jonathan Hickman's various threads from his Avengers / New Avengers stories collide headlong with the Guardians of the Galaxy, Thanos and more!


There have been other shirts and assorted apparel that I've obtained before this one, but I'm ignoring the Obsessive-Compulsive voice screaming in my head, and am skipping them to showcase this one in a timely manner.

But those others will come soon (so, someone tell the voice in my head to chillax).

-------

There are hundreds of shirt styles presently being produced, by many license holders, and sadly, it is infrequent that any of them feature Dr. Strange.

Still, that's not horrible. There are always other characters who are interesting to show, some who many bear a tie to the magical realms of Doctor Strange, and then, there are also some bootleg, homemade ones as well...

Come back tomorrow for the next installment of this series:

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

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

Welcome back, to this, Part 2 of a series of posts that will seek to catalogue my extensive collection of Doctor Strange (and related 6-Dimensions characters) apparel!

Part 1 of this series:
MYSTIC GARB : DR. STRANGE APPAREL - part 1 : CAPS and TIES
can be found at that link.

Today's installment deals with the meat and potatoes of my Doctor Strange apparel collection - the T-SHIRTS!

However, since I have so darn many of them, I have to divide them all into three groups.

Today is Subsection A : Dr. Strange SOLO Appearances (meaning; shirts that have Dr. Strange and ONLY Dr. Strange on them - and mostly only officially released product. I'm not usually interested in knock-offs or home-made items)!

---

*Note*
LOOK FOR UPDATED ENTRIES
- Placed in chronological order of manufacture and release! -

We'll start off with the very FIRST Dr. Strange T-Shirt design, the classic version drawn by Steve Ditko!

As you'll see in this post, like many of my Dr. Strange shirts, I have two of these.
One (usually a Medium or Large) to wear, and one (usually an XL to get the biggest image possible)... not to wear. (Although, as you can see from the wrinkled nature of the "to wear" ones, I haven't worn them in ages and instead, they've been sitting in a box for a few years.)


Take a spin on the Way-Back Machine and look at one of the first advertisements that ran in some of the Marvel Comics issues in 1965. Amidst the many other Marvel collectible swag, Dr. Strange hawks his own shirt. And it could have been YOURS for $1.50.


Truth to tell, I don't actually own the real, authentic 1965 Marvelmania edition of this item.
Sadly, no. (Nearly every attempt at procuring one ends with the shirt selling for hundreds of dollars - and without winning some sort of lottery, I am unable to justify that.) What I do have is the re-issue that was released in the 1990's by Graphitti Designs.

In the early 2000's they also released the design as a long-sleeve shirt. So, I had to get one of those as well.


---

*UPDATED ENTRY*


NOTE: 
*READ EXCITING UPDATE TO THIS ENTRY
- IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING!*

Next up in this post is something of a "dream" shirt.
Around 1997 or so, whilst flipping channels on the TV, I clicked past a rerun of 1975 - 1984 TV show "One Day At A Time". The show, starring Bonnie Franklin, Mackenzie Phillips and Valerie Bertinelli dealt with a single mother raising her two daughters while juggling career and life.

Not interested in the show, I continued flipping past.
However, JUST before the channel moved past the show, a scene with a young boy speaking to one of the female leads popped onto screen.

I could have sworn that the young actor was wearing a shirt that looked like it had the classic 1980's Dr. Strange comic logo on it!

As fast as I could, I tried to return to the show, but by that time, the scene was ended and the character was gone.

I've whipped up a quick mock-up to show you what I THINK I saw.

The color scheme of the logo might not be accurate in my comp, but it seemed to be THAT logo!
I have been searching for that shirt, or any clue to its existence ever since.

Over a decade has passed since I caught that fleeting glimpse, and not one lead has presented itself.


The show only has a DVD collection for the first season available, with no clue as to when or if the next 8 seasons will ever be released.
With NO idea as to what episode I had stumbled across, from which season, even if I was able to access someone's private collection, that is one hell of a daunting task.

Perhaps someone out there might be able to shed some light on this old mystery.

Either way, it is one of my personal "grail" items - one that I will seek for my collection, either until I find one, or prove that no such item ever existed.

* EXCITING UPDATE!*

While "The Quest" (as I've called it) for long-sought "Grail Items" can take many, many years, with dogged determination, insane detail-oriented search techniques and sometimes... the help of a good friend, the Quest can sometimes be fulfilled.

As it turns out, the shirt DID / DOES exist and not only that...

It's finally mine.






Featuring the classic DOCTOR STRANGE logo which emblazoned the covers of his title from 1974 - 1987, this is not only nearly exactly what I mocked-up in my earlier description, but also the only Dr. Strange shirt to feature this logo at all (wherein all others that DO utilize a logo oft opt for earlier - or later - logos; all inferior to this one).

I'm unsure of the licensee for this one. The label says it's a "Screen Stars" shirt, but Screen Stars were usually just the manufacturer of the blank shirts, and some other company would buy them in bulk and print on them for resale. Was Marvel still releasing their own wares in the mid-1980's?

As can be seen in the close-up / detail photo, the shirt has a copyright date of 1984.
That makes it only the 2nd official Doctor Strange shirt - preceded only by the classic Steve Ditko illustrated shirt from 1965.

It also helps to pinpoint some information about where I saw it - on the "One Day At A Time" tv show. Since the show was cancelled in 1984 - its 9th season, the episode wherein I saw it MUST be one of those final ones. Also helping to narrow it down a bit is that the full cast isn't even in some of those episodes. So, in time, I'll be able to find video of the show and - hopefully - put the clip here alongside the shirt.


To give proper credit where due - it is once again, by the good graces of dear friend, Howard Hallis, that this uber-rare Doctor Strange garment finds its way into the magical wardrobe in my Sanctum. (This is the third uber-rare shirt Howard has either kindly stepped aside to allow me to acquire or obtained for me;  the others were: the "Marvel Picnic" shirt, and the "Stussy" Dr. Strange shirt - both seen later in this post.
Howard... THANK YOU!)

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After the 1965 Ditko shirt, the earliest solo shirt to actually show Dr. Strange was this one released in 1987.


The image is from a pin-up with artwork by famed illustrator, Bill Sienkiewicz.
Also a "Screen Stars" shirt (the manufacturer of the "blank" shirt), the print company is unknown to me.


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While Doctor Strange would appear in other shirts in the interim, his next solo appearance was this shirt from 1995 produced by COMIC IMAGES.

For the sake of completeness in this catalogue, I'll also show the packaging for the items that I have still "NRFB" (Never Removed From Baggie).


The artwork is taken from a rough draft of the cover of Doctor Strange; Sorcerer Supreme # 76 by artist Peter Gross. During this time in his "life", Marvel sought to make Strange more appealing to younger readers and thus gave him this extreme makeover. As you can see, the face and hair of Stephen Strange was cleaned up quite a bit from the version shown in the shirt.

As a pure nerdgasm moment, I want to mention that I own the original artwork (color airbrush work) for this cover. It's a powerful piece in real life. Very rich colors. One of my favorite covers.

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This was a red-hot time for Dr Strange apparel because within several months there would be more T-shirt love than any other time in his career.
Aside from a few "team-up" shirts (which we'll look into in our next installment - tomorrow) there were a few more "solo" tees released in rapid succession.

Very shortly thereafter, (within a few months) that "Kid Strange" look was tossed out and Marvel retooled Strange yet again, updating him as an urbane metrosexual for this late 1995 shirt.



Once again produced by Comic Images, who had the Marvel license then, this shirt is a representation of the comic art by Marc Buckingham for
Doctor Strange; Sorcerer Supreme # 80.

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Within a few months of the previous shirt, in early 1996, Marvel and Comic Images released this next one.

With artwork by Joe Madureira, this illustration was taken from a Dr. Strange guest-appearance in the pages of Uncanny X-Men # 329.

Uncanny X-Men # 329
(Joe Maduriera - artist /Scott Lobdell, Jeph Loeb - writers)
info found [HERE] on the GCD


This was a two-part story, and the following issue also produced a Doctor Strange image that would become its own shirt. However, it is a TEAM-UP illustration, and as such will be one of those we look at in tomorrow's installment.

---

*UPDATED Sept-02-2010*
- NEW ENTRY! -
Next is this nearly one-of-a-kind shirt from
MARVEL CHARACTERS (in-house) - 1996

I say "nearly-one-of-a-kind" because, as you'll soon understand, there were probably several of these made, but not many (if any) others are around today.

It was printed "in-house" at Marvel (or at least directly FOR Marvel, perhaps by one of their licensees, like Comic Images) for the express purpose of being the OFFICIAL shirt worn at the Marvel company PICNIC in 1996!

Wait!? What the heck is THAT?!?
OK. That's a tongue-in-cheek version of "EGO - the Living Planet" on the front depicted as "Ego - The Living PICNIC". Check it out.

Although, THIS is what EGO really looks like.




But that's not WHY it's in my collection. Oh, Heavens, No.
I have it because what is on the BACK of the shirt is this image...

"By the Salaminous Buns of Poupon!"
DOCTOR STRANGE conjuring forth some eats while wearing a Bar-B-Que bib!

"I want a hamburger... no, cheeseburger. I want a hot dog..."

The artwork for this shirt is obviously done specifically FOR this occasion by artist KELLEY JONES. His style is unmistakable.
It is odd that Jones would have drawn this since, by 1996 he was almost exclusively working for DC, only drawing a few Ultraverse and Marvel / Malibu crossovers as well as a few Marvel covers here and there.

What is also odd is that Strange is shown in his traditional garb (bib, notwithstanding) instead of the "new romantic" look he had at the time, as evidenced by the previous shirts shown above.

Stranger yet is that by summer of 1996 Doctor Strange's title had just been canceled!
Here was a character without a home, so to speak, so, I guess it made sense for him to be hanging out in Central Park grubbing food from Marvel bullpenners.

---

The next solo shirt would be more than a year since the one previous. By 1997 the t-shirt license was passed onto GRAPHITTI Designs. and this shirt was released, bearing the artwork of P. Craig Russell.

This image originated as the back cover image to this:
The "What is it That Disturbs You, Stephen?" graphic novella by P. Craig Russell.
Essentially, P.Craig Russel's magnum opus for Dr. Strange.

Fun Factoid
: The story in that deluxe edition was reworked, nearly panel for panel, from P.C.R.'s much earlier work found in Doctor Strange Annual # 1.

---

Not until 1999 would the next Doctor Strange "themed" solo shirt be released.
This time bearing not an image of the good Doctor himself, but instead, a variation on the "demonic" symbol that emblazons his tunic.


Produced by Graphitti, this design was created by Tony Harris for the
Doctor Strange; Flight of Bones
mini-series.
Some info on that series [HERE]
This iconographic symbol was only used in one other body of work, for the original SENTRY mini-series event.
Some info on that series [HERE]
What complicated matters was that while it was colored RED (as seen on this short) in the "Flight of Bones" series, it was colored light blue (like Doc's original design) in "Sentry".
While it was seen on a few "HeroClix" toys of Doctor Strange, afterwards, the design was nearly ignored by future artists, and variations of Strange's classic "demon" symbol would return.

***UPDATE / CORRECTION***
As seen in the comments section, comics scribe ROB WORLEY wrote in and reminded me that this symbol was also used in the (sadly, aborted by Marvel) Young Ancient One tale as seen (only) in EPIC Anthology # 1 from 2004.
There was also a VERY COOL mail-in offer for free Y.A.O. tattoos, which bore the symbol.

Needless to say, I gots me some of those.
The "YAO" website addy is no longer valid,
but the thanator.com part is, and is the home of Rob's works.

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This next shirt was something of a mystery to me. Still is, really - because it is the only one like it that I have ever seen.
It's an official release, but was an early production of the newest Marvel license-holder; "MAD Engine", and was seemingly available in limited quantities around 2005 or 2006.

The printing style is "distressed", which was / is fairly popular - although, truthfully, I am not a fan of "pre-damaged" print jobs. Luckily, the distressed nature of this piece isn't excessive.

The artwork, by Steve Rude, was among some of the character designs that he had drawn for use with licensed ancillary products.

Aside from this shirt, this pose was used for a few other items, a small representation of which is in a giant Marvel Universe group poster (but, sadly, he's barely a dot on the far horizon), also the Doctor Strange "Battle Dice" figure, as well as the promotional poster for the Marvel Legends "Galactus Series" assortment.An excellent piece of work (as are ALL of Steve Rude's works) this design seems to be "last year's model" and has seemingly been discontinued from Marvel's licensing.

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Personal factoid: I discovered the existence of this shirt while doing one of my usual internet searches for any and all things Strange - and came upon a curious YouTube video.

In the video, a guy was wearing this shirt, one that I had never seen before, and he was involved in some wrestling match while wearing it (and seemingly calling himself Dr. Strange).
I was transfixed. A shirt that I had never seen. A design that I could not place. A lead with only the slightest of clues.
I HAD to find that shirt.
For several months I hunted down any leads that I could find about the shirt or the image that it bore. After scouring nearly my entire comic collection to find that image - scouring to no avail - I eventually decided to try and make contact with the dude in the vid.

It took over a year of on again, off again attempts, but eventually, we were able to make a deal.
Luckily, the shirt had only been worn a few times, was in excellent condition and was freshly laundered by the time I received it.

Even though this post is quite nearly a full year since I told him I'd hope to feature it on the blog, allow me to present the video that led me to this shirt.

Presenting: Mike, aka; "Sunshine", aka; Owen Blaze.
Professional student, free spirit, drunken wrestler.





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Like several items in my collection, there are MANY knock-off / bootleg shirts out there that feature Marvel characters. I've seen several Dr. Strange shirts over the years that I passed on because they were merely "OK", and since they weren't official, I could walk away.

This next one, while being a bootleg, is of very nice quality, but also features my all-time favorite comic book cover:

DOCTOR STRANGE # 169

Artwork by Dan Adkins to what is my favorite comic book cover OF. ALL. TIME.
DOCTOR STRANGE (first series) # 169.
Essentially, Doctor Strange # 1
(Marvel's rules of publishing made it easier for titles to just carry older numbering over than start at a new number 1 - something unheard of today)

No need to show the actual cover since it is right there on the shirt.
However, info on that short-lived series can be found [HERE].


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*UPDATED Jan-09-2011*
- NEW ENTRY! -

Next is a shirt that reproduces one of my all-time favorite Doctor Strange covers.
A NEW shirt, manufactured and sold, from late 2010, as an online exclusive from MIGHTY FINE, it is a reproduction of the cover to:
Doctor Strange; Master of the Mystic Arts # 4.

 detail of artwork

Despite appearances, it is NOT an actual reproduction, but a re-drawing of the famous cover art by fan-favorite artist Frank Brunner.
Check out the differences in line quality and technique.
It's almost as if a Spanish or Filipino-style artist (like Alex Niño) inked over Brunner's pencils.

Below is the cover art original with Frank Brunner artwork.
 artwork by Frank Brunner

Why the Mighty Fine shirt company felt the need to redraw the artwork is unknown.
Suffice it to say, it is STILL 100% awesome!

My only complaint? And it is a minor one... the use of the 1960's / 1990's Dr. Strange logo.
It's my least favorite of all of the Doctor Strange logos.
I would have been thrilled if they had used the 1970's style logo present on the comic.

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*UPDATED Jan-09-2011*
- NEW ENTRY! -

 Next up, another late 2010 release, this time from IMPACT MERCHANDISE, sees the reproduction of an old-school Doctor Strange image.

 
 

 I am not opposed to the use of the 1960's Doc logo on THIS shirt, since that was the logo that would grace covers on that title (although not yet on the issue from whence the image originated.)

With artwork by Dan Adkins, this image is originally from the pages of Doctor Strange v1 # 171.


However, having been reworked in 1971 as a black light poster, post card and jigzaw puzzle by THIRD EYE productions, it is from THIS incarnation that the image was taken for use on this shirt.


And we all have a certain friend to thank for this being made manifest:
Howard Hallis; artist, bon-vivant and Dr. Strange fan of the Nth degree, was contacted by the company because they saw an image of the print on the website for his personal collection.
Asking him to provide a high-resolution scan of the piece scored him some free shirts.
(Of which, he was fabulous enough to score for me as well! - Thanks Howard!)


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*UPDATED Oct-09-2011*
- NEW ENTRY! -

 Continuing the tradition of Doctor Strange "solo" shirts, is this shirt that is something of a rare item, due to several factors - all of them mildly annoying.
Produced as a LIMITED EDITION SERIES of shirts, renowned indie clothing brand; STUSSY, grouped many underground artists with their favorite MARVEL characters for the STUSSY x MARVEL project. Hosting an impressive assembly of talent, including the likes of; Will Sweeney, David Shrigley, Bill Plympton, Gary Panter, John K., James Jarvis, Todd James, Mister Cartoon and Noah Butkus, working on such characters as; Doctor Strange, Captain America, Silver Surfer, Human Torch & Crystal, The Thing, Ghost Rider, Punisher, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Mystique, She-Hulk and others, the STUSSY x MARVEL project produced a couple of waves of product in April and May of 2011, and all items were available only via ordering from Stussy and only for a very limited time.

This first item is the DOCTOR STRANGE shirt showcasing a design by Noah Butkus.


 "Oh, man... I shouldn't have jokingly ordered 'magic mushrooms' on my pizza."


Doctor Strange- meditating in the lotus position, conjuring the Stussy logo amidst demonic creatures.
My shirt is on a plain white tee.
Other color choices included green, blue, red and black.


 Printed on the inside along the bottom seam is this code that dates the garment to April 16, 2011 (a week after my birthday) - along with the Stussy logo and all designed to emulate the old Issue/ Comics Code Autority box from nearly every Marvel comic in the 1980's.



One "strange" thing about this shirt is that the really cool image of Dr. Strange is ON. THE. BACK of the shirt. So if you're like me, and wear an open, unbuttoned button-down shirt (long or short sleeve) over a tee, no one can see the design on the back.
THIS photo here is of the FRONT of the shirt, which only displays a small, newly designed "logo" on the left breast.

One of the aforementioned "annoying" factors of the Stussy x Marvel project is that many of these shirts also came in an assortment of shirt colors.
Thus, if you are a nerdy, completist collector-monkey, like myself, you would find yourself hard-pressed (and broke) if you tried to get one in each shirt color.

Still, I'm not THAT bad with my mania (much... anymore...) and am quite content to be MORE than satisfied with my single acquisition. ESPECIALLY, since it came to me as a gift of sorts, from my dear friend, and fellow Doctor Strange fan / collector - Howard Hallis!

Turns out Howard is a well-known Doctor Strange fan over on the West Coast, and he was tapped to dress up as Doctor Strange for the launch party for these shirts.

 "The Stussy Avengers"


So, when they presented him with this shirt as a gesture of thanks (and also as his payment?) he was magnanimous enough to send it to me since he knows my Doc-garment collection is 2nd-to-none. Not to worry friends of fairness and barter-system buddies, as I promised Howard a special garment in exchange (something that will be revealed here in a forthcoming post).

(Thanks again, Howard! - and check out Howard in costumed-action on "G4's Attack of the Show" as they cover the Stussy launch party [HERE])


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With the exception of the last couple of officially released shirts, there doesn't seem to have been any more recent "solo" shirts for Doctor Strange.
Until his return to the role of Sorcerer Supreme - or a movie deal - that status might not change any time soon.

There HAVE been some new Doctor Strange "solo" shirts as of late, and they will be presented here - in an update - soon!

He has also been featured quite a lot, and fairly prominently, in recent years, on more than a few shirts of a "TEAM-UP" nature.

It is those that we shall look into when we come back tomorrow for the 3rd installment of this series: