Neilalien : A Doctor Strange Fansite : A Comic Book Weblog  

Doctor Strange watercolor commission by Justin Madson Neilalien scanners detect no Doctor Strange news at San Diego Comic-Con International, alas [Comic Book Resources SDCCI]

Doctor Strange watercolor commission by Justin Madson [Just Mad Books LJ]

Good long interview with Ditko biographer Blake Bell [Comics Reporter]

An examination of that cheap, comforting, addictive comicbook industry meme that comicbooks do well in recessions because they are cheap, comforting and addictive [Comics Reporter]

Jon Favreau gets Iron Man 2 lock-in and payday from Marvel misers [IESB.net] [the original hubbub] [Dear Marvel Comics open letter: If it ain't broke...]

Enjoyable romp re: Star Trek: The Next Generation's sterility [The Hurting] [follow-up]

Funny list of Seinfeld fictional films [Wikipedia]

Tonight at 8:30 PM on NY1 on NYC cable: "One on 1 with Budd Mishkin" piece with legendary Mad Magazine Fold-In cartoonist Al Jaffee [One on 1 Archives page; hoping video will live here soon]

Posted 28 July 02008 - Permalink

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Spider-Man is a Stan Lee character; Doctor Strange is a Steve Ditko character [Motime Like The Present]

Example of Steve Ditko's mid-80's "Robot War" strips in Cracked (#221) [Ditko Comics]

Doctor Strange #174 Doctor Strange, Homophobe? [The Probulator]
Update: (1) The offending panel is in #174, not #175. (2) Neilalien would argue that the panel does not show Doctor Strange getting hit on by a flamboyant gay man and finding him "beneath contempt"- but that Doctor Strange is calling a derogatory Mr.-Roper-like comment "beneath contempt".

Spotted and available, finally: Clea HeroClix figure [WizKids]

Isn't it sad, as far as any of the Doctor Strange uberfans can remember, that this might be the first Clea "non-printed-matter licensed product" since the 01975 7-11 slurpee cup [image by Howard Hallis]? Except for maybe a pog?

Neilalien serves all fans of "Doctor Strange": New RPG supplement Adventures Into Darkness includes Mutants & Masterminds statistics for 17 Nedor Comics Golden Age superheroes, including Doc Strange [thanks Zed!]

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Heath Ledger as the Joker The Dark Knight is a very good movie, that not only brings the superhero explodo, but explores some human psyche and society darkness much more interestingly (the superhero genre is indeed equipped!) than most of what currently passes for "taut psychological thrillers" (e.g., several films starring Michael Douglas). Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker is amazing and Oscar-worthy- it's his movie- and Neilalien must still say that even after skeptically trying to separate out the haunting meta knowledge and positive filtering that's undoubtably occuring re: it's sadly Ledger's curtain call. (It feels kinda silly to think that the same role Cesar Romero once giggled his way through could have killed him. Then again, one wonders how deeply Ledger went into his own depths in that hotel room alone for a month on two hours sleep and prescription pills while preparing for the role (Jack Nicholson warned him).) The current 95% on Rotten Tomatoes feels slightly bloated to Neilalien, though- because the film itself is slightly bloated. Neilalien would place it closer to 85%, and below Iron Man, which he enjoyed more- but to compare it to the fun tight Iron Man for determining this summer's best superhero flick is too apples-and-oranges. First, -5% to The Dark Knight for whiffing on this Rachel Dawes character twice now- neither Katie Holmes nor Maggie Gyllenhaal do anything for Neilalien. But more importantly, the Joker-bringing-down-the-best-of-us creation of Two-Face (and that fantastic Two-Face look and eyeball! digitally done) should have been the extent of Two-Face's appearance, maybe even setting the table for the next movie, which Aaron Eckhart would have ably handled. Instead, -10% for going full-through with Two-Face, which brings The Dark Knight to what plagues so many superhero franchise movies: too many supervillains at once, and thus a completely draggy and extra second ending (re: Two-Face and the Gordon family in peril).

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It's that weekend of weekends for comics: San Diego Comic-Con International! Have a great time everyone, and keep your noses out for Dr. Strange news!

Posted 24 July 02008 - Permalink

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The Nearly Infamous Zango #1-3

Lord Zango Lord Zango is a supervillain who has seen better days. He once terrorized Metrotown, much as his father did before him. But now, for some as-yet unrevealed reason, Zango is a brooding petulant couch potato in bunny slippers who wishes he were back on the TV's news instead of surfing its channels. Not the usual protagonist for a comic book, which is part of what makes The Nearly Infamous Zango a neat, funny, different read. The other part is that it's good- creator Rob Osborne (1000 Steps To World Domination) does a great job with the art, brings the comedy and violence, and a promising cast of characters including daughter Lady Nebula, ally monster-creator Deacon Dread (who's becoming more and more like the monsters he creates, if his creations keep injuring him), RIP Van Freako (one of those creations), the tormenting disappointed ghost of the elder Zango, competitor Iron Ox, and killer fruit. For fans of superheroes, fun twisted comix, or Monarch on The Venture Bros.- bliss if you like all three. [Absolute Tyrant website with previews and reviews] [Commentary Track for #1 at CBR] [Lord Zango on MySpace] [Rob Osborne's website]

Posted 21 July 02008 - Permalink

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Action Alert! If you loved last night's Dr.-Orpheus-themed episode of Venture Bros., then you must get yourself an Order of the Triad t-shirt available only until Saturday 19 July! [Venture Bros. Shirt Of The Week Club]

Update: Ode to Dr. Orpheus clip video [Adult Swim]

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Order of the Triad "[If] you find something intellectually satisfying in an American comic book, you've got Steve Ditko to thank for opening that door" [ComicMix; by Mike Gold]

Solicitation text for Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #2's peripheral "Inferno" tie-in nature was sales encouragement in discouragement clothing [Progressive Ruin]

Why Comic Book Sales Suck [ComicMix; by Mike Gold]
Cutting pages to maintain an unprofitable-for-newsstands 10-cent price began the ghettoization.

Neilalien's eyeball-reimplantation surgery a success after seeing this Bomb Queen V #2 cover in the shop [Image Comics]

Storing this link: Neilalien will need this info later: Breaking Dash Shaw's Bottomless Belly Button Code [Myriad Issues]

Wal-Mart Axes Memin Pinguin Comic [Comics Reporter] [Neilalien linkburst and tongue-in-cheek rant from 02005 re: Mexican Memin stamp]

Memorable comics deaths portrayed with Peeps [Scans_Daily]

Posted 14 July 02008 - Permalink

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Doctor Strange #34 on list of 50 Greatest Comic Book Characters [Empire Online]
John Constantine is ranked higher than Spider-Man!? That's just crazy talk.

P. Craig Russell documentary to premiere at Mid-Ohio-Con [Blog@Newsarama; with clip]

Posted 13 July 02008 - Permalink

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From today's Lying In The Gutters rumor column on CBR:

Look for a Doctor Strange series to spin out of "Secret Invasion."

[Thanks readers for the tip!]

Posted 7 July 02008 - Permalink

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"It breaks my heart to think how unhappy he might be to hear how much I loved this book about him and his work" [Comic Book Galaxy reviews Strange and Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko]
The great book is now in comic shops.

Preview of Captain Britain and MI:13 #3 and its Magic Super-Skrull [Comic Book Resources]
Also out 10 July: Preview of Last Defenders #5, to include Doctor Strange [Comic Book Resources]

Sanctum Sanctorum design inspired by NYC synagogues? [I, Splotchy]

The Top Five Strangest Comic Books [Comics Should Be Good]
Comics with "Strange" in the title. Doc's #1!

"I want the man who giggles in the centre of the maze": long essay about the Riddler [Mindless Ones]

Posted 6 July 02008 - Permalink

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"Meeting Steve Ditko": a short comic [Steve Fuentes]

The Rage Offstage at Marvel [Barron's]
Stan Lee assigned Stan Lee Media all of his intellectual property. A month later, Lee got something from Marvel, based on something. Does that mean Stan Lee Media can now get something from Marvel? Big press hit on the litigation, Peter Paul saga.

Superhero vs. Autobiographical Comics [Metro Pulse]

Using photos for art reference without subsuming it into your own style makes for bad art, fumetti [Comics Comics]
Comment by Egon: Supercomic storytelling turning into movie storyboards and videogame screenshots not an Alex-Ross-dependent phenomenon

Scan of wacky 01950's Batman-from-Planet-Zur-En-Arrh story; apparently needed to comprehend latest Morrison Batman issue [Scans_daily]

Neat! Adam West/Burt Ward Batman TV show screen test vs. Lyle Waggoner (who would later play Steve Trevor on Wonder Woman) and Peter Deyell [Occasional Superheroine]

Ian McKellen completes "nerd trifecta" by playing Gandalf, Magneto, and now Number Two in new Prisoner miniseries [The Beat]

Posted 5 July 02008 - Permalink

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