Super-Blog Team Up - Magic edition: examining The Immortal Doctor Fate v1 (1985)

This is a special edition of DC in the 80s; as part of the Super-Blog Team Up collaboration, this article is meant to coincide with the November 2, 2016 release of Marvel Studios' new Dr Strange film. So we decided to write an article about Dr Strange's closest DC comics counterpart: Dr Fate.

Off the top of my head, I can name you five different incarnations of Dr Fate: there's the Golden Age Kent Nelson that fought alongside the Justice Society of America (and was later featured prominently in Roy Thomas' All-Star Squadron) who wore half-a-helmet; there's the "full helmet" Kent Nelson version — who was introduced to me as a Super Powers action figure and would also be a member of Giffen and DeMatteis' 1987 Justice League; there's the hybrid Eric/Linda Strauss character that appeared in the late 80s and would have his/her own ongoing series that would last forty-odd issues; there's Hector Hall who was active (as Dr Fate) mainly during the late 90s and the early 2000s; and finally there's the New 52 version of Doctor Fate who is a new character altogether and I don't know anything about him.

All this to say, 1985's The Immortal Doctor Fate v1 three-issue series is specifically focused on the "full helmet" Kent Nelson version and reprints his (arguably) most groundbreaking solo stories.

The Immortal Doctor Fate v1 #1 reprints 1978's DC Special Series #10 origin of Doctor Fate (written by Paul Levitz and illustrated by Joe Staton/Michael Netzer), a Golden Age Gardner Fox/Howard Sherman story from 1940's More Fun Comics #56, and the entire contents of 1975's 1st Issue Special #9 written by Martin Pasko and illustrated by Walter Simonson.

1975's 1st Issue Special #9 is essentially a jump-off point for a Bronze Age Dr Fate and re-introduces the reader to Dr Fate and Inza. [This re-introduction of Dr Fate was initially proposed by then-editor Gerry Conway, I learned in Back Issue #24, 2013.] There are a few substantial reasons why this issue always makes the top of the lists as 'most important Dr Fate stories', but the most important reason is that writer Martin Pasko retcons Dr Fate as having a 'split personality' — Kent Nelson is a human host to the spirit of Nabu, and when the Helmet of Fate is placed on his head he goes into a trance-like state as Nabu takes over. (As you can imagine, this wreaks havoc on Nelson's relationship with his wife, Inza,) This would be the template of the character on which other writers would build upon throughout the rest of the late 70s and the remainder of the Bronze Age. Prior to this, Dr Fate had sporadically appeared in stories in which the Justice League of America meet up with the Earth-Two Justice Society of America (Dr Fate was a member), he was always 'one of the gang' and not much solo attention was given to him.

Also of note, this issue of 1st Issue Special was some of Walt Simonson's earliest DC work (he had just completed the Archie Goodwin Manhunter back-ups in Detective Comics prior to this). In a 2008 interview with John Siuntres, Simonson professes to be a big fan of Steve Ditko's Dr Strange, and that Ditko's art influenced how Dr Fate's 'graphic magic' appeared in the panels of the comic book. He also revealed that 2 pages of story needed to be cut due to a last-minute deadline change.

1st Issue Special #9 - Walt Simonson art (note the Ankhs being conjured by Dr Fate? Graphic Magic!)

Surprisingly, Dr Fate did NOT get an ongoing series after 1st Issue Special #9, but he WAS an active member of the All-Star Comics relaunch series (1976 - 1978) and received a solo back-up feature in Flash v1 in 1982.

The Immortal Doctor Fate v1 issues #2 and #3 reprint all of the Dr Fate back-up features from Flash v1 #306 to #313 (1982). These were also written by Martin Pasko, but illustrated by Keith Giffen and inked by Larry Mahlstedt. The back-ups from #310 to #313 (which all appear in issue #3) were co-written by Steve Gerber (best known for his work on Marvel's Howard the Duck and Man-Thing comics).

The Dr Fate Flash v1 back-ups were well-loved by fans and met with favorable response. Readers were particularly fond of Pasko's exploration of Kent Nelson/Inza Nelson's unique relationship and Keith Giffen's artwork. A few readers even pleaded that Giffen be given a Dr Fate ongoing series to pencil [wishes do come true: see 1987]. It was disclosed in a letter column (by DC editorial) that there was talk at some time of an ongoing Dr Fate series, but it was still up in the air (and suggested that reader response may inspire an ongoing series). Flash v1 was getting so much mail during the Dr Fate back-ups that, as of Flash v1 #314, DC editorial declared that they would start dedicating two pages to print reader letters. This only lasted a few issues.

The Immortal Doctor Fate v1 #2: Keith Giffen pencils with Larry Mahlstedt inks

After the back-up features were concluded in Flash v1, it was announced that Dr Fate would be under the charge of Len Wein as he was now the new editor of Swamp Thing. A new Creeper back-up feature was introduced in the pages of Flash v1 shortly thereafter.

As a youth who didn't know very much about Dr Fate (other than he looked cool), I really wish I had owned this reprint series. As previously mentioned, I was only aware of Dr Fate thanks to his Super Powers action figure and a single issue of Giffen/DeMatteis' Justice League that I owned. [And now that I think about it, I don't ever recall Dr Fate appearing in the Hanna-Barbera cartoon.] I had a few issues of All-Star Squadron, but even as a 10-year-old I could tell that this was a different Dr Fate, I just couldn't explain why.

I'll be the first to admit that my knowledge on Dr Fate is pretty weak, so anything that can accurately define his powers in a way that I can understand is greatly welcomed. As best as I can understand after reading this reprint series, Doctor Fate is a wizard who calls upon Egyptian deities to bring him powers. He'd yell something like "Amon-Ra, the Sun-God, fill my being with energy!" and suddenly he's able to fire solar flares or etc. I guess these would be considered spells (or maybe even prayers?). His spells seem to exhaust him, but I can't figure out if there's a 'physical connection' there.

He's also armed with a few mystical talismans: the Amulet of Anubis, his Cloak of Destiny, his Helmet of Fate and the Crystal Orb of Nabu. His helmet is especially important, as he seems to be powerless without it and has to resort to punching and kicking his opponents (or relying on his 'wits') when he's not wearing it.

Because Kent Nelson is full of Nabu's magic, he doesn't age (nor does his wife, Inza). He needs his wife, Inza, as an anchor to the real world (especially when he's flying around another in another magical dimension), so it seems like he keeps her confined in a doorless/windowless tower in Salem, Massachusetts.

There's a lot of REALLY good Dr Fate material in this collection. I'm personally a little perplexed as to why they reprinted a Golden Age story (More Fun Comics #56), since the series seems to mainly be fixated on the Bronze Age revamp of Dr Fate. Even more vexing was that they chose to reprint his second appearance, not even his first. Dr Fate originally debuted as a flying, magical-based superhero who was somewhat invulnerable and could shoot lightning from his fingertips. In 1942, More Fun Comics became more oriented towards super-hero action, and the creative team decided to downplay Dr Fate's magical powers and play him up as physician who occasionally became a masked crime fighter that beat-up criminals (they also reduced his full helmet to half of a helmet).

All things considered, this is a fantastic three-issue reprint series. It contains an excellent selection of stories that would normally be extremely tedious to track down (particularly the Flash v1 back-up features), and everything is vibrantly colored. Each issue is housed in a full-color wraparound cover [as seen in this article] by either Walt Simonson or Keith Giffen. Single issues of The Immortal Doctor Fate v1 aren't terribly hard to find nor are they very expensive. This reprint series was rumored to be re-released as a full-color collected edition, but has been postponed indefinitely as of October 2015.

The Super-Blog Team Up is a collective of bloggers who, with a passion for comic books that quite possibly rival mine, write interesting and entertaining articles about their favorite medium. Below is a series of articles (complimenting this round's 'magic' theme) that I'm strongly encouraging you to check out. Every single blog on this list is an excellent blog and entertaining as hell to read (check out their archives while you're at it — lots of great stuff):

• Chris Is On Infinite Earths: Batman Visits the Sanctum Sanctorum
• The Superhero Satellite: Super-Blog Team Up - Strange Magic
• Between The Pages: The Wondrous Worlds of Dr Strange
• Coffee and Comics: A review of Doctor Strange #84
• The Crapbox of Son Of Cthulhu: The Makings of a Sorcerer Supreme: Optimism and Sacrifice
• Longbox Graveyard: Doctor Strange vs. Dracula
• The Unspoken Decade: Nighttime Sunburn: Rise of the Midnight Sons
• The Retroist: Super-Blog Team Up: The Other Dr. Strange Film

-Justin

A review of the 1987 Spectre v2 ongoing series

It was DC Executive Editor Dick Giordano's idea to give the Spectre his own book again. This was apparently decided before Crisis On Infinite Earths, since the DC editorial team determined that the Spectre was TOO powerful of a character and would need to be taken down a few notches before he was given his own ongoing series. Marv Wolfman, Roy Thomas, Steve Gerber* and Bob Greenberger conferred and set a plan in motion: as a result of various events in 1986's Crisis on Infinite Earths maxi-series, Alan Moore's Swamp Thing and the Last Days of the Justice Society Special #1, the Spectre gets demoted to becoming a lesser-powerful supernatural being.

*If you're wondering why Steve Gerber is in the aforementioned list, it was because Gerber was Giordano's original choice as writer for the Spectre v2 ongoing series (scheduled to start in 1986), Gerber is best known for his work on Marvel's Man-Thing, Defenders and Howard the Duck titles. Due to scheduling conflicts between Gerber and DC comics [i.e., animated G.I .Joe cartoon and Howard the Duck film], Gerber writing Spectre v2 never actualized. Actually, a few of Steve Gerber's early 80s DC proposal never saw the light of day, and you can read about them on Brian Cronin's Comic Book Legends Revealed #254.

Prior to Spectre v2, Doug Moench had been writing Batman AND Detective Comics, as well as a few other projects for DC (Slash Maraud, Electric Warrior, and Lords of the Ultra-Realm). When Denny O'Neil became editor of the Bat-books in 1986, he was looking to move Batman into a new direction and Moench was replaced as writer [don't worry: Moench would return as regular writer again in 1992]. Moench offered a proposal to Giordano and Greenberger on a Spectre v2 ongoing series, which was well-received and the idea was ultimately given the 'go ahead'.

As the ongoing series begins, Moench wastes no time in addressing what happened to the Spectre after Swamp Thing v2 #50 and Last Days of the Justice Society Special, quickly explaining to the reader that this is a not-so-powerful Spectre who has had most of his powers stripped away. Moench also quickly introduces Kim Liang and (re-introduces) Madame Xanadu as supporting characters — as they will both play major roles throughout this series. Jim Corrigan was also reinstated as the Spectre's 'alter ego', but more on that later. Meonch chose the Cult of the Blood Red Moon (last seen during the I...Vampire! issues of 1982/1983's House of Mystery) as the Spectre's first major antagonists and they would remain a thorn in the Spectre's side for the first dozen issues or so.

By issue #2, we get a better idea of the Spectre's situation; the Spectre is Jim Corrigan's "soul", and can leave Corrigan's body for a maximum of 48 hours. It's explained that if Corrigan dies then the Spectre has no "host" body to return to and will also die (in a manner of speaking). Having the Spectre's incorporeal form split from Corrigan is a painful experience for Corrigan.

As far I can tell, the Spectre has the following powers: he can 'possess' inanimate/inorganic objects and transform them, he can become invisible, he can turn into a mist, he can communicate with the deceased (some exceptions apply) and he has limited mind-reading capabilities. Despite being 'ghost-like', the Spectre can still throw a punch. Another stipulation imposed on the Spectre (by whoever he answers to) is that he now has to mete out punishments that 'fit the crime' — no more turning jaywalkers into glass or whatever.

Spectre v2 #1 - pencils by Gene Colan and inks by Steve Mitchell

The Spectre v2 really makes a REALLY STRONG first impression with Gene Colan on pencils and Steve Mitchell on inks. Colan and Mitchell (along with Gerber) were part of Giordano's original vision for the Spectre v2 creative team. [Coincidentally, like Moench, Colan had also been working on Detective Comics from 1982 to 1986.] Colan on the Spectre is a natural choice, as Colan is best known for his work on Marvel's The Tomb of Dracula (and other various Dracula-related titles). Colan's pencils bring a sinister and foreboding atmosphere that is perfectly suited for supernatural-themed stories (as evidenced in DC's Night Force). Mitchell's inks compliment Colan's pencils quite nicely, and it's a bit of shame that the Colan/Mitchell team-up only lasted for the first six issues of the series. Nevertheless, after Colan and Mitchell left, we were still treated to a really impressive line-up of artists:

Spectre v2 #7 - illustrated by Cam Kennedy 

Cam Kennedy (best known for his work on 2000 AD's Judge Dredd and Rogue Trooper features) took over as guest artist for two issues.

Spectre v2 #10 - illustrated by Gray Morrow

Gray Morrow became the regular penciller and inker as of Spectre v2 #9 and remained until issue #15. Morrow, who's realistic art had been featured everywhere in the 1970s (DC, Marvel, Warren Publishing and Archie Comics), was an amazing fit for this series and I'm so glad that this series existed just so that Morrow had a chance to draw several issues.

Spectre v2 #17 - Chris Wozniak pencils with Ricardo Villagran inks

Gray Morrow would be the last regular penciller/inker for the next nine issues. Following Morrow leaving the book, it was pretty much a rotating creative team. Chris Wozniak was one of the few pencillers that would stay consistent and on any given issue teamed up with Mark Farmer, Ricardo Villagran, or Mark Badger. Bart Sears and Mark Pennington illustrated issue #22. Tom Artis pencilled a six issue story arc that lasted until issue #29. Artis had a rotating cast of inkers which included Ralph Cabrera, Al Vey, and Tim Gula during this run.  The series concluded with Fred Butler and Gonzalo Mayo as pencillers for the last two issues. respectively. Jim Baikie pencilled and inked the 1988 Spectre v2 Annual #1.

Spectre v2 #19 - illustrated by Mark Badger

I wanted to give a special mention to Mark Badger's art for Spectre v2 #19 (as well as issues #18, #20 and #21 — you can see his strong influence in the finished work). During a previous review of the 1988 Martian Manhunter mini-series, I was a little harsh regarding his art on that mini stating that it was 'too abstract/psychedelic' for the story. In this case, Badger's abstract style fits the mood and theme of the Spectre v2 ongoing series perfectly, and I really wish he had stayed on as the regular artist until the end of the book. Just terrific stuff.

I can't talk about the art in this book without mentioning how impressive the cover gallery to the first half of this series was. A lot of big name (and soon to be 'big name') artists had contributed covers that are absolutely pin-up worthy. Here a few covers that really stood out...


A few Mike Kaluta covers:

A few Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez covers:

A few Mike Mignola covers:

A few Charles Vess covers:

I feel that some books (particularly the Spectre) need the RIGHT artist in order to convey the RIGHT mood, which is why I'm putting so much emphasis on the art in this book. Now that we've dealt with who illustrated what, it's time to talk about what was going on between the covers. So far, this article is running way longer than I had planned, so we'll conclude with a comprehensive review in part 2.

-Justin