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Sounds like DOOM!
Sounds like DOOM!
Doom's Day Has Come! (Let's Read Marvel's Doctor Doom)
- Thread starter Roarian
- Start date
- Comics
Comics Misc 01: Stan Lee Meets Doctor Doom
- Location
- Netherlands
Miscellaneous 01: Stan Lee Meets Doctor Doom (December 2006)
Cover
This is the first unusual issue I'm covering. Special cases like these will be categorized separately if they fall outside regular continuity, or are otherwise oddballs. Fittingly, this particular issue is a strange one that features an actual real-life person on the cover: Stan Lee himself, long-time Marvel all-star. Although technically he's already shown up once before in this thread, as a self insert character…
The cover basically takes a pair of panels from inside the comic and arrays them around Lee, so it's not too remarkable - except that the top left image of Doom makes him look goofy, with this weird under-bite on his mask. His counterpart in the bottom left looks fine, at least, so I'll just chalk it up to stupid Doombots.
Story Overview
You might wonder why I'm covering this particular issue now, when it was released all the way in 2006, decades away from where I am in the timeline. You'll see - there is a method to my madness.
Story A: Stan Lee Meets Doctor Doom
This story opens with an aged Stan Lee busy working on a model ship in his home, when he's interrupted by the doorbell. Lee is perturbed, mostly because he doesn't have a doorbell, but he nevertheless opens the door. A rotund, officially dressed figure declares that his excellency Doctor Doom desires his presence in Latveria. Lee dismisses this, noting that he's too busy being a living legend to fall for such foolish jokes. In reply, he gets shot.
Luckily for Stan Lee the gun was some sort of teleportation device instead, and he's dropped off inside Latveria, materializing within Doom's castle. He's happy he got there so quickly, Lee thinks, but he'd have preferred taking a plane.
Doom looks down imperiously from his throne, and declares that Stan Lee has displeased him by portraying him as a villain in American comic books - ones in which Doom is considered dangerous and mad. Lee plays it off, noting that he was younger when he wrote those stories - and you know how kids are.
Doom has already moved on from blaming Lee, pondering whether it's his armor that turns people off - don't beloved knights wear armor, too? Maybe it's the cloak - but he's never looked as good in Armani. Maybe it's those harmless daily uprisings of the starving masses, or the unprovoked attacks on his castle? Doom doesn't complain, he doesn't threaten to sue; he merely unleashes his weapons of mass destruction. Surely nobody could object?
Lee attempts to talk some sense into Doom, noting that there must be some reason he's unpopular, but Doom gets upset that Lee would even say such a thing, noting that he's the best-loved monarch in the world. 'Maybe it's that you want to rule the world,' Lee opines. Doom dismisses this, deciding that while Americans grow up to want to be President, Latverians grow up to want to rule the world. Mere cultural differences.
Eventually Lee convinces Doom that he's a nobody by showing him a DVD of the Fantastic Four movie and his own minor role in it - if that's the biggest role he could get, he's clearly a nobody without influence. Doom tells a robot to take Lee home - and make him fly coach! - while he goes to torment some peasants and brighten his mood. Fin.
Story B: The Rest of the Story
This story is why I decided to cover this issue now, way back in the late 60s/early 70s period. We've arrived at a celebration of early Doctor Doom, and I believe all the relevant events covered here have already passed us by…
We open with a note from the author - this story picks up after Fantastic Four v1 #40. That's the second issue of the Daredevil crossover in which the Fantastic Four fought their own traps in the Baxter Building when they were rendered without powers. The opening panels are, in fact, recreations of a sequence from that story - the return of Ben Grimm's powers and his transformation into the Thing, and his subsequent crushing of Doom's hands.
But now… here's the rest of the story.
We pick up in Latveria, where Doom stands by the window, his crushed gloves thrown aside, as Doom's confidant Boris (from Annual #2!) asks Victor to allow him to tend his hands, as the children of Latveria so love it when they hear Doom's piano recitals. Doom turns and displays his weathered fingers, and Boris is dismayed by what he sees.
'I have known you since you were a child,' Boris says, and asks Doom if this is the life his father wanted for him. He wonders if Doom could not be content to rule, and tend to the Latverian people who love him, rather than focus on the Fantastic Four, who keep beating him.
Here, we see snapshots of Doom's history, recreated with new art.
Boris confesses his unease with how events have unfolded, how every story grew more horrible, with Doom ever closer to death - and he implores Doom to change his ways.
Doom thanks Boris, admitting that earlier that evening he'd been contemplating abandoning his quest for the destruction of the Fantastic Four - but now, after listening to Boris describe his failures, he's more committed than ever to the destruction of the Fantastic Four!
Boris leaves, sighing to himself in relief. He then pulls off his mask, revealing him to be a middle-aged Stan Lee all along! '...For a second there, I thought he really was going to quit!' he declares. (Wait, does this mean Stan is responsible for all the nasty shit after this?)
Ratings & Comments
Story A: Stan Lee Meets Doctor Doom
This half of the book is decidedly lighthearted and comical, which isn't too surprising considering the general premise of the book. Stan Lee plays along with Doom's musings, who seems more self-absorbed and oblivious than villainous. The writing goes a little too far into whimsical on occasion, giving Doom such lines as 'I'm the man' and 'He's a loser', which doesn't seem like his style.
The art is actually pretty good, with a couple gorgeous shots of Latveria under attack by missiles and airships in a vaguely painterly style. Of course the contrast with 1960's art is significant enough that it's hard to compare, but special mention of Doom's eyes in a couple of these shots - they look human without making him look weird. It's possible!
Story B: The Rest of the Story
This short story, which is mostly just a long gag, is made more interesting by its definite ties to continuity. Revisiting Boris and the events of most of the earliest Doctor Doom stories, it feels like a celebration of the villain's origins - and it even places itself in a very specific time period, explaining the much younger Stan Lee to fit the 1960s.
The most enjoyable factor in this story, I think, is the redrawn art of classic moments from those earliest comics - they're all instantly recognizable as specific moments from their relevant comics, even when they're not specific recreated panels. Good stuff!
Best Panel(s) of the Issue
Honestly, my favorite panels (which aren't just favored because they're recreations) are the attacks on Doom's castle from the A-story. They're some gorgeous artwork, as you can see. The above is a variation on the cover artwork, clearly, but this one is sweet too:
Most Gloriously Villainous Doom Quotes
"Look at all the wreckage of enemy weaponry my poor subjects have to clean up. Do I complain? Do I have a big megillah over it? Do I clog the court system with lawsuits? No! I do what any civilized tyrant would do - I activate my killer robots, order them to show no mercy, and obliterate the enemy!"
"TOSS MORE PEASANTS INTO THE DUNGEONS! Ah, I feel better already."
Doom's Bad Hair Day
Cover Doom just looks weird - misshapen, almost, with glowing red eyes. Now, there will come a time when this is the canonical look for Doom, sort of, but we try not to think about that era.
Comic Trivia
This comic is actually a standalone special released for Stan Lee's 65th year of employment at Marvel Comics, which explains why it exists at all. The A-story was written by Stan Lee himself, actually, which kinda explains why it's kind of weird and disjointed. (Come at me, fanboys.) The art may be recognizable too - the artist also draws Darth Vader comics.
Part of the reason this was covered now, incidentally, was that this issue included a reprint of Fantastic Four v1 #87 - the very next issue I'm going to cover!
Doom-Tech of the Week
The Teleport Gun sure would be handy, sometimes…
Cover
This is the first unusual issue I'm covering. Special cases like these will be categorized separately if they fall outside regular continuity, or are otherwise oddballs. Fittingly, this particular issue is a strange one that features an actual real-life person on the cover: Stan Lee himself, long-time Marvel all-star. Although technically he's already shown up once before in this thread, as a self insert character…
The cover basically takes a pair of panels from inside the comic and arrays them around Lee, so it's not too remarkable - except that the top left image of Doom makes him look goofy, with this weird under-bite on his mask. His counterpart in the bottom left looks fine, at least, so I'll just chalk it up to stupid Doombots.
Story Overview
You might wonder why I'm covering this particular issue now, when it was released all the way in 2006, decades away from where I am in the timeline. You'll see - there is a method to my madness.
Story A: Stan Lee Meets Doctor Doom
This story opens with an aged Stan Lee busy working on a model ship in his home, when he's interrupted by the doorbell. Lee is perturbed, mostly because he doesn't have a doorbell, but he nevertheless opens the door. A rotund, officially dressed figure declares that his excellency Doctor Doom desires his presence in Latveria. Lee dismisses this, noting that he's too busy being a living legend to fall for such foolish jokes. In reply, he gets shot.
Luckily for Stan Lee the gun was some sort of teleportation device instead, and he's dropped off inside Latveria, materializing within Doom's castle. He's happy he got there so quickly, Lee thinks, but he'd have preferred taking a plane.
Doom looks down imperiously from his throne, and declares that Stan Lee has displeased him by portraying him as a villain in American comic books - ones in which Doom is considered dangerous and mad. Lee plays it off, noting that he was younger when he wrote those stories - and you know how kids are.
Doom has already moved on from blaming Lee, pondering whether it's his armor that turns people off - don't beloved knights wear armor, too? Maybe it's the cloak - but he's never looked as good in Armani. Maybe it's those harmless daily uprisings of the starving masses, or the unprovoked attacks on his castle? Doom doesn't complain, he doesn't threaten to sue; he merely unleashes his weapons of mass destruction. Surely nobody could object?
Lee attempts to talk some sense into Doom, noting that there must be some reason he's unpopular, but Doom gets upset that Lee would even say such a thing, noting that he's the best-loved monarch in the world. 'Maybe it's that you want to rule the world,' Lee opines. Doom dismisses this, deciding that while Americans grow up to want to be President, Latverians grow up to want to rule the world. Mere cultural differences.
Eventually Lee convinces Doom that he's a nobody by showing him a DVD of the Fantastic Four movie and his own minor role in it - if that's the biggest role he could get, he's clearly a nobody without influence. Doom tells a robot to take Lee home - and make him fly coach! - while he goes to torment some peasants and brighten his mood. Fin.
Story B: The Rest of the Story
This story is why I decided to cover this issue now, way back in the late 60s/early 70s period. We've arrived at a celebration of early Doctor Doom, and I believe all the relevant events covered here have already passed us by…
We open with a note from the author - this story picks up after Fantastic Four v1 #40. That's the second issue of the Daredevil crossover in which the Fantastic Four fought their own traps in the Baxter Building when they were rendered without powers. The opening panels are, in fact, recreations of a sequence from that story - the return of Ben Grimm's powers and his transformation into the Thing, and his subsequent crushing of Doom's hands.
But now… here's the rest of the story.
We pick up in Latveria, where Doom stands by the window, his crushed gloves thrown aside, as Doom's confidant Boris (from Annual #2!) asks Victor to allow him to tend his hands, as the children of Latveria so love it when they hear Doom's piano recitals. Doom turns and displays his weathered fingers, and Boris is dismayed by what he sees.
'I have known you since you were a child,' Boris says, and asks Doom if this is the life his father wanted for him. He wonders if Doom could not be content to rule, and tend to the Latverian people who love him, rather than focus on the Fantastic Four, who keep beating him.
Here, we see snapshots of Doom's history, recreated with new art.
We see him jetpacking away from his castle in Fantastic Four #5.
Riding an asteroid in #6.
Shrinking into nothingness in #10.
Escaping from Invisible Girl through the floor in #16.
Flinging himself from the airship in #17.
We even see him fighting Spider-Man in Amazing Spider-Man #5.
Riding an asteroid in #6.
Shrinking into nothingness in #10.
Escaping from Invisible Girl through the floor in #16.
Flinging himself from the airship in #17.
We even see him fighting Spider-Man in Amazing Spider-Man #5.
Boris confesses his unease with how events have unfolded, how every story grew more horrible, with Doom ever closer to death - and he implores Doom to change his ways.
Doom thanks Boris, admitting that earlier that evening he'd been contemplating abandoning his quest for the destruction of the Fantastic Four - but now, after listening to Boris describe his failures, he's more committed than ever to the destruction of the Fantastic Four!
Boris leaves, sighing to himself in relief. He then pulls off his mask, revealing him to be a middle-aged Stan Lee all along! '...For a second there, I thought he really was going to quit!' he declares. (Wait, does this mean Stan is responsible for all the nasty shit after this?)
Ratings & Comments
Story A: Stan Lee Meets Doctor Doom
This half of the book is decidedly lighthearted and comical, which isn't too surprising considering the general premise of the book. Stan Lee plays along with Doom's musings, who seems more self-absorbed and oblivious than villainous. The writing goes a little too far into whimsical on occasion, giving Doom such lines as 'I'm the man' and 'He's a loser', which doesn't seem like his style.
The art is actually pretty good, with a couple gorgeous shots of Latveria under attack by missiles and airships in a vaguely painterly style. Of course the contrast with 1960's art is significant enough that it's hard to compare, but special mention of Doom's eyes in a couple of these shots - they look human without making him look weird. It's possible!
Story B: The Rest of the Story
This short story, which is mostly just a long gag, is made more interesting by its definite ties to continuity. Revisiting Boris and the events of most of the earliest Doctor Doom stories, it feels like a celebration of the villain's origins - and it even places itself in a very specific time period, explaining the much younger Stan Lee to fit the 1960s.
The most enjoyable factor in this story, I think, is the redrawn art of classic moments from those earliest comics - they're all instantly recognizable as specific moments from their relevant comics, even when they're not specific recreated panels. Good stuff!
Best Panel(s) of the Issue
Honestly, my favorite panels (which aren't just favored because they're recreations) are the attacks on Doom's castle from the A-story. They're some gorgeous artwork, as you can see. The above is a variation on the cover artwork, clearly, but this one is sweet too:
Most Gloriously Villainous Doom Quotes
"Look at all the wreckage of enemy weaponry my poor subjects have to clean up. Do I complain? Do I have a big megillah over it? Do I clog the court system with lawsuits? No! I do what any civilized tyrant would do - I activate my killer robots, order them to show no mercy, and obliterate the enemy!"
"TOSS MORE PEASANTS INTO THE DUNGEONS! Ah, I feel better already."
Doom's Bad Hair Day
Cover Doom just looks weird - misshapen, almost, with glowing red eyes. Now, there will come a time when this is the canonical look for Doom, sort of, but we try not to think about that era.
Comic Trivia
This comic is actually a standalone special released for Stan Lee's 65th year of employment at Marvel Comics, which explains why it exists at all. The A-story was written by Stan Lee himself, actually, which kinda explains why it's kind of weird and disjointed. (Come at me, fanboys.) The art may be recognizable too - the artist also draws Darth Vader comics.
Part of the reason this was covered now, incidentally, was that this issue included a reprint of Fantastic Four v1 #87 - the very next issue I'm going to cover!
Doom-Tech of the Week
The Teleport Gun sure would be handy, sometimes…
Last edited:
022: Fantastic Four v1 #87 - The Power and the Pride!
- Location
- Netherlands
022: Fantastic Four v1 #87 (June 1969)
Cover
My, we're getting an unusual offering this time - a desaturated picture of the Fantastic Four leaving the scene, morose, while a body lies on the floor behind them. From the shadow on the wall, just barely discernible by the tip of his cowl, we note that Doctor Doom is watching them go. What's going on here? Mystery of mysteries! Though, to be honest, my first thought as I first saw this cover didn't have anything to do with that mystery, and had nothing to do with the art at all. It was that caption that caught my attention. 'The most off-beat ending of the year'? I sincerely hope that's not Stan Lee hype-code for 'terrible'...
Story Overview
Latverian Hospitality (Part 4) - The Power and the Pride!
Scene 1 - Latverian Village
We return to the site of the previous issue's massive village explosion, where the Fantastic Four (and Crystal!) recap the near-destruction prevented at the last moment by Sue Richards, who apparently teleported halfway across the globe at some time between her cameo appearance two issues back and the events of last issue, which took place mere hours later. The excuse seems to be that Nick Fury decided to let Sue in on what was going on, though that seems a bit randomly generous for the head of a spy agency. (Granted, the organization apparently flies around in bright pink airplanes, so I'm not sure spy-craft is really their forte.)
The five head over towards Doom's castle, and Ben decides he's going to start off their assault in style - he picks up a collapsed church's steeple and throws it towards the castle like it's a freaking javelin. Damn.
Scene 2 - Doom's Castle
Several servoguards and Hauptmann watch the steeple approach from the walls, and they briefly panic about deflecting the projectile - too late. It violently crashes into the walls, and some of the guards are too worried about Doom's reprisals against them to actually warn him. Yea, these are the issues you get when you make your robots entirely too human - they start thinking. Or, more likely, Stan Lee forgot they weren't just people in funny costumes...
Nearby stands Doom's personal painter, the one who worked on his gaudy portrait a few issues ago, and he complains aloud that he never bargained for this sort of terror. He proposes to Hauptmann that they flee from Latveria in the confusion - but much to his dismay Hauptmann just calls him a 'weak, non-Aryan fool' and decides warning Doom about the painter's disloyalty will ensure his own loyalty remains undisputed. The painter is aghast that while most Latverians are forced to serve Doom, Hauptmann does it willingly - he replaced one Führer with another!
Hauptmann leaves, deciding that the painter's head is already on the chopping block with all other traitors, and he wonders why some people's hope can never be quenched. No matter, he must report to Doom! He barges into the tyrant's presence and announces that the Fantastic Four are alive, and furthermore that they're attacking! 'Silence, you snivelling jackanape!' Doom declares. 'Am I not aware of all that occurs?' He already learned of Sue's presence, and that it was her power which saved them all from annihilation, but he still intends to strike the final blow while they remain prisoners of Latveria.
Doom sets the stage, announcing that his defensive forces should offer only token resistance, such that the Four may reach the specific room he's in - he intends to throw a uniquely cultural reception, as he describes it. He manipulates a device in the wall, then walks towards a grand piano. He will offer the Four art and music to soothe their fears, he claims - before unleashing his hypersound. Hauptmann doesn't understand what that entails, but Doom seems suitably impressed with himself. He then decides to urge the Four on a bit…
Scene 3 - Outside the Castle
The Fantastic Four & Crystal are crossing the bridge to Doom's castle when, quite suddenly, it collapses away under the women's feet, and they fall down a long, long tunnel which swiftly takes them out of sight.
The boys up above immediately try to save them - Ben starts physically ripping up the ground to reach the hatch, but he accidentally detonates a fail-safe device hidden beneath to prevent tampering, and is blown sky-high. This is quite literal, by the way, as Ben, Reed and Johnny are thrown into the air by the explosion, the latter two saved by shielding themselves behind Ben's rocky body. Reed uses his stretching to catch everyone, and they land on top of the castle. The moment they arrive Servoguards turn their weapons on the heroes, and Johnny unleashes his flame to counter fire with fire. Then Johnny is forced to evade the fire of a huge anti-aircraft air-gun, taxing his flight to the limit - it seems Doom came prepared for this eventuality.
Ben, meanwhile, tries to punch down a big door - and gets electrocuted for his trouble. Seems Doom was prepped for that, too. Reed decides that this requires more delicate work, and he uses his stretching to navigate the door's lock with his own limb, avoiding the electrically charged sides until he's on the other side and can manually it open. Unfortunately the door is still electrically charged, so they can't push it open - Ben reckons they don't need that. With a huff, and a puff, he blows the door to shrapnel.
Ben is getting some seriously badass feats in this issue!
Scene 4 - Below the Castle
We return to Sue and Crystal, who have somehow only now arrived in the basement of Doom's castle - that tunnel must've been awfully deep. At least Doom padded it, since the pair are slowed down by artificial winds and deposited onto squishy mats inside an interrogation room. Crystal, probably realizing she's barely had a substantial line in this entire four-part story arc, decides to make herself useful and shatters a glass window. Truly, a grand accomplishment.
Alright, I kid - it was a 'restraining window' behind which several servoguards are panicking, let's be fair.
Sue turns invisible as the two escape from their captivity, and Crystal decides to unleash 'silent sonic waves' - however that works - to knock some of the guards on their ass. Sue disarms a few using her invisibility, but other guards are equipped with infrared scopes and she's quickly spotted. They escape down an unguarded corridor from the robot horde, and Sue muses that Doom would never let it be unguarded accidentally - there must be a purpose. Nevertheless, they have little choice - and suddenly they arrive at a pair of opulent doors. Behind those...
Darth Vader at Cloud City?!
Pretty much, actually - Doom and Hauptmann are there, standing behind a table decked out with a banquet, complete with lit candles and several chefs. Doom says this evening shall decide what destiny has in store for all of them. He says he's not forgotten the Four are guests, even if uninvited ones, and so the niceties must be observed.
Scene 5 - New York Outskirts
Wait, what? Uh, what's going on?
Yup, it's one of these scenes again. Irrelevant setup for other stories! We meet several unnamed extras, one of which is the nephew of the real estate agent that led Sue around a couple issue back. Him and his buddies have come to sight-see at the mysterious underground home from before, wondering what on earth the Fantastic Four would want with a such a creepy place. They are interrupted when they hear some inhuman noise coming from below - from inside the house. And it sure wasn't human! Fleeing away in terror, they decide it really is haunted!
Scene 6 - Outside the Castle
We return to Johnny, still flying overhead as Reed distracts the servoguards and given him a reprieve from dodging the anti-aircraft guns. Reed and Ben are wrecking the place, with the latter picking up large chunks of building and using them as ammunition - he's gotten into a habit, it seems. Johnny uses his flames to separate the three of them from the servoguards, and they head towards the center of the castle. Johnny worries about Crystal, and whether or not she's okay, Reed reasons that Doom is probably keeping the girls hostage since he is the one Doom wants, and Ben complains he hasn't had a coffee break. Priorities.
Scene 7 - Doom's Banquet Hall
Doom inquires whether or not Reed and Sue have named their child yet, and strangely enough Sue denies it. Is that an American thing, or just a weird thing? Doom laments that Sue does not trust him - for is his not a kingdom of law and order? 'But you make the laws, and you give the orders!' Sue retorts smartly. The tyrant just dismisses this, deciding he'll demonstrate his good intentions with a concerto of his own creation, and he sits down at his grand piano. He says Hauptmann is already in Doom's personal gallery, retrieving several masterpieces of art for them to enjoy. They should just sit down and relax, for the other members of the Four should be there soon…
Scene 8 - Doom's Gallery
Ben, Reed and Johnny enter the Gallery, and Johnny turns his flames off to avoid damaging the priceless antiques. Reed muses that Doom got this art by looting all sorts of museums, while Johnny figures there must be millions of dollars worth of art on those walls. Ben is hankering for a pin-up of Raquel Welch. Priorities, again!
Reed hears voices from nearby, and we quickly realize who it is - Hauptmann is there, yes, but he's holding Doom's painter at gunpoint - or more precisely at flamethrowerpoint. Is that a word? He declares that he knows the truth: the painter is a S.H.I.E.L.D. spy, the very one that launched this entire investigation into the robot army in the first place! The painter seems relatively legitimate about his craft, though, as his first thought is not for his own life but for the works of art that could be destroyed if one were to set off a flamethrower in their midst. Horrifying! Hauptmann is interrupted by Reed's arrival, but the man just unleashes the flamethrower on the superhero instead, declaring that he'll destroy the Four as well - he'll cover the whole gallery with flame, so none can escape!
Yeeeea, about that? Turns out there's someone else in the castle who cares about art.
Doom repudiates Hauptmann as he watches his actions on a monitor, and he decides that the lives of Reed and the others are not worth the destruction of so much immortal art. It must not happen, it shall not happen! He turns his secret hypersound machine on Hauptmann instead of its original targets, and with a single deafening shriek of high-frequency sonar the former Nazi drops dead where he stands. Fatality!
Scene 9 - Doom's Banquet Hall
Doom announces, quite out of the blue, that their little tableau has reached its conclusion - and that the Four will be escorted to the border. He sends the girls away to rejoin the others, who are understandably skeptical of Doom's sudden generosity. Doom announces that while he is capable of many things, he does not lie. Standing alone at the window after the women have left, Doom muses that he ended this conflict because he wearied of their little game - but there's been no gain, nor loss - and they shall fight again some other day.
Is he buying any of this nonsense himself?
Rating & Comments
Well, that was certainly off-beat! While definitely a more solid outing than the last part, this issue is undercut by Doom's command that his servoguards must put up only a token resistance. This makes the various victories of the heroes feel rather hollow - they're basically fighting stuntmen who try and make their defeat look convincingly easy. Still, Ben gets to be the absurdly strong guy several times, and Crystal gets to do a thing, which is honestly remarkable after the last few issues of uselessness. Sue, after her save-the-day moment last issue, is back to walking around while invisible for about three panels - not much to speak about there.
The most intriguing aspect of this issue, though, is Doom playing up the theatrical aspect of his character so much. He plays into the 'gracious host' spiel even as he plots a definitely lethal trap. And yet - it's not all an act, is it? Doom's appreciation for the arts is real, and will be a recurring element of the comics - as far as I can tell, this is where it starts. He likes quality art so much that he's willing to sacrifice his own henchmen for it, and even sacrifice a surefire way to destroy Reed Richards! Doom has layers, people.
As for the ending - I'm not sure I have the correct reading of it. I suspect that Doom's hypersound weapon could only fire once, so any further conflict would likely entail damage to Doom's precious possessions, so in light of this he chose to play off his effective defeat as nothing more than a stalemate, preserving his precious ego. It seems to fit his character. Nevertheless, I could easily read it as Stan Lee's last minute bullshit handwave to finish a story he hadn't worked out all the way through before he hit the page cap.
Doom's announcement that there has been no gain, nor loss, in this particular story is rather hilarious if you tally up all the stuff he's lost in the last few issues. This includes an entire village, a small army of invincible murder-robots, sizable chunks of his castle, dozens of servoguards, his royal painter/S.H.I.E.L.D. spy, and a highly capable and loyal henchman he stole from the Red Skull. Sure, Doom, no losses at all. Sure.
Best Panel(s) of the Issue
A large, detailed picture of Doom - from the side, no less - which doesn't look horrible? Remarkable!
We have to give some points to Doom's banquet as well, though I'd have appreciated him sitting down, just to keep the Darth Vader parallels going. Since Doom was part of Vader's inspiration, it works so well...
Most Gloriously Villainous Doom Quotes
"Mankind has no reason to fear me - am I not already supreme? Do I not now possess all the wealth, all the power a man can desire? I wish only to live with beauty, with culture - to enjoy the simple pleasures life has to offer. And so I shall play you my own composition!"
Doom's Bad Hair Day
No particularly horrendous art this week, but there's this shot of Reed where his powers look… decidedly horrifying. It's not even like he just did something super-weird with his legs, either - he was just stretching his upper-body in the last panel he showed up in. It looks uncomfortable...
Doom-Tech of the Week
Hypersound is the name of the game this week - it's basically a super-precise burst of high frequency sonar that instantly kills whoever is exposed, and it's controlled from a rigged grand piano. It's quite viciously secretive as Doom's weapons go, really.
Cover
My, we're getting an unusual offering this time - a desaturated picture of the Fantastic Four leaving the scene, morose, while a body lies on the floor behind them. From the shadow on the wall, just barely discernible by the tip of his cowl, we note that Doctor Doom is watching them go. What's going on here? Mystery of mysteries! Though, to be honest, my first thought as I first saw this cover didn't have anything to do with that mystery, and had nothing to do with the art at all. It was that caption that caught my attention. 'The most off-beat ending of the year'? I sincerely hope that's not Stan Lee hype-code for 'terrible'...
Story Overview
Latverian Hospitality (Part 4) - The Power and the Pride!
Scene 1 - Latverian Village
We return to the site of the previous issue's massive village explosion, where the Fantastic Four (and Crystal!) recap the near-destruction prevented at the last moment by Sue Richards, who apparently teleported halfway across the globe at some time between her cameo appearance two issues back and the events of last issue, which took place mere hours later. The excuse seems to be that Nick Fury decided to let Sue in on what was going on, though that seems a bit randomly generous for the head of a spy agency. (Granted, the organization apparently flies around in bright pink airplanes, so I'm not sure spy-craft is really their forte.)
The five head over towards Doom's castle, and Ben decides he's going to start off their assault in style - he picks up a collapsed church's steeple and throws it towards the castle like it's a freaking javelin. Damn.
Scene 2 - Doom's Castle
Several servoguards and Hauptmann watch the steeple approach from the walls, and they briefly panic about deflecting the projectile - too late. It violently crashes into the walls, and some of the guards are too worried about Doom's reprisals against them to actually warn him. Yea, these are the issues you get when you make your robots entirely too human - they start thinking. Or, more likely, Stan Lee forgot they weren't just people in funny costumes...
Nearby stands Doom's personal painter, the one who worked on his gaudy portrait a few issues ago, and he complains aloud that he never bargained for this sort of terror. He proposes to Hauptmann that they flee from Latveria in the confusion - but much to his dismay Hauptmann just calls him a 'weak, non-Aryan fool' and decides warning Doom about the painter's disloyalty will ensure his own loyalty remains undisputed. The painter is aghast that while most Latverians are forced to serve Doom, Hauptmann does it willingly - he replaced one Führer with another!
Hauptmann leaves, deciding that the painter's head is already on the chopping block with all other traitors, and he wonders why some people's hope can never be quenched. No matter, he must report to Doom! He barges into the tyrant's presence and announces that the Fantastic Four are alive, and furthermore that they're attacking! 'Silence, you snivelling jackanape!' Doom declares. 'Am I not aware of all that occurs?' He already learned of Sue's presence, and that it was her power which saved them all from annihilation, but he still intends to strike the final blow while they remain prisoners of Latveria.
Doom sets the stage, announcing that his defensive forces should offer only token resistance, such that the Four may reach the specific room he's in - he intends to throw a uniquely cultural reception, as he describes it. He manipulates a device in the wall, then walks towards a grand piano. He will offer the Four art and music to soothe their fears, he claims - before unleashing his hypersound. Hauptmann doesn't understand what that entails, but Doom seems suitably impressed with himself. He then decides to urge the Four on a bit…
Scene 3 - Outside the Castle
The Fantastic Four & Crystal are crossing the bridge to Doom's castle when, quite suddenly, it collapses away under the women's feet, and they fall down a long, long tunnel which swiftly takes them out of sight.
The boys up above immediately try to save them - Ben starts physically ripping up the ground to reach the hatch, but he accidentally detonates a fail-safe device hidden beneath to prevent tampering, and is blown sky-high. This is quite literal, by the way, as Ben, Reed and Johnny are thrown into the air by the explosion, the latter two saved by shielding themselves behind Ben's rocky body. Reed uses his stretching to catch everyone, and they land on top of the castle. The moment they arrive Servoguards turn their weapons on the heroes, and Johnny unleashes his flame to counter fire with fire. Then Johnny is forced to evade the fire of a huge anti-aircraft air-gun, taxing his flight to the limit - it seems Doom came prepared for this eventuality.
Ben, meanwhile, tries to punch down a big door - and gets electrocuted for his trouble. Seems Doom was prepped for that, too. Reed decides that this requires more delicate work, and he uses his stretching to navigate the door's lock with his own limb, avoiding the electrically charged sides until he's on the other side and can manually it open. Unfortunately the door is still electrically charged, so they can't push it open - Ben reckons they don't need that. With a huff, and a puff, he blows the door to shrapnel.
Ben is getting some seriously badass feats in this issue!
Scene 4 - Below the Castle
We return to Sue and Crystal, who have somehow only now arrived in the basement of Doom's castle - that tunnel must've been awfully deep. At least Doom padded it, since the pair are slowed down by artificial winds and deposited onto squishy mats inside an interrogation room. Crystal, probably realizing she's barely had a substantial line in this entire four-part story arc, decides to make herself useful and shatters a glass window. Truly, a grand accomplishment.
Alright, I kid - it was a 'restraining window' behind which several servoguards are panicking, let's be fair.
Sue turns invisible as the two escape from their captivity, and Crystal decides to unleash 'silent sonic waves' - however that works - to knock some of the guards on their ass. Sue disarms a few using her invisibility, but other guards are equipped with infrared scopes and she's quickly spotted. They escape down an unguarded corridor from the robot horde, and Sue muses that Doom would never let it be unguarded accidentally - there must be a purpose. Nevertheless, they have little choice - and suddenly they arrive at a pair of opulent doors. Behind those...
Darth Vader at Cloud City?!
Pretty much, actually - Doom and Hauptmann are there, standing behind a table decked out with a banquet, complete with lit candles and several chefs. Doom says this evening shall decide what destiny has in store for all of them. He says he's not forgotten the Four are guests, even if uninvited ones, and so the niceties must be observed.
Scene 5 - New York Outskirts
Wait, what? Uh, what's going on?
Yup, it's one of these scenes again. Irrelevant setup for other stories! We meet several unnamed extras, one of which is the nephew of the real estate agent that led Sue around a couple issue back. Him and his buddies have come to sight-see at the mysterious underground home from before, wondering what on earth the Fantastic Four would want with a such a creepy place. They are interrupted when they hear some inhuman noise coming from below - from inside the house. And it sure wasn't human! Fleeing away in terror, they decide it really is haunted!
Scene 6 - Outside the Castle
We return to Johnny, still flying overhead as Reed distracts the servoguards and given him a reprieve from dodging the anti-aircraft guns. Reed and Ben are wrecking the place, with the latter picking up large chunks of building and using them as ammunition - he's gotten into a habit, it seems. Johnny uses his flames to separate the three of them from the servoguards, and they head towards the center of the castle. Johnny worries about Crystal, and whether or not she's okay, Reed reasons that Doom is probably keeping the girls hostage since he is the one Doom wants, and Ben complains he hasn't had a coffee break. Priorities.
Scene 7 - Doom's Banquet Hall
Doom inquires whether or not Reed and Sue have named their child yet, and strangely enough Sue denies it. Is that an American thing, or just a weird thing? Doom laments that Sue does not trust him - for is his not a kingdom of law and order? 'But you make the laws, and you give the orders!' Sue retorts smartly. The tyrant just dismisses this, deciding he'll demonstrate his good intentions with a concerto of his own creation, and he sits down at his grand piano. He says Hauptmann is already in Doom's personal gallery, retrieving several masterpieces of art for them to enjoy. They should just sit down and relax, for the other members of the Four should be there soon…
Scene 8 - Doom's Gallery
Ben, Reed and Johnny enter the Gallery, and Johnny turns his flames off to avoid damaging the priceless antiques. Reed muses that Doom got this art by looting all sorts of museums, while Johnny figures there must be millions of dollars worth of art on those walls. Ben is hankering for a pin-up of Raquel Welch. Priorities, again!
Reed hears voices from nearby, and we quickly realize who it is - Hauptmann is there, yes, but he's holding Doom's painter at gunpoint - or more precisely at flamethrowerpoint. Is that a word? He declares that he knows the truth: the painter is a S.H.I.E.L.D. spy, the very one that launched this entire investigation into the robot army in the first place! The painter seems relatively legitimate about his craft, though, as his first thought is not for his own life but for the works of art that could be destroyed if one were to set off a flamethrower in their midst. Horrifying! Hauptmann is interrupted by Reed's arrival, but the man just unleashes the flamethrower on the superhero instead, declaring that he'll destroy the Four as well - he'll cover the whole gallery with flame, so none can escape!
Yeeeea, about that? Turns out there's someone else in the castle who cares about art.
Doom repudiates Hauptmann as he watches his actions on a monitor, and he decides that the lives of Reed and the others are not worth the destruction of so much immortal art. It must not happen, it shall not happen! He turns his secret hypersound machine on Hauptmann instead of its original targets, and with a single deafening shriek of high-frequency sonar the former Nazi drops dead where he stands. Fatality!
Scene 9 - Doom's Banquet Hall
Doom announces, quite out of the blue, that their little tableau has reached its conclusion - and that the Four will be escorted to the border. He sends the girls away to rejoin the others, who are understandably skeptical of Doom's sudden generosity. Doom announces that while he is capable of many things, he does not lie. Standing alone at the window after the women have left, Doom muses that he ended this conflict because he wearied of their little game - but there's been no gain, nor loss - and they shall fight again some other day.
Is he buying any of this nonsense himself?
Rating & Comments
Well, that was certainly off-beat! While definitely a more solid outing than the last part, this issue is undercut by Doom's command that his servoguards must put up only a token resistance. This makes the various victories of the heroes feel rather hollow - they're basically fighting stuntmen who try and make their defeat look convincingly easy. Still, Ben gets to be the absurdly strong guy several times, and Crystal gets to do a thing, which is honestly remarkable after the last few issues of uselessness. Sue, after her save-the-day moment last issue, is back to walking around while invisible for about three panels - not much to speak about there.
The most intriguing aspect of this issue, though, is Doom playing up the theatrical aspect of his character so much. He plays into the 'gracious host' spiel even as he plots a definitely lethal trap. And yet - it's not all an act, is it? Doom's appreciation for the arts is real, and will be a recurring element of the comics - as far as I can tell, this is where it starts. He likes quality art so much that he's willing to sacrifice his own henchmen for it, and even sacrifice a surefire way to destroy Reed Richards! Doom has layers, people.
As for the ending - I'm not sure I have the correct reading of it. I suspect that Doom's hypersound weapon could only fire once, so any further conflict would likely entail damage to Doom's precious possessions, so in light of this he chose to play off his effective defeat as nothing more than a stalemate, preserving his precious ego. It seems to fit his character. Nevertheless, I could easily read it as Stan Lee's last minute bullshit handwave to finish a story he hadn't worked out all the way through before he hit the page cap.
Doom's announcement that there has been no gain, nor loss, in this particular story is rather hilarious if you tally up all the stuff he's lost in the last few issues. This includes an entire village, a small army of invincible murder-robots, sizable chunks of his castle, dozens of servoguards, his royal painter/S.H.I.E.L.D. spy, and a highly capable and loyal henchman he stole from the Red Skull. Sure, Doom, no losses at all. Sure.
Best Panel(s) of the Issue
A large, detailed picture of Doom - from the side, no less - which doesn't look horrible? Remarkable!
We have to give some points to Doom's banquet as well, though I'd have appreciated him sitting down, just to keep the Darth Vader parallels going. Since Doom was part of Vader's inspiration, it works so well...
Most Gloriously Villainous Doom Quotes
"Mankind has no reason to fear me - am I not already supreme? Do I not now possess all the wealth, all the power a man can desire? I wish only to live with beauty, with culture - to enjoy the simple pleasures life has to offer. And so I shall play you my own composition!"
Doom's Bad Hair Day
No particularly horrendous art this week, but there's this shot of Reed where his powers look… decidedly horrifying. It's not even like he just did something super-weird with his legs, either - he was just stretching his upper-body in the last panel he showed up in. It looks uncomfortable...
Doom-Tech of the Week
Hypersound is the name of the game this week - it's basically a super-precise burst of high frequency sonar that instantly kills whoever is exposed, and it's controlled from a rigged grand piano. It's quite viciously secretive as Doom's weapons go, really.
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023: Sub-Mariner v1 #20 - In the Darkness Dwells... Doom!
- Location
- Netherlands
023: Sub-Mariner v1 #20 (December 1969)
Cover
At long last, we've come to the second fateful meeting between Namor the Sub-Mariner and our very own Doctor Doom! This reunion has been waiting in the wings ever since Doom's second appearance, and won't be the last time they meet. After all, who doesn't want to see a mostly naked perpetually angry Vulcan prince wrestle with a techno-magic sovereign that speaks in third person? Yes, all we need is the Black Panther and we've got ourselves a regular Game of Thrones!
Honestly this cover is decent, featuring a dynamic shot of Doom and Namor in conflict, but it's honestly a bit boring. It seems like Namor broke in through the ceiling and the Latverian tyrant is caught by surprise - we'll see how much that reflects the events of the actual issue. (It doesn't.) The title is not much of a clue as to the nature of the story, beyond the presence of Doom within its pages - which is not all that helpful in a readthrough like this.
Story Overview
In the Darkness Dwells… Doom!
Scene 1 - Surface-Dweller City
We open with a full-page splash of the titular character, Prince Namor, loudly proclaiming his intention to strike back at the surface-men, apparently for their lack of respect, while literally clutching a streetlamp. The humans of the surface should treat him as befits royalty, he maintains angrily, or find their proud city crashing in ruins around them!
Uh… maybe there's a reason they're wary of you, mate...
Namor berates himself for his volatile statements, reflecting that it wasn't human beings that harmed him recently - it was actually an alien hunter that robbed him of his ability to breathe water or fly through the air, locking him away from his kingdom. Still, it's humans that hound his every step, and that's quite enough of a reason to lash out at them for Namor. Ranting some more he starts tossing trash cans around an alleyway in a fit of pique.
This violence startles a boy that's keeping an eye on the Shakespearean fishman from his window above. The kid tumbles to the ground but Namor rescues him in time, deciding his quarrel is not with children. 'Thanks, dad,' the kid quips. Precocious.
Mere moments later an army brigade shows up to arrest Namor, and despite promising the fishman that he'd keep his location a secret, the kid instantly sells him out for a chance to get his 'pitcher' in the newspaper. Namor shows himself openly in response with a complaint about the sting of ingratitude from the young, before assaulting the soldiers with a sudden violence that they seem incapable of handling. The soldiers are utterly unable to take down the Atlantean even after they switch to guns - I'm not sure what their plan was, exactly?
Despite his easy victory, Namor takes off from the fight, presumably to avoid reinforcements. He turns a corner and finds himself in a dead-end alley, unfortunately without his previous ability to just fly away into the sky while heckling the opposition. There's a mysterious gate in the way with metal bars that even Namor's considerable strength can't seem to bend, so he's forced to face the soldiers in direct combat.
Namor laments his lot - he'd intended to live in peace, but if he's forced to fight, he will. I suppose that tussle from a minute or two earlier didn't count?
The gate behind Namor swings open, and he is invited inside by a mysterious voice. Namor doesn't think twice about the dubious situation and accepts the lifeline he's thrown. The soldiers briefly consider climbing the wall to catch their quarry, before their Sergeant notes that Namor might as well be hiding on the Moon - he's now inside the Latverian Embassy!
Scene 2: Latverian Embassy
Namor is confused about the vaguely familiar voice echoing down from speakers throughout the embassy, which waxes nostalgic about the many years that have passed since the two of them have last met. Namor seems to recall the voice like some distant dream, but can't place it...
Wandering through the building, he reaches a staircase. Before he can ascend it, the whole thing suddenly lifts into the sky on its own accord, exposing a wheeled machine beneath it that's equipped with a large laser gun.
It starts belching out beams in his general direction, racing closer in pursuit of his body heat. Namor grabs it before it can do much damage, smashing it into an unidentifiable lump of parts - a feat for which its creator compliments the Sub-Mariner.
Finally, Namor realizes who he's dealing with here - Doctor Doom! (Well, no shit.)
Doom brushes off the laser-assault as a mere test of Namor's abilities, then scoffs at Namor's suspicion and doubt, especially when their last meeting in Fantastic Four v1 #6 is brought up. That's the time Doom betrayed his would-be ally and left him to suffocate in space, if you recall. 'Ancient History, undeserving of memory,' Doom decides. They should be focusing on the future - as natural allies! Like last time!
Pouring a glass of wine for the Sub-Mariner, Doom proposes a toast to their shared rule of the mindless masses, and also the destruction of the Fantastic Four (because of course.) Namor says he merely wants some water, which would recharge his depleting powers, and smacks away Doom's cup of wine when it's presented to him. Bad idea. The two squabble, with Doom lamenting that Namor is thoughtlessly sabotaging the possibility to achieve a common goal.
You see, Doom has the benefit of knowing events from continuity, and he references a previous Namor storyline - one in which the prince very nearly conquered New York, back in Fantastic Four v1 Annual #1. Doom proposes that with his weapons and technology the Atlanteans would not have been driven back, and the five members of the Fantastic Four would have been caught. (Crystal is still a member of the team at this time - though one wonders why she's included when she wasn't present for the referenced storyline...) It is not the meek that shall inherit the Earth, Doom contends, but the strong, and they are both strong!
Namor is thoroughly unconvinced by this appeal to his imperialist tendencies. He's sworn off any desire to conquer the surface world since the events of that story, and considers Doom's plans mere madness. He tells the sovereign as much at the top of his lungs - subtle he ain't.
Namor then decides that he'll merely drink some water to replenish himself, before he'll leave the embassy to pursue his own agenda. Doom, ever courteous, agrees and leaves to fetch some water for his guest. The Sub-Mariner remains behind, musing about his predicament - he doesn't trust Doom any more than a frothing shark, but neither can he leave the embassy without running into a platoon of armed soldiers intent on hunting him down, and he's too weak to take them all on at once without recharging his powers. He wants to leave the city, but he doesn't have anywhere to go - with his gills useless, he can't even escape back into the deep seas.
He wonders what's happening in his kingdom...
Scene 3: Atlantis
We see Triton, one of the Inhumans, swimming down towards the fabled city of Atlantis, apparently for the very first time. Triton is a green fishman with a trident, so he's got the right theme going on, at least! He announces himself to the Atlanteans, declaring he's been sent by Namor to present himself to Lady Dorma - and as proof he has his word and his gleaming trident, which are apparently enough to convince the locals.
Namor, it seems, has spoken often of his inhuman friend - one of the few he has outside the golden city. Still, she's not sure how he came to possess the sacred trident, an Atlantean artifact, and inquires about that. Triton fills her in on the events on the surface, including Namor's banishment from the seas, and his decision to keep himself isolated to avoid conflict between the worlds - even if it could mean his death!
Scene 4: Latverian Embassy
Doom's lackeys are surprisingly vocal about Namor's imprisonment within the embassy - his ambassador tells Doom that keeping a foreign dignitary like this will have international ramifications, and to reconsider. Doom doesn't take his lip with much grace, attacking the ambassador and threatening him with a shallow grave for daring to disagree with his sovereign. He commands all his hirelings to carry out his orders - now!
They rush off, and we see what orders those are - to remove all the water from the embassy premises! Never let it be said Doom goes for half measures. Pipes are closed, conduits adjusted, water jugs removed, ice trays emptied, and even fire extinguishers are totally destroyed. (One wonders if they checked whether they were CO2 first…)
All this is done so that Doom may return to Namor and demand access to the forces of Atlantis, or he will never again receive the life-giving liquid he so desires! Namor declares that the submarine armies will not raise a hand against the surface world while he lives! Doom takes this as an invitation. Clearly, if that's the case, Namor must die!
Namor rushes at Doom to take him by surprise, but he's not at his best - he flounders in the attack, receiving electrical shocks from Doom's protective force field, a feature that's back again for the first time in a good while. Doom is surprised at how much Namor is weakened by his extended stay on land, musing that he might as well ally with a circus strongman for all that the Sub-Mariner brings to the table at the moment. He considers whether it'd serve him better just to hand Namor over to the authorities instead.
After dislodging one of Doom's gaudy statues in his attack and covering the villain in debris, Namor is faced by a small army of Doom's hired mercenaries. Fortunately he's still strong enough to rout this new force, most of whom are fighting out of terror of Doom's wrath. After scaring the hell out of a couple of them, one pulls out a raygun and fires it, but is shocked to find it useless against Namor. Namor swings a fist at him, but the man faints before the strike can even fall.
Doom, it seems, has vanished in the commotion. Namor debates on whether to pursue the Latverian tyrant or flee the embassy, and decides that he has no reason to prove his courage, so he'll just skedaddle. Doom disagrees, and turns that earlier staircase into a slide when the Sub-Mariner is on it, sending him barreling down to ground floor, mostly just to embarrass him.
Namor responds by grabbing a piece of furniture and smashing it through a nearby window - but on the other side are just more unbendable bars, locking the Atlantean inside.
Lashing out with another electrified attack, Doom is stunned when Namor outmatches him in speed, avoiding the assault neatly. Wearying of the back-and-forth, Doom summons an array of metal tentacles from the ceiling, each tipped with heat rays that weaken Namor further.
Doom demands a pledge that Atlantis' forces serve Doom, or he'll ensure Namor will die! Namor just responds that his choice is death, before collapsing.
Several mercenaries enter the room and Doom commands them to transport Namor to the holding cells. He figures he'll discover how to get access to the Atlantean troops later. Namor, meanwhile, faked his collapse - he uses the element of surprise to rip apart one of the heat ray tentacles - and in an instant the room is engulfed in fire as it pours in waves from the ruined machine. Even as Doom commands his underlings to put out the flames, he's awkwardly reminded that the embassy has no water to use…
Doom berates his own foolishness, but is interrupted when the wailing of alarms is heard outside. Authorities are responding to the billowing smoke pouring out of the broken window, and a cascade of water descends through the window, engulfing Namor - the fire brigade has arrived, dousing the visible flames with their fire trucks.
Reinvigorated and recharged by the exposure to water, Namor uses his supernatural strength to smash through the walls of the building, leaping for safety.
Doom is left behind to deal with the firemen, mindful that attacking them would destroy the diplomatic immunity he so often hide behinds. Namor, freed from Doom's grasp, returns to his mournful soliloquizing from the start of the issue, declaring that he'll be free, or let the city of Man beware! Yea, we got it, thanks.
Rating & Comments
A passable story, but I must admit I'm not terribly impressed. This is very much a filler issue, which leaves everyone and everything pretty much where they were at the start - to the point that the bookend scenes are essentially the same. Namor remains a dick - news at 11. It is neat that continuity was relevant in this issue for both Doom and Namor, especially since the issues referenced happened years before.
Doom's intelligence isn't on display in this issue, unfortunately - it's hard not to judge him for closing off all the water in the embassy and then willfully employing fire-based weapons - despite repeatedly demonstrating much less hazardous electrical attacks. He really should have seen this eventuality coming from a mile away, when just last issue he found himself forcefully reminded of the dangers of flamethrowers!
The brief scene in Atlantis seems to be similar to the Inhumans & mysterious house inserts from previous Fantastic Four issues. Apparently it's a common theme across different books at this time, the equivalent of an ad break for future issues...
Best Panel(s) of the Issue
I quite like the shot of Namor wading into a whole bunch of soldiers like he's Superman - really conveys the amount of strength he's working with. Wish there'd been more of that, really.
Doom's introduction in this issue is pretty sweet too, posing like some dramatic magician.
Most Gloriously Villainous Doom Quotes
"I did not appoint you ambassador so that you could dispute me, hireling! You exist but to obey my commands! And obey them you shall, without qualm or question, or an unmarked grave shall be your sole pension! Do you understand me?"
Doom's Bad Hair Day
Doom is prone to an underbite in his depictions, but this is a bit ridiculous! One wonders how artists think his mask works, exactly...
Doom-Tech of the Week
The Heatray Tendrils are really the only relevant technology this time - though I suppose you could include the Laser Vehicle that Namor crushes in like three seconds flat. D for effort, Doom...
Cover
At long last, we've come to the second fateful meeting between Namor the Sub-Mariner and our very own Doctor Doom! This reunion has been waiting in the wings ever since Doom's second appearance, and won't be the last time they meet. After all, who doesn't want to see a mostly naked perpetually angry Vulcan prince wrestle with a techno-magic sovereign that speaks in third person? Yes, all we need is the Black Panther and we've got ourselves a regular Game of Thrones!
Honestly this cover is decent, featuring a dynamic shot of Doom and Namor in conflict, but it's honestly a bit boring. It seems like Namor broke in through the ceiling and the Latverian tyrant is caught by surprise - we'll see how much that reflects the events of the actual issue. (It doesn't.) The title is not much of a clue as to the nature of the story, beyond the presence of Doom within its pages - which is not all that helpful in a readthrough like this.
Story Overview
In the Darkness Dwells… Doom!
Scene 1 - Surface-Dweller City
We open with a full-page splash of the titular character, Prince Namor, loudly proclaiming his intention to strike back at the surface-men, apparently for their lack of respect, while literally clutching a streetlamp. The humans of the surface should treat him as befits royalty, he maintains angrily, or find their proud city crashing in ruins around them!
Uh… maybe there's a reason they're wary of you, mate...
Namor berates himself for his volatile statements, reflecting that it wasn't human beings that harmed him recently - it was actually an alien hunter that robbed him of his ability to breathe water or fly through the air, locking him away from his kingdom. Still, it's humans that hound his every step, and that's quite enough of a reason to lash out at them for Namor. Ranting some more he starts tossing trash cans around an alleyway in a fit of pique.
This violence startles a boy that's keeping an eye on the Shakespearean fishman from his window above. The kid tumbles to the ground but Namor rescues him in time, deciding his quarrel is not with children. 'Thanks, dad,' the kid quips. Precocious.
Mere moments later an army brigade shows up to arrest Namor, and despite promising the fishman that he'd keep his location a secret, the kid instantly sells him out for a chance to get his 'pitcher' in the newspaper. Namor shows himself openly in response with a complaint about the sting of ingratitude from the young, before assaulting the soldiers with a sudden violence that they seem incapable of handling. The soldiers are utterly unable to take down the Atlantean even after they switch to guns - I'm not sure what their plan was, exactly?
Despite his easy victory, Namor takes off from the fight, presumably to avoid reinforcements. He turns a corner and finds himself in a dead-end alley, unfortunately without his previous ability to just fly away into the sky while heckling the opposition. There's a mysterious gate in the way with metal bars that even Namor's considerable strength can't seem to bend, so he's forced to face the soldiers in direct combat.
Namor laments his lot - he'd intended to live in peace, but if he's forced to fight, he will. I suppose that tussle from a minute or two earlier didn't count?
The gate behind Namor swings open, and he is invited inside by a mysterious voice. Namor doesn't think twice about the dubious situation and accepts the lifeline he's thrown. The soldiers briefly consider climbing the wall to catch their quarry, before their Sergeant notes that Namor might as well be hiding on the Moon - he's now inside the Latverian Embassy!
Scene 2: Latverian Embassy
Namor is confused about the vaguely familiar voice echoing down from speakers throughout the embassy, which waxes nostalgic about the many years that have passed since the two of them have last met. Namor seems to recall the voice like some distant dream, but can't place it...
Wandering through the building, he reaches a staircase. Before he can ascend it, the whole thing suddenly lifts into the sky on its own accord, exposing a wheeled machine beneath it that's equipped with a large laser gun.
It starts belching out beams in his general direction, racing closer in pursuit of his body heat. Namor grabs it before it can do much damage, smashing it into an unidentifiable lump of parts - a feat for which its creator compliments the Sub-Mariner.
Finally, Namor realizes who he's dealing with here - Doctor Doom! (Well, no shit.)
Doom brushes off the laser-assault as a mere test of Namor's abilities, then scoffs at Namor's suspicion and doubt, especially when their last meeting in Fantastic Four v1 #6 is brought up. That's the time Doom betrayed his would-be ally and left him to suffocate in space, if you recall. 'Ancient History, undeserving of memory,' Doom decides. They should be focusing on the future - as natural allies! Like last time!
Pouring a glass of wine for the Sub-Mariner, Doom proposes a toast to their shared rule of the mindless masses, and also the destruction of the Fantastic Four (because of course.) Namor says he merely wants some water, which would recharge his depleting powers, and smacks away Doom's cup of wine when it's presented to him. Bad idea. The two squabble, with Doom lamenting that Namor is thoughtlessly sabotaging the possibility to achieve a common goal.
You see, Doom has the benefit of knowing events from continuity, and he references a previous Namor storyline - one in which the prince very nearly conquered New York, back in Fantastic Four v1 Annual #1. Doom proposes that with his weapons and technology the Atlanteans would not have been driven back, and the five members of the Fantastic Four would have been caught. (Crystal is still a member of the team at this time - though one wonders why she's included when she wasn't present for the referenced storyline...) It is not the meek that shall inherit the Earth, Doom contends, but the strong, and they are both strong!
Namor is thoroughly unconvinced by this appeal to his imperialist tendencies. He's sworn off any desire to conquer the surface world since the events of that story, and considers Doom's plans mere madness. He tells the sovereign as much at the top of his lungs - subtle he ain't.
Namor then decides that he'll merely drink some water to replenish himself, before he'll leave the embassy to pursue his own agenda. Doom, ever courteous, agrees and leaves to fetch some water for his guest. The Sub-Mariner remains behind, musing about his predicament - he doesn't trust Doom any more than a frothing shark, but neither can he leave the embassy without running into a platoon of armed soldiers intent on hunting him down, and he's too weak to take them all on at once without recharging his powers. He wants to leave the city, but he doesn't have anywhere to go - with his gills useless, he can't even escape back into the deep seas.
He wonders what's happening in his kingdom...
Scene 3: Atlantis
We see Triton, one of the Inhumans, swimming down towards the fabled city of Atlantis, apparently for the very first time. Triton is a green fishman with a trident, so he's got the right theme going on, at least! He announces himself to the Atlanteans, declaring he's been sent by Namor to present himself to Lady Dorma - and as proof he has his word and his gleaming trident, which are apparently enough to convince the locals.
Namor, it seems, has spoken often of his inhuman friend - one of the few he has outside the golden city. Still, she's not sure how he came to possess the sacred trident, an Atlantean artifact, and inquires about that. Triton fills her in on the events on the surface, including Namor's banishment from the seas, and his decision to keep himself isolated to avoid conflict between the worlds - even if it could mean his death!
Scene 4: Latverian Embassy
Doom's lackeys are surprisingly vocal about Namor's imprisonment within the embassy - his ambassador tells Doom that keeping a foreign dignitary like this will have international ramifications, and to reconsider. Doom doesn't take his lip with much grace, attacking the ambassador and threatening him with a shallow grave for daring to disagree with his sovereign. He commands all his hirelings to carry out his orders - now!
They rush off, and we see what orders those are - to remove all the water from the embassy premises! Never let it be said Doom goes for half measures. Pipes are closed, conduits adjusted, water jugs removed, ice trays emptied, and even fire extinguishers are totally destroyed. (One wonders if they checked whether they were CO2 first…)
All this is done so that Doom may return to Namor and demand access to the forces of Atlantis, or he will never again receive the life-giving liquid he so desires! Namor declares that the submarine armies will not raise a hand against the surface world while he lives! Doom takes this as an invitation. Clearly, if that's the case, Namor must die!
Namor rushes at Doom to take him by surprise, but he's not at his best - he flounders in the attack, receiving electrical shocks from Doom's protective force field, a feature that's back again for the first time in a good while. Doom is surprised at how much Namor is weakened by his extended stay on land, musing that he might as well ally with a circus strongman for all that the Sub-Mariner brings to the table at the moment. He considers whether it'd serve him better just to hand Namor over to the authorities instead.
After dislodging one of Doom's gaudy statues in his attack and covering the villain in debris, Namor is faced by a small army of Doom's hired mercenaries. Fortunately he's still strong enough to rout this new force, most of whom are fighting out of terror of Doom's wrath. After scaring the hell out of a couple of them, one pulls out a raygun and fires it, but is shocked to find it useless against Namor. Namor swings a fist at him, but the man faints before the strike can even fall.
Doom, it seems, has vanished in the commotion. Namor debates on whether to pursue the Latverian tyrant or flee the embassy, and decides that he has no reason to prove his courage, so he'll just skedaddle. Doom disagrees, and turns that earlier staircase into a slide when the Sub-Mariner is on it, sending him barreling down to ground floor, mostly just to embarrass him.
Namor responds by grabbing a piece of furniture and smashing it through a nearby window - but on the other side are just more unbendable bars, locking the Atlantean inside.
Lashing out with another electrified attack, Doom is stunned when Namor outmatches him in speed, avoiding the assault neatly. Wearying of the back-and-forth, Doom summons an array of metal tentacles from the ceiling, each tipped with heat rays that weaken Namor further.
Doom demands a pledge that Atlantis' forces serve Doom, or he'll ensure Namor will die! Namor just responds that his choice is death, before collapsing.
Several mercenaries enter the room and Doom commands them to transport Namor to the holding cells. He figures he'll discover how to get access to the Atlantean troops later. Namor, meanwhile, faked his collapse - he uses the element of surprise to rip apart one of the heat ray tentacles - and in an instant the room is engulfed in fire as it pours in waves from the ruined machine. Even as Doom commands his underlings to put out the flames, he's awkwardly reminded that the embassy has no water to use…
Doom berates his own foolishness, but is interrupted when the wailing of alarms is heard outside. Authorities are responding to the billowing smoke pouring out of the broken window, and a cascade of water descends through the window, engulfing Namor - the fire brigade has arrived, dousing the visible flames with their fire trucks.
Reinvigorated and recharged by the exposure to water, Namor uses his supernatural strength to smash through the walls of the building, leaping for safety.
Doom is left behind to deal with the firemen, mindful that attacking them would destroy the diplomatic immunity he so often hide behinds. Namor, freed from Doom's grasp, returns to his mournful soliloquizing from the start of the issue, declaring that he'll be free, or let the city of Man beware! Yea, we got it, thanks.
Rating & Comments
A passable story, but I must admit I'm not terribly impressed. This is very much a filler issue, which leaves everyone and everything pretty much where they were at the start - to the point that the bookend scenes are essentially the same. Namor remains a dick - news at 11. It is neat that continuity was relevant in this issue for both Doom and Namor, especially since the issues referenced happened years before.
Doom's intelligence isn't on display in this issue, unfortunately - it's hard not to judge him for closing off all the water in the embassy and then willfully employing fire-based weapons - despite repeatedly demonstrating much less hazardous electrical attacks. He really should have seen this eventuality coming from a mile away, when just last issue he found himself forcefully reminded of the dangers of flamethrowers!
The brief scene in Atlantis seems to be similar to the Inhumans & mysterious house inserts from previous Fantastic Four issues. Apparently it's a common theme across different books at this time, the equivalent of an ad break for future issues...
Best Panel(s) of the Issue
I quite like the shot of Namor wading into a whole bunch of soldiers like he's Superman - really conveys the amount of strength he's working with. Wish there'd been more of that, really.
Doom's introduction in this issue is pretty sweet too, posing like some dramatic magician.
Most Gloriously Villainous Doom Quotes
"I did not appoint you ambassador so that you could dispute me, hireling! You exist but to obey my commands! And obey them you shall, without qualm or question, or an unmarked grave shall be your sole pension! Do you understand me?"
Doom's Bad Hair Day
Doom is prone to an underbite in his depictions, but this is a bit ridiculous! One wonders how artists think his mask works, exactly...
Doom-Tech of the Week
The Heatray Tendrils are really the only relevant technology this time - though I suppose you could include the Laser Vehicle that Namor crushes in like three seconds flat. D for effort, Doom...
Last edited:
024: Astonishing Tales v1 #1 - Unto You Is Born... the Doomsman!
- Location
- Netherlands
024: Astonishing Tales v1 #1 (August 1970)
Cover
Three hurrahs for Doom getting his own series! Although, for the second time in a row, Doom must share his book with a mostly nude muscular dude…? What are the odds of that? Maybe it's to compensate for how overdressed Doom himself tends to be?
Welcome, one and all, to Doctor Doom's first 'solo' series. Or, to be more precise, a two-in-one affair where he shares time with Tarzan here - excuse me, I meant Ka-Zar. Actually, that's a bit unfair to the savage - Ka-Zar is more than just a simple ripoff. Tarzan never fought dinosaurs, for example, and I can only imagine the havoc that would be caused by inserting some velociraptors into the 'Me Tarzan, You Jane' scene! Clever girls... Ka-Zar's storyline takes place in the Savage Land, a tropical land that time forgot (somehow) located in Antarctica, and as such is entirely separate from Doom's tale - so we leave him here.
This cover is… busy, and clunky, with too much text and two cover images for the price of one, cheapening both. Doom gets only about forty percent of this cover to himself, but it's a very Frankenstein take on him - he has his fist raised in triumph besides an electronic machine while a stereotypical mummy sits up in the foreground, one hand raised and firing beams of Kirby Crackle around the room. It seems Doom's mad scientist vibes are going to be on full display!
Story Overview
Unto You Is Born… the Doomsman!
We open with... the Moon! (It's only a model!) Doctor Doom stands before a scale replica of the astronomical body, declaring to some unseen audience that Americans have landed one of their primitive rockets on the Moon, but they will soon realize they live in the Era of Doctor Doom! Doom, the comic reminds us, is a man born to rule, and a ruler born to be feared!
Meanwhile, in space, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stand on the surface of the Moon. Yes, we are actually seeing Marvel's version of Apollo 11, roughly a year after the real thing! Featuring the actual people! Things diverge from reality pretty quickly - Armstrong seems to have found something on the surface of the Moon: a perfectly round, obviously artificial object. He muses that this might be the first evidence of alien life!
Huh. You think, Neil? The Kree showing up didn't clue you in? Or the Skrulls? The Silver Surfer, maybe? Freaking GALACTUS threatening to eat the entire planet? I swear, Marvel Earth is up to like forty-second contact at this point...
Later, back on Earth, we see President Nixon in the White House, meeting with a scientist who is clueless as to the nature of the orb, but certifies it harmless. (Not sure how that works…) The moment Nixon speaks up, the orb suddenly activates in response, showing the masked face of Doom! The sphere was teleported to the Moon, Doom declares, as a showcase of technological superiority over America's rocketry. Doom's not actually there to issue demands - he just figured he'd let Nixon know that there's no place to hide, should America get any ideas…
Far away, nestled in the Bavarian Alps (this week, anyway) we turn our eyes to Doom's kingdom of Latveria. Doom strides through the streets without looking at any of the subjects that scurry out of his way as he heads towards his castle. It was right about here that I suddenly realized what I was looking at. This is the final scene of the Origin of Doctor Doom story from Fantastic Four Annual #2, repeated almost verbatim! Surprise continuity! Here, as there, Doom turns his attention towards some new experiment - but this time, we don't cut away from the scene.
Doom commands one of his lackeys to leave him, deciding that his usefulness has ended. He decides privately that the man cannot possibly replicate the masterwork he's been a part of, since he merely implemented Doom's genius - he didn't come up with it himself. Doom looms over a prone mummy with a fish bowl over his head, declaring it to be the ultimate weapon - a living being infused with cosmic rays, perhaps inspired by his run-in with the Silver Surfer. Furthermore, the creature will be infused with Doom's own brain patterns, ensuring its loyalty.
Somewhere else in the castle, in some forgotten catacombs, a clean-shaven man in a vaguely Captain Kirk outfit is hailed by a handful of locals as the rightful ruler of Latveria, Prince Rudolfo! He and his lackey, Horst, declare that it's high time to stop talking, and do something, like take the royal throne of his country back!
Rudolfo's supporters aren't that impressed, with one of them, Heinrich, noting that Rudolfo himself can hardly stop talking about his birthright, and regardless the Latverian Underground acts to free Latveria from Doom's rule, not to service a replacement despot.
'Why you follow me does not matter! Only your loyalty matters!' Rudolfo decides, deciding that only his royal name can unite the Latverian people against the usurper. Rudolfo questions a woman in the resistance, Ramona, about her loyalty, and she brushes him off, much to Horst's dismay. Rudolfo bursts out with a 'Silence, fool! How dare you…!' declaration worthy of Doom, and establishes his backstory: he's Crown Prince Rudolfo Fortunov, son of the former King, and part of the dynasty that Doom unseated. He asks Romano to get ready - it turns out she is a key part of Rudolfo's strategy, which may explain Horst's discomfort with her lukewarm loyalty.
Later that same day, one of the servo-guards discovers an unconscious woman in a fiery car wreck, and takes her back to the castle. The reason, it turns out, is that the woman was recognized by the robot's programming as someone flagged for retrieval by Doom himself - she appears to be someone Doom has been looking for. Someone named Valeria!
Yes, it turns out Doom's been searching for Valeria ever since their run-in in Marvel Super-Heroes v1 #20 - even if he didn't give up his supervillain ways, he's clearly still attached to her. D'aww. Still, Doom is nothing if not diligent, and he decides to use one of his hypnotic devices to confirm her identity, since Marvel is rife with dopplegangers. Lo and behold, Ramona instantly divulges Rudolfo's gambit, revealing her true identity. Doom barely hears anything after the first words, though, and we see him staring out over the city, caught up in thoughts of the past.
Horst, meanwhile, is getting impatient. Rudolfo just tells him they'll have to wait for Ramona's signal before they can do anything, but Horst worries that he longer they wait, the more likely it is Doom will discover them. Rudolfo reveals that's also part of the plan - of course Doom would discover the ruse! Horst is appalled that the prince would risk everyone's lives without even telling them, and he gets a punch to the face for his insubordination. Rudolfo asserts that while Doom will know Ramona's a fake, her resemblance to Valeria will stay his hand, and that will be all they need...
Up in the castle, Doom still has Ramona in his hypnotic thrall, and he proceeds to remove his mask in her presence, presenting his handsome, blond, unmarred face to her. ('That's a face a woman could love!' she opines.) It only takes a few moments, however, for Doom to realize what he's doing and flee in disgust at his own actions. He decides that he cannot live such a lie - he was using an illusion instead of showing her his actual face.
Damn, the resemblance to Valeria really got him good, didn't it?
Fleeing back down to the lab where he keeps his mummy, Doom declares that it's where he really belongs - amidst the trappings of a life lived only for power! He decides to upload his mind's contents to the new creation, removing his mask once again and donning a wired helmet instead, placing another on the mummy. We only see them from behind, naturally...
At that moment Rudolfo uses a radio to contact Ramona, telling her that she must destroy the power center of Doom's castle. I suppose waiting for her signal took too long? Regardless, the sudden command wakes her from her hypnotic stupor, and she sets out to find the power center - only to barge in on Doom himself, still wearing that dorky helmet. Ramona is shocked by Doom's maskless face, declaring that while he's making a monster right in that room, Doom is the most grotesque monster! Harsh, lady. She smashes the computer device from the cover by smashing a chair across it, plunging the castle into darkness as the power fails.
We turn now to Prince Flash Gordon, who takes advantage of the lack of power to assault the castle. He's wearing a flight belt (that rather resembles a jetpack, to be honest) as are his colleagues, and they cross over the outer walls without issue.
Some human lackeys stand in their way inside the castle, but the rebels start tossing explosives around to blast through the inner walls of the castle. Some of them are anxious that there's no robot guards to face them, but Rudolfo declares they're missing because the power is down - only Doom stands in the way of victory!
Deep within the castle, Doom's monstrous mummified being is engulfed in cosmic power, and suddenly wakes up from his long slumber. He is - the Doomsman! He stands up, snapping a metal cable with a mere gesture, then makes his way out of the room by barreling through walls like they're not even there, ignoring the ineffectual gunshots from panicking rebels that see him as some new defense of Doom's. The Doomsman ignores them all, wrecking a huge outer wall as he vanishes into the darkness and chaos of the revolutionary night.
Within the castle, it seems the last of Doom's lackeys has fallen, and the Latverian Underground celebrates. That's when Rudolfo gets caught in the back by a stun blast - Doctor Doom has arrived, and he's not alone. One by one, a dozen Doctors Doom loom from the darkness, simple projected images of the real deal - but as Doom himself notes, just because they know most of them are fake, doesn't help them figure out which is genuine. He's going to keep shooting rebels regardless.
Finally, the Underground identifies an image of Doom that doesn't flicker, and they focus their fire on that target - which promptly explodes! They've destroyed… a Doombot. Elsewhere, deep within the bowels of the Earth, Doom sits within a familiar command center that surrounds him on all sides, and he reminds them that just because the castle lacks power, it doesn't mean robots can't have their own power supply. Duh.
You see, for months now Doom has known about the Prince's treacherous plans, and he's waited all this time to ensure the Underground would show themselves where he could easily take them out! He compliments Rudolfo for the gambit with Ramona, knowing Rudolfo can no longer answer - Doom's aural hypno-probes have already brainwashed him and Ramona into mindless obedience! Still, as great as this victory is, Doom worries about his Doomsman. Instead of coming to Doom's aid, it went its own way during the battle - and with Doom's own mind within that body, who knows what it might be planning?
Perhaps Doom has created his most formidable enemy of all - himself!
To be continued...
Rating & Comments
It's very refreshing to see a pure Doctor Doom story which doesn't bother showing us any heroes at all. Doom is unapologetically himself, facing off against twisted mirror images of himself at every turn - Rudolfo Fortunov is his father in miniature, resembling Doom rather more than he's want to admit, while the Doomsman is a mysterious ominous figure to be explored in other issues. We get slightly more introspection than usual, but that's not new, as such.
I am baffled by Rudolfo's plan - first he ensured Ramona was captured by Doom, and then he seemed to be waiting for some sort of signal from her - and the Underground getting discovered was also part of things somehow. But that entire scenario never happens? Instead he contacts Ramona directly, instructing her - an unarmed civilian - to defuse the entire defense apparatus of the castle. If not for a giant freaking coincidence, she could never have managed that. Did Rudolfo somehow know that Doom was busy with a delicate experiment which sapped up most of the power in the building? How? Even if he did, how would Ramona know that smashing a random device would shut everything down? I presume Doom played along to draw them all into his trap, but how did none of the rebels figure out this series of events was terribly implausible?
As the first part of a series, it's perhaps unfair to judge this plot already - many of the events in this issue will be followed up in subsequent issues, even if this story seems fairly self-contained. As such, I'll keep it at a middling score and adjust as necessary as we go along...
Best Panel(s) of the Issue
Not a lot of great shots in this issues (partly due to sub-par scans) so I'll nominate the opening splash page for its scenery, with Doom almost literally in the spotlight. There's something quite fun about Doom being a dick to world leaders just to show off his toys...
Most Gloriously Villainous Doom Quotes
"This is where I truly belong - here, amidst the trappings of a life lived only for power! Here I must drown all sorrows, all regrets, as I concentrate all my energies on the man-thing which shall have my mind! But first, I must manipulate once more my many-faceted ring… to remove anew the metal shield which hides my face from the world! Perhaps, after all, it is the mask which is the true face of Doctor Doom!"
Doom's Bad Hair Day
Non-traditional use of this category, but Doom's attempt to pretty himself up is thoroughly pathetic - especially since he doesn't even turn into himself without a scar, but into some random blond guy instead. All because she vaguely looked like a girl you loved, Doom? I'm getting creepy Incel vibes...
Comic Trivia
The Ka-Zar/Doom double-feature Astonishing Tales actually launched side-by-side with another similar book, Amazing Adventures, which features the unlikely duo of the Inhumans and Black Widow. It seems the concept wasn't terribly successful, however, as they didn't really stick with the formula for long, reverting to single protagonist books within a year. Amazing Adventures ditched Black Widow about 8 issues in, with Beast of the X-Men replacing the original duo, before himself being replaced by… War of the Worlds comic books featuring a guy called Killraven? Okay. Astonishing Tales, meanwhile, also sticks with Doom for a mere 8 issues before leaving him to go full Ka-Zar for a while, then switching that up for the Living Colossus, Deathlok, and a stray Guardians of the Galaxy issue.
Comics are weird.
Doom-Tech of the Week
Although the Hypno-Probe is significant in this issue, it's the same technology that shows up in the recent Fantastic Four four-part story, sans the oldtimey cassette tapes. The Energy-Transferal Helmets which can apparently copy minds are more unique to this story, as is the Moon Sphere that Doom gives to Nixon for bragging rights.
Doombot Count: 4
The first genuine Doombot since the second Annual, several publication years in the past! It's good to see you, buddy!
Cover
Three hurrahs for Doom getting his own series! Although, for the second time in a row, Doom must share his book with a mostly nude muscular dude…? What are the odds of that? Maybe it's to compensate for how overdressed Doom himself tends to be?
Welcome, one and all, to Doctor Doom's first 'solo' series. Or, to be more precise, a two-in-one affair where he shares time with Tarzan here - excuse me, I meant Ka-Zar. Actually, that's a bit unfair to the savage - Ka-Zar is more than just a simple ripoff. Tarzan never fought dinosaurs, for example, and I can only imagine the havoc that would be caused by inserting some velociraptors into the 'Me Tarzan, You Jane' scene! Clever girls... Ka-Zar's storyline takes place in the Savage Land, a tropical land that time forgot (somehow) located in Antarctica, and as such is entirely separate from Doom's tale - so we leave him here.
This cover is… busy, and clunky, with too much text and two cover images for the price of one, cheapening both. Doom gets only about forty percent of this cover to himself, but it's a very Frankenstein take on him - he has his fist raised in triumph besides an electronic machine while a stereotypical mummy sits up in the foreground, one hand raised and firing beams of Kirby Crackle around the room. It seems Doom's mad scientist vibes are going to be on full display!
Story Overview
Unto You Is Born… the Doomsman!
We open with... the Moon! (It's only a model!) Doctor Doom stands before a scale replica of the astronomical body, declaring to some unseen audience that Americans have landed one of their primitive rockets on the Moon, but they will soon realize they live in the Era of Doctor Doom! Doom, the comic reminds us, is a man born to rule, and a ruler born to be feared!
Meanwhile, in space, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stand on the surface of the Moon. Yes, we are actually seeing Marvel's version of Apollo 11, roughly a year after the real thing! Featuring the actual people! Things diverge from reality pretty quickly - Armstrong seems to have found something on the surface of the Moon: a perfectly round, obviously artificial object. He muses that this might be the first evidence of alien life!
Huh. You think, Neil? The Kree showing up didn't clue you in? Or the Skrulls? The Silver Surfer, maybe? Freaking GALACTUS threatening to eat the entire planet? I swear, Marvel Earth is up to like forty-second contact at this point...
Later, back on Earth, we see President Nixon in the White House, meeting with a scientist who is clueless as to the nature of the orb, but certifies it harmless. (Not sure how that works…) The moment Nixon speaks up, the orb suddenly activates in response, showing the masked face of Doom! The sphere was teleported to the Moon, Doom declares, as a showcase of technological superiority over America's rocketry. Doom's not actually there to issue demands - he just figured he'd let Nixon know that there's no place to hide, should America get any ideas…
Far away, nestled in the Bavarian Alps (this week, anyway) we turn our eyes to Doom's kingdom of Latveria. Doom strides through the streets without looking at any of the subjects that scurry out of his way as he heads towards his castle. It was right about here that I suddenly realized what I was looking at. This is the final scene of the Origin of Doctor Doom story from Fantastic Four Annual #2, repeated almost verbatim! Surprise continuity! Here, as there, Doom turns his attention towards some new experiment - but this time, we don't cut away from the scene.
Doom commands one of his lackeys to leave him, deciding that his usefulness has ended. He decides privately that the man cannot possibly replicate the masterwork he's been a part of, since he merely implemented Doom's genius - he didn't come up with it himself. Doom looms over a prone mummy with a fish bowl over his head, declaring it to be the ultimate weapon - a living being infused with cosmic rays, perhaps inspired by his run-in with the Silver Surfer. Furthermore, the creature will be infused with Doom's own brain patterns, ensuring its loyalty.
Somewhere else in the castle, in some forgotten catacombs, a clean-shaven man in a vaguely Captain Kirk outfit is hailed by a handful of locals as the rightful ruler of Latveria, Prince Rudolfo! He and his lackey, Horst, declare that it's high time to stop talking, and do something, like take the royal throne of his country back!
Rudolfo's supporters aren't that impressed, with one of them, Heinrich, noting that Rudolfo himself can hardly stop talking about his birthright, and regardless the Latverian Underground acts to free Latveria from Doom's rule, not to service a replacement despot.
'Why you follow me does not matter! Only your loyalty matters!' Rudolfo decides, deciding that only his royal name can unite the Latverian people against the usurper. Rudolfo questions a woman in the resistance, Ramona, about her loyalty, and she brushes him off, much to Horst's dismay. Rudolfo bursts out with a 'Silence, fool! How dare you…!' declaration worthy of Doom, and establishes his backstory: he's Crown Prince Rudolfo Fortunov, son of the former King, and part of the dynasty that Doom unseated. He asks Romano to get ready - it turns out she is a key part of Rudolfo's strategy, which may explain Horst's discomfort with her lukewarm loyalty.
Later that same day, one of the servo-guards discovers an unconscious woman in a fiery car wreck, and takes her back to the castle. The reason, it turns out, is that the woman was recognized by the robot's programming as someone flagged for retrieval by Doom himself - she appears to be someone Doom has been looking for. Someone named Valeria!
Yes, it turns out Doom's been searching for Valeria ever since their run-in in Marvel Super-Heroes v1 #20 - even if he didn't give up his supervillain ways, he's clearly still attached to her. D'aww. Still, Doom is nothing if not diligent, and he decides to use one of his hypnotic devices to confirm her identity, since Marvel is rife with dopplegangers. Lo and behold, Ramona instantly divulges Rudolfo's gambit, revealing her true identity. Doom barely hears anything after the first words, though, and we see him staring out over the city, caught up in thoughts of the past.
Horst, meanwhile, is getting impatient. Rudolfo just tells him they'll have to wait for Ramona's signal before they can do anything, but Horst worries that he longer they wait, the more likely it is Doom will discover them. Rudolfo reveals that's also part of the plan - of course Doom would discover the ruse! Horst is appalled that the prince would risk everyone's lives without even telling them, and he gets a punch to the face for his insubordination. Rudolfo asserts that while Doom will know Ramona's a fake, her resemblance to Valeria will stay his hand, and that will be all they need...
Up in the castle, Doom still has Ramona in his hypnotic thrall, and he proceeds to remove his mask in her presence, presenting his handsome, blond, unmarred face to her. ('That's a face a woman could love!' she opines.) It only takes a few moments, however, for Doom to realize what he's doing and flee in disgust at his own actions. He decides that he cannot live such a lie - he was using an illusion instead of showing her his actual face.
Damn, the resemblance to Valeria really got him good, didn't it?
Fleeing back down to the lab where he keeps his mummy, Doom declares that it's where he really belongs - amidst the trappings of a life lived only for power! He decides to upload his mind's contents to the new creation, removing his mask once again and donning a wired helmet instead, placing another on the mummy. We only see them from behind, naturally...
At that moment Rudolfo uses a radio to contact Ramona, telling her that she must destroy the power center of Doom's castle. I suppose waiting for her signal took too long? Regardless, the sudden command wakes her from her hypnotic stupor, and she sets out to find the power center - only to barge in on Doom himself, still wearing that dorky helmet. Ramona is shocked by Doom's maskless face, declaring that while he's making a monster right in that room, Doom is the most grotesque monster! Harsh, lady. She smashes the computer device from the cover by smashing a chair across it, plunging the castle into darkness as the power fails.
We turn now to Prince Flash Gordon, who takes advantage of the lack of power to assault the castle. He's wearing a flight belt (that rather resembles a jetpack, to be honest) as are his colleagues, and they cross over the outer walls without issue.
Some human lackeys stand in their way inside the castle, but the rebels start tossing explosives around to blast through the inner walls of the castle. Some of them are anxious that there's no robot guards to face them, but Rudolfo declares they're missing because the power is down - only Doom stands in the way of victory!
Deep within the castle, Doom's monstrous mummified being is engulfed in cosmic power, and suddenly wakes up from his long slumber. He is - the Doomsman! He stands up, snapping a metal cable with a mere gesture, then makes his way out of the room by barreling through walls like they're not even there, ignoring the ineffectual gunshots from panicking rebels that see him as some new defense of Doom's. The Doomsman ignores them all, wrecking a huge outer wall as he vanishes into the darkness and chaos of the revolutionary night.
Within the castle, it seems the last of Doom's lackeys has fallen, and the Latverian Underground celebrates. That's when Rudolfo gets caught in the back by a stun blast - Doctor Doom has arrived, and he's not alone. One by one, a dozen Doctors Doom loom from the darkness, simple projected images of the real deal - but as Doom himself notes, just because they know most of them are fake, doesn't help them figure out which is genuine. He's going to keep shooting rebels regardless.
Finally, the Underground identifies an image of Doom that doesn't flicker, and they focus their fire on that target - which promptly explodes! They've destroyed… a Doombot. Elsewhere, deep within the bowels of the Earth, Doom sits within a familiar command center that surrounds him on all sides, and he reminds them that just because the castle lacks power, it doesn't mean robots can't have their own power supply. Duh.
You see, for months now Doom has known about the Prince's treacherous plans, and he's waited all this time to ensure the Underground would show themselves where he could easily take them out! He compliments Rudolfo for the gambit with Ramona, knowing Rudolfo can no longer answer - Doom's aural hypno-probes have already brainwashed him and Ramona into mindless obedience! Still, as great as this victory is, Doom worries about his Doomsman. Instead of coming to Doom's aid, it went its own way during the battle - and with Doom's own mind within that body, who knows what it might be planning?
Perhaps Doom has created his most formidable enemy of all - himself!
To be continued...
Rating & Comments
It's very refreshing to see a pure Doctor Doom story which doesn't bother showing us any heroes at all. Doom is unapologetically himself, facing off against twisted mirror images of himself at every turn - Rudolfo Fortunov is his father in miniature, resembling Doom rather more than he's want to admit, while the Doomsman is a mysterious ominous figure to be explored in other issues. We get slightly more introspection than usual, but that's not new, as such.
I am baffled by Rudolfo's plan - first he ensured Ramona was captured by Doom, and then he seemed to be waiting for some sort of signal from her - and the Underground getting discovered was also part of things somehow. But that entire scenario never happens? Instead he contacts Ramona directly, instructing her - an unarmed civilian - to defuse the entire defense apparatus of the castle. If not for a giant freaking coincidence, she could never have managed that. Did Rudolfo somehow know that Doom was busy with a delicate experiment which sapped up most of the power in the building? How? Even if he did, how would Ramona know that smashing a random device would shut everything down? I presume Doom played along to draw them all into his trap, but how did none of the rebels figure out this series of events was terribly implausible?
As the first part of a series, it's perhaps unfair to judge this plot already - many of the events in this issue will be followed up in subsequent issues, even if this story seems fairly self-contained. As such, I'll keep it at a middling score and adjust as necessary as we go along...
Best Panel(s) of the Issue
Not a lot of great shots in this issues (partly due to sub-par scans) so I'll nominate the opening splash page for its scenery, with Doom almost literally in the spotlight. There's something quite fun about Doom being a dick to world leaders just to show off his toys...
Most Gloriously Villainous Doom Quotes
"This is where I truly belong - here, amidst the trappings of a life lived only for power! Here I must drown all sorrows, all regrets, as I concentrate all my energies on the man-thing which shall have my mind! But first, I must manipulate once more my many-faceted ring… to remove anew the metal shield which hides my face from the world! Perhaps, after all, it is the mask which is the true face of Doctor Doom!"
Doom's Bad Hair Day
Non-traditional use of this category, but Doom's attempt to pretty himself up is thoroughly pathetic - especially since he doesn't even turn into himself without a scar, but into some random blond guy instead. All because she vaguely looked like a girl you loved, Doom? I'm getting creepy Incel vibes...
Comic Trivia
The Ka-Zar/Doom double-feature Astonishing Tales actually launched side-by-side with another similar book, Amazing Adventures, which features the unlikely duo of the Inhumans and Black Widow. It seems the concept wasn't terribly successful, however, as they didn't really stick with the formula for long, reverting to single protagonist books within a year. Amazing Adventures ditched Black Widow about 8 issues in, with Beast of the X-Men replacing the original duo, before himself being replaced by… War of the Worlds comic books featuring a guy called Killraven? Okay. Astonishing Tales, meanwhile, also sticks with Doom for a mere 8 issues before leaving him to go full Ka-Zar for a while, then switching that up for the Living Colossus, Deathlok, and a stray Guardians of the Galaxy issue.
Comics are weird.
Doom-Tech of the Week
Although the Hypno-Probe is significant in this issue, it's the same technology that shows up in the recent Fantastic Four four-part story, sans the oldtimey cassette tapes. The Energy-Transferal Helmets which can apparently copy minds are more unique to this story, as is the Moon Sphere that Doom gives to Nixon for bragging rights.
Doombot Count: 4
The first genuine Doombot since the second Annual, several publication years in the past! It's good to see you, buddy!
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Technically speaking, Number One was not explicitly stated to be Pres. Nixon, and I believe they later retconned in that he was a White House staffer.
But it was totally supposed to be Pres. Nixon.
025: Astonishing Tales v1 #2 - Revolution!
- Location
- Netherlands
025: Astonishing Tales v1 #2 (October 1970)
Cover
Welcome back, one and all, to another pair of Astonishing Tales! Yes, we return to this short-lived series for another patchwork cover that doesn't spare enough room for either subject, although it seems a bit more equally divided between the savage Ka-Zar and Doctor Doom. Unfortunately it also displays our favorite megalomaniacal monarch getting his ass handed to him by his own creation, so I'm not sure I want to see a bigger rendition!
Hold on, though - now that I think about it, the Doomsman has the mind of Doom in it, doesn't it? So this is really a case of Doom vs. Doom? Is Doom kicking his own ass? Who counts as the victor if they're both Victor? He is literally his own worst enemy...
Story Overview
Revolution!
We revisit Doom in the closing moments of the previous issue - openly enjoying his moment of triumph against Prince Rudolfo's failed attempt to usurp power in Latveria. Doom maintains enough composure among his chortling to command his underlings, telling them to find any skulking rebels that remain free, and to return of the errant Doomsman from his wanderings. That would be the advanced mummy-droid Doom made last week, the one that spontaneously woke up and promptly abandoned its mission - and the castle, for that matter. Oopsie.
While this is going on, we see Prince Rudolfo and Ramona safely locked up in their own cozy dungeon cells deep below the castle. The former is naturally ranting about trying to escape, declaring without any prompting that he cannot reveal the secret of - the faceless one! Not sure why you brought it up, then? Ramona is unfamiliar with the name, and Rudolfo responds to this by claiming there's many things she doesn't know - like the fact that he can rip off the bars of his cell with his bare hands!
Take that, inanimate objects! I would've expected a stronger material given Namor's trouble bending the gates of the Latverian embassy in a previous issue, but I guess even Doom must spare on costs somewhere.
Rudolfo's escape is short-lived, as he can't even utter a full sentence before he's intercepted by an apparently omniscient Doctor Doom. The tyrant immediately deduces that Rudolfo is not the real deal at all, but a robotic duplicate under remote control! (Seriously, were you trying to be Doom's long lost twin?) He reveals that he's not just some random robot, but actually one of Doom's own creations - once used to stand in for the deposed prince during Doom's coronation as rightful ruler, and left abandoned in the aftermath.
Suddenly the Rudolfo-bot tries to escape from Doom's clutches, but it is promptly shot by servoguards - as the would-be usurper intended all along. Doom is annoyed that he can learn nothing more from the twisted remains of the machine - but at least, he reasons, it cannot be used against him any longer.
Those words echo down to Rudolfo's hideout - and he's not alone in there. Behind Rudolfo stands a new figure, revealed to be the previously mentioned Faceless One!
Okay. This guy. The Faceless One is a special kind of… special. Dressed in a mix of pink and yellow with a prominent Batman-style utility belt, the most defining feature of this new character is still his kooky headgear. Because, yes, you are seeing that right. This dread antagonist is wearing an enormous, bulbous fishbowl helmet that would make the magnificent Mysterio jealous!
One wonders where these people get their fashion taste... The Faceless One turns out be Rudolfo's secret helper, and he tells the prince about a weapon that he's discovered from his 'sky-spanning omni-sphere' - in other words, from his spaceship. (Does this mean he is an alien? It's left a bit vague. Guess we'll find out…)
The weapon in question turns out to be the missing Doomsman! We get a quick summary of the android's origins and the promise of its latent powers, including the fact that it possesses the brilliant mind of Doctor Doom himself. It's basically a rehash of the relevant pages from last issue, with pretty much identical art. The story continues beyond the pages of that book, however, as it turns out the Doomsman has been tussling with the border guards of neighbouring countries, blowing up tanks and fighter planes with its might on the edge of Latveria. The Faceless One flies over in his spherical spaceship to meet up with the bandage-swaddled android, promising friendship instead of violence.
Back at the castle, Doom decides it's beneath him to imprison a woman, and releases Ramona from her cell. Okay, I'm not sure where that impulse came from, but I presume it's either part of yet another (logical) ruse, or it's an inconvenient side-effect of Ramona's resemblance to his old flame Valeria. Doom certainly had no trouble locking up Sue Storm or Johnny's girlfriend just a few comics ago!
The moment Doom turns his back to her, Ramona grabs the nearest available gun and aims it at the dictator's back. Still, even though Ramona knows she'd be Rudolfo's queen if she pulled the trigger, she can't bring herself to fire - whatever else she is, she's no murderer. Doom reveals he planted the gun as a test, and the weapon's firing mechanism had been removed. Still, he's learned what he wanted to know from her hesitation, and sends her away.
Nearby, in a farmhouse in the vicinity of Doomstadt, some of Rudolfo's rebel allies meet with their leader, and receive a host of new weapons for their fight against Doom - rifles designed by the Faceless One himself! The (alien) guns effortlessly mow down a company of servoguards, leaving even Doom himself in dismay as he watches from his surveillance cameras. Their defeat, however, solidifies Doom's commitment to the fight - he'll handle this personally.
Dusk arrives, and a legion of Doom's robot guards marches on Rudolfo's rebels, ready for an epic Lord of the Rings clash for Latveria. A veritable army of rebels come out of hiding to oppose them, more pawns in a game played by two men with egos that eclipse everything. Rudolfo strikes the first blow from above, protected by a forcefield, while Doom's robots are unprotected from the Faceless One's armaments.
The robots, though, turn out to be a mere ploy, a method to gain a few precious moments for Doom to get ready. He throws himself out the window of his castle, launching himself at his foe with his jetpack - it's been a while since we saw that! - as well as a Doom-brand forcefield to counter Rudolfo's own. Blasting over the rebels' heads he starts taking down the enemy army by hand, soon realizing that things are going a little too easy for him…
The Faceless One's spherical ship lowers from the sky towards Doom's castle, opening up to reveal its owner and the Doomsman, who have arrived to take the castle while its owner is away. Doom is aware of the two-pronged attack as it happens, though, and he swears aloud that he won't allow such a travesty!
He flies back to his home, blasting rebels from the skies as he muses that whoever is responsible for this second attack was swift and efficient, already releasing captured rebels from the previous issue's attack to hamper his progress. Clever!
Inside the castle we see the Faceless One approach Ramona, who is less than enthused to see the fishbowl-headed freak. Unsurprising, given that she had no idea who he was at the start of this issue. Why would she feel any loyalty to this guy?
Outside, Doom stands alone against a small army of rebels who fruitlessly assault the monarch as he withstands a hail of bullets. Doom is really showcasing his effortless superiority to these nobodies - they can't even touch him! Dismissing them out of hand, Doom walks past them into the castle proper, wondering who the 'Faceless One' is that the rebels mentioned. He doesn't have to wonder long, though, as he suddenly encounters Ramona and her captor!
Doom and the Faceless One blast each other with their guns simultaneously - and both their attacks are absorbed by their opponents' force fields, leaving them unharmed. Well, that was pointless!
Doom declares that they'll fight it out man to man, but the Faceless One dismisses the idea of engaging in fisticuffs, declaring that it's not his way. Instead he calls out for the Doomsman, who promptly Kool-Aid Mans into the scene through the nearest wall! Guess it doesn't count if you let someone else throw the punches for you, huh?
We end on a cliffhanger with the Doomsman standing between the Faceless One and his creator, the former encouraging the robot to murder Doom, the latter worrying about his possible impending death at the hands of his own creation...!
To be continued...
Rating & Comments
This was a mediocre issue, clearly less concerned with building a compelling narrative than establishing the bona fides of a brand new villain that's retconned into an ongoing narrative he wasn't part of. Unfortunately the Faceless One is not particularly threatening, and his random spaceship and super-guns don't help that impression either. At least Rudolfo has a personal connection to Latveria, rather than being some mysterious unexplained (alien?) outsider who just shows up to wreak havoc for unspecified reasons.
Still, Doom gets to be badass and unassailable throughout this issue, effortlessly defeating everyone until the final scene, even if his robotic servoguards get mangled by well-armed rebels. Shots of Doom tanking the sorts of rifle fire that tore through his robot forces establish his singular superiority, and the return of his jetpack is a fun blast from the past - we'll see if this impressive power lasts until next issue, when he might actually have to use it against a real foe!
I am a little curious why Doom seems so uncharacteristically nervous about the Doomsman for the second time in a row here - in the ending of the previous issue and this one he worries about his own demise at the hands of his creation. Perhaps it says something about dear Victor that the only person he can imagine actually killing him is literally himself. It may also be an attempt to humanize Doom, as this is his first solo storyline.
These two issues, by the way, are only loosely connected by Rudolfo's presence, since the story shifts focus from the rebellion onto fishbowl guy and his pet robot. I have to wonder if this trend will continue, and Astonishing Tales turns out be just another one-off collection that pretends to be serialized, like some of the Fantastic Four multi-part stories that came before. The advent of true multi-part stories will come, but not quite yet...
Best Panel(s) of the Issue
I think my favorites panels here are both times that Doom gets shot, and then completely negates the attack without the slightest effort. The first is against a horde of rebels, who fruitlessly fire their rifles into a protective barrier. The second is the Faceless One himself, who discovers his technology is only barely adequate to match Doom, and not the instant win button he might've hoped.
Most Gloriously Villainous Doom Quotes
"It is beyond belief! The flower of my robot corps, going down in dismal defeat! Then the time has come to meet force with force! This night decides whether Latveria is ruled by Doctor Doom - or the schemer Rudolfo!"
"My palace - in the hands of the accursed enemy! It must not be! It shall not be! Thus swears Doctor Doom!"
Doom's Bad Hair Day
Although I wasn't a big fan of the art in this issue, can I skip the Doom story entirely for once and just nominate Ka-Zar in general? Ugh. The opening shot of his part of the comic is a disconcerting image of a Gorilla-armed bodybuilder whose chest muscles seem to run vertically across his body, and who lacks even a hint of belly button or nipples. What even is he? Why is he a thing?
Doom-Tech of the Week
The Nulli-Screen is Doom's answer to the Faceless One's force fields in this issue, and it seems his invention is up to the challenge. Not even the rebels' brand new weapons can dent it! Seems like even the Faceless One is a little surprised by that one...
Cover
Welcome back, one and all, to another pair of Astonishing Tales! Yes, we return to this short-lived series for another patchwork cover that doesn't spare enough room for either subject, although it seems a bit more equally divided between the savage Ka-Zar and Doctor Doom. Unfortunately it also displays our favorite megalomaniacal monarch getting his ass handed to him by his own creation, so I'm not sure I want to see a bigger rendition!
Hold on, though - now that I think about it, the Doomsman has the mind of Doom in it, doesn't it? So this is really a case of Doom vs. Doom? Is Doom kicking his own ass? Who counts as the victor if they're both Victor? He is literally his own worst enemy...
Story Overview
Revolution!
We revisit Doom in the closing moments of the previous issue - openly enjoying his moment of triumph against Prince Rudolfo's failed attempt to usurp power in Latveria. Doom maintains enough composure among his chortling to command his underlings, telling them to find any skulking rebels that remain free, and to return of the errant Doomsman from his wanderings. That would be the advanced mummy-droid Doom made last week, the one that spontaneously woke up and promptly abandoned its mission - and the castle, for that matter. Oopsie.
While this is going on, we see Prince Rudolfo and Ramona safely locked up in their own cozy dungeon cells deep below the castle. The former is naturally ranting about trying to escape, declaring without any prompting that he cannot reveal the secret of - the faceless one! Not sure why you brought it up, then? Ramona is unfamiliar with the name, and Rudolfo responds to this by claiming there's many things she doesn't know - like the fact that he can rip off the bars of his cell with his bare hands!
Take that, inanimate objects! I would've expected a stronger material given Namor's trouble bending the gates of the Latverian embassy in a previous issue, but I guess even Doom must spare on costs somewhere.
Rudolfo's escape is short-lived, as he can't even utter a full sentence before he's intercepted by an apparently omniscient Doctor Doom. The tyrant immediately deduces that Rudolfo is not the real deal at all, but a robotic duplicate under remote control! (Seriously, were you trying to be Doom's long lost twin?) He reveals that he's not just some random robot, but actually one of Doom's own creations - once used to stand in for the deposed prince during Doom's coronation as rightful ruler, and left abandoned in the aftermath.
Suddenly the Rudolfo-bot tries to escape from Doom's clutches, but it is promptly shot by servoguards - as the would-be usurper intended all along. Doom is annoyed that he can learn nothing more from the twisted remains of the machine - but at least, he reasons, it cannot be used against him any longer.
Those words echo down to Rudolfo's hideout - and he's not alone in there. Behind Rudolfo stands a new figure, revealed to be the previously mentioned Faceless One!
Okay. This guy. The Faceless One is a special kind of… special. Dressed in a mix of pink and yellow with a prominent Batman-style utility belt, the most defining feature of this new character is still his kooky headgear. Because, yes, you are seeing that right. This dread antagonist is wearing an enormous, bulbous fishbowl helmet that would make the magnificent Mysterio jealous!
One wonders where these people get their fashion taste... The Faceless One turns out be Rudolfo's secret helper, and he tells the prince about a weapon that he's discovered from his 'sky-spanning omni-sphere' - in other words, from his spaceship. (Does this mean he is an alien? It's left a bit vague. Guess we'll find out…)
The weapon in question turns out to be the missing Doomsman! We get a quick summary of the android's origins and the promise of its latent powers, including the fact that it possesses the brilliant mind of Doctor Doom himself. It's basically a rehash of the relevant pages from last issue, with pretty much identical art. The story continues beyond the pages of that book, however, as it turns out the Doomsman has been tussling with the border guards of neighbouring countries, blowing up tanks and fighter planes with its might on the edge of Latveria. The Faceless One flies over in his spherical spaceship to meet up with the bandage-swaddled android, promising friendship instead of violence.
Back at the castle, Doom decides it's beneath him to imprison a woman, and releases Ramona from her cell. Okay, I'm not sure where that impulse came from, but I presume it's either part of yet another (logical) ruse, or it's an inconvenient side-effect of Ramona's resemblance to his old flame Valeria. Doom certainly had no trouble locking up Sue Storm or Johnny's girlfriend just a few comics ago!
The moment Doom turns his back to her, Ramona grabs the nearest available gun and aims it at the dictator's back. Still, even though Ramona knows she'd be Rudolfo's queen if she pulled the trigger, she can't bring herself to fire - whatever else she is, she's no murderer. Doom reveals he planted the gun as a test, and the weapon's firing mechanism had been removed. Still, he's learned what he wanted to know from her hesitation, and sends her away.
Nearby, in a farmhouse in the vicinity of Doomstadt, some of Rudolfo's rebel allies meet with their leader, and receive a host of new weapons for their fight against Doom - rifles designed by the Faceless One himself! The (alien) guns effortlessly mow down a company of servoguards, leaving even Doom himself in dismay as he watches from his surveillance cameras. Their defeat, however, solidifies Doom's commitment to the fight - he'll handle this personally.
Dusk arrives, and a legion of Doom's robot guards marches on Rudolfo's rebels, ready for an epic Lord of the Rings clash for Latveria. A veritable army of rebels come out of hiding to oppose them, more pawns in a game played by two men with egos that eclipse everything. Rudolfo strikes the first blow from above, protected by a forcefield, while Doom's robots are unprotected from the Faceless One's armaments.
The robots, though, turn out to be a mere ploy, a method to gain a few precious moments for Doom to get ready. He throws himself out the window of his castle, launching himself at his foe with his jetpack - it's been a while since we saw that! - as well as a Doom-brand forcefield to counter Rudolfo's own. Blasting over the rebels' heads he starts taking down the enemy army by hand, soon realizing that things are going a little too easy for him…
The Faceless One's spherical ship lowers from the sky towards Doom's castle, opening up to reveal its owner and the Doomsman, who have arrived to take the castle while its owner is away. Doom is aware of the two-pronged attack as it happens, though, and he swears aloud that he won't allow such a travesty!
He flies back to his home, blasting rebels from the skies as he muses that whoever is responsible for this second attack was swift and efficient, already releasing captured rebels from the previous issue's attack to hamper his progress. Clever!
Inside the castle we see the Faceless One approach Ramona, who is less than enthused to see the fishbowl-headed freak. Unsurprising, given that she had no idea who he was at the start of this issue. Why would she feel any loyalty to this guy?
Outside, Doom stands alone against a small army of rebels who fruitlessly assault the monarch as he withstands a hail of bullets. Doom is really showcasing his effortless superiority to these nobodies - they can't even touch him! Dismissing them out of hand, Doom walks past them into the castle proper, wondering who the 'Faceless One' is that the rebels mentioned. He doesn't have to wonder long, though, as he suddenly encounters Ramona and her captor!
Doom and the Faceless One blast each other with their guns simultaneously - and both their attacks are absorbed by their opponents' force fields, leaving them unharmed. Well, that was pointless!
Doom declares that they'll fight it out man to man, but the Faceless One dismisses the idea of engaging in fisticuffs, declaring that it's not his way. Instead he calls out for the Doomsman, who promptly Kool-Aid Mans into the scene through the nearest wall! Guess it doesn't count if you let someone else throw the punches for you, huh?
We end on a cliffhanger with the Doomsman standing between the Faceless One and his creator, the former encouraging the robot to murder Doom, the latter worrying about his possible impending death at the hands of his own creation...!
To be continued...
Rating & Comments
This was a mediocre issue, clearly less concerned with building a compelling narrative than establishing the bona fides of a brand new villain that's retconned into an ongoing narrative he wasn't part of. Unfortunately the Faceless One is not particularly threatening, and his random spaceship and super-guns don't help that impression either. At least Rudolfo has a personal connection to Latveria, rather than being some mysterious unexplained (alien?) outsider who just shows up to wreak havoc for unspecified reasons.
Still, Doom gets to be badass and unassailable throughout this issue, effortlessly defeating everyone until the final scene, even if his robotic servoguards get mangled by well-armed rebels. Shots of Doom tanking the sorts of rifle fire that tore through his robot forces establish his singular superiority, and the return of his jetpack is a fun blast from the past - we'll see if this impressive power lasts until next issue, when he might actually have to use it against a real foe!
I am a little curious why Doom seems so uncharacteristically nervous about the Doomsman for the second time in a row here - in the ending of the previous issue and this one he worries about his own demise at the hands of his creation. Perhaps it says something about dear Victor that the only person he can imagine actually killing him is literally himself. It may also be an attempt to humanize Doom, as this is his first solo storyline.
These two issues, by the way, are only loosely connected by Rudolfo's presence, since the story shifts focus from the rebellion onto fishbowl guy and his pet robot. I have to wonder if this trend will continue, and Astonishing Tales turns out be just another one-off collection that pretends to be serialized, like some of the Fantastic Four multi-part stories that came before. The advent of true multi-part stories will come, but not quite yet...
Best Panel(s) of the Issue
I think my favorites panels here are both times that Doom gets shot, and then completely negates the attack without the slightest effort. The first is against a horde of rebels, who fruitlessly fire their rifles into a protective barrier. The second is the Faceless One himself, who discovers his technology is only barely adequate to match Doom, and not the instant win button he might've hoped.
Most Gloriously Villainous Doom Quotes
"It is beyond belief! The flower of my robot corps, going down in dismal defeat! Then the time has come to meet force with force! This night decides whether Latveria is ruled by Doctor Doom - or the schemer Rudolfo!"
"My palace - in the hands of the accursed enemy! It must not be! It shall not be! Thus swears Doctor Doom!"
Doom's Bad Hair Day
Although I wasn't a big fan of the art in this issue, can I skip the Doom story entirely for once and just nominate Ka-Zar in general? Ugh. The opening shot of his part of the comic is a disconcerting image of a Gorilla-armed bodybuilder whose chest muscles seem to run vertically across his body, and who lacks even a hint of belly button or nipples. What even is he? Why is he a thing?
Doom-Tech of the Week
The Nulli-Screen is Doom's answer to the Faceless One's force fields in this issue, and it seems his invention is up to the challenge. Not even the rebels' brand new weapons can dent it! Seems like even the Faceless One is a little surprised by that one...
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026: Astonishing Tales v1 #3 - Doom Must Die!
- Location
- Netherlands
026: Astonishing Tales v1 #3 (December 1970)
Cover
We return to the Astonishing Tales for another chapter in the ongoing saga of Doom fighting the myriad enemies of the state, enemies of himself, and probably... himself. This cover displays Doom in rather more control than the previous issue, blasting the Doomsman in the face with his finger lasers like he's Iron Man. The Doomsman, meanwhile, seems to be removing his mummy bandages to reveal what's underneath - gasp - a nude man!
Honestly the subtitle regarding the secret of the Faceless One seems a little tacked on, since the bulbous freak doesn't actually show up on the cover - and it doesn't help that the Doomsman is also faceless up to this point in the story. That's not confusing at all, no sir.
Story Overview
Doom Must Die!
We return to ongoing events with Rudolfo's rebellion in action, his followers storming the castle with their newfangled guns. Textboxes explain that this is actually the first time Doom's reign is openly challenged like this - Rudolfo is breaking new ground! Most of the rebels are regular militia, but there's also several still using their very jetpack-shaped jump belts from two issues ago.
Inside the castle we find Doom and the Faceless One still squaring off with the Doomsman caught between them - the Faceless One has decided to switch duds and is now bright crimson with a gold dome, but still dumb-looking. The bulbous weirdo declares that he's conditioned Doom's android to follow only his commands, but when he tells his slave to attack Doom, it hesitates to follow that command. Good job on the beta testing, genius.
Caught between conflicting orders from its two masters, the Doomsman's programming glitches and serves up a third option: neither! The Doomsman declares that the contradictory orders have cancelled each other out - and left their target free to serve no impulse but his own! Whoopsie.
Removing the bandages from himself, the Doomsman declares he has the power cosmic - a phrase connected to the Silver Surfer - and his appearance matches the declaration, in all his blue pseudo-nudity. It's left vague whether or not he actually has such power, but it would make sense if Doom created the android after his brush with godhood in recent times, and it would also explain the near-indestructible nature of the thing.
The Faceless One figures the android has gone mad, and moves to leave before it can turn on him. Doom, meanwhile, decides that since the android shares his mental faculties, he really should be able to influence its mind through a technique he calls mind fusion - and he's right! He takes control of the Doomsman, compelling it to attack his enemy, and the blue meanie promptly takes down a wall and tries to bury the Faceless One in chunks of castle. Jeez, even under mind-control he's a wrecking ball!
Doom uses his technology to take down the Faceless One's force fields, then uses his molecule gun to bury him in yet more rocks, driving him back into the waiting arms of his mind-controlled double. Not a bad strategy, Doom!
Here, at last, it's revealed that the goofy ball-headed design of the Faceless One wasn't entirely stupid after all - it was a ruse! To escape from captivity the Faceless One's entire headpiece detaches from its body, revealing it to be the vehicle for its alien occupant, a spherical alien spider of unusual size!
The creature skitters off and detonates its human shell violently in its wake, flinging Doom and his Doomsman away and severing the mind-control. Doom ignores the android's immediate disappearance in the wake of that development, focusing instead on his more immediate enemy, the Faceless One.
He rushes to the ramparts of his castle, but the alien has already reached his spaceship - and the 'golden sphere' part suddenly makes a lot more sense! The thing rushes off into the sky, but it's quickly revealed there is no occupant… the Faceless One still crawls around the castle, moving towards the Master Control Room while Doom is distracted by his ride.
Doom, unaware of the deception, decides to face his other enemies - Rudolfo's rebels, still shooting up the place and making a mess while all this is going on. Doom ignores their guns, blasting them to kingdom come with pure energy - but he's suddenly bombarded by a barrage of anti-particles. That's one of his own weapons! From the control room, the Faceless One turns other weapons against the monarch, magnetizing the armor before piercing Doom's force fields and casting him adrift in a sea of electronic waves until he vanishes in a flash of light. What's become of him?
The rebels celebrate Doom's apparent demise, with Rudolfo and Romana stepping forward to claim victory - but their cheer is short-lived when the earth starts to tremble beneath their feet, and a positively ginormous image of Doom's face blots out the sky, spanning the entire horizon. Doom's castle, the monarch declares, was constructed on a fault in the Earth - and he will now unleash the awesome power of an earthquake with his vibration machines, denying the rebels their prize! Castle Doom crumbles to the ground in the titanic destruction that follows, leaving little more than a pile of rubble behind.
Rudolfo, Romana, and a handful of other rebels make it out of the destruction in the nick of time, but they're dispirited by the disaster. The rebels head back home to nurse their wounds, while Rudolfo returns to exile to plan his next move - though you'd think it'd be easy to take over with the headquarters of your greatest enemy in ruins. I guess it's too much work to build a government without a big drafty building to do it in? Anyway, he shall return!
We turn now to the Doomsman, who is still considering his newfound mental freedom. Before he can really explore this, however, Doom calls him over mentally, drawing him towards the Cave of Sorrows, a secret cavern in which he's installed a throne (because of course he has) and is holding court away from his usual haunts. This is where he escaped to when the Faceless One attacked him - his panic room, if you will.
Doom explains that he can definitely control the Doomsman with his mind, but only while he focuses on it - and he cannot permanently focus. Thus, while keeping up that control, he tests the android's invincibility, to see if there's some way to destroy it. His creation tears through everything put against it, destroying servoguards and electrified weapons alike, only faltering in the face of Doom's mental might.
Musing to himself, Doom recognizes the parallels with Frankenstein's Monster, and he decides that his fond dreams of an invincible android army must be abandoned as unworkable. He would be devoured by his own creations, helpless before their power.
Still, one of the Doomsmen already lives, and the mental power required to keep it under control is significant, sapping all of Doom's energy. Doom sways, succumbing to exhaustion, and the Doomsman rushes forward to kill the only human who might control him - only to find himself suddenly fading - fading from existence! Much like in his encounter with Diablo, Doom's solution to the whole mess is exile. He's teleported the android into another dimension - one of malformed trees, volcanoes, and bright pink skies.
Doom lets himself feel a modicum of relief, now that all his enemies have been driven off. The Doomsman is out of the picture forever, Rudolfo's rebels have retreated for the moment, and the Faceless One has scurried off somewhere in the wake of Doom's earthquake. He's survived this gauntlet, and Doom declares he'll defeat anything else that challenges him - victory shall always be his. Besides, he's pretty much faced the worst already, right?
Next time: Nazis!
Rating & Comments
This issue serves as the capstone to a three-issue storyline, and fumbles in trying to close off several plot-lines all at once. Honestly, it feels like the authors were attempting to explore serialization and seeding story elements ahead of time, but chickened out before actually going through with it. Finishing off the stories of the rebellion, the Doomsman, and the Faceless One in a half-length story means it's rushed and anticlimactic.
Out of the three, the Doomsman gets the most competent finale - a variation on Diablo's fate, stranded in some strange dimension where he can't trouble Doom any longer. It's a little puzzling that Doom would fake out the Doomsman with his supposed swooning, considering he was already mind-controlling the robot and could just walk him over to the teleporter without any trickery. Force of habit, maybe?
The other two foes get less satisfactory endings. Rudolfo and Ramona don't even face Doom again, and they've essentially been an afterthought since the opening issue of this storyline anyway. Their abandonment of the revolution when Doom's castle collapses is a mystery, too. Why would that stifle their ambitions? You'd think it'd be a victory! As for the Faceless One… he just sort of vanishes into thin air after his attempt on Doom's life fails. Lame.
This is my least favorite of these three issues, mostly because Doom doesn't convincingly win against any of them - he just sort of avoids losing by destroying his own stuff. Reducing the villains from earlier in the arc to bit parts doesn't help either, reducing the interest I'd built up. I can't wait until the days of competent multi-part stories, I swear!
Best Panel(s) of the Issue
Doom blasting a dozen fools off their feet with a savage blast of naked energy is good fun. Who doesn't want that? Snrk.
Second, off course, has to be the GIANT DOOM HEAD LOOMING OVER EVERYONE. Well, that's mildly terrifying to behold!
Most Gloriously Villainous Doom Quotes
"Behold, dolts! Feel the savage thirst of naked energy! Energy generated by forces far beyond your meager comprehension!"
"Yet other enemies will come! Other battles will be fought! But no matter who the foe… Or what the danger… Victory will be mine… For now, and always!"
Doom's Bad Hair Day
Today, I'd like to award this one to Rudolfo and Romana, who decided that now was the best time to get a wardrobe change - and they chose matching white jumpsuits for some reason. It's not even a coloring issue, either, they just randomly started wearing this in the final panels of their storyline for no clear reason. Why on Earth…?
Doom-Tech of the Week
Firstly there's the Electronic Energizer, the doohickey Doom uses to shut down the Faceless One's force fields, the one thing which kept him at bay in the previous issue. If he'd remembered it a little sooner, things might've gone differently…
There's also the Vibration Machine, which Doom uses to destroy his own kingdom. Because that's what you do when rebels take over, I guess. ~Just monarch things!~
Cover
We return to the Astonishing Tales for another chapter in the ongoing saga of Doom fighting the myriad enemies of the state, enemies of himself, and probably... himself. This cover displays Doom in rather more control than the previous issue, blasting the Doomsman in the face with his finger lasers like he's Iron Man. The Doomsman, meanwhile, seems to be removing his mummy bandages to reveal what's underneath - gasp - a nude man!
Honestly the subtitle regarding the secret of the Faceless One seems a little tacked on, since the bulbous freak doesn't actually show up on the cover - and it doesn't help that the Doomsman is also faceless up to this point in the story. That's not confusing at all, no sir.
Story Overview
Doom Must Die!
We return to ongoing events with Rudolfo's rebellion in action, his followers storming the castle with their newfangled guns. Textboxes explain that this is actually the first time Doom's reign is openly challenged like this - Rudolfo is breaking new ground! Most of the rebels are regular militia, but there's also several still using their very jetpack-shaped jump belts from two issues ago.
Inside the castle we find Doom and the Faceless One still squaring off with the Doomsman caught between them - the Faceless One has decided to switch duds and is now bright crimson with a gold dome, but still dumb-looking. The bulbous weirdo declares that he's conditioned Doom's android to follow only his commands, but when he tells his slave to attack Doom, it hesitates to follow that command. Good job on the beta testing, genius.
Caught between conflicting orders from its two masters, the Doomsman's programming glitches and serves up a third option: neither! The Doomsman declares that the contradictory orders have cancelled each other out - and left their target free to serve no impulse but his own! Whoopsie.
Removing the bandages from himself, the Doomsman declares he has the power cosmic - a phrase connected to the Silver Surfer - and his appearance matches the declaration, in all his blue pseudo-nudity. It's left vague whether or not he actually has such power, but it would make sense if Doom created the android after his brush with godhood in recent times, and it would also explain the near-indestructible nature of the thing.
The Faceless One figures the android has gone mad, and moves to leave before it can turn on him. Doom, meanwhile, decides that since the android shares his mental faculties, he really should be able to influence its mind through a technique he calls mind fusion - and he's right! He takes control of the Doomsman, compelling it to attack his enemy, and the blue meanie promptly takes down a wall and tries to bury the Faceless One in chunks of castle. Jeez, even under mind-control he's a wrecking ball!
Doom uses his technology to take down the Faceless One's force fields, then uses his molecule gun to bury him in yet more rocks, driving him back into the waiting arms of his mind-controlled double. Not a bad strategy, Doom!
Here, at last, it's revealed that the goofy ball-headed design of the Faceless One wasn't entirely stupid after all - it was a ruse! To escape from captivity the Faceless One's entire headpiece detaches from its body, revealing it to be the vehicle for its alien occupant, a spherical alien spider of unusual size!
The creature skitters off and detonates its human shell violently in its wake, flinging Doom and his Doomsman away and severing the mind-control. Doom ignores the android's immediate disappearance in the wake of that development, focusing instead on his more immediate enemy, the Faceless One.
He rushes to the ramparts of his castle, but the alien has already reached his spaceship - and the 'golden sphere' part suddenly makes a lot more sense! The thing rushes off into the sky, but it's quickly revealed there is no occupant… the Faceless One still crawls around the castle, moving towards the Master Control Room while Doom is distracted by his ride.
Doom, unaware of the deception, decides to face his other enemies - Rudolfo's rebels, still shooting up the place and making a mess while all this is going on. Doom ignores their guns, blasting them to kingdom come with pure energy - but he's suddenly bombarded by a barrage of anti-particles. That's one of his own weapons! From the control room, the Faceless One turns other weapons against the monarch, magnetizing the armor before piercing Doom's force fields and casting him adrift in a sea of electronic waves until he vanishes in a flash of light. What's become of him?
The rebels celebrate Doom's apparent demise, with Rudolfo and Romana stepping forward to claim victory - but their cheer is short-lived when the earth starts to tremble beneath their feet, and a positively ginormous image of Doom's face blots out the sky, spanning the entire horizon. Doom's castle, the monarch declares, was constructed on a fault in the Earth - and he will now unleash the awesome power of an earthquake with his vibration machines, denying the rebels their prize! Castle Doom crumbles to the ground in the titanic destruction that follows, leaving little more than a pile of rubble behind.
Rudolfo, Romana, and a handful of other rebels make it out of the destruction in the nick of time, but they're dispirited by the disaster. The rebels head back home to nurse their wounds, while Rudolfo returns to exile to plan his next move - though you'd think it'd be easy to take over with the headquarters of your greatest enemy in ruins. I guess it's too much work to build a government without a big drafty building to do it in? Anyway, he shall return!
We turn now to the Doomsman, who is still considering his newfound mental freedom. Before he can really explore this, however, Doom calls him over mentally, drawing him towards the Cave of Sorrows, a secret cavern in which he's installed a throne (because of course he has) and is holding court away from his usual haunts. This is where he escaped to when the Faceless One attacked him - his panic room, if you will.
Doom explains that he can definitely control the Doomsman with his mind, but only while he focuses on it - and he cannot permanently focus. Thus, while keeping up that control, he tests the android's invincibility, to see if there's some way to destroy it. His creation tears through everything put against it, destroying servoguards and electrified weapons alike, only faltering in the face of Doom's mental might.
Musing to himself, Doom recognizes the parallels with Frankenstein's Monster, and he decides that his fond dreams of an invincible android army must be abandoned as unworkable. He would be devoured by his own creations, helpless before their power.
Still, one of the Doomsmen already lives, and the mental power required to keep it under control is significant, sapping all of Doom's energy. Doom sways, succumbing to exhaustion, and the Doomsman rushes forward to kill the only human who might control him - only to find himself suddenly fading - fading from existence! Much like in his encounter with Diablo, Doom's solution to the whole mess is exile. He's teleported the android into another dimension - one of malformed trees, volcanoes, and bright pink skies.
Doom lets himself feel a modicum of relief, now that all his enemies have been driven off. The Doomsman is out of the picture forever, Rudolfo's rebels have retreated for the moment, and the Faceless One has scurried off somewhere in the wake of Doom's earthquake. He's survived this gauntlet, and Doom declares he'll defeat anything else that challenges him - victory shall always be his. Besides, he's pretty much faced the worst already, right?
Next time: Nazis!
Rating & Comments
This issue serves as the capstone to a three-issue storyline, and fumbles in trying to close off several plot-lines all at once. Honestly, it feels like the authors were attempting to explore serialization and seeding story elements ahead of time, but chickened out before actually going through with it. Finishing off the stories of the rebellion, the Doomsman, and the Faceless One in a half-length story means it's rushed and anticlimactic.
Out of the three, the Doomsman gets the most competent finale - a variation on Diablo's fate, stranded in some strange dimension where he can't trouble Doom any longer. It's a little puzzling that Doom would fake out the Doomsman with his supposed swooning, considering he was already mind-controlling the robot and could just walk him over to the teleporter without any trickery. Force of habit, maybe?
The other two foes get less satisfactory endings. Rudolfo and Ramona don't even face Doom again, and they've essentially been an afterthought since the opening issue of this storyline anyway. Their abandonment of the revolution when Doom's castle collapses is a mystery, too. Why would that stifle their ambitions? You'd think it'd be a victory! As for the Faceless One… he just sort of vanishes into thin air after his attempt on Doom's life fails. Lame.
This is my least favorite of these three issues, mostly because Doom doesn't convincingly win against any of them - he just sort of avoids losing by destroying his own stuff. Reducing the villains from earlier in the arc to bit parts doesn't help either, reducing the interest I'd built up. I can't wait until the days of competent multi-part stories, I swear!
Best Panel(s) of the Issue
Doom blasting a dozen fools off their feet with a savage blast of naked energy is good fun. Who doesn't want that? Snrk.
Second, off course, has to be the GIANT DOOM HEAD LOOMING OVER EVERYONE. Well, that's mildly terrifying to behold!
Most Gloriously Villainous Doom Quotes
"Behold, dolts! Feel the savage thirst of naked energy! Energy generated by forces far beyond your meager comprehension!"
"Yet other enemies will come! Other battles will be fought! But no matter who the foe… Or what the danger… Victory will be mine… For now, and always!"
Doom's Bad Hair Day
Today, I'd like to award this one to Rudolfo and Romana, who decided that now was the best time to get a wardrobe change - and they chose matching white jumpsuits for some reason. It's not even a coloring issue, either, they just randomly started wearing this in the final panels of their storyline for no clear reason. Why on Earth…?
Doom-Tech of the Week
Firstly there's the Electronic Energizer, the doohickey Doom uses to shut down the Faceless One's force fields, the one thing which kept him at bay in the previous issue. If he'd remembered it a little sooner, things might've gone differently…
There's also the Vibration Machine, which Doom uses to destroy his own kingdom. Because that's what you do when rebels take over, I guess. ~Just monarch things!~
027: Thor v1 #182 - The Prisoner, the Power, and Doctor Doom!
- Location
- Netherlands
027: Thor v1 #182 (November 1970)
Cover
I didn't expect Doctor Doom to show up in any Thor comics - the mystical Norse deity is not exactly the hero you think of in relation to the Fantastic Four's premier nemesis! Still, here we are, with an honestly pretty good cover. Doom's armor is lovingly rendered in this depiction, with a particularly nice shading job which makes the metal shine, especially on the mask. The ghostly apparition of Thor, too, looks pretty great - though he seems wildly oversized if that's supposed to his actual dimensions compared to his 'mortal' identity.
As for the subject matter of the cover… I'm not sure why Doom is upset at someone seeing his face when, to all appearances, he took the mask off himself. Canonically, up to this point, he is the only one who can take it off. Perhaps it's a trick on Doom's part? He does so love those...
Story Overview
The Prisoner, the Power, and Doctor Doom!
Thor stands high above the city of New York in full regalia, with his big red cloak billowing around him and wearing his iconic winged Asterix hat. He's reflecting moodily on the recent exploits of his tricksy brother Loki. The supervillain got up to some mischief in his brother's guise, it seems, convincing many people that Thor had gone to the dark side. Although the matter was resolved, Thor still wishes to regain the people's trust, and thus patrols New York City's skies by flinging himself around with his hammer.
During one of these flights, Thor perceives there is some trouble brewing on the streets below, and he sneaks around a corner to listen in on the commotion. We see a girl protesting outside the Latverian embassy, surrounded on all sides by people who are arguing with each other about radicals, troublemakers, and the ever-ubiquitous specter of communism. Thor recognizes Latveria as Doctor Doom's kingdom, but is puzzled why it would cause a riot on the streets of New York.
Curious, he decides that this is not a question for a Norse God to answer - this is a matter for Donald Blake, soft-spoken, lame physician. (And yes, that's 'lame' in the sense that he walks with difficulty. The euphemism treadmill has rolled on since the 70's.) In a flash of light and magic Thor reverts to that secret identity, Mjolnir transforming into a simple walking stick.
Hobbling over to the protest, Blake worries things might get out of hand at any moment. People are still bickering, with some coming to the defense of the girl who opposes Doctor Doom's tyranny, while others accuse her of being a hippie anarchist that's here to stir the pot. Before long it comes to blows, and the protesting girl is the first to suffer the consequences, getting knocked out in the scuffle. Blake protects her with his own body, fending off people with his walking stick.
Then, in a decision I question, Blake decides to turn back into Thor in the middle of the milling crowd by slamming his stick down on the ground. Uh, Thor, buddy? Secret identity, remember? Why even turn into Blake if you're going to immediately reverse that decision when the predictable happens? Regardless, in a flash of lightning Thor reemerges. Gotta admit - the art of his transformation is pretty badass.
He grabs the girl and leaves, deciding that even though he doesn't know her particular gripe with Latveria, he can at least take care of her injuries. That's another job for Donald Blake, naturally - so he turns back again. Odin's enchantments are getting a serious workout today! (
After waking up in a stranger's apartment, the girl turns out to be pretty chatty. She was protesting, it turns out, because of something that happened to her several years earlier: she is Cosette Lafarge, daughter of a French Professor that Doom kidnapped. To ensure the Professor's cooperation, Doom used a young Cosette as leverage, keeping her locked within his castle until her father's work on missile silos would be completed.
For months, years even, Cosette is kept under lock and key by loyal Latverians fearful of Doom's wrath, and she grows from a teenage girl into adulthood there. Still, eventually their vigilance slackens, and some of the Latverian Underground help Cosette escape to America. Even though she's free, however, her father's missile silos will be ready soon, and there's no telling what Doom might do to her father when he is no longer of use…
Blake announces that he knows of one man who might be able to solve this problem, and promises Cosette he will look into the matter, before letting her leave his place. He muses to himself that he can't very well attack the leader of a sovereign nation - not even Thor has that right. (He seems to forget that as a citizen of Asgard he probably doesn't have diplomatic ties with Latveria to worry about…) Blake decides he has to make Doom come to him, and for that he requires a chink in the monarch's armor. He immediately realizes what it might be - the ugly disfigurement that Doom uses his mask to conceal! Calling up a reporter he knows, Harris Hobbs - and there's a whole untold story there, I promise - he sets up a clever ruse. Before he can even put down the phone, though... Divine interrupt!
Blake's plans are rudely interrupted by a giant pair of eyeballs that suddenly appear in the sky. They're eyes that only he can see - Odin's eyes! The All-Father summons Thor home to Asgard, and he promptly teleports over. Arriving in a flash of light, a newly transformed Thor enters the Asgardian throne room to see the armored form of his father - clad in blue and purple with a bright red mitre and a full-length white beard - upon his fancy winged chair. Odin announces gravely that they must discuss - the World Beyond! (Krakathoom!)
Thor respectfully points out he was in the middle of something, and maybe he can call back later, thanks?
Lady Sif enters the room, dressed in a gaudy white-and-pink costume. She immediately proclaims her worry for Thor, evidently overhearing Odin's overly loud mention of the 'world beyond'. Behind her we can also spot Balder the Brave, who assures Thor that he'll be present if there's any threats to be fought. Thor embraces Sif and basks in the love he's granted by his closest allies. (It's all very sappy.)
Odin permits Thor to return to Midgard to complete his current task, but tells him to go alone - and to hasten back afterwards to discuss the World Beyond. (Krakathoom!) Thor leaves, and a distraught Sif remains behind, worrying to herself that one day even the God of Thunder may meet his match.
Meanwhile, back in New York's Latverian embassy, we see Doctor Doom reading a newspaper article announcing the creation of a brand new plastic surgery method pioneered by Doctor Donald Blake. Indeed, he promises he has the ability to fix any facial disfigurement!
This… seems like a decidedly poor decision on Blake's part. Sure, the article is just a trick to get at Doom - but how is he going to explain that fact after this is all over? Giving thousands of people false hope seems like an obvious repercussion here, never mind possibly ruining one's career with false advertisement or fraud charges…
Doom is caught up in self-pity, lamenting that for all his wealth and power, his ugliness makes him less of a man than the lowliest clod on Earth - which is pretty harsh, man. It figures that Doom's ego is both horrifically bloated and terribly fragile. He finds himself before a mirror, noting that he doesn't dare to remove the mask because even he can't endure the sight of what's beneath. Furiously he smashes his reflection to pieces, and then has to reassure a worried Latverian ambassador who rushes to see what all the noise was about. Doom strokes his own ego a bit to make himself feel better, then tells the worried man that they're calling on Doctor Blake. And by that he means they're kidnapping him. Figures.
The two leave from the rear of the embassy to avoid demonstrators, driving towards Blake's home, while Doom gets caught up in reading about Doctor Blake, noting he's found some 'interesting' things. When Blake leaves his building, Doom uses a 'molecular displacer' to teleport the man into the car from the street with a gorgeous splash of Kirby Krackle.
Doom decides to keep Blake in suspended animation until they're already on their way to Latveria. They drive to a hidden hangar (or 'hanger' in this issue) which is disguised with 'hydraulic camouflage' (or 'camauflage' in this issue. Ye olde spelling or just shitty editing?)
Arriving at that secluded location, the ambassador uses a secret mechanism hidden within a dead tree to open a hatch in the side of a sheer rock face. A shiny silver helicopter hides behind it, ready to take Doom home.
The ambassador worries about the repercussions of kidnapping someone to Latveria against their will, but Doom angrily points out his total diplomatic immunity as leader of a sovereign nation, and that America will hardly go to war over the temporary disappearance of a single man. I'm not sure that's how international diplomacy works, but I guess this is what you get when some countries are run by supervillains...
Blake wakes up on the way to Latveria, and Doom tells him he's received the awesome privilege of working for the King of Latveria. (I'm not sure if he's actually used that title so explicitly before!) Doom hits a button and retracts the helicopter's blades, transforming the vessel into a sleek airplane - it's all very M.A.S.K. (The thing's now a 'globe-girdling flying missile' as Doom puts it.) Apparently the vehicle can cross the Atlantic Ocean in minutes, which is all kinds of impressive.
The pair arrive in Latveria shortly after, and Doom instantly lays down his ultimatum - Blake will use his new technique to repair Doom's disfigurement, or face his wrath if he fails at this task. Wasting no time, Doom dims the lights in the room, announcing that he will now show Blake something that no other human eyes, save his own, have ever beheld. (I guess Ramona from like three issue back doesn't count?) Blake notes that he needs to stall for time, since he hasn't had a chance to look for Professor Lafarge yet, but he admits he also has some professional curiosity as to the extent of Doom's disfigurement.
In a series of darkened panels, Doom carefully undoes the clasps of his mask, hesitating in removing it entirely from his face. It's clad in shadows, hidden from view in the candlelight. Here we get part of the cover image, with Doom's mask unclasped from his face, which we never get to fully see. In that moment of vulnerability on Doom's part, Blake's reaction is less than professional, to say the least. With a horrified grimace he blurts out that medical science can do nothing to help Doom - and that he couldn't have imagined the damage would be this bad! Blake, what the hell are you thinking?!
Doom is, quite understandably, extremely pissed off, throwing Blake through some furniture and literally telling him he'll 'rue this day'. He commands some servoguards to toss this fraud into the dungeons. I'm not sure what to think of the fact that Thor, the Norse God of Thunder, manages to be the more subtle and understated of his alter egos in this issue...
Blake begs for his cane as he's dragged away, telling the servoguards he needs it to walk. The guards note that he'll hardly need it when he'll never walk free again, but they toss the stick into his cell anyway, well out of his reach while his hands are shackled to the wall. Blake removes one of his shoes, holding it by the shoelaces and throwing it across to his cane to drag it closer.
Finally successful, Blake smashes the walking stick into the ground with his feet, and in a flash of light he becomes the Mighty Thor once more, effortlessly breaking out of his shackles in the process. In fact, he punches his way through the castle's walls entirely, flying off into the Latverian skies.
Doom detects the sudden presence of a foreign object above his kingdom, and launches a Stalker Missile to hunt down this threat. Thor is dismissive of it, thinking a single missile would hardly take down the God of Thunder, especially when he can simply outspeed it - but he then realizes he's flying above the city, where many innocent people would be harmed if he left the missile to wander off. But if he can't escape it, he reasons with a wide-eyed stare, that means Thor must be its victim!
To be continued...
Rating & Comments
This was a decent issue of Thor with nice art, marred by a few significant problems. Firstly, there's too many switches between the titular hero's forms for a single story, especially when there's the matter of a secret identity to think about - six at last count. It seems like the writers are kind of done with the whole secret Donald Blake identity, but are forced to stick with it because that's how it's always been. This will change, as we all probably know, but we're not there quite yet…
The second, more significant issue is Donald Blake's apparent lack of medical ethics - and, indeed, an apparent inability to do his damn job with any competence. Between blatantly lying about a brand new plastic surgery technique in a publicly available newspaper, and his subsequent severely unprofessional conduct towards a prospective patient, I'm not sure how this guy is supposed to have a medical license. What the hell, hero? Weirder still is the fact that Thor would not generally be the type to get horrified by an ugly face - so did Stan Lee forget Donald Blake is just a secret identity, not a split personality with his own volatile emotions? I mean, he does keep forgetting the Servoguards are robots...
The only thing that makes sense of this whole affair is if Blake's reaction was always part of his master plan - but judging by his lucky break in the dungeons, it really wasn't intended at all. In the end his whole ruse just leads to Thor randomly showing up in Latveria to destroy shit, which was precisely what Blake was trying to avoid. I must conclude Thor is a complete moron who really would gasp in revulsion if he ever came across someone with a facial scar, which is a rather unflattering characterization, to say the least...
Best Panel(s) of the Issue
Although I like the panel of Doom's opened mask that's replicated on the cover, I think my favorite is actually one of the less detailed panels - it's one where Doom is sitting with his mask in front of him, his face hidden in shadow except for his eyes (the last one in this picture.) There's a menacing air about it that works well, and the dark blue coloring is partly responsible for that. You'll note, by the way, that the gimmick of Doom's royal ring has been entirely dropped by this point, never to be mentioned again.
Most Gloriously Villainous Doom Quotes
"I have learned of your sensational claim that you can make any face normal again - no matter how disfigured it may be! If that is so - I shall reward you beyond your wildest dreams! But if it should not be so - if your claim should prove a hoax - if you should fail me - then you shall learn the fullest measure of the wrath of Doctor Doom!"
Doom's Bad Hair Day
I simply have to nominate the final panel of Thor, because he looks hilarious!
Comic Trivia
The history of Thor's alter ego 'Donald Blake' is a convoluted one - mostly because the writers couldn't quite decide on the details and retconned each other several times over the decades. At the start of all things, Donald Blake was a simple mortal who discovered the magical hammer Mjolnir in a cave while on vacation, in the guise of a walking stick. In taking it up, he claims the powers of Thor and gains the deity's memories over time. This status quo lasted, in fact, until only a few dozen issues before the one I'm discussing here, when Odin himself corrects the record.
It turns out that Odin created the identity of Donald Blake, and the supposed mortal was really the original Thor all along. More than a decade before he claimed Mjolnir in that cave, it turns out, Thor was banished from Asgard by his father to learn humility among the mortals of Midgard. (This ought to feel pretty familiar to watchers of the first Thor movie.) Without his memories of the golden realm he didn't know anything of his divine origins, and Thor simply lived out his human life - including becoming a humble doctor who served the sick. When Odin figured Thor had learned his lesson he influenced his amnesiac son to visit Norway, so that he could reclaim Mjolnir and his divine birthright.
Even that version of the story is eventually changed, when it's revealed that Odin didn't truly create the identity of Donald Blake wholesale, but used some poor mortal as the host for his son, abducting him from the world entirely when Thor regained his powers, in order that Blake's identity could continue to be used as a secret alter ego. The body of the original Blake is kept in stasis in Asgard, and apparently remained there until the city fell in Ragnarok.
That's not the end of things - we'll save the rest of this mess for another time. It gets weirder and dumber from there.
Doom-Tech of the Week
The Molecular Displacer teleports people, and apparently places them in a state of suspended animation for a time - pretty handy, and possibly related to the teleport-gun that was used in the Stan Lee Meets Doctor Doom non-canon spinoff.
Cover
I didn't expect Doctor Doom to show up in any Thor comics - the mystical Norse deity is not exactly the hero you think of in relation to the Fantastic Four's premier nemesis! Still, here we are, with an honestly pretty good cover. Doom's armor is lovingly rendered in this depiction, with a particularly nice shading job which makes the metal shine, especially on the mask. The ghostly apparition of Thor, too, looks pretty great - though he seems wildly oversized if that's supposed to his actual dimensions compared to his 'mortal' identity.
As for the subject matter of the cover… I'm not sure why Doom is upset at someone seeing his face when, to all appearances, he took the mask off himself. Canonically, up to this point, he is the only one who can take it off. Perhaps it's a trick on Doom's part? He does so love those...
Story Overview
The Prisoner, the Power, and Doctor Doom!
Thor stands high above the city of New York in full regalia, with his big red cloak billowing around him and wearing his iconic winged Asterix hat. He's reflecting moodily on the recent exploits of his tricksy brother Loki. The supervillain got up to some mischief in his brother's guise, it seems, convincing many people that Thor had gone to the dark side. Although the matter was resolved, Thor still wishes to regain the people's trust, and thus patrols New York City's skies by flinging himself around with his hammer.
During one of these flights, Thor perceives there is some trouble brewing on the streets below, and he sneaks around a corner to listen in on the commotion. We see a girl protesting outside the Latverian embassy, surrounded on all sides by people who are arguing with each other about radicals, troublemakers, and the ever-ubiquitous specter of communism. Thor recognizes Latveria as Doctor Doom's kingdom, but is puzzled why it would cause a riot on the streets of New York.
Curious, he decides that this is not a question for a Norse God to answer - this is a matter for Donald Blake, soft-spoken, lame physician. (And yes, that's 'lame' in the sense that he walks with difficulty. The euphemism treadmill has rolled on since the 70's.) In a flash of light and magic Thor reverts to that secret identity, Mjolnir transforming into a simple walking stick.
Hobbling over to the protest, Blake worries things might get out of hand at any moment. People are still bickering, with some coming to the defense of the girl who opposes Doctor Doom's tyranny, while others accuse her of being a hippie anarchist that's here to stir the pot. Before long it comes to blows, and the protesting girl is the first to suffer the consequences, getting knocked out in the scuffle. Blake protects her with his own body, fending off people with his walking stick.
Then, in a decision I question, Blake decides to turn back into Thor in the middle of the milling crowd by slamming his stick down on the ground. Uh, Thor, buddy? Secret identity, remember? Why even turn into Blake if you're going to immediately reverse that decision when the predictable happens? Regardless, in a flash of lightning Thor reemerges. Gotta admit - the art of his transformation is pretty badass.
He grabs the girl and leaves, deciding that even though he doesn't know her particular gripe with Latveria, he can at least take care of her injuries. That's another job for Donald Blake, naturally - so he turns back again. Odin's enchantments are getting a serious workout today! (
After waking up in a stranger's apartment, the girl turns out to be pretty chatty. She was protesting, it turns out, because of something that happened to her several years earlier: she is Cosette Lafarge, daughter of a French Professor that Doom kidnapped. To ensure the Professor's cooperation, Doom used a young Cosette as leverage, keeping her locked within his castle until her father's work on missile silos would be completed.
For months, years even, Cosette is kept under lock and key by loyal Latverians fearful of Doom's wrath, and she grows from a teenage girl into adulthood there. Still, eventually their vigilance slackens, and some of the Latverian Underground help Cosette escape to America. Even though she's free, however, her father's missile silos will be ready soon, and there's no telling what Doom might do to her father when he is no longer of use…
Blake announces that he knows of one man who might be able to solve this problem, and promises Cosette he will look into the matter, before letting her leave his place. He muses to himself that he can't very well attack the leader of a sovereign nation - not even Thor has that right. (He seems to forget that as a citizen of Asgard he probably doesn't have diplomatic ties with Latveria to worry about…) Blake decides he has to make Doom come to him, and for that he requires a chink in the monarch's armor. He immediately realizes what it might be - the ugly disfigurement that Doom uses his mask to conceal! Calling up a reporter he knows, Harris Hobbs - and there's a whole untold story there, I promise - he sets up a clever ruse. Before he can even put down the phone, though... Divine interrupt!
Blake's plans are rudely interrupted by a giant pair of eyeballs that suddenly appear in the sky. They're eyes that only he can see - Odin's eyes! The All-Father summons Thor home to Asgard, and he promptly teleports over. Arriving in a flash of light, a newly transformed Thor enters the Asgardian throne room to see the armored form of his father - clad in blue and purple with a bright red mitre and a full-length white beard - upon his fancy winged chair. Odin announces gravely that they must discuss - the World Beyond! (Krakathoom!)
Thor respectfully points out he was in the middle of something, and maybe he can call back later, thanks?
Lady Sif enters the room, dressed in a gaudy white-and-pink costume. She immediately proclaims her worry for Thor, evidently overhearing Odin's overly loud mention of the 'world beyond'. Behind her we can also spot Balder the Brave, who assures Thor that he'll be present if there's any threats to be fought. Thor embraces Sif and basks in the love he's granted by his closest allies. (It's all very sappy.)
Odin permits Thor to return to Midgard to complete his current task, but tells him to go alone - and to hasten back afterwards to discuss the World Beyond. (Krakathoom!) Thor leaves, and a distraught Sif remains behind, worrying to herself that one day even the God of Thunder may meet his match.
Meanwhile, back in New York's Latverian embassy, we see Doctor Doom reading a newspaper article announcing the creation of a brand new plastic surgery method pioneered by Doctor Donald Blake. Indeed, he promises he has the ability to fix any facial disfigurement!
This… seems like a decidedly poor decision on Blake's part. Sure, the article is just a trick to get at Doom - but how is he going to explain that fact after this is all over? Giving thousands of people false hope seems like an obvious repercussion here, never mind possibly ruining one's career with false advertisement or fraud charges…
Doom is caught up in self-pity, lamenting that for all his wealth and power, his ugliness makes him less of a man than the lowliest clod on Earth - which is pretty harsh, man. It figures that Doom's ego is both horrifically bloated and terribly fragile. He finds himself before a mirror, noting that he doesn't dare to remove the mask because even he can't endure the sight of what's beneath. Furiously he smashes his reflection to pieces, and then has to reassure a worried Latverian ambassador who rushes to see what all the noise was about. Doom strokes his own ego a bit to make himself feel better, then tells the worried man that they're calling on Doctor Blake. And by that he means they're kidnapping him. Figures.
The two leave from the rear of the embassy to avoid demonstrators, driving towards Blake's home, while Doom gets caught up in reading about Doctor Blake, noting he's found some 'interesting' things. When Blake leaves his building, Doom uses a 'molecular displacer' to teleport the man into the car from the street with a gorgeous splash of Kirby Krackle.
Doom decides to keep Blake in suspended animation until they're already on their way to Latveria. They drive to a hidden hangar (or 'hanger' in this issue) which is disguised with 'hydraulic camouflage' (or 'camauflage' in this issue. Ye olde spelling or just shitty editing?)
Arriving at that secluded location, the ambassador uses a secret mechanism hidden within a dead tree to open a hatch in the side of a sheer rock face. A shiny silver helicopter hides behind it, ready to take Doom home.
The ambassador worries about the repercussions of kidnapping someone to Latveria against their will, but Doom angrily points out his total diplomatic immunity as leader of a sovereign nation, and that America will hardly go to war over the temporary disappearance of a single man. I'm not sure that's how international diplomacy works, but I guess this is what you get when some countries are run by supervillains...
Blake wakes up on the way to Latveria, and Doom tells him he's received the awesome privilege of working for the King of Latveria. (I'm not sure if he's actually used that title so explicitly before!) Doom hits a button and retracts the helicopter's blades, transforming the vessel into a sleek airplane - it's all very M.A.S.K. (The thing's now a 'globe-girdling flying missile' as Doom puts it.) Apparently the vehicle can cross the Atlantic Ocean in minutes, which is all kinds of impressive.
The pair arrive in Latveria shortly after, and Doom instantly lays down his ultimatum - Blake will use his new technique to repair Doom's disfigurement, or face his wrath if he fails at this task. Wasting no time, Doom dims the lights in the room, announcing that he will now show Blake something that no other human eyes, save his own, have ever beheld. (I guess Ramona from like three issue back doesn't count?) Blake notes that he needs to stall for time, since he hasn't had a chance to look for Professor Lafarge yet, but he admits he also has some professional curiosity as to the extent of Doom's disfigurement.
In a series of darkened panels, Doom carefully undoes the clasps of his mask, hesitating in removing it entirely from his face. It's clad in shadows, hidden from view in the candlelight. Here we get part of the cover image, with Doom's mask unclasped from his face, which we never get to fully see. In that moment of vulnerability on Doom's part, Blake's reaction is less than professional, to say the least. With a horrified grimace he blurts out that medical science can do nothing to help Doom - and that he couldn't have imagined the damage would be this bad! Blake, what the hell are you thinking?!
Doom is, quite understandably, extremely pissed off, throwing Blake through some furniture and literally telling him he'll 'rue this day'. He commands some servoguards to toss this fraud into the dungeons. I'm not sure what to think of the fact that Thor, the Norse God of Thunder, manages to be the more subtle and understated of his alter egos in this issue...
Blake begs for his cane as he's dragged away, telling the servoguards he needs it to walk. The guards note that he'll hardly need it when he'll never walk free again, but they toss the stick into his cell anyway, well out of his reach while his hands are shackled to the wall. Blake removes one of his shoes, holding it by the shoelaces and throwing it across to his cane to drag it closer.
Finally successful, Blake smashes the walking stick into the ground with his feet, and in a flash of light he becomes the Mighty Thor once more, effortlessly breaking out of his shackles in the process. In fact, he punches his way through the castle's walls entirely, flying off into the Latverian skies.
Doom detects the sudden presence of a foreign object above his kingdom, and launches a Stalker Missile to hunt down this threat. Thor is dismissive of it, thinking a single missile would hardly take down the God of Thunder, especially when he can simply outspeed it - but he then realizes he's flying above the city, where many innocent people would be harmed if he left the missile to wander off. But if he can't escape it, he reasons with a wide-eyed stare, that means Thor must be its victim!
To be continued...
Rating & Comments
This was a decent issue of Thor with nice art, marred by a few significant problems. Firstly, there's too many switches between the titular hero's forms for a single story, especially when there's the matter of a secret identity to think about - six at last count. It seems like the writers are kind of done with the whole secret Donald Blake identity, but are forced to stick with it because that's how it's always been. This will change, as we all probably know, but we're not there quite yet…
The second, more significant issue is Donald Blake's apparent lack of medical ethics - and, indeed, an apparent inability to do his damn job with any competence. Between blatantly lying about a brand new plastic surgery technique in a publicly available newspaper, and his subsequent severely unprofessional conduct towards a prospective patient, I'm not sure how this guy is supposed to have a medical license. What the hell, hero? Weirder still is the fact that Thor would not generally be the type to get horrified by an ugly face - so did Stan Lee forget Donald Blake is just a secret identity, not a split personality with his own volatile emotions? I mean, he does keep forgetting the Servoguards are robots...
The only thing that makes sense of this whole affair is if Blake's reaction was always part of his master plan - but judging by his lucky break in the dungeons, it really wasn't intended at all. In the end his whole ruse just leads to Thor randomly showing up in Latveria to destroy shit, which was precisely what Blake was trying to avoid. I must conclude Thor is a complete moron who really would gasp in revulsion if he ever came across someone with a facial scar, which is a rather unflattering characterization, to say the least...
Best Panel(s) of the Issue
Although I like the panel of Doom's opened mask that's replicated on the cover, I think my favorite is actually one of the less detailed panels - it's one where Doom is sitting with his mask in front of him, his face hidden in shadow except for his eyes (the last one in this picture.) There's a menacing air about it that works well, and the dark blue coloring is partly responsible for that. You'll note, by the way, that the gimmick of Doom's royal ring has been entirely dropped by this point, never to be mentioned again.
Most Gloriously Villainous Doom Quotes
"I have learned of your sensational claim that you can make any face normal again - no matter how disfigured it may be! If that is so - I shall reward you beyond your wildest dreams! But if it should not be so - if your claim should prove a hoax - if you should fail me - then you shall learn the fullest measure of the wrath of Doctor Doom!"
Doom's Bad Hair Day
I simply have to nominate the final panel of Thor, because he looks hilarious!
Comic Trivia
The history of Thor's alter ego 'Donald Blake' is a convoluted one - mostly because the writers couldn't quite decide on the details and retconned each other several times over the decades. At the start of all things, Donald Blake was a simple mortal who discovered the magical hammer Mjolnir in a cave while on vacation, in the guise of a walking stick. In taking it up, he claims the powers of Thor and gains the deity's memories over time. This status quo lasted, in fact, until only a few dozen issues before the one I'm discussing here, when Odin himself corrects the record.
It turns out that Odin created the identity of Donald Blake, and the supposed mortal was really the original Thor all along. More than a decade before he claimed Mjolnir in that cave, it turns out, Thor was banished from Asgard by his father to learn humility among the mortals of Midgard. (This ought to feel pretty familiar to watchers of the first Thor movie.) Without his memories of the golden realm he didn't know anything of his divine origins, and Thor simply lived out his human life - including becoming a humble doctor who served the sick. When Odin figured Thor had learned his lesson he influenced his amnesiac son to visit Norway, so that he could reclaim Mjolnir and his divine birthright.
Even that version of the story is eventually changed, when it's revealed that Odin didn't truly create the identity of Donald Blake wholesale, but used some poor mortal as the host for his son, abducting him from the world entirely when Thor regained his powers, in order that Blake's identity could continue to be used as a secret alter ego. The body of the original Blake is kept in stasis in Asgard, and apparently remained there until the city fell in Ragnarok.
That's not the end of things - we'll save the rest of this mess for another time. It gets weirder and dumber from there.
Doom-Tech of the Week
The Molecular Displacer teleports people, and apparently places them in a state of suspended animation for a time - pretty handy, and possibly related to the teleport-gun that was used in the Stan Lee Meets Doctor Doom non-canon spinoff.
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I'm so glad to see this back, you have no idea.
Later on, this got retconned, but it could be this ish was written before that?
EDIT: Reading on, I see that it was not. That is weird; presumably a result of the writers (I presume it's by Stan and Jack?) not thinking it through.
EDIT EDIT: Aaand you already knew that, so I sound like a smug jackass.
Gonna stop mid-read, to discuss this; while it's weird to us today, when Thor's run began, Donald Blake was his "real" self and "Thor" was just Donald Blake with the power of Thor.
Later on, this got retconned, but it could be this ish was written before that?
EDIT: Reading on, I see that it was not. That is weird; presumably a result of the writers (I presume it's by Stan and Jack?) not thinking it through.
EDIT EDIT: Aaand you already knew that, so I sound like a smug jackass.
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- Location
- Netherlands
I'm so glad to see this back, you have no idea.
I bring it back every so often whenever I feel like diving into the archives and analyzing a handful of old comic books, heh. I keep looking forward to particular issues so I can keep myself going through the less than stellar entries - right now my next target is Astonishing Tales #8, which is another pretty defining Doom story coming up. Unfortunately it does mean working through stuff about the Red Skull's random assortment of fascist goons with stupid gimmicks taking over Latveria while Doom literally goes on vacation on the French Riviera and gets into fights with casino guards...
You already worked out our entire conversation, well done!
I have my opinions on Stan Lee's writing, particularly in this era. There's a lot of ad hoc stuff pushed into the text boxes because the Marvel Method kinda allowed him to supercede what was displayed on the panels visually, and that's before you get into his spontaneous bouts of being ridiculously uninformed on anything remotely related to science, politics, or treating women like human beings.
028: Thor v1 #183 - Trapped in Doomsland!
- Location
- Netherlands
028: Thor v1 #183 (December 1970)
Cover
Thor versus Doom - it's dynamite! Or so this cover announces proudly; we'll see how accurate that description is when we cover the contents. My compliments for the fun cover, though - I can never have enough of Doom blasting things with lasers. Bonus points for a nice background shot of Latveria out the window, which fits neatly with depictions in previous issues.
Something to note is the somewhat strange pose that Thor is in - it seems very likely that he was holding Mjolnir in the original design of this cover, given his peculiarly raised arm with closed fist. Perhaps the artists simply took a picture of Thor where he's knocked down and pencilled out the weaponry so it fits the story better? It's at least a superior attempt at fitting in with continuity than the next story I'm covering, that's for sure...
Story Overview
Trapped in Doomsland!
The opening shot of this issue (after a brief four-panel recap of the last issue) is an alternate shot of last issue's final encounter between Thor and the incoming missile, high in the skies above Latveria. Thor again notes that he cannot allow the missile to impact the innocent Latverian citizens below, but this time he comes up with a better plan than 'let the missile hit me.'
Whirling Mjolnir wildly above his head, Thor slings the hammer off into the sky and uses the suction created by its spin to draw the missile with it. Unfortunately Thor can't fly without his trusty hammer, and he promptly drops out of the sky like a sack of bricks, plunging through a chimney on his way down to the ground - if not for his Asgardian sturdiness, he would've just died right here.
The missile explodes somewhere far overhead, and the day is saved - in a sense. Things just got more a little more complicated. You need a little information on the state of Thor canon to understand what happens next - this story takes place during an era where Thor's power was still quite limited. Basically, unless he's holding the magical hammer Mjolnir in his hand, Thor only has about sixty seconds before it turns back into a stick, and Thor himself reverts to his mortal Donald Blake identity. Indeed, Blake suddenly finds himself on the streets of Doomstadt without his weapon or powers, and quickly elects to make himself scarce, worried that Doom may capture him again.
Elsewhere, several Latverians ponder a mysterious object that suddenly fell from the skies, and they debate the possibility it's some new trick of Doom's. The object is - Mjolnir? What? Yes, somehow the hammer of Thor has failed to revert into the form of a stick like it should have according to all established continuity. Hell, it should have returned to Thor's hand after he threw it - that's also a long-standing part of its inherent abilities. Oh dear. Stan Lee, did you forget your own ideas again? How did you build a plot around misunderstanding your own canon?
Doom arrives to grab some attention for himself, blasting aside the Latverians that have gathered around the hammer so he can have a closer look at the divine weapon himself. He declares that he was merely trying to protect them from the dangerous object, obviously, and if there's danger present, he will be the first to face it. To himself, Doom adds that if there's power to be had, he will be the first to partake of such things as well.
And then - well. Heh. Doom tries to lift Thor's hammer! He fails magnificently.
'What shabby insolence is this?' he complains, blasting Mjolnir with his finger lasers until the very earth glows, to no apparent effect. Even with all the power of his armor it will not budge an inch. Bested, Doom seals the hammer in a shield of electrostatic force to keep anyone else from getting near, then stomps off to find the missing Doctor Blake. You'd think he'd have a decent idea what happened when he realized someone literally punched their way out of the cell...
Still caught up in full dramatics, Doom gestures at the sky like he's in a play by Shakespeare as he commands one of his servoguard minions to activate the 'Silent Stalker'. It's a silly flying vehicle that reminds me somewhat of the Imperial drone in the desert from the start of A New Hope. Doom feeds it a photograph of Blake, then sends it hunting. (It will never be relevant again. Seriously, this is the last time it appears, in any comic. The only other appearance is as an enemy in a Marvel Super Heroes RPG supplement manual. How pointless!)
Meanwhile, over in Asgard, Odin looks on worriedly but declares he can't give any aid to Thor while he's in his human form. Why not? Odin, you're literally a god. You regularly interfere with Blake's life, including just last week - what changed in the interim? Sif and Balder are present in the throne room as well, fearing that Thor may be lost to them if Blake fails to regain the hammer. Odin reminds them that while Blake's body may be human, his spirit remains that of Thor. Balder questions Sif's crying, wondering if she has so little faith in Thor. Sif dismisses that possibility, and she and Odin then spout Stan Lee lines that are so blatantly sexist and patronizing that I'm not sure how it made it through editing even in the seventies. Seriously, Stan?
We return to Blake, who has somehow managed to wander from the streets of Latveria into the labs below Doctor Doom's castle. Don't ask me how that happened without anyone spotting the limping foreigner. Blake is still looking for his hammer, apparently. Which he expects to find in the basement, despite losing it in the sky. Uhhhh. He decides Professor Lafarge can help him find the thing, so presumably he was doing double-duty and looking for him, too. At least that makes a little more sense!
Blake discovers Professor Lafarge in one of the underground laboratories and barges into the room, much to the man's consternation and fear. Blake manages to stop him from alerting any guards to the presence of an American intruder, but it's clear the poor Professor has been thoroughly traumatized by his time as a captive, and mistrusts even the possibility of freedom, fully expecting this to be another one of Doom's vile tricks.
Blake realizes Lafarge is too far gone to convince with words, and decides to play into the man's delusions, admitting he was just a trick of Doom's to test the man's loyalty. (Medical ethics are still not Blake's thing, clearly.) He decides he'll go find the hammer first, find a way to free Lafarge later.
A few minutes later Blake somehow finds himself back outside on the streets of Doomstadt, as if he never even left. The benefits of compressed storytelling, I guess! Blake immediately finds Mjolnir lying out in the open, but it's surrounded by a bubble of pink energy. (Too much pink energy is dangerous!) Deciding he'll need to get around the forcefield somehow to get to the hammer, Blake comes up with a most cunning ruse!
First, he grabs a shovel from a nearby shed and noisily digs next to the forcefield to attract some servoguard attention. The robot guards rush in and somehow conclude, from the presence of a small hole in the ground as well as a discarded jacket, that the missing prisoner must be hiding inside that tiny hole. What? The servoguards promptly atomize the area with their laser cannon until there's a huge crater, then leave because there wouldn't be enough left to identify a corpse anyway. This, apparently, was Blake's plan - he would have taken days to dig that deep on his own!
Just… what? Let me get my bearings and try to comprehend the idiocy of that plan, which somehow worked perfectly. Just… wow. Blake jumps into the smoking hole - still warm from the laser blasts - and digs through the soil to get at his hammer from underneath. He breaks through the cobblestones and grasps the hilt - upon which Odin's giant face in the sky announces Thor's worthiness, and he's returned to his Asgardian guise. The God of Thunder lives again!
Thor, ever subtle, slams through the side of Doom's castle to challenge the sovereign directly. Doom, of course, is already there, waiting. With one hand on an ominous lever, he warns Thor not to come any closer, and boasts of having defeated the mightiest foes on Earth. Thor is quick to remind him that Thor is not actually from Earth. He'll win on a technicality! Doom ignores the jab, simply announcing that Thor will hand over his hammer, or Doom will pull the lever he is holding, which will cause a thousand missiles to rain down on every major city on Earth! Ah, this is the machine Professor Lafarge has been toiling away at these last few years! Thor relents at the threat, offering up Mjolnir. Doom releases the lever to grasp the hammer, but since he's still not worthy to hold it, it drives him to the floor.
Thor uses the distraction to work his Asgardian muscles, and punches the missile control machine into smithereens, ensuring the world's cities are safe. Then he's back on the clock, desperate to get Mjolnir back into his hands before sixty seconds are up - it really is a janky limitation, isn't it? Thor still seems to have forgotten that the hammer returns to him, by the way...
Doom trips up Thor with a piece of the scenery, then puffs up like a giant bat while he complains that it took years for that missile control system to be completed, and now it's all been for nothing! He then starts blasting Thor with laserbeams, and the Asgardian responds by headbutting Doom to the ground. Thor is still fretting about his time limit when Doom shoves some paralyzing electricity in his face.
When the god appears to slump to the ground in defeat, Doom rejoices in victory. It's a trick - Thor used his slumping to grasp the stone floor and rip it open under their feet, buying enough time to grab Mjolnir once more! Close one.
The moment he's got the upper hand back, however, Thor decides to abandon the fight. He's got a better idea than beating up Doom - he wants to declaw him. Thus he sets off for Doom's missile site, the one he just rendered inoperable by destroying the control center. He figures that while they can't be controlled anymore, the missiles are still lethal hazards that can't be ignored. So long as they exist, there's always a threat. In a not too subtle bit of cold war messaging, Thor declares that weapons enslave the earth, and then uses his hammer to destroy several giant ICBMs stationed out in the open for anyone to see.
It's about here that Odin pops in again to remind Thor that he should really get a move on, because they still need to have that talk about the World Beyond! (Krakathoom!) Thor says he has one last thing to do… to reunite a father and daughter.
Thor heads back over to Lafarge, who for some reason seems to recognize him as Donald Blake, since he declares 'You're back!' Thor says he's come to take Lafarge to his daughter in America, but Lafarge still strenuously refuses to leave. When Thor asks about Cosette, the Professor appears to have a psychotic break right then and there, suddenly dismissing his daughter entirely and declaring he's in Latveria voluntarily, and he's doing it all for money - he's here to be rich, to make a fortune! He doesn't care about Cosette, he claims, or about mankind, and there's no such thing as evil or love! He cares only about cash!
The man pulls out a gun and starts shooting at Thor, who whirls Mjolnir around to block the bullets. Thor seems to buy into Lafarge's little declaration of evil, and when one of the bullets ricochets back into the shooter, he isn't too upset to see the man slain. Lafarge's last words are a lament that meddlesome Cosette shouldn't have sent Thor, as he could have been rich...
Well - that I did not expect! Should we take him at his word, and categorize him as a nutty villain...?
Thor flies off into the sky, wondering how he'll explain what happened to the man's daughter. Doom waits outside on one of the towers, eager to continue their fight, but Thor sees no more reason to stay in Latveria and simply leaves. Doom is left screaming into the wind that they'll meet again! We'll be seeing you, Thunder God!
Back in America, Thor meets up with Cosette. He reveals to the girl that her father has died. Then, in a bit of creative rewriting of history, he tells Cosette that her father died fighting for what he believed, and his last words were of her. (True - from a certain point of view.) Cosette says she'll always treasure what he's told her.
Thor then leaves, at last, for the World Beyond! (Krakathoom!)
Rating & Comments
For most of this issue, I had it pegged for two stars - it was a brainless issue which built its entire plot on misunderstanding basic elements of Thor canon. The entire deal with Mjolnir in the street is dumb, especially the trick Blake plays on the servo-guards, and the constant threat of the time-limit even during the fight with Doom really grates. Thor comes off as incompetent, which isn't really a great thing in his own book.
Then, however, there's the counterweight - fun scenes of Doom trying to lift Thor's hammer - twice - and then the entire finale, which is a genuinely surprising and tragic twist which leads Thor to make the willful decision to lie to a grieving daughter to make her feel better. It's a nice moment that displays compassion on Thor's part - which makes sense, since the entire two-parter essentially revolved around Thor helping out one random girl he happened to see on the street. The fact that this is a genuine two-parter which really does resolve the plot-threads set up in the previous issue also helps things along. It's less common than you'd think!
You could read Professor Lafarge's raving declarations as a genuine evil villain rant, and most online summaries seem to do that. I believe Cosette's flashback in the previous issue clearly indicate her father was sane and reasonable at the time, and truly worried about Cosette - and Doom using her as leverage would make no sense if Lafarge didn't care for his daughter at all. Even in his first scene of this issue it seems like he's tempted to leave Latveria, but refuses because he can't trust the offer. Thus I read his final encounter with Thor as the delusional rambling of someone that Doctor Doom drove over the edge, the tragic victim of a monster rather than a monster himself.
Best Panel(s) of the Issue
I gotta give this one to Doom failing to lift Thor's hammer - he fails at it twice, actually, but this one is funnier, since it reminds me of that one Cosplay Deadpool gif where the weight of the hammer seems so readily apparent.
In terms of art, I quite like the panel where Lafarge holds Thor by his cape - it's expressive.
Most Gloriously Villainous Doom Quotes
"Let every man now stand his ground, or would you have me think you fear your kindly king? I merely sought to protect you, one and all! If there is danger here, then I shall face it first! (And if there is power to be gained - only Doom will have it!)"
"Despite your strength, despite your accursed power, you still are made of flesh and blood! You still can hurt! You still can die! But you must rely on strength alone - while I have weapons - almost without end! ... Fall, Thunder God, fall! As all must do - who dare to defy my matchless power!"
Doom's Bad Hair Day
The panel where Thor headbutts Doom looks goofy, honestly, with half his body embedded in his enemy somewhere. It doesn't help that Thor is still talking even while this is going on, which would be difficult if your head is currently shoved into a stomach!
Doom-Tech of the Week
The Silent Stalker earns a mention for being a one-shot device that gets sent out to do literally nothing relevant, and then promptly disappears forever. It must've been setup for some story we never got to see - or just filler.
Cover
Thor versus Doom - it's dynamite! Or so this cover announces proudly; we'll see how accurate that description is when we cover the contents. My compliments for the fun cover, though - I can never have enough of Doom blasting things with lasers. Bonus points for a nice background shot of Latveria out the window, which fits neatly with depictions in previous issues.
Something to note is the somewhat strange pose that Thor is in - it seems very likely that he was holding Mjolnir in the original design of this cover, given his peculiarly raised arm with closed fist. Perhaps the artists simply took a picture of Thor where he's knocked down and pencilled out the weaponry so it fits the story better? It's at least a superior attempt at fitting in with continuity than the next story I'm covering, that's for sure...
Story Overview
Trapped in Doomsland!
The opening shot of this issue (after a brief four-panel recap of the last issue) is an alternate shot of last issue's final encounter between Thor and the incoming missile, high in the skies above Latveria. Thor again notes that he cannot allow the missile to impact the innocent Latverian citizens below, but this time he comes up with a better plan than 'let the missile hit me.'
Whirling Mjolnir wildly above his head, Thor slings the hammer off into the sky and uses the suction created by its spin to draw the missile with it. Unfortunately Thor can't fly without his trusty hammer, and he promptly drops out of the sky like a sack of bricks, plunging through a chimney on his way down to the ground - if not for his Asgardian sturdiness, he would've just died right here.
The missile explodes somewhere far overhead, and the day is saved - in a sense. Things just got more a little more complicated. You need a little information on the state of Thor canon to understand what happens next - this story takes place during an era where Thor's power was still quite limited. Basically, unless he's holding the magical hammer Mjolnir in his hand, Thor only has about sixty seconds before it turns back into a stick, and Thor himself reverts to his mortal Donald Blake identity. Indeed, Blake suddenly finds himself on the streets of Doomstadt without his weapon or powers, and quickly elects to make himself scarce, worried that Doom may capture him again.
Elsewhere, several Latverians ponder a mysterious object that suddenly fell from the skies, and they debate the possibility it's some new trick of Doom's. The object is - Mjolnir? What? Yes, somehow the hammer of Thor has failed to revert into the form of a stick like it should have according to all established continuity. Hell, it should have returned to Thor's hand after he threw it - that's also a long-standing part of its inherent abilities. Oh dear. Stan Lee, did you forget your own ideas again? How did you build a plot around misunderstanding your own canon?
Doom arrives to grab some attention for himself, blasting aside the Latverians that have gathered around the hammer so he can have a closer look at the divine weapon himself. He declares that he was merely trying to protect them from the dangerous object, obviously, and if there's danger present, he will be the first to face it. To himself, Doom adds that if there's power to be had, he will be the first to partake of such things as well.
And then - well. Heh. Doom tries to lift Thor's hammer! He fails magnificently.
'What shabby insolence is this?' he complains, blasting Mjolnir with his finger lasers until the very earth glows, to no apparent effect. Even with all the power of his armor it will not budge an inch. Bested, Doom seals the hammer in a shield of electrostatic force to keep anyone else from getting near, then stomps off to find the missing Doctor Blake. You'd think he'd have a decent idea what happened when he realized someone literally punched their way out of the cell...
Still caught up in full dramatics, Doom gestures at the sky like he's in a play by Shakespeare as he commands one of his servoguard minions to activate the 'Silent Stalker'. It's a silly flying vehicle that reminds me somewhat of the Imperial drone in the desert from the start of A New Hope. Doom feeds it a photograph of Blake, then sends it hunting. (It will never be relevant again. Seriously, this is the last time it appears, in any comic. The only other appearance is as an enemy in a Marvel Super Heroes RPG supplement manual. How pointless!)
Meanwhile, over in Asgard, Odin looks on worriedly but declares he can't give any aid to Thor while he's in his human form. Why not? Odin, you're literally a god. You regularly interfere with Blake's life, including just last week - what changed in the interim? Sif and Balder are present in the throne room as well, fearing that Thor may be lost to them if Blake fails to regain the hammer. Odin reminds them that while Blake's body may be human, his spirit remains that of Thor. Balder questions Sif's crying, wondering if she has so little faith in Thor. Sif dismisses that possibility, and she and Odin then spout Stan Lee lines that are so blatantly sexist and patronizing that I'm not sure how it made it through editing even in the seventies. Seriously, Stan?
We return to Blake, who has somehow managed to wander from the streets of Latveria into the labs below Doctor Doom's castle. Don't ask me how that happened without anyone spotting the limping foreigner. Blake is still looking for his hammer, apparently. Which he expects to find in the basement, despite losing it in the sky. Uhhhh. He decides Professor Lafarge can help him find the thing, so presumably he was doing double-duty and looking for him, too. At least that makes a little more sense!
Blake discovers Professor Lafarge in one of the underground laboratories and barges into the room, much to the man's consternation and fear. Blake manages to stop him from alerting any guards to the presence of an American intruder, but it's clear the poor Professor has been thoroughly traumatized by his time as a captive, and mistrusts even the possibility of freedom, fully expecting this to be another one of Doom's vile tricks.
Blake realizes Lafarge is too far gone to convince with words, and decides to play into the man's delusions, admitting he was just a trick of Doom's to test the man's loyalty. (Medical ethics are still not Blake's thing, clearly.) He decides he'll go find the hammer first, find a way to free Lafarge later.
A few minutes later Blake somehow finds himself back outside on the streets of Doomstadt, as if he never even left. The benefits of compressed storytelling, I guess! Blake immediately finds Mjolnir lying out in the open, but it's surrounded by a bubble of pink energy. (Too much pink energy is dangerous!) Deciding he'll need to get around the forcefield somehow to get to the hammer, Blake comes up with a most cunning ruse!
First, he grabs a shovel from a nearby shed and noisily digs next to the forcefield to attract some servoguard attention. The robot guards rush in and somehow conclude, from the presence of a small hole in the ground as well as a discarded jacket, that the missing prisoner must be hiding inside that tiny hole. What? The servoguards promptly atomize the area with their laser cannon until there's a huge crater, then leave because there wouldn't be enough left to identify a corpse anyway. This, apparently, was Blake's plan - he would have taken days to dig that deep on his own!
Just… what? Let me get my bearings and try to comprehend the idiocy of that plan, which somehow worked perfectly. Just… wow. Blake jumps into the smoking hole - still warm from the laser blasts - and digs through the soil to get at his hammer from underneath. He breaks through the cobblestones and grasps the hilt - upon which Odin's giant face in the sky announces Thor's worthiness, and he's returned to his Asgardian guise. The God of Thunder lives again!
Thor, ever subtle, slams through the side of Doom's castle to challenge the sovereign directly. Doom, of course, is already there, waiting. With one hand on an ominous lever, he warns Thor not to come any closer, and boasts of having defeated the mightiest foes on Earth. Thor is quick to remind him that Thor is not actually from Earth. He'll win on a technicality! Doom ignores the jab, simply announcing that Thor will hand over his hammer, or Doom will pull the lever he is holding, which will cause a thousand missiles to rain down on every major city on Earth! Ah, this is the machine Professor Lafarge has been toiling away at these last few years! Thor relents at the threat, offering up Mjolnir. Doom releases the lever to grasp the hammer, but since he's still not worthy to hold it, it drives him to the floor.
Thor uses the distraction to work his Asgardian muscles, and punches the missile control machine into smithereens, ensuring the world's cities are safe. Then he's back on the clock, desperate to get Mjolnir back into his hands before sixty seconds are up - it really is a janky limitation, isn't it? Thor still seems to have forgotten that the hammer returns to him, by the way...
Doom trips up Thor with a piece of the scenery, then puffs up like a giant bat while he complains that it took years for that missile control system to be completed, and now it's all been for nothing! He then starts blasting Thor with laserbeams, and the Asgardian responds by headbutting Doom to the ground. Thor is still fretting about his time limit when Doom shoves some paralyzing electricity in his face.
When the god appears to slump to the ground in defeat, Doom rejoices in victory. It's a trick - Thor used his slumping to grasp the stone floor and rip it open under their feet, buying enough time to grab Mjolnir once more! Close one.
The moment he's got the upper hand back, however, Thor decides to abandon the fight. He's got a better idea than beating up Doom - he wants to declaw him. Thus he sets off for Doom's missile site, the one he just rendered inoperable by destroying the control center. He figures that while they can't be controlled anymore, the missiles are still lethal hazards that can't be ignored. So long as they exist, there's always a threat. In a not too subtle bit of cold war messaging, Thor declares that weapons enslave the earth, and then uses his hammer to destroy several giant ICBMs stationed out in the open for anyone to see.
It's about here that Odin pops in again to remind Thor that he should really get a move on, because they still need to have that talk about the World Beyond! (Krakathoom!) Thor says he has one last thing to do… to reunite a father and daughter.
Thor heads back over to Lafarge, who for some reason seems to recognize him as Donald Blake, since he declares 'You're back!' Thor says he's come to take Lafarge to his daughter in America, but Lafarge still strenuously refuses to leave. When Thor asks about Cosette, the Professor appears to have a psychotic break right then and there, suddenly dismissing his daughter entirely and declaring he's in Latveria voluntarily, and he's doing it all for money - he's here to be rich, to make a fortune! He doesn't care about Cosette, he claims, or about mankind, and there's no such thing as evil or love! He cares only about cash!
The man pulls out a gun and starts shooting at Thor, who whirls Mjolnir around to block the bullets. Thor seems to buy into Lafarge's little declaration of evil, and when one of the bullets ricochets back into the shooter, he isn't too upset to see the man slain. Lafarge's last words are a lament that meddlesome Cosette shouldn't have sent Thor, as he could have been rich...
Well - that I did not expect! Should we take him at his word, and categorize him as a nutty villain...?
Thor flies off into the sky, wondering how he'll explain what happened to the man's daughter. Doom waits outside on one of the towers, eager to continue their fight, but Thor sees no more reason to stay in Latveria and simply leaves. Doom is left screaming into the wind that they'll meet again! We'll be seeing you, Thunder God!
Back in America, Thor meets up with Cosette. He reveals to the girl that her father has died. Then, in a bit of creative rewriting of history, he tells Cosette that her father died fighting for what he believed, and his last words were of her. (True - from a certain point of view.) Cosette says she'll always treasure what he's told her.
Thor then leaves, at last, for the World Beyond! (Krakathoom!)
Rating & Comments
For most of this issue, I had it pegged for two stars - it was a brainless issue which built its entire plot on misunderstanding basic elements of Thor canon. The entire deal with Mjolnir in the street is dumb, especially the trick Blake plays on the servo-guards, and the constant threat of the time-limit even during the fight with Doom really grates. Thor comes off as incompetent, which isn't really a great thing in his own book.
Then, however, there's the counterweight - fun scenes of Doom trying to lift Thor's hammer - twice - and then the entire finale, which is a genuinely surprising and tragic twist which leads Thor to make the willful decision to lie to a grieving daughter to make her feel better. It's a nice moment that displays compassion on Thor's part - which makes sense, since the entire two-parter essentially revolved around Thor helping out one random girl he happened to see on the street. The fact that this is a genuine two-parter which really does resolve the plot-threads set up in the previous issue also helps things along. It's less common than you'd think!
You could read Professor Lafarge's raving declarations as a genuine evil villain rant, and most online summaries seem to do that. I believe Cosette's flashback in the previous issue clearly indicate her father was sane and reasonable at the time, and truly worried about Cosette - and Doom using her as leverage would make no sense if Lafarge didn't care for his daughter at all. Even in his first scene of this issue it seems like he's tempted to leave Latveria, but refuses because he can't trust the offer. Thus I read his final encounter with Thor as the delusional rambling of someone that Doctor Doom drove over the edge, the tragic victim of a monster rather than a monster himself.
Best Panel(s) of the Issue
I gotta give this one to Doom failing to lift Thor's hammer - he fails at it twice, actually, but this one is funnier, since it reminds me of that one Cosplay Deadpool gif where the weight of the hammer seems so readily apparent.
In terms of art, I quite like the panel where Lafarge holds Thor by his cape - it's expressive.
Most Gloriously Villainous Doom Quotes
"Let every man now stand his ground, or would you have me think you fear your kindly king? I merely sought to protect you, one and all! If there is danger here, then I shall face it first! (And if there is power to be gained - only Doom will have it!)"
"Despite your strength, despite your accursed power, you still are made of flesh and blood! You still can hurt! You still can die! But you must rely on strength alone - while I have weapons - almost without end! ... Fall, Thunder God, fall! As all must do - who dare to defy my matchless power!"
Doom's Bad Hair Day
The panel where Thor headbutts Doom looks goofy, honestly, with half his body embedded in his enemy somewhere. It doesn't help that Thor is still talking even while this is going on, which would be difficult if your head is currently shoved into a stomach!
Doom-Tech of the Week
The Silent Stalker earns a mention for being a one-shot device that gets sent out to do literally nothing relevant, and then promptly disappears forever. It must've been setup for some story we never got to see - or just filler.
Last edited:
- Location
- Netherlands
I have one more in the backlog, I wrote a couple of these over past weeks but hadn't edited them yet. The next four issues, unfortunately, are not exactly great storytelling... I'll have to wrestle through to get to the good stuff, I guess!
029: Astonishing Tales v1 #4 - The Invaders!
- Location
- Netherlands
029: Astonishing Tales v1 #4 (February 1971)
Cover
Don't ask me what's going on with this cover, because I'm not sure I want to know. A completely hairless Doom, in bed, blasts a military guy out of a window while random parts of his armor just sort of hang around in mid-air. What? Why? The subtitle doesn't really help either - surely this random dude isn't the deadliest foe of all? Didn't the previous issue tease the presence of nazis? I detect a severe lack of fascists getting shot in the face on this cover!
Welcome to the next little arc of Doom's first solo outing (for a given value of 'solo') in the fourth issue of Astonishing Tales - we're already halfway through. Let's hope that we're getting something a little more impactful than a bunch of hastily cobbled together storylines without much in the way of consequence or follow-through…
Story Overview
The Invaders!
Latveria
Doom stands amongst the ruins of his castle, reflecting on his magnificent victory against Prince Rudolfo's rebellion by destroying all of his own stuff. He tells himself that what he built once, he can build again - or more accurately, his people can. He sends out a royal decree that summons all his subjects, even the grumbling ones who chafe under his rule, and sets them to work. Doom, it turns out, has drawn up elaborate plans for the reconstruction of his castle - but he has no interest in actually hanging around for the menial task of construction. He blasts off into the sky with his jetpack, leaving Latveria entirely until his home base has been restored to its former glory.
From a darkened control room, malevolent eyes watch him leave. The person watching is immediately revealed to be Johann Shmidt, a decidedly simian-looking Red Skull, who declares that victory will be his! This pisses off some of his underlings, the so-called Exiles, a group of villains that he's worked with before in the pages of Captain America. Skull briefly sums up previous events in his own timeline, mostly his last comic appearance where he apparently died by getting shot into space by Cap. It's revealed that Skull hacked the control systems of the rocket and landed it near the island where the Exiles were hiding out, before meeting up with his old associates. After a brief altercation with Skull, the Exiles admitted that they needed a leader, and Skull provides that in much the way Hitler did in World War II.
The Exiles are a colorful bunch. Perhaps too colorful, as several are… questionably racist, or at least ridiculous stereotypes, and the rest are just silly. There's Baldini - an Italian wearing a fez and wielding a weaponized scarf. Cadavus - a geriatric German who envisions himself a monarch and sits in a weaponized wheelchair. General Ching - a painfully stereotypical Chinese character. Gruning - the token SS stand-in. Iron-Hand Hauptmann - the one with the iron hand (duh), and finally Ivan Krushki, the bare-chested Russian wrestler (because of course he is.) They're basically a 'World Conquerors' study group, but it's the Red Skull's posse, so what did you honestly expect?
Red Skull announces that their little nazi party will once again attack the world - and they will head for its soft underbelly. For some bizarre reason the Red Skull perceives this to be Latveria - the home country of one of its most formidable supervillains. Um, okay? Red Skull believes the Latverians have little spirit left after suffering Doom's continual abuse, and will offer no more than token resistance to the Nazi takeover. Besides, they have no chance of victory without Doom's presence anyway - time to go!
Hours later, an amusingly bulbous helicopter arrives over Latveria, with all the Exiles bunching up at the big round front window to have a look. They're not too impressed by the 'story-book kingdom', but Skull reckons that it's a sovereign nation with diplomatic recognition, which will make it a good start for their Fourth Reich's power base.
The Latverians are curious about the newcomers, but aren't too keen on working with them when Red Skull announces they will be the new masters of Doom's kingdom. One tyrant is quite enough, the Latverians decide, they'll fight to keep this new one out!
Skull observes that the people of Latveria need to witness the price of defiance, and sends out his Exiles to teach them a lesson. Baldini is up first, slapping someone around with his scarf, followed by Iron-Hand Hauptmann striking someone else with his iron hand. He's really self-descriptive, that one. Krushki follows up with some wrestling moves, before declaring himself the most skilled and powerful of all wrestlers! Fear the awesome power of aggressively hugging things!
French Riviera
Turning now to Doctor Doom, serious supervillain and megalomaniacal monarch, we find him… chilling on the French Riviera. Yeah.
Apparently Doom was ready for some rest and relaxation, so he figured that hanging out with the rich and famous would make for a good diversion. Several people recognize Doom as the Lord of Latveria, a famed scientific genius, and as someone who is dangerous to defy… all pretty accurate assessments, though strangely lacking the 'supervillain' descriptor. Nobody bothers calling the cops, either - I guess that diplomatic immunity really has some mileage. Doom considers the awe and dread he receives as his due, since one day he'll rule over everyone - poor and rich alike.
Arriving at a fancy hotel, Doom requests accomodations for a few days. Nothing elaborate, he says - the royal suite should suffice. Heh! The host says that the room is already occupied, but Doom simply asks whether the man knows why they call him Doom. The suite is vacated immediately. Nice, now that's room service!
As Doom heads over to his new room, two dubious men look on, musing that a king who travels unoccupied might be an easy mark…
That same night we see two figures climb up the side of the hotel in cat burglar outfits. They reckon Doom must be asleep by now, and even if he doesn't keep royal jewels beneath his armor (heh), the armor itself would still get a pretty penny on the open market.
One of the men slips into a window, and notices a sleeping Doom - in full armor, mind you - and decides some chloroform should keep the monarch out for the duration of the robbery. As he moves in, though, he's suddenly stopped by an invisible force field. Doom wakes and is so offended by the amateurish attempt at burglary that he refrains from killing, simply blasting the unfortunate criminal out his window and into a nearby pond. Blub!
Latveria
Back at home in Latveria, the Red Skull and his Exiles have taken out the surrounding villages off-screen, and are now marching on the Royal Palace, which has evidently seen a lot of hasty construction in the interim period. Latverian masons are the best. Dozens of blue-clad palace guards storm out to face the Nazi threat, but they're quickly taken down by the Exiles - Krushki crushes some fools with a big log while Cadavus rolls up in his wheelchair of doom (but not Doom) and blasts people and buildings with his lasers.
After their swift victory, Skull emphasizes that controlling the castle means controlling the country. I guess that explains the previous issue... You need medieval real estate to be the master of this place, apparently. Latveria's government is freaking weird.
French Riviera
Back at Doom's vacation getaway, we watch him visit a local gambling hall. He's dismissive of the whole concept - he doesn't care for the money when there's world to be conquered and people to enslave. How… progressive? His presence unnerves some of the staff, who worry that Doom could control the roulette wheels with his gadgetry - even though he's not actually playing. They set out to stop him. 'Tactfully.'
Their idea of tact is to walk right up to Doom and tell him they won't allow him to gamble, since he might cheat. Wew. This, naturally, offends Doom greatly. They dare impugn on Doom's honestly? In this specific instance, where he's actually being honest? Furious, Doom slams his fist down on the roulette table and breaks it in half, then summons a vortex of energy which rips up the cards and money all around him, destroying the room utterly. He leaves the distraught staff to deal with the mess.
Doom decides he's had his fill of this little Riviera playground, and jets back off into the sky. Still pissed at the idiots in the outside world, he is eager to return home to Latveria, to bask in the loyalty and devotion of his helpless subjects who know better than to offend their ruler to his face.
Latveria
Latveria has had a bit of a makeover in his absence. In a final, dramatic full-page spread, we see the Red Skull and his exiles upon a dais, framed by giant red banners bearing the iconic Hakenkreuz. Skull's arm is raised in the classic Sieg Heil pose, and a procession of soldiers with swastika armbands passes by in front of him - it's all very Triumph of the Will. Today Latveria, Skull declares. Tomorrow the World!
Next: More Nazis!
Rating & Comments
This issue would gain no more than a single star if not for the amusingly daft Doom intermezzos. The material which deals with Red Skull and his exiles is utterly uninspiring, with the Exiles a largely inconsequential group of miscellaneous weirdoes, most of which get no appreciable development whatsoever, and only half of which are even named in this issue. Red Skull himself just comes off as delusional, imagining a massive Fourth Reich from the power base of a what's essentially a bunch of medieval peasants.
Doom's segments, meanwhile, are just a bit of pointless fun - he explores the climes of the rich and powerful, and finds them far beneath him. Taking over the royal suite just by glowering at people is amusing, and Doom actually shows himself to be in a good mood when he is merciful to the dumb cat burglar. His mild reaction is somewhat unexpected, but perhaps a product of Doom's attempt at actual relaxation. The final encounter in the gambling hall is perfect - especially after the casino staff so massively bungle their attempt at tact. They couldn't have fumbled that one any harder if they tried!
This issue is inconsequential, if not for the tantalizing set-up that really deserves a decent sequel. Nazi Latveria makes for an arresting image, and it'll be interesting to see if Doom has issues with the ideology itself, or if he's merely upset that the wrong totalitarian dictator is in charge now. We'll see in the next issue, I suppose. Incidentally, the subtitle on the cover still makes no sense at all. Doom doesn't even face any foes in this issue, unless you count that one burglar! What the hell, writers?
Best Panel(s) of the Issue
This one has to go to Nazi Latveria. It makes for a compelling image, especially with how taboo some of that imagery tends to be, even today.
Most Gloriously Villainous Doom Quotes
"What's this? A common thief who dares disturb my royal repose? Such audacity borders on madness! And towards the mad, I am nothing if not merciful! Hence this merest taste of my weaponry!"
"What?!! You dare to impugn my honesty? I, the Lord of Latveria? The mightiest of monarchs? Dolts! Such insolence will not go unpunished! I'll teach you to affront the master of menace!"
Comic Trivia
The Exiles from this comic originally debuted in Tales of Suspense #41, in which the villainous Doctor Strange (no relation) gathers "...the most cunning scientists and power-mad military men on Earth!" This group appears to include early designs for several of the Exiles among their ranks. Their actual debut as Red Skull's toadies comes in Captain America v1 #103-104, followed by their return in #117-118, which are also the debut issues of Sam Wilson, the Falcon. All of those take place on Exile Island, unsurprisingly, and they'd never be quite as relevant again as they are in these issues.
Doom's Bad Hair Day
Cover Doom is still a weird one, since the image doesn't reflect anything that actually happens in the comic, except in general concept. In the actual story Doom is fully clothed and the cat burglar never manages to get his hands on Doom's armor, nor is he dressed in army slacks. And most significantly, Doom isn't randomly bald. Why would he be bald?
Cover
Don't ask me what's going on with this cover, because I'm not sure I want to know. A completely hairless Doom, in bed, blasts a military guy out of a window while random parts of his armor just sort of hang around in mid-air. What? Why? The subtitle doesn't really help either - surely this random dude isn't the deadliest foe of all? Didn't the previous issue tease the presence of nazis? I detect a severe lack of fascists getting shot in the face on this cover!
Welcome to the next little arc of Doom's first solo outing (for a given value of 'solo') in the fourth issue of Astonishing Tales - we're already halfway through. Let's hope that we're getting something a little more impactful than a bunch of hastily cobbled together storylines without much in the way of consequence or follow-through…
Story Overview
The Invaders!
Latveria
Doom stands amongst the ruins of his castle, reflecting on his magnificent victory against Prince Rudolfo's rebellion by destroying all of his own stuff. He tells himself that what he built once, he can build again - or more accurately, his people can. He sends out a royal decree that summons all his subjects, even the grumbling ones who chafe under his rule, and sets them to work. Doom, it turns out, has drawn up elaborate plans for the reconstruction of his castle - but he has no interest in actually hanging around for the menial task of construction. He blasts off into the sky with his jetpack, leaving Latveria entirely until his home base has been restored to its former glory.
From a darkened control room, malevolent eyes watch him leave. The person watching is immediately revealed to be Johann Shmidt, a decidedly simian-looking Red Skull, who declares that victory will be his! This pisses off some of his underlings, the so-called Exiles, a group of villains that he's worked with before in the pages of Captain America. Skull briefly sums up previous events in his own timeline, mostly his last comic appearance where he apparently died by getting shot into space by Cap. It's revealed that Skull hacked the control systems of the rocket and landed it near the island where the Exiles were hiding out, before meeting up with his old associates. After a brief altercation with Skull, the Exiles admitted that they needed a leader, and Skull provides that in much the way Hitler did in World War II.
The Exiles are a colorful bunch. Perhaps too colorful, as several are… questionably racist, or at least ridiculous stereotypes, and the rest are just silly. There's Baldini - an Italian wearing a fez and wielding a weaponized scarf. Cadavus - a geriatric German who envisions himself a monarch and sits in a weaponized wheelchair. General Ching - a painfully stereotypical Chinese character. Gruning - the token SS stand-in. Iron-Hand Hauptmann - the one with the iron hand (duh), and finally Ivan Krushki, the bare-chested Russian wrestler (because of course he is.) They're basically a 'World Conquerors' study group, but it's the Red Skull's posse, so what did you honestly expect?
Red Skull announces that their little nazi party will once again attack the world - and they will head for its soft underbelly. For some bizarre reason the Red Skull perceives this to be Latveria - the home country of one of its most formidable supervillains. Um, okay? Red Skull believes the Latverians have little spirit left after suffering Doom's continual abuse, and will offer no more than token resistance to the Nazi takeover. Besides, they have no chance of victory without Doom's presence anyway - time to go!
Hours later, an amusingly bulbous helicopter arrives over Latveria, with all the Exiles bunching up at the big round front window to have a look. They're not too impressed by the 'story-book kingdom', but Skull reckons that it's a sovereign nation with diplomatic recognition, which will make it a good start for their Fourth Reich's power base.
The Latverians are curious about the newcomers, but aren't too keen on working with them when Red Skull announces they will be the new masters of Doom's kingdom. One tyrant is quite enough, the Latverians decide, they'll fight to keep this new one out!
Skull observes that the people of Latveria need to witness the price of defiance, and sends out his Exiles to teach them a lesson. Baldini is up first, slapping someone around with his scarf, followed by Iron-Hand Hauptmann striking someone else with his iron hand. He's really self-descriptive, that one. Krushki follows up with some wrestling moves, before declaring himself the most skilled and powerful of all wrestlers! Fear the awesome power of aggressively hugging things!
French Riviera
Turning now to Doctor Doom, serious supervillain and megalomaniacal monarch, we find him… chilling on the French Riviera. Yeah.
Apparently Doom was ready for some rest and relaxation, so he figured that hanging out with the rich and famous would make for a good diversion. Several people recognize Doom as the Lord of Latveria, a famed scientific genius, and as someone who is dangerous to defy… all pretty accurate assessments, though strangely lacking the 'supervillain' descriptor. Nobody bothers calling the cops, either - I guess that diplomatic immunity really has some mileage. Doom considers the awe and dread he receives as his due, since one day he'll rule over everyone - poor and rich alike.
Arriving at a fancy hotel, Doom requests accomodations for a few days. Nothing elaborate, he says - the royal suite should suffice. Heh! The host says that the room is already occupied, but Doom simply asks whether the man knows why they call him Doom. The suite is vacated immediately. Nice, now that's room service!
As Doom heads over to his new room, two dubious men look on, musing that a king who travels unoccupied might be an easy mark…
That same night we see two figures climb up the side of the hotel in cat burglar outfits. They reckon Doom must be asleep by now, and even if he doesn't keep royal jewels beneath his armor (heh), the armor itself would still get a pretty penny on the open market.
One of the men slips into a window, and notices a sleeping Doom - in full armor, mind you - and decides some chloroform should keep the monarch out for the duration of the robbery. As he moves in, though, he's suddenly stopped by an invisible force field. Doom wakes and is so offended by the amateurish attempt at burglary that he refrains from killing, simply blasting the unfortunate criminal out his window and into a nearby pond. Blub!
Latveria
Back at home in Latveria, the Red Skull and his Exiles have taken out the surrounding villages off-screen, and are now marching on the Royal Palace, which has evidently seen a lot of hasty construction in the interim period. Latverian masons are the best. Dozens of blue-clad palace guards storm out to face the Nazi threat, but they're quickly taken down by the Exiles - Krushki crushes some fools with a big log while Cadavus rolls up in his wheelchair of doom (but not Doom) and blasts people and buildings with his lasers.
After their swift victory, Skull emphasizes that controlling the castle means controlling the country. I guess that explains the previous issue... You need medieval real estate to be the master of this place, apparently. Latveria's government is freaking weird.
French Riviera
Back at Doom's vacation getaway, we watch him visit a local gambling hall. He's dismissive of the whole concept - he doesn't care for the money when there's world to be conquered and people to enslave. How… progressive? His presence unnerves some of the staff, who worry that Doom could control the roulette wheels with his gadgetry - even though he's not actually playing. They set out to stop him. 'Tactfully.'
Their idea of tact is to walk right up to Doom and tell him they won't allow him to gamble, since he might cheat. Wew. This, naturally, offends Doom greatly. They dare impugn on Doom's honestly? In this specific instance, where he's actually being honest? Furious, Doom slams his fist down on the roulette table and breaks it in half, then summons a vortex of energy which rips up the cards and money all around him, destroying the room utterly. He leaves the distraught staff to deal with the mess.
Doom decides he's had his fill of this little Riviera playground, and jets back off into the sky. Still pissed at the idiots in the outside world, he is eager to return home to Latveria, to bask in the loyalty and devotion of his helpless subjects who know better than to offend their ruler to his face.
Latveria
Latveria has had a bit of a makeover in his absence. In a final, dramatic full-page spread, we see the Red Skull and his exiles upon a dais, framed by giant red banners bearing the iconic Hakenkreuz. Skull's arm is raised in the classic Sieg Heil pose, and a procession of soldiers with swastika armbands passes by in front of him - it's all very Triumph of the Will. Today Latveria, Skull declares. Tomorrow the World!
Next: More Nazis!
Rating & Comments
This issue would gain no more than a single star if not for the amusingly daft Doom intermezzos. The material which deals with Red Skull and his exiles is utterly uninspiring, with the Exiles a largely inconsequential group of miscellaneous weirdoes, most of which get no appreciable development whatsoever, and only half of which are even named in this issue. Red Skull himself just comes off as delusional, imagining a massive Fourth Reich from the power base of a what's essentially a bunch of medieval peasants.
Doom's segments, meanwhile, are just a bit of pointless fun - he explores the climes of the rich and powerful, and finds them far beneath him. Taking over the royal suite just by glowering at people is amusing, and Doom actually shows himself to be in a good mood when he is merciful to the dumb cat burglar. His mild reaction is somewhat unexpected, but perhaps a product of Doom's attempt at actual relaxation. The final encounter in the gambling hall is perfect - especially after the casino staff so massively bungle their attempt at tact. They couldn't have fumbled that one any harder if they tried!
This issue is inconsequential, if not for the tantalizing set-up that really deserves a decent sequel. Nazi Latveria makes for an arresting image, and it'll be interesting to see if Doom has issues with the ideology itself, or if he's merely upset that the wrong totalitarian dictator is in charge now. We'll see in the next issue, I suppose. Incidentally, the subtitle on the cover still makes no sense at all. Doom doesn't even face any foes in this issue, unless you count that one burglar! What the hell, writers?
Best Panel(s) of the Issue
This one has to go to Nazi Latveria. It makes for a compelling image, especially with how taboo some of that imagery tends to be, even today.
Most Gloriously Villainous Doom Quotes
"What's this? A common thief who dares disturb my royal repose? Such audacity borders on madness! And towards the mad, I am nothing if not merciful! Hence this merest taste of my weaponry!"
"What?!! You dare to impugn my honesty? I, the Lord of Latveria? The mightiest of monarchs? Dolts! Such insolence will not go unpunished! I'll teach you to affront the master of menace!"
Comic Trivia
The Exiles from this comic originally debuted in Tales of Suspense #41, in which the villainous Doctor Strange (no relation) gathers "...the most cunning scientists and power-mad military men on Earth!" This group appears to include early designs for several of the Exiles among their ranks. Their actual debut as Red Skull's toadies comes in Captain America v1 #103-104, followed by their return in #117-118, which are also the debut issues of Sam Wilson, the Falcon. All of those take place on Exile Island, unsurprisingly, and they'd never be quite as relevant again as they are in these issues.
Doom's Bad Hair Day
Cover Doom is still a weird one, since the image doesn't reflect anything that actually happens in the comic, except in general concept. In the actual story Doom is fully clothed and the cat burglar never manages to get his hands on Doom's armor, nor is he dressed in army slacks. And most significantly, Doom isn't randomly bald. Why would he be bald?
Burn victims often are?
- Location
- Netherlands
I mean, the injury is consistently indicated to be on his face, not just his entire head - but you do have a point.
I went over some depictions, and Doom has been shown without hair in a number of depictions, and even with his entire head marred by burn scars. Still, he's always got a full head of hair whenever he's shown 'healthy', or when he uses illusions to make himself look as such, so seeing some hair is common enough. He seems to have hair in that recent Thor issue I covered, even if it's hard to make out in the dim lighting - so there is a reason why I thought differently.
I think I'll keep a record of all the times we see beneath Doom's mask - it'll be interesting to make a dedicated post about this at some point.
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030: Astonishing Tales v1 #5 - A Land Enslaved!
- Location
- Netherlands
030: Astonishing Tales v1 #5 (April 1971)
Cover
Once again, the Astonishing Tales covers are none too kind to poor Victor, who gets clobbered in the face with a nondescript makeshift mace by the Red Skull, the scary Nazi supervillain. It's not a bad cover, as such, but it's once again sharing space with a different half-cover featuring hairy giants fighting Tarzan, so it's competing for real estate. At least Doom gets the lion's share of the attention this time, even if it's a picture of him getting pummeled!
Story Overview
A Land Enslaved!
We return to Doom flying away from the French Riviera, waxing philosophical about his role as shepherd to his flock - and how shepherds must keep careful watch of their misbegotten dogs, lest they grow rebellious in their master's absence. I'm not sure that's how that analogy works, Doom…
Over in Latveria, Red Skull is still enjoying his takeover of the country, fantasizing about his eventual Fourth Reich while his underlings worry about the inevitable return of Doctor Doom. Skull is hardly worried, proposing a toast to unending conquest.
He's interrupted by a servant who mans the radar - they've spotted Doom! Skull declares that they still have the element of surprise - although maybe he ought to hide the swastika banners if he wants to keep it that way for long. He orders everyone to conceal themselves, and not to fire until Doom is in range. (Which, you know, is generally a good idea to begin with.)
Doom flies overhead, musing that his realm is serene and quiet - so, in the future, he ought to arrange for some spontaneous outpourings of joy to greet his homecoming. He descends towards his castle - freshly rebuilt - but at the last possible moment he's suddenly ambushed. Skull's underlings open fire on Doom, who pretends to be harmed by the barrage - but when he hears one of the minions command another to take Doom to the Red Skull, he figures he's heard enough to identify his enemy, and can stop pretending.
With a dramatic gesture Doom summons a vortex of air, like he did last issue in the casino, and blasts his enemies of their feet, then follows up the disorientation with some good old-fashioned stun blasts from his hands. Red Skull watches on, noting that his guards are as toy soldiers compared to the might of Doom - but they are only the first line of defense. The second, he declares, is one of Doom's own weapons turned against him! Boy, this happens to Doom a lot!
Skull fires off the strangely organic missile that he's pilfered from Doom's possessions - it's filled with Chemi-Sleep Gas, which even his armor has no defense against, somehow! (I guess Doctor Doom forgot his mask has an air filtration unit, as shown in Marvel Super Heroes #20) The gas works like a charm, rendering the monarch utterly unconscious.
While knocked out, Red Skull imprisons Doom in an 'adamantine mummy case' and puts him on display for all to see, as a living trophy.
Skull exults at his triumph, but Doom is already dealing with his predicament - he notices that the sarcophagus is designed to heat up in the sun to make things even more unpleasant for the occupant, but this also gives Doom a ready source of energy. Gingerly moving his finger to a button in his suit, he activates his thermo-energizer, which will slowly capture the sun's heat inside his suit until he can shatter the restraints.
While Doom awaits his eventual freedom, Red Skull starts implementing more Nazi policies in Latveria. We see Skull's guards going home to home to track down 'freedom broadcasts' by dissidents and subversives, as well as capturing the old and infirm - who are all headed for newly formed concentration camps. Obedience, the guards declare, is the only thing allowed in this new Latveria! Yikes!
As the oppression mounts, so does Doom's power, and finally he breaks free, shattering the imitation adamantium like glass!
He does a quick victory pose to celebrate his accomplishment, and then declares his vengeance against Red Skull for all to hear! Skull isn't impressed, figuring that he's beaten Doom once, so he can do it again. He grabs some of Doom's weapons, intending to repeat his previous victory.
Doom, however, does not simply waltz in the front door; he has a plan. He blasts his way into the subterranean tunnels that run underneath his castle, taking advantage of his familiarity with his own home base. He uses the passageways to make his way to the main power station, cutting all power to the palace's weapons - the very weapons Skull intended to use. Now that the primary threat is dealt with, Doom makes his way to the castle, and faces off against a bunch of Skull's guards, who are utterly useless, their bullets bouncing harmlessly off the armor. Red Skull commands them to use Doom's own super-flamethrower against him, but it suddenly fails to fire - the power is dead!
Not beaten yet, Skull quickly jury-rigs the weapon to fire anyway, using a bit of technobabble just this side of reversing the polarity of the neutron flow. Still, even when he commands his minions to fire the weapon into their own ranks just to hit Doom, it doesn't actually do any damage.
Doom has quickly dropped the temperature of his armor to sub-freezing to counteract the heat of the fiery gun, and uses that temporary protection to strike back and break the weapon. Red Skull cries out in horror, refusing to consider the possibility of defeat.
Krushki swings in from out of nowhere, declaring that using weapons is useless, and clearly the best method to take out a technological tyrant is rad wrestling moves! No man can withstand his grip! 'I am not a man,' Doom opines, before throwing the Russian ass over teakettle. 'I am Doom!'
Not to be outdone, Baldini - the dime store Eraserhead wannabe - captures Doom with his weighted scarf, but Doom just turns up the heat of his suit and burns the thing away. Gruning follows, trying out his electrified whip; Doom reverses its charge and makes Gruning dance instead. What a pathetic showing! Doom goes on to defeat the rest of the Exiles off-panel with similar contemptuous ease, then turns towards a panicking Red Skull - and the Nazi worries for his life, certain he's never seen such hatred in a man's eyes before. (Not even in the mirror?)
He flees into a tunnel, but the passageway closes in front of him - he's trapped! Doom herds the defeated Exiles towards a trapdoor and dumping them into the same chamber that the Red Skull ended up in. Then, when Doom has his enemies at his mercy, and they're certain they're about to die - they're dosed with Chemi-Sleep Gas in a bit of karmic vengeance! (I guess Red Skull forgot his mask has an air filtration unit, as shown in Tales of Suspense #80)
When they all come to, the Red Skull is puzzled why Doom would set them free instead of kill them on the spot. He finds out why pretty quickly, when an enormous Doom looms overhead. Skull and his exiles have been reduced to the size of the vermin they are, such is the wrath of Doom! He dumps the lot of them into a similarly miniaturized rocket, then sends them off home towards Exile Island with a dire warning never to return.
Still, not all is as it seems. The truth is that the gas the Exiles were dosed with wasn't sleep gas at all - it was hypno-gas, meant to instill convincing illusions. Their shrinking episode was all in their mind! A trick that could only be conceived by a single supreme intellect!
Rating & Comments
This issue is basically Doom being a complete overpowered boss, with the only thing even remotely threatening him literally being his own weapons. Honestly, in a more objective ranking this would probably miss out on a star, since the lack of threat by the antagonists really doesn't make the story very compelling - but this is a Doom retrospective, so when Doom gets to trounce a Nazi, I can't help but cheer a little! Bonus points for punching fascists!
I really do have to point out how shockingly weak the Exiles end up being in this issue - their gimmicks aren't even impressive against regular civilians, never mind their attempt at fending off the angry armored robot wizard king with a thick piece of cloth, wrestling moves, or a fancy whip. Seriously, what were they even thinking? Half the Exiles don't get even a single moment in the sun, as they get trounced in a word balloon, declared defeated by authorial fiat. That includes the crazy one who thinks he's a king and drives around in a laser wheelchair. Sorry, dude.
It is nice, though, that this issue does use the displayed capabilities of Doom's armor consistently, aside from that random vulnerability to sleeping gas. The creation of vortices was already foreshadowed in last week's issue, when he used that particular ability in the casino, and the newly introduced temperature control is used twice in quick succession after its introduction as Doom's method of escape from captivity. It proves useful pretty quick, clearly. Red Skull's nervous awe in the face of Doom's might is a nice addition to canon, really boosting his apparent reputation among other big name villains.
The weird last-minute twist with the hypno-gas is a bit ridiculous, and doesn't really seem to have much of a point - presumably it's just to ensure the next author doesn't have to write an explanation for how to enlarge the Exiles again. Why even shrink them, then? Pointless nonsense, but harmless.
Best Panel(s) of the Issue
I quite like the splash page of flying Doom over the French Riviera - even if it's more of a flashback than anything.
I'll add a shot of Doom flying over Latveria for variety!
Most Gloriously Villainous Doom Quotes
"Thus, I return to to Latveria at once! For, as a shepherd belongs with his flock, so must a monarch remain with his beloved subjects! Lest the misbegotten dogs grow restive and rebellious in their master's absence!"
"[It was] an illusion that could have been conceived only by one supreme intellect! The most powerful brain on Earth! The brain of Doctor Doom!"
Doom's Bad Hair Day
Can I elect Flame-Gun Guy With Rabbit Teeth? There's a whole lot of clones of him among the rest of Red Skull's guards, really. I'm not sure why the artists skipped out on Nazi imagery for the footsoldiers - they didn't hold back on showing the giant swastika banners...
Doom-Tech of the Week
We get a double whammy of the gas variety with Chemi-Sleep Gas, as well as its hallucinatory cousin Hypno-Gas. I would add the flamethrower, but I'm sure it's some variation of the stuff used against Spider-Man way back when.
Cover
Once again, the Astonishing Tales covers are none too kind to poor Victor, who gets clobbered in the face with a nondescript makeshift mace by the Red Skull, the scary Nazi supervillain. It's not a bad cover, as such, but it's once again sharing space with a different half-cover featuring hairy giants fighting Tarzan, so it's competing for real estate. At least Doom gets the lion's share of the attention this time, even if it's a picture of him getting pummeled!
Story Overview
A Land Enslaved!
We return to Doom flying away from the French Riviera, waxing philosophical about his role as shepherd to his flock - and how shepherds must keep careful watch of their misbegotten dogs, lest they grow rebellious in their master's absence. I'm not sure that's how that analogy works, Doom…
Over in Latveria, Red Skull is still enjoying his takeover of the country, fantasizing about his eventual Fourth Reich while his underlings worry about the inevitable return of Doctor Doom. Skull is hardly worried, proposing a toast to unending conquest.
He's interrupted by a servant who mans the radar - they've spotted Doom! Skull declares that they still have the element of surprise - although maybe he ought to hide the swastika banners if he wants to keep it that way for long. He orders everyone to conceal themselves, and not to fire until Doom is in range. (Which, you know, is generally a good idea to begin with.)
Doom flies overhead, musing that his realm is serene and quiet - so, in the future, he ought to arrange for some spontaneous outpourings of joy to greet his homecoming. He descends towards his castle - freshly rebuilt - but at the last possible moment he's suddenly ambushed. Skull's underlings open fire on Doom, who pretends to be harmed by the barrage - but when he hears one of the minions command another to take Doom to the Red Skull, he figures he's heard enough to identify his enemy, and can stop pretending.
With a dramatic gesture Doom summons a vortex of air, like he did last issue in the casino, and blasts his enemies of their feet, then follows up the disorientation with some good old-fashioned stun blasts from his hands. Red Skull watches on, noting that his guards are as toy soldiers compared to the might of Doom - but they are only the first line of defense. The second, he declares, is one of Doom's own weapons turned against him! Boy, this happens to Doom a lot!
Skull fires off the strangely organic missile that he's pilfered from Doom's possessions - it's filled with Chemi-Sleep Gas, which even his armor has no defense against, somehow! (I guess Doctor Doom forgot his mask has an air filtration unit, as shown in Marvel Super Heroes #20) The gas works like a charm, rendering the monarch utterly unconscious.
While knocked out, Red Skull imprisons Doom in an 'adamantine mummy case' and puts him on display for all to see, as a living trophy.
Skull exults at his triumph, but Doom is already dealing with his predicament - he notices that the sarcophagus is designed to heat up in the sun to make things even more unpleasant for the occupant, but this also gives Doom a ready source of energy. Gingerly moving his finger to a button in his suit, he activates his thermo-energizer, which will slowly capture the sun's heat inside his suit until he can shatter the restraints.
While Doom awaits his eventual freedom, Red Skull starts implementing more Nazi policies in Latveria. We see Skull's guards going home to home to track down 'freedom broadcasts' by dissidents and subversives, as well as capturing the old and infirm - who are all headed for newly formed concentration camps. Obedience, the guards declare, is the only thing allowed in this new Latveria! Yikes!
As the oppression mounts, so does Doom's power, and finally he breaks free, shattering the imitation adamantium like glass!
He does a quick victory pose to celebrate his accomplishment, and then declares his vengeance against Red Skull for all to hear! Skull isn't impressed, figuring that he's beaten Doom once, so he can do it again. He grabs some of Doom's weapons, intending to repeat his previous victory.
Doom, however, does not simply waltz in the front door; he has a plan. He blasts his way into the subterranean tunnels that run underneath his castle, taking advantage of his familiarity with his own home base. He uses the passageways to make his way to the main power station, cutting all power to the palace's weapons - the very weapons Skull intended to use. Now that the primary threat is dealt with, Doom makes his way to the castle, and faces off against a bunch of Skull's guards, who are utterly useless, their bullets bouncing harmlessly off the armor. Red Skull commands them to use Doom's own super-flamethrower against him, but it suddenly fails to fire - the power is dead!
Not beaten yet, Skull quickly jury-rigs the weapon to fire anyway, using a bit of technobabble just this side of reversing the polarity of the neutron flow. Still, even when he commands his minions to fire the weapon into their own ranks just to hit Doom, it doesn't actually do any damage.
Doom has quickly dropped the temperature of his armor to sub-freezing to counteract the heat of the fiery gun, and uses that temporary protection to strike back and break the weapon. Red Skull cries out in horror, refusing to consider the possibility of defeat.
Krushki swings in from out of nowhere, declaring that using weapons is useless, and clearly the best method to take out a technological tyrant is rad wrestling moves! No man can withstand his grip! 'I am not a man,' Doom opines, before throwing the Russian ass over teakettle. 'I am Doom!'
Not to be outdone, Baldini - the dime store Eraserhead wannabe - captures Doom with his weighted scarf, but Doom just turns up the heat of his suit and burns the thing away. Gruning follows, trying out his electrified whip; Doom reverses its charge and makes Gruning dance instead. What a pathetic showing! Doom goes on to defeat the rest of the Exiles off-panel with similar contemptuous ease, then turns towards a panicking Red Skull - and the Nazi worries for his life, certain he's never seen such hatred in a man's eyes before. (Not even in the mirror?)
He flees into a tunnel, but the passageway closes in front of him - he's trapped! Doom herds the defeated Exiles towards a trapdoor and dumping them into the same chamber that the Red Skull ended up in. Then, when Doom has his enemies at his mercy, and they're certain they're about to die - they're dosed with Chemi-Sleep Gas in a bit of karmic vengeance! (I guess Red Skull forgot his mask has an air filtration unit, as shown in Tales of Suspense #80)
When they all come to, the Red Skull is puzzled why Doom would set them free instead of kill them on the spot. He finds out why pretty quickly, when an enormous Doom looms overhead. Skull and his exiles have been reduced to the size of the vermin they are, such is the wrath of Doom! He dumps the lot of them into a similarly miniaturized rocket, then sends them off home towards Exile Island with a dire warning never to return.
Still, not all is as it seems. The truth is that the gas the Exiles were dosed with wasn't sleep gas at all - it was hypno-gas, meant to instill convincing illusions. Their shrinking episode was all in their mind! A trick that could only be conceived by a single supreme intellect!
Rating & Comments
This issue is basically Doom being a complete overpowered boss, with the only thing even remotely threatening him literally being his own weapons. Honestly, in a more objective ranking this would probably miss out on a star, since the lack of threat by the antagonists really doesn't make the story very compelling - but this is a Doom retrospective, so when Doom gets to trounce a Nazi, I can't help but cheer a little! Bonus points for punching fascists!
I really do have to point out how shockingly weak the Exiles end up being in this issue - their gimmicks aren't even impressive against regular civilians, never mind their attempt at fending off the angry armored robot wizard king with a thick piece of cloth, wrestling moves, or a fancy whip. Seriously, what were they even thinking? Half the Exiles don't get even a single moment in the sun, as they get trounced in a word balloon, declared defeated by authorial fiat. That includes the crazy one who thinks he's a king and drives around in a laser wheelchair. Sorry, dude.
It is nice, though, that this issue does use the displayed capabilities of Doom's armor consistently, aside from that random vulnerability to sleeping gas. The creation of vortices was already foreshadowed in last week's issue, when he used that particular ability in the casino, and the newly introduced temperature control is used twice in quick succession after its introduction as Doom's method of escape from captivity. It proves useful pretty quick, clearly. Red Skull's nervous awe in the face of Doom's might is a nice addition to canon, really boosting his apparent reputation among other big name villains.
The weird last-minute twist with the hypno-gas is a bit ridiculous, and doesn't really seem to have much of a point - presumably it's just to ensure the next author doesn't have to write an explanation for how to enlarge the Exiles again. Why even shrink them, then? Pointless nonsense, but harmless.
Best Panel(s) of the Issue
I quite like the splash page of flying Doom over the French Riviera - even if it's more of a flashback than anything.
I'll add a shot of Doom flying over Latveria for variety!
Most Gloriously Villainous Doom Quotes
"Thus, I return to to Latveria at once! For, as a shepherd belongs with his flock, so must a monarch remain with his beloved subjects! Lest the misbegotten dogs grow restive and rebellious in their master's absence!"
"[It was] an illusion that could have been conceived only by one supreme intellect! The most powerful brain on Earth! The brain of Doctor Doom!"
Doom's Bad Hair Day
Can I elect Flame-Gun Guy With Rabbit Teeth? There's a whole lot of clones of him among the rest of Red Skull's guards, really. I'm not sure why the artists skipped out on Nazi imagery for the footsoldiers - they didn't hold back on showing the giant swastika banners...
Doom-Tech of the Week
We get a double whammy of the gas variety with Chemi-Sleep Gas, as well as its hallucinatory cousin Hypno-Gas. I would add the flamethrower, but I'm sure it's some variation of the stuff used against Spider-Man way back when.
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031: Incredible Hulk v1 #143 - Sanctuary!
- Location
- Netherlands
031: Incredible Hulk v1 #143 (September 1971)
Cover
Another brand new comic makes its appearance on the list! This kind of coverage really demonstrates that Doctor Doom has evolved from another generic Fantastic Four bad guy who does silly things with time machines to a proper Marvel-wide threat that could show up in any book. With his appearance in Avengers he's already met Captain America and his kooky quartet, he's had run-ins which involve Daredevil, Ant-Man, and Spider-Man, and now he's gotten encounters with Thor and the Hulk in quick succession. He's really only missing out on Iron Man from this era - and we'll get to him down the line!
This cover, by the way, is pretty decent, and for once doesn't depict Doom fighting the titular character. Although he's present on the cover, it kind of looks like the Hulk is protecting the mighty monarch from some other threat. That'd be an interesting twist, for sure! Considering the Hulk's perpetual dust-ups with the US military, I'm not too shocked to see him get shot at...
Story Overview
Sanctuary!
The setup for this story is so thoroughly cliché that even the comic acknowledges it - Bruce Banner is hiding out in New York City while police forces are hounding the streets looking for the Incredible Hulk! Banner's cowering in a backalley, the ghostly specter of his alter ego haunting him as he laments his situation. It's all pretty standard stuff.
A couple of cops pass by just as Banner makes too much noise, and they immediately give chase. Banner flees onto the streets, briefly considers turning into the Hulk to escape from this mess, but he's too worried about collateral damage to go for it. He figures he's doomed for the slammer.
Suddenly a mysterious limousine screeches to a halt besides him, and the driver tells him to get in - unless he likes getting captured. Even as he sits in the back seat of the car, though, Banner can't quite turn his head to recognize who saved him. He probably already knows, but doesn't want to acknowledge it. One of the cops tries to shoot at the car as it speeds off, and gets his gun melted for his trouble by a doohickey on its rear bumper. The other one tells him it's no use, because this car belongs to-
"Doctor Doom!" Banner exclaims in shock. Doom is thoroughly chuffed that there need be no introductions between men of science. The tyrant quickly explains that he's chosen to place Banner under his protection - his own made-up version of diplomatic immunity, as per usual - because he feels a certain kinship with the man. After all, Doom expounds, he too knows what it's like to a genius who is different from everyone else! Doom even goes a step further, alluding to his own scarred face and drawing an analogy with the Hulk, telling his new guest that he feels a certain envy that Banner can turn back from his monstrous form rather than staying forever trapped within it. Yikes. I'm pretty sure these are Doom's actual views, too - his contempt for his own face is all too real, as many a mirror can attest.
It's interesting to note that this issue very much borrows from previous Doom continuity - cruising around town in this particular limousine (or 'flag-car') to kidnap people is an established routine of his, as he's already done it to both Daredevil and Thor in previous issues. Indeed, Doom's other transportation in this issue is similarly familiar...!
Just as Banner dumbly asks where they're going, they pull into the parking space at the Latverian Embassy. Could have guessed that one, genius. As they enter the building, Doom displays his usual schizophrenic mixture of attitudes towards his subjects, first graciously acknowledging their concerns after they heard gunshots, then turning around to call them servile swine who should get moving. Ah, Doom... never change.
Elsewhere in Manhattan we see a car full of Hulk supporting cast members - General Thaddeus Ross is there, as are his daughter Betty Ross, as well as Major Glenn Talbot. They arrive at a gathering of soldiers who are stationed outside the Latverian Embassy, and quickly get the skinny on what's been happening. Doom swept Banner off the street and into his embassy, oh no! Ross immediately recognizes the diplomatic clusterfuck of trying to get Banner out, but one of the soldiers isn't too convinced - he wonders why a 'one-horse kingdom' the size of a postage stamp has any influence, and figures they could just storm the place and have politicians hash things out later. Ross merely says that's now how they do things, and moves on.
Major Talbot decides to grab a bullhorn, demanding the release of Banner to preserve Latverian-American relations, then pathetically threatening 'alternative' courses of action if the man is not delivered within five minutes. Lame, dude. Doom agrees, and is fully intent on ignoring the ultimatum. That's when a mysterious green-haired figure shows up in front of the embassy, one that Doom doesn't recognize. Fortunately, Banner knows who this newcomer is: he's Doc Samson, yet another of the Hulk's supporting cast, and one that actually made his debut a mere two issues before this one! Betty Ross is happy to see 'Len' (his real name is Leonard), but Ross isn't too enthused - presumably because Doc is romantically interested in his daughter. Still, the General begrudgingly acknowledges that Doc Samson has at least done something about his previous Tarzan haircut.
Doc acknowledges the observation, quickly explaining how he gained Hulk-ish powers (and green hair) from radiation he siphoned away from the Hulk in a bid to cure Banner. Don't ask why a psychiatrist was doing that, by the way - it's a whole thing. His haircut, it turns out, has a purpose - Doc's discovered that the length of his hair influences the potency of his super-strength, much like the biblical Samson's. Thus, he plays his own Delilah to maintain control! Doc pulls a streetlight from the ground to demonstrate his remaining strength, then goes on to bend some metal bars just to show off, even as he proposes to get Banner from the embassy, since nobody else can.
Ross dismisses the idea of letting Samson have a go at the Embassy, but his real concern is the presence of Doctor Doom to begin with - why was he even in America? Last Ross heard, Doom was involved in trying to conquer a nation that borders his own, and he could hardly do that from the other side of an ocean!
Back inside the Embassy, Doom wonders why his enemies are all standing around prattling like children, but his ego is quick to answer - they are children, and none can match his infinite resources and matchless intellect! One who has harnessed even - the Hulk himself! Banner is gone, and instead we see only the huge green shape of the Hulk behind Doom. The monster hurls himself out the window to face off with the army, crushing a tank with a single stomp on his way down.
Grabbing the gun barrel of another tank and using it as a baseball bat, Hulk makes quick work of the forces arrayed against him - Doc Samson attempts to intervene, but the Hulk simply jumps away in ever greater bounds, quickly disappearing into the distance.
But - not quickly enough! Firing his full array of artillery at the retreating monster, Ross finally scores a hit - and blasts the Hulk to atoms! Shock! None of Hulk's supporting cast actually believed it would ever be possible to kill the Hulk, and they're dismayed when they recognize the chunks of purple pants raining from the sky.
We get quick looks at each of their reactions, too. Talbot figures this achievement will earn Ross another star, but Banner's death casts a dark shadow over his own relationship with Betty. General Ross reasons he was acting for the good of humanity, but he regrets the death of Bruce Banner, even though he didn't like the man. Doc Samson comments that he was trying to take away Banner's girl, but not like this! (What a dick!) Betty, lastly, acknowledges that she's expected this moment to come, and then forces herself to focus on the man, not the monster.
Doom, meanwhile, is laughing his metal-clad ass off: the Hulk that was destroyed was merely one of his robot replicas, carefully prepared ahead of time!
Banner questions Doom's apparent awareness that he would be hosting the Hulk in his embassy but the monarch waves him off, telling him to enjoy his status as an 'honored guest' for the time being. Banner doesn't buy this, reckoning that 'guest' and 'prisoner' are pretty synonymous here, and he's prepared to unleash the Hulk to escape. Doom just blasts him with some Chemi-Sleep Gas before he can do that. Night-night!
Calling over some lackeys, Doom - No. Hold on. I gotta cover this. It's no secret that Doom's servoguards have been treated less and less like the robotic servants they were meant to be in their debut, and more like Latverians in weird costumes. In this issue, though, they've shed the last of their robotic features in favor of something far dumber: bright yellow helmets with two little bulbous stalks sticking out, like a poor alien costume or extreme discount Mickey Mouse. It's the goofiest shit!
Doom has his ridiculous underlings put the unconscious Banner on his plane, and the story takes on a decidedly familiar cast. Didn't we do this exact thing with Thor just a few issues ago? In the next panel, the vehicle Doom is using is recognizable as the space-plane he used way back in Fantastic Four #6, when he teamed up with Namor to kidnap the Baxter Building. Actually, it's also the plane he uses in the Hanna Barbera Fantastic Four cartoon of this era! The captions describe its awesome capabilities as it skims the stratosphere at barely suborbital speeds on its way towards Latveria.
As the dawn arrives, we see the space-plane arrive in the Balkans. The captions actually describe Latveria as a shining 'storybook kingdom' twice in quick succession, but then morosely reflect that the brothers Grimm have shown how grisly and full of horror fairy tales can be. What else could you expect from a place ruled by a guy called Doom?
As we get our latest glimpse of Doom's kingdom, I detect clear signs that this particular story takes place not too long after Doom's conflict with the Red Skull in the pages of Astonishing Tales #4-5. For one, Latveria suddenly spots distinctive red-and-black flags with eagles on them - I wonder where he got that idea? Then, when Doom arrives home, he's greeted with the 'spontaneous outpourings of joy' he'd hoped for last issue, and they come complete with full-on Nazi salutes and cries of 'Hail Master!' It's… not at all subtle.
Doom uses the moment to announce that unspecified 'wolves are at the door' and he's brought back the means by which he can hamper these enemies, before commanding his servants to drag Banner to the laboratories. They dutifully agree, calling him 'Herr Doctor'. Huh, they're using German titles now, wonder when they picked that up?
Inside the castle, Doom narrates his own history to himself, noting that it's been half a decade since he conquered Latveria, roughly matching the time since the country's introduction to comics - though we've never actually seen said conquering. He complains that the kingdom is too small and insignificant in many-nationed Europe to even gain a spot on the map. (#MapsWithoutLatveria) Today, though, he intends to change that, and one day Latveria will be the master of Europe! But for that plan to work, he needs an ally. No, he needs two allies, with wildly different talents - and they're both locked within the body of Bruce Banner!
Doom turns to the wall to pull a switch, and that panel looks awfully familiar! Yes, it's actually a (poor) copy of a panel from the recent Thor story I covered, even though a different artist is responsible. I'm saying there's some tracing going on here, and I'd already had my suspicion with a couple of the other panels. Between this and the blatant copying of story beats, I gotta admit I'm suspecting some serious laziness going on…
The switch Doom pulls actually controls the hypnosis device that Doom used on the Fantastic Four back in Fantastic Four v1 #84-87, another callback to Doom's history. As the monarch looms over Banner in the brainwashing device, he tacitly compliments the man's intelligence. Still, he is quick to point out that while Banner is unparalleled in certain fields, his genius is otherwise more limited than Doom's own. Figures the ego would intrude before he could finish that compliment. He then notes that while a brainwashed Banner would assist him openly, the Hulk could serve as a slave - a weapon to bring to bear against his 'heavily-armed neighbors.'
We then get a final dramatic shot of Doom overlooking a rampaging Hulk in a destroyed city. He wishes Banner pleasant dreams - because when he wakes up, he'll find he's been shackled to the noble cause... of Doom! On the side of the frame, none too subtly, three flags wave in the breeze - one bearing the sunburst of Imperial Japan, one an eagle next to a swastika, and finally what I presume to be a version of the Latverian flag introduced in this issue. Are you trying to tell us something, artists...?
To be continued - with a special returning guest!
Rating & Comments
This issue feels… derivative, and that's why I'm docking a star from an otherwise pretty continuity-heavy entry. It seems like the writer read some of Doom's previous issues and stitched them together to form a new story, and the parallels with the recent Thor two-parter are especially hard to dismiss. I wonder if that pattern will be followed up in the next issue, or if it'll finally branch off to do its own thing? We can only hope. I suppose the line between homage and ripoff is pretty thin sometimes, and I'm not sure where this one lands.
Regardless, another point to bring up is the irrelevant Doc Samson content, which doesn't appear to relate to anything in the story. He shows up to explain his powers, offers his help, and is shut down before he ever gets to act. Even when the robot Hulk gets into the story, Samson fails to grab it - and the captions indicate he would've lost that tussle handily. So what's the point of bringing him in, if he's going to get thrown by the wayside immediatley? I guess it's like those Inhumans interludes a while back…
The most annoying thing about this issue is probably that Bruce Banner is barely even a character in it. He gets a handful of lines, but he's mostly a passive observer who gets shut down the moment he tries anything, and then spends the second half of the issue asleep. The actual Hulk makes no appearance at all - we have to make do with the robot copy and Doom's fertile imagination. This comic has the inverse issue of that recent Thor comic, where he transformed every few panels!
I guess Doom gets some decent villainous monologues in, though, and he has a good chortle. It's something! Laughter is good for the soul they say, and it figures Doom would bust a gut over convincing several people their friend just died horribly!
Best Panel(s) of the Issue
The final shot of the issue is easily my favourite, with Doom looming over the rampaging Hulk within the husk of a destroyed city.
Although I'm not entirely certain, that third flag looks like it might be the intended design of this more stylized version in the rest of the comic.
Most Gloriously Villainous Doom Quotes
"This is the moment I have waited long for. This shall be the hour of my greatest, my ultimate triumph! It has been more than half a decade since I mastered this tiny kingdom, this insignificant pocket whose very name the mass of men do not know - too small even to be sketched upon the maps of many-nationed Europe. Yet, after today, all that shall be changed. For, soon humble Latveria shall be master of all Europe… and the master of Latveria shall be Doctor Doom!"
"So, sleep on, Bruce Banner - dream your dreams of peace, and escape from those who have plagued you. You shall wake soon enough, to learn that you have been shackled to a new, nobler cause - the cause of Victor von Doom! For, though you shall find my neighbouring nations a league of mighty, industrialized foemen, you - and the rampaging Hulk - shall leave them a charred and simmering ruin!"
Doom's Bad Hair Day
Doom gets some goofy faces in this issue, presumably because the artist does not regularly draw the menacing monarch...
Comic Trivia
As homages and ripoffs are on topic this week, I figured I'd share another pose I recognized from a previous issue I've already covered. I'm going with homage in this case... or strange coincidence!
Doom-Tech of the Week
We can count the Hulkbot that gets blown to smithereens as the technology of the week - the rest are callbacks to previous Doomtech!
Cover
Another brand new comic makes its appearance on the list! This kind of coverage really demonstrates that Doctor Doom has evolved from another generic Fantastic Four bad guy who does silly things with time machines to a proper Marvel-wide threat that could show up in any book. With his appearance in Avengers he's already met Captain America and his kooky quartet, he's had run-ins which involve Daredevil, Ant-Man, and Spider-Man, and now he's gotten encounters with Thor and the Hulk in quick succession. He's really only missing out on Iron Man from this era - and we'll get to him down the line!
This cover, by the way, is pretty decent, and for once doesn't depict Doom fighting the titular character. Although he's present on the cover, it kind of looks like the Hulk is protecting the mighty monarch from some other threat. That'd be an interesting twist, for sure! Considering the Hulk's perpetual dust-ups with the US military, I'm not too shocked to see him get shot at...
Story Overview
Sanctuary!
The setup for this story is so thoroughly cliché that even the comic acknowledges it - Bruce Banner is hiding out in New York City while police forces are hounding the streets looking for the Incredible Hulk! Banner's cowering in a backalley, the ghostly specter of his alter ego haunting him as he laments his situation. It's all pretty standard stuff.
A couple of cops pass by just as Banner makes too much noise, and they immediately give chase. Banner flees onto the streets, briefly considers turning into the Hulk to escape from this mess, but he's too worried about collateral damage to go for it. He figures he's doomed for the slammer.
Suddenly a mysterious limousine screeches to a halt besides him, and the driver tells him to get in - unless he likes getting captured. Even as he sits in the back seat of the car, though, Banner can't quite turn his head to recognize who saved him. He probably already knows, but doesn't want to acknowledge it. One of the cops tries to shoot at the car as it speeds off, and gets his gun melted for his trouble by a doohickey on its rear bumper. The other one tells him it's no use, because this car belongs to-
"Doctor Doom!" Banner exclaims in shock. Doom is thoroughly chuffed that there need be no introductions between men of science. The tyrant quickly explains that he's chosen to place Banner under his protection - his own made-up version of diplomatic immunity, as per usual - because he feels a certain kinship with the man. After all, Doom expounds, he too knows what it's like to a genius who is different from everyone else! Doom even goes a step further, alluding to his own scarred face and drawing an analogy with the Hulk, telling his new guest that he feels a certain envy that Banner can turn back from his monstrous form rather than staying forever trapped within it. Yikes. I'm pretty sure these are Doom's actual views, too - his contempt for his own face is all too real, as many a mirror can attest.
It's interesting to note that this issue very much borrows from previous Doom continuity - cruising around town in this particular limousine (or 'flag-car') to kidnap people is an established routine of his, as he's already done it to both Daredevil and Thor in previous issues. Indeed, Doom's other transportation in this issue is similarly familiar...!
Just as Banner dumbly asks where they're going, they pull into the parking space at the Latverian Embassy. Could have guessed that one, genius. As they enter the building, Doom displays his usual schizophrenic mixture of attitudes towards his subjects, first graciously acknowledging their concerns after they heard gunshots, then turning around to call them servile swine who should get moving. Ah, Doom... never change.
Elsewhere in Manhattan we see a car full of Hulk supporting cast members - General Thaddeus Ross is there, as are his daughter Betty Ross, as well as Major Glenn Talbot. They arrive at a gathering of soldiers who are stationed outside the Latverian Embassy, and quickly get the skinny on what's been happening. Doom swept Banner off the street and into his embassy, oh no! Ross immediately recognizes the diplomatic clusterfuck of trying to get Banner out, but one of the soldiers isn't too convinced - he wonders why a 'one-horse kingdom' the size of a postage stamp has any influence, and figures they could just storm the place and have politicians hash things out later. Ross merely says that's now how they do things, and moves on.
Major Talbot decides to grab a bullhorn, demanding the release of Banner to preserve Latverian-American relations, then pathetically threatening 'alternative' courses of action if the man is not delivered within five minutes. Lame, dude. Doom agrees, and is fully intent on ignoring the ultimatum. That's when a mysterious green-haired figure shows up in front of the embassy, one that Doom doesn't recognize. Fortunately, Banner knows who this newcomer is: he's Doc Samson, yet another of the Hulk's supporting cast, and one that actually made his debut a mere two issues before this one! Betty Ross is happy to see 'Len' (his real name is Leonard), but Ross isn't too enthused - presumably because Doc is romantically interested in his daughter. Still, the General begrudgingly acknowledges that Doc Samson has at least done something about his previous Tarzan haircut.
Doc acknowledges the observation, quickly explaining how he gained Hulk-ish powers (and green hair) from radiation he siphoned away from the Hulk in a bid to cure Banner. Don't ask why a psychiatrist was doing that, by the way - it's a whole thing. His haircut, it turns out, has a purpose - Doc's discovered that the length of his hair influences the potency of his super-strength, much like the biblical Samson's. Thus, he plays his own Delilah to maintain control! Doc pulls a streetlight from the ground to demonstrate his remaining strength, then goes on to bend some metal bars just to show off, even as he proposes to get Banner from the embassy, since nobody else can.
Ross dismisses the idea of letting Samson have a go at the Embassy, but his real concern is the presence of Doctor Doom to begin with - why was he even in America? Last Ross heard, Doom was involved in trying to conquer a nation that borders his own, and he could hardly do that from the other side of an ocean!
Back inside the Embassy, Doom wonders why his enemies are all standing around prattling like children, but his ego is quick to answer - they are children, and none can match his infinite resources and matchless intellect! One who has harnessed even - the Hulk himself! Banner is gone, and instead we see only the huge green shape of the Hulk behind Doom. The monster hurls himself out the window to face off with the army, crushing a tank with a single stomp on his way down.
Grabbing the gun barrel of another tank and using it as a baseball bat, Hulk makes quick work of the forces arrayed against him - Doc Samson attempts to intervene, but the Hulk simply jumps away in ever greater bounds, quickly disappearing into the distance.
But - not quickly enough! Firing his full array of artillery at the retreating monster, Ross finally scores a hit - and blasts the Hulk to atoms! Shock! None of Hulk's supporting cast actually believed it would ever be possible to kill the Hulk, and they're dismayed when they recognize the chunks of purple pants raining from the sky.
We get quick looks at each of their reactions, too. Talbot figures this achievement will earn Ross another star, but Banner's death casts a dark shadow over his own relationship with Betty. General Ross reasons he was acting for the good of humanity, but he regrets the death of Bruce Banner, even though he didn't like the man. Doc Samson comments that he was trying to take away Banner's girl, but not like this! (What a dick!) Betty, lastly, acknowledges that she's expected this moment to come, and then forces herself to focus on the man, not the monster.
Doom, meanwhile, is laughing his metal-clad ass off: the Hulk that was destroyed was merely one of his robot replicas, carefully prepared ahead of time!
Banner questions Doom's apparent awareness that he would be hosting the Hulk in his embassy but the monarch waves him off, telling him to enjoy his status as an 'honored guest' for the time being. Banner doesn't buy this, reckoning that 'guest' and 'prisoner' are pretty synonymous here, and he's prepared to unleash the Hulk to escape. Doom just blasts him with some Chemi-Sleep Gas before he can do that. Night-night!
Calling over some lackeys, Doom - No. Hold on. I gotta cover this. It's no secret that Doom's servoguards have been treated less and less like the robotic servants they were meant to be in their debut, and more like Latverians in weird costumes. In this issue, though, they've shed the last of their robotic features in favor of something far dumber: bright yellow helmets with two little bulbous stalks sticking out, like a poor alien costume or extreme discount Mickey Mouse. It's the goofiest shit!
Doom has his ridiculous underlings put the unconscious Banner on his plane, and the story takes on a decidedly familiar cast. Didn't we do this exact thing with Thor just a few issues ago? In the next panel, the vehicle Doom is using is recognizable as the space-plane he used way back in Fantastic Four #6, when he teamed up with Namor to kidnap the Baxter Building. Actually, it's also the plane he uses in the Hanna Barbera Fantastic Four cartoon of this era! The captions describe its awesome capabilities as it skims the stratosphere at barely suborbital speeds on its way towards Latveria.
As the dawn arrives, we see the space-plane arrive in the Balkans. The captions actually describe Latveria as a shining 'storybook kingdom' twice in quick succession, but then morosely reflect that the brothers Grimm have shown how grisly and full of horror fairy tales can be. What else could you expect from a place ruled by a guy called Doom?
As we get our latest glimpse of Doom's kingdom, I detect clear signs that this particular story takes place not too long after Doom's conflict with the Red Skull in the pages of Astonishing Tales #4-5. For one, Latveria suddenly spots distinctive red-and-black flags with eagles on them - I wonder where he got that idea? Then, when Doom arrives home, he's greeted with the 'spontaneous outpourings of joy' he'd hoped for last issue, and they come complete with full-on Nazi salutes and cries of 'Hail Master!' It's… not at all subtle.
Doom uses the moment to announce that unspecified 'wolves are at the door' and he's brought back the means by which he can hamper these enemies, before commanding his servants to drag Banner to the laboratories. They dutifully agree, calling him 'Herr Doctor'. Huh, they're using German titles now, wonder when they picked that up?
Inside the castle, Doom narrates his own history to himself, noting that it's been half a decade since he conquered Latveria, roughly matching the time since the country's introduction to comics - though we've never actually seen said conquering. He complains that the kingdom is too small and insignificant in many-nationed Europe to even gain a spot on the map. (#MapsWithoutLatveria) Today, though, he intends to change that, and one day Latveria will be the master of Europe! But for that plan to work, he needs an ally. No, he needs two allies, with wildly different talents - and they're both locked within the body of Bruce Banner!
Doom turns to the wall to pull a switch, and that panel looks awfully familiar! Yes, it's actually a (poor) copy of a panel from the recent Thor story I covered, even though a different artist is responsible. I'm saying there's some tracing going on here, and I'd already had my suspicion with a couple of the other panels. Between this and the blatant copying of story beats, I gotta admit I'm suspecting some serious laziness going on…
The switch Doom pulls actually controls the hypnosis device that Doom used on the Fantastic Four back in Fantastic Four v1 #84-87, another callback to Doom's history. As the monarch looms over Banner in the brainwashing device, he tacitly compliments the man's intelligence. Still, he is quick to point out that while Banner is unparalleled in certain fields, his genius is otherwise more limited than Doom's own. Figures the ego would intrude before he could finish that compliment. He then notes that while a brainwashed Banner would assist him openly, the Hulk could serve as a slave - a weapon to bring to bear against his 'heavily-armed neighbors.'
We then get a final dramatic shot of Doom overlooking a rampaging Hulk in a destroyed city. He wishes Banner pleasant dreams - because when he wakes up, he'll find he's been shackled to the noble cause... of Doom! On the side of the frame, none too subtly, three flags wave in the breeze - one bearing the sunburst of Imperial Japan, one an eagle next to a swastika, and finally what I presume to be a version of the Latverian flag introduced in this issue. Are you trying to tell us something, artists...?
To be continued - with a special returning guest!
Rating & Comments
This issue feels… derivative, and that's why I'm docking a star from an otherwise pretty continuity-heavy entry. It seems like the writer read some of Doom's previous issues and stitched them together to form a new story, and the parallels with the recent Thor two-parter are especially hard to dismiss. I wonder if that pattern will be followed up in the next issue, or if it'll finally branch off to do its own thing? We can only hope. I suppose the line between homage and ripoff is pretty thin sometimes, and I'm not sure where this one lands.
Regardless, another point to bring up is the irrelevant Doc Samson content, which doesn't appear to relate to anything in the story. He shows up to explain his powers, offers his help, and is shut down before he ever gets to act. Even when the robot Hulk gets into the story, Samson fails to grab it - and the captions indicate he would've lost that tussle handily. So what's the point of bringing him in, if he's going to get thrown by the wayside immediatley? I guess it's like those Inhumans interludes a while back…
The most annoying thing about this issue is probably that Bruce Banner is barely even a character in it. He gets a handful of lines, but he's mostly a passive observer who gets shut down the moment he tries anything, and then spends the second half of the issue asleep. The actual Hulk makes no appearance at all - we have to make do with the robot copy and Doom's fertile imagination. This comic has the inverse issue of that recent Thor comic, where he transformed every few panels!
I guess Doom gets some decent villainous monologues in, though, and he has a good chortle. It's something! Laughter is good for the soul they say, and it figures Doom would bust a gut over convincing several people their friend just died horribly!
Best Panel(s) of the Issue
The final shot of the issue is easily my favourite, with Doom looming over the rampaging Hulk within the husk of a destroyed city.
Although I'm not entirely certain, that third flag looks like it might be the intended design of this more stylized version in the rest of the comic.
Most Gloriously Villainous Doom Quotes
"This is the moment I have waited long for. This shall be the hour of my greatest, my ultimate triumph! It has been more than half a decade since I mastered this tiny kingdom, this insignificant pocket whose very name the mass of men do not know - too small even to be sketched upon the maps of many-nationed Europe. Yet, after today, all that shall be changed. For, soon humble Latveria shall be master of all Europe… and the master of Latveria shall be Doctor Doom!"
"So, sleep on, Bruce Banner - dream your dreams of peace, and escape from those who have plagued you. You shall wake soon enough, to learn that you have been shackled to a new, nobler cause - the cause of Victor von Doom! For, though you shall find my neighbouring nations a league of mighty, industrialized foemen, you - and the rampaging Hulk - shall leave them a charred and simmering ruin!"
Doom's Bad Hair Day
Doom gets some goofy faces in this issue, presumably because the artist does not regularly draw the menacing monarch...
Comic Trivia
As homages and ripoffs are on topic this week, I figured I'd share another pose I recognized from a previous issue I've already covered. I'm going with homage in this case... or strange coincidence!
Doom-Tech of the Week
We can count the Hulkbot that gets blown to smithereens as the technology of the week - the rest are callbacks to previous Doomtech!
Hang on, Ross will happily stomp all over American law, but he respected international law?
- Location
- Netherlands
Yup! Granted, I bet the time this comic came out has a lot to do with it - the more full-on villain interpretation of Ross wasn't necessarily in place already this early in Hulk's career. I am not remotely familiar enough with the continuity of Ross to give a good overview of that, though - I'll stick with Doom.
Doom's creative interpretation of diplomatic immunity comes up a lot, and even his own minions are pretty sure Doom isn't doing it right - but they mostly realize it doesn't matter when Doom sends them an impatient look.