Doctor Strange pwned by Magik in Avengers vs. X-Men #3 [sigh] [the only dignity-save for Doc is their fight happened in Limbo, where she's Sorceress Supreme and a lot more powerful (but he shouldn't have been dumb enough to even be there)] [knocked out again] [and we don't even get to see the cool battle: it's off-panel] [2 May 02012]

Free Comic Book Day is this Saturday, May 5th! [Facebook] [1 May 02012]

"The problem with Before Watchmen is that DC Comics cheated Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons out of the rights to Watchmen." [26 April 02012]

Much-long-awaited new Flex Mentallo collection gives the original a drab brown recoloring disappointing to many [The Tearoom of Despair] [Mindless Ones] [Morrison and Quitely were never happy with the original colors; they worked for this new non-jarring natural palette] [did pop-garish become part of the point? "the superhero comics Flex was paying homage to were often garish... more interesting than the gradients of brown and grey that replaced them"] [creator vision more closely achieved, taking advantage of modern ability to overcome past printing/newsprint limits, etc.- some kinds of pee in our fondly-remembered treasures are more acceptable than others] [25 April 02012]

Zen Studios' Marvel Pinball: Avengers Chronicles video game (PSN, Xbox Live) has a World War Hulk table which includes Doctor Strange [the pack also includes an Infinity Gauntlet table; not obvious yet if Doc's part of that one too] [25 April 02012]

When collectibles die: Consider the postmodern artifact of the CGC-slabbed 9.8 grade Civil War #2, not even a first printing, with Big Event (Peter Parker's ID reveal) undone and rendered meaningless soon after [24 April 02012]

Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art Fest this weekend in NYC! [MoCCA 10th Anniversary!] [P. Craig Russell is the Guest of Honor!] [Gary Panter to be awarded!] [23 April 02012]

Marvel's June 02012 solicitations for Dr. Strange include Defenders #7, Defenders showing up in New Mutants #44 (Doc on cover), Avenging Spider-Man #8 [July's solicits include one of the variant covers of Avengers vs. X-Men #8 with a screaming Doc, Defenders #8, Fantastic Four Annual #33 by Alan Davis (and Man-Thing Omnibus hardcover with Frank Brunner cover)] [22 April 02012]

Doctor Strange art: [Jackson Guice and Drew Geraci] [Doctor Strange #14 covered by Hob] [Doctor Strange #80 covered by Peter Maggs] [Aaron McConnell] [Jason Quinones] [22 April 02012]

Writer Zak Penn (Elektra, X-Men: The Last Stand, The Incredible Hulk and story credit for The Avengers) tweets he "might do something very strange later this year", then must clarify to speculating fans it's not the Dr. Strange movie [via Superhero Authority] [21 April 02012]

Long essay about Johnny Hart and his religious B.C. comic strips, by R.C. Harvey at TCJ ["The good news about Hart's Islam-is-poo strip," [Berke] Breathed said, "is that at least you know a real human has shown up for work with his strip... It's the very bit of life that the comic page is needing as it gets consumed by the Jim Davises of the world and their writing staffs."] [24 March 02012]

5 Reasons David Cronenberg Should Direct "Doctor Strange" [23 March 02012]

X-Factor #232 of interest to Dr. Strange fans [dead dimension-hopping Madrox shows that Doc is incompetent now in all realities] [masked Doc; Cloaked natural-gas blue-flame version of Dormammu in 616?] [preview; out last month] [plot summary] [fantastic cover by David Yardin] [22 March 02012]

DitkoCultist has started curating Ditko letters and Ditko interviews [21 March 02012]

Marvel-owner Disney estimated to lose $200 million on John Carter, biggest movie flop/writedown of all time [$184 million in worldwide (a dud in the USA, doing much better overseas) ticket sales sounds can't-lose, but when the movie staggeringly costs $250 million to make + $100 million more for the worst marketing campaign ever, half of $184 million (it's split with theaters) equals a $200 million disaster for Disney] [Dr.-Strange-esque The Sorcerer's Apprentice was another recent big Disney writedown] [all hopes pinned on The Avengers now; latest trailer looks awesome] [20 March 02012]

DC Comics To Publish "Before Watchmen" Prequels [dares to squeeze more cash out of legendary comic 25 years later with seven mini-series and Crimson Corsair backups] [Alan Moore responds: "it seems a bit desperate"; Dave Gibbons is more gracious] [Zack Snyder, Watchmen movie director: "you go back to it at your own risk"] [DC: "It's our responsibility as publishers to find new ways to keep all of our characters relevant."; JMS interview] [Comics Reporter: "best understood as a blow to comics' dignity... product, not art"] [26 February 02012]

Doctor Strange, unconscious again in New Avengers #21 [Neilalien thought he'd trot out the classic "no superhero in history has been knocked out more than Doc" meme for his one-year recusal-versary] [25 February 02012]

Catching up with Dr. Strange uber-fan SanctumSanctorumComix [excellent 02011 Sanctum Awards for Doc appearances] [whiny Doc in online Toyota Yaris car commercials] [review of Doctor Strange #52 when he faced the Spanish Inquisition] [24 February 02012]

The Last Temptation of Steve Ditko ["By the end of Act I [of Broadway spectacle Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark], I felt as if the creative team of Julie Taymor and Bono had reached deep into my childhood and molested it."] [23 February 02012]

Fraction Brings Things into Concordance in Defenders [22 February 02012]

What Dr. Strange really said to creep out Red She-Hulk [25 January 02012]

Defenders #4 preview [Dr. Strange story: "Who Is The Great Lost Love Of Dr. Stranges Life? Why Does A Young-Gun Magician Have Strange In His Sights?"] [25 January 02012]

Stan Lee letter to fan reveals Ditko credit; it was almost Mr. Strange [9 January 01963 Lee letter to Dr. Jerry Bails posted online; they were going to call Dr. Strange Mr. Strange instead; "just a 5-page filler"; is this the source of infamous "'twas Steve's idea" credit to Ditko that appeared as a Lee interview/letter in Bails fanzine The Comic Reader #6 (June 01963)?] [Marvel Age of Comics] [25 January 02012]

Defenders #2 preview; out tomorrow [3 January 02012]

Marvel drawing internet ire and boycotts after being spotted on that list of organizations supporting the very troubling Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) [call your Congresscritter] [2 January 02012]

'Doctor Strange: Season One' Coming in 02012 from Greg Pak and Emma Rios [1 January 02012]

His own hero's journey was already over: The Lee/Ditko Doctor Strange was very different from other Marvel heroes at the time, and Marvel's heroes of today, and the Doctor Strange of today [20 Feb 02011]

The Avenging Page (In Excelsis Ditko): massive missive re: Ditko's self-published work of recent years, by Jog, at Comics Comics [15 Feb 02011]