Neilalien : A Doctor Strange Fansite : A Comic Book Weblog  

Updates to this site, now until after the Fourth of July, might be sparse or even nonexistent. Please, if you are around and see any Doctor Strange news online or anywhere, email me so I don't miss it, and can better catch-up upon returning from my holiday travels. I'll try to post my Defenders #6 review tonight, if I haven't left too much packing to the last minute. Have a great week, Doc fans!

Posted 27 June 02001 - Permalink

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The Magician: Tarot, Comics, and Archetypes [Sequential Tart]
Don't let the title fool you. Nothing about Dr. Strange. Which is kind of lame. Blogged only because, fair and square, it mentions Doc and I try to be complete to a fault sometimes. Good exploration of the meaning of the Magician Tarot card, though.

Posted 27 June 02001 - Permalink

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Posted a Usenet message today referring to this, but I don't think I've ever blogged it here. Warren Ellis' bibliography page mentions his Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #80 and how he ended up only doing that one issue due to "creative differences" with an editor. What a shame. Might have been a great, long run. Doc fans get shafted again and always.

Posted 27 June 02001 - Permalink

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Online Animators Redraw Game Plans [New York Times (registration req'd) via Splash]
Continuing the theme from my Stan Lee entry yesterday about the struggling art of online animation and comics.

Posted 27 June 02001 - Permalink

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The Thor plot for Marvel's Talent Search is out [Continuum]
One can draw the four-page plot, or write a one-page pitch for an eight-page Thor story. Good luck to all participants. Maybe someone with real talent will be working on Dr. Strange someday. My only question is: Does one have to be at the San Diego Con to enter the talent search?

Posted 27 June 02001 - Permalink

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Stan Lee headlines Spider-Man 2 voice talent [GameSpot via ComicGeek]
Stan saved some tidbits for this interview. He affirms that the problem with the comic industry today is that there are so few places to buy comics, that they are inaccessible. But that's not what made me go, "Wow." Stan also says that nobody wants to read stories on the internet and one can't make money on it, so one is better off doing a comic book as a magazine rather than online. Sounds like his experience with Stan Lee Media has got him totally cold on the web. And who could blame him?

Posted 26 June 02001 - Permalink

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Ultimate Marvel Team-Up Update And Q&A [Bendis Message Board]
Thanks Mr. Bendis, for responding to my P. Craig Russell question! "As soon as his schedule permits, he was one of the first to sign on."

Posted 26 June 02001 - Permalink

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Follow-up to recent David Goyer/Dr. Strange movie news [Comics2Film]
Sounds like he would use CGI subtly. The studio is waiting to see how his writing and directorial outing of Murder Mysteries, a Neil Gaiman short story, goes. Goyer also mentions he would start from scratch and discard his earlier Doc screenplay if he got the green light.

It's great to see news. Our mission is clear, Doc fans: make Murder Mysteries a box office success.

Posted 26 June 02001 - Permalink

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Neilalien Appears in ComicGeek Comic Strip Strange Days

Over the past 1.5 years, Neilalien has had many moments of joy and honor. Fan e-mails. Links from some of the finest weblogs and people in the business. A haiku from Weblog Wannabe. A mention in Nikolai's We Didn't Start The Weblogs. People loving The Chicken. The best damn loyal and growing readership of no-bullshit-takin' Doctor Strange fans in all of blogdom. Thanks.

But never have I felt so flattered (and yet so disturbed :) ) than when I followed the link above.

I just told Ken at ComicGeek last week that he's made it. Now I know I have as well. Thank you so much, man! I love it! Now that I have helped the strip launch, I hope it's a big success.

Posted 25 June 02001 - Permalink

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Marvel Knights Canceled at #15 [Continuum]
I really looked forward to this series. What a dud it was. But I stayed on for Doctor Strange's story arc #7-9. And what a dud that was.

Note: According to the sales charts, Defenders sells about the same units as Marvel Knights and brings in less money (MK was pricier). Note: MK will be replaced by a two-story book similar in format to the old Strange Tales.

Posted 25 June 02001 - Permalink

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Bendis Announces Future Ultimate Team-Up Lineups [Bendis Message Board; current Newsarama; current Wire]

The listing says: "#16-17 Ted Mckeever featuring a Spider-man/Dr. Strange (how cool does that sound?)" How cool does that sound? Well, it sucks when the original announcement had Doc showing up sooner and by P. Craig Russell instead! What's up with that? (Happy place, fluffy clouds, white room, breathe...)

Posted 25 June 02001 - Permalink

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Stan Lee Media Co-Founder Sues Clintons Over Campaign Funds [Inside.com via Splash]
(Whoops. I blogged this already on Friday via a whole different path.)

Latest Clinton Lawsuit Offers Star-Studded Cast [NewsMax.com via Splash]
Looks like everyone invited to the fundraiser gets invited to court.

Posted 25 June 02001 - Permalink

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Defenders #1-4 reviewed [PopCultureShock Comics]
The review is a good read. He doesn't entirely rip the book a new hole. And I like the reviewer, because he praised Spider-Man: Lifeline. But as someone on board with the Defenders V2 and its reviews and labels since Day One, I find the text offers disappointingly little new insight for an over-arching, summarizing, multiple-issue, months-to-think-about-it-after-the-fact retrospective-type review.

Posted 22 June 02001 - Permalink

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First look at Defenders #6 [Mile High Comics]

Posted 22 June 02001 - Permalink

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Stan Lee Media Co-Founder Sues Clintons Over Campaign Funds [Yahoo News via ComicGeek]

Posted 21 June 02001 - Permalink

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DC's Marvel-ous Makeover [New York Daily News Online via ComicGeek]
About Stan Lee at DC.

Posted 21 June 02001 - Permalink

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ComicGeek- Now With Content Warning

We are informed that the site includes not just news, but Ken's own comments as well. A similar warning appeared recently on HeroRealm.

Kudos to ComicGeek. Being held to the same high noble standard as an actual legitimate journalist? The newsmakers seeking to control what you say and how much of yourself you share on your own website? Ken, you've made the big time.

I assume there was a choice made by both ComicGeek and HeroRealm- do the warning or eliminate the comments altogether. Maybe the lure of eliminating the comments in exchange for actual journalism legitimacy and getting scoops, interviews and access was strong- I am happy then, that warnings were chosen.

Perhaps now the newsmakers will get their erection for controlling their own press a little bit more, by protecting us from the idiots out there who don't know what happens when quotation marks close but the words continue. Just remember, my friends, that merely regurgitating corporate-spinned hype-releases isn't actual legitimate journalism either.

Posted 21 June 02001 - Permalink

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Excellent Stan Lee interview [The Onion AV Club via ComicGeek]

Posted 20 June 02001 - Permalink

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David Goyer confirms his discussions to direct the big-screen version of Doctor Strange [Comics2Film; many thanks to ComicGeek]

Posted 20 June 02001 - Permalink

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I'm in the middle of making 175x24 banners of my favorite weblogs and personal sites (if they do not have one on their site for me to grab). Must just be a planetary alignment of some free time, extra creative juices, spontaneous affection for my favorite blogs, and a desire to learn more about banners, logos, icons, themes, leitmotifs, etc. So please scroll down my left nav column and check them out.

(If you happen to be one of the purveyors of said favorite weblogs, then feel free to tell me to take it down or give me input, if you hate it or if it doesn't fit with your corporate branding vision-message. My ego's not wrapped up in it (although if you're a jerk about it, you may not be on my favorite weblog list anymore). If you like it, well then hey, enjoy it as I've enjoyed your website.)

Posted 19 June 02001 - Permalink

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Judicial Watch is the group representing indicted Stan Lee Media Co-Founder Peter Paul. My readers may be interested in some of their other cases, clients and lawsuits. [Judicial Watch: Summary of Current Cases]

Posted 19 June 02001 - Permalink

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Peter Paul, Co-Founder of Stan Lee Media, claims he [NewsMax.com via Splash]:

  1. donated $2 million to Hillary's Senate campaign,
  2. was offered a Clinton pardon for $150,000,
  3. offered Bill a spot on Stan Lee Media's Board and $15 million in SLM stock,
  4. was inspired to woo Clinton by Denise Rich,
  5. can produce canceled checks for the campaign donations, which allegedly, the Clintons never reported.

Depositions by Bill, Hillary, and even Chelsea, deemed unavoidable? Can Peter Paul bring down the Clintons? And will this forever be associated with Stan Lee, the co-creator of Doctor Strange?

Posted 19 June 02001 - Permalink

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Desperately Seeking Financing [TheStandard.com at Yahoo Finance]
Stan Lee Media's financing affectionately called "The Death-Spiral Convertible."

Posted 19 June 02001 - Permalink

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Darick Robertson Talks Fury [Continuum]
The artist of the upcoming Mature Line Nick Fury mini-series would like to see Dr. Strange revived in the Mature Line as well.

Posted 19 June 02001 - Permalink

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Stan Lee Media at FuckedCompany.com
Blogged only for the sake of my thoroughness. Pretty ugly (that site usually is). A couple gems. I just want to add that (1) no matter how much Stan screwed over Kirby, Ditko, etc., nobody deserves what happened to SLM, and (2) Stan likely had very little to do with Marvel originally going under- thank Perelman and the speculators for that.

Big FuckedCompany.com Stan Lee Media forum from December when it laid off almost everyone.

Posted 18 June 02001 - Permalink

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Dying on Marvel Time: Who's Buying the Farm in September? [Comicon.com Newsarama/Forums]

Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quasada announced on Marvel's message boards (link currently dead due to Marvel's office relocation (which is dumbass, btw)) earlier this month that one of Marvel's oldest and richest characters is going to die in September.

Well, I'm sure Marvel wanted to generate buzz and hype with this garbage, and it looks like they have.

And "dead" supposedly means Dead during Joe Q's reign.

Newsarama has an excellent article about it up right now, along with some solid speculation on a long list of characters. Here is Dr. Strange's entry:

"Dr. Strange

THE RATIONALE: He's one of the original Marvel pantheon, and character-wise, he's quite rich.

THE PROS: Hard to say - he's very second tier recently, with many fans unaware that he's even still bopping around the Marvel Universe. Without a strong presence, you lose any kind of shock value. Hey, these are turning into cons... um, how about his death could release several new supernatural threats, and again, he could always be replaced by a "new" Dr. Strange, allowing Marvel to maintain the trademark, and allowing the company to replace a rather stogy magician with a hip new, skateboarding version that the kids will love.

THE CONS: The rumor of Kevin Smith wanting to tackle Dr. Strange is enough to commute his death sentence for now. Unless Smith wants to start with an all new Dr. Strange...

THE ODDS: Low."

By the Gods, it better not be Doctor Strange.

I really don't have a specific guess/prediction. I'm optimistic that it is not Dr. Strange. I'm skeptical of this Marvel hype crapola- the best candidate is probably one in which a character can die, but not the Marvel icon. It's been said for a while that they want big Captain America changes (move to Marvel Knights line, make him black, too goody-goody for our modern times, lawsuit with Joe Simon). It could be one of the many Hulk incarnations- even Banner himself with ALS (but this supposedly happens before September already?). I doubt that they're going to tamper with Spider-Man again after the Clone Saga- only now do they have him back to OK with JMS- and the movie's coming out! A good case could be made for Thor (malleable forms for gods, September's solicit for Thor reads ominously, alternate Thors in alternate storylines have proved palatable (female in Earth X, Rogue in a What If). Anyone can wear the Iron Man armor.

Anyone could be Sorcerer Supreme as well- but at what story stretch to also name the new one/him/her "Dr. Strange?" Does the Defenders book mean Doc is spared, or that he now has a forum to die? -I'm doubting that it's anyone active in one of the super-teams. Ironically, I think Doc's current second-tier status, which I hate, spares him- since it would then not be the big-deal death Joe Q wants.

Here's the "primary" Usenet thread.

To Marvel: if you're going to do a death, do it right. Make it death-by-heroism-against-archnemesis.

By the Gods, it better not be Doctor Strange!

Posted 18 June 02001 - Permalink

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A Dormammu page with .wav's from Spider-Man: The Animated Series [Bring On The Bad Guys]

Posted 17 June 02001 - Permalink

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Marvel solicitations for September include Defenders #9 [Comics Continuum]
Art by Ron Frenz.

Posted 15 June 02001 - Permalink

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My comic book store today had Marvel Poster Magazine, which includes Doctor Strange by Tony Harris (from Flight of Bones) and The Witches by Deodato.
Really glad to see Doc included.

Posted 13 June 02001 - Permalink

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Stan Lee Media Co-Founder Peter Paul Indicted for Stock Manipulation. US officials seek his extradition from Brazil ("I'm just here on business"). Stephen M. Gordon, Executive Vice President, and stock people Charles Kusche and Jeffrey Pittsburg all arrested. Alleged: Securities fraud and conspiracy to commit securities fraud. Alleged: Secret payments that allowed them to sell stock without affecting the stock price. Alleged: Lies in research reports and interviews to pump up the stock price. Also: Peter Paul allegedly was offered a Presidential pardon for $150,000, and gave Clinton a lot of campaign money which was never reported by Clinton. Paul is now a client of the anti-Clinton conservative Judicial Watch. [AP at Yahoo Finance; TheStandard.com at Yahoo Finance; today's Splash; Variety at Excite; Wired; Silver Bullet Comics via/by ComicGeek; Judicial Watch PR]

Stan Lee not charged.

Posted 13 June 02001 - Permalink

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ComicGeek and "Cth" found some Unbreakable goodies [script online; Allusions & Symbolism]

Posted 11 June 02001 - Permalink

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Mike Deodato, Jr. posts a couple more Lilith images [Marvel Universe Message Board]

Posted 11 June 02001 - Permalink

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The Marvel Fumetti Book from April 1984, with a crazed Stan Lee on the cover [Oddball Comics]

Posted 11 June 02001 - Permalink

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From The E-Mailbag

A kind note from a very reliable source clarifies: The Otherworld War. Captain America and Nick Fury. Comes out in August. Nazis steal the Eye of Agamotto. Guest stars the Ancient One. Enjoy!

More info here [August Marvel solicits revisited at CBR]

Posted 7 June 02001 - Permalink

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Fear Of Collapse Of Marvel's Comic Book Division Due To Bankruptcy Is A "Red Herring!" [Silver Bullet Comics by ComicGeek]
Jemas and Joe Q respond to the gloom and doom, and I paraphrase: "The comic book division makes money and is easily separatable from the sinking ToyBiz- so have no fear, my readers, creators and retailers. And despite all that negatively-spinned internet press you hear, like at Splash, we were active at Book Expo."

Lots of related links [from the current Splash; Ain't It Cool News; current Wire; ICv2; terse Jemas Q&A at ICv2]

Also in Marvel's press conference: there are only x number of jobs/titles at Marvel right now and Marvel wants new blood. Veterans with pet projects that don't sell need not apply [further transcript here]

Posted 7 June 02001 - Permalink

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From The E-Mailbag

Thanks and props go out to the reader who sent Neilalien an MP3.com Greeting Card of the song Dr Strange by The Afterburn [Dr Strange song page at MP3.com; The Afterburn page at MP3.com; send your own greeting card at MP3.com]
Great groovy tune.

Posted 5 June 02001 - Permalink

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Very readable text about how recent divisiveness among comic book creators, while making for good headlines, is destructive [last week's Master of the Obvious]
I've totally shut down on blogging comic creator spats myself.

Posted 5 June 02001 - Permalink

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Book Expo report: Graphic novel category getting developed. DC with solid presence. And what about Marvel and Diamond? AWOL or neglected [recent Splash]

Posted 5 June 02001 - Permalink

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Defenders Classic Cover Puzzles [Defenders Non-Page (java applet)]

Posted 5 June 02001 - Permalink

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Rumor that Marvel has yet to commit to Defenders beyond #12 [this week's All The Rage]
Kurt Busiek dismisses the rumor in this thread [Defenders Message Board]

Also mentioned in ATR: Marvel showing interest in developing a comic based on the television series Charmed is doubted, since Witches is so similar.
(Neilalien notes: A Charmed comic would likely not have included Doctor Strange. Phew.)
Also mentioned on the DMB: Defenders #6 might be late. June 27th is the new date.

Posted 4 June 02001 - Permalink

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Caught the X-Men: Evolution cartoon this morning. "The Cauldron Part 2." In the episode, Magneto is using a Gem of Cyttorak to enhance mutants. Of course, Cyttorak gems and mutants have an illustrious history. It was just interesting to hear the word Cyttorak pronounced again. "sy-TOR-ack"- Just like it's spelled, with the y as a long i- huh. I've always said "SIT-or-rack" in my head, and that was how it was said in the 90's Spider-Man cartoon. Was there ever a pronunciation guide for Dr. Strange? Are there other places where Doc names are said (other cartoons, recordings, etc.)? Must investigate.

Posted 2 June 02001 - Permalink

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I spy the cover of the Way of the Witches Megazine by Esteban Moroto [Satana's Haunt of Horror; thanks to Sanctum Sanctorum for the heads up]

Posted 1 June 02001 - Permalink

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Out June 26: Unbreakable on DVD. I loved this movie. [IGN] [IMDb] [Amazon.com]
The DVD features menu art by Alex Ross [AlexRossArt.com; an image here]

Posted 1 June 02001 - Permalink

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Minor, nothing-new-to-us Witches item [current Wire]

Posted 1 June 02001 - Permalink

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