04/07/23: A PhD IN DOOM

He's not a medical doctor.

Hey y’all,

In the spirit of continuing the Kirby/Lee FF vibes, this week a look at my favorite supervillain: Doctor* Victor Von Doom.

First a quick look at the debate over what lies behind that iron mask. Then a look at the process behind a one-page Doctor Doom comic I made for Marvel back when I did such things.

And as usual stick around till the end for some surprises…

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DOCTOR DOOM: BEHIND THE MASK?

Created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee—the widely accepted origin for Doctor Doom lies in his rivalry and perceived humiliation at the hands of Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four.

Shamed into exile— Von Doom turns from science and seeks to master the secrets of the occult. Joining a society of arcane monks, he forges armor and vows to erase Victor— forever replacing him with the fearsome iron visage of Doom.

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(Above: Kirby re-tells DOOM’S origin as storyboards for the 1977 FF Cartoon.)

But in these early stories, Kirby and Lee smartly build up Doom’s injuries and perhaps more importantly— his reaction to them, by never actually revealing them. As a result of this ambiguity— the degree to which Dooms injuries serve as motivation has been widely interpreted.

Early on— Doom seems to even revel in weaponizing his ghastly appearance—

But in 1983, long removed from Lee’s dialog and influence, Kirby clearly stated that the only thing Von Doom is a prisoner to— is his monstrous vanity.

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(Above, left: DOOM shows his face at Kirby and Lee’s office in FF #10. Right: Kirby’s 1983 take on a maskless, minimally scarred VON DOOM.)

This revelation roundhouse kicked Marvel’s continuity into oncoming traffic…

So in 1985— Fantastic Four writer/artist John Byrne suggested that Doom’s haste to leave his old life behind led to the villain donning his iron mask before it had cooled.

This of course melted Doom’s head like *******crayon—

And opened the door to further debate…

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Was this course correction a necessary modern update?

Or a self-conscious attempt to jump on deconstructionist trends?

Perhaps in this case— reality is in the gleaming, megalomaniacal eye of the beholder?

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Doubling down on DOOM— here’s a look at the process behind my one page Doctor Doom comic for MARVEL #1000.

No transcript for this one, you’re just gonna have to watch it:

Here’s the final comic:

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They say storytelling is best in units of 3— (I like fours and I swear that’s not even me trying to tie this all together.) So with that in mind, here’s a glimpse at the only other time I wrote Doctor Doom: 2018’s Marvel Holiday Special, which I’ve seasoned (groan) with some more Kirby story boards:

PAGE 1:

1. We open on CASTLE DOOM, the ancestral home of DOCTOR DOOM, whose VOICE bellows over the dark and sleeping village of DOOMSTADT below.

DOOM (BURST): LATVERIA!

DOOM (BURST): This night you are silent! No glad tidings! No clattering cheer!

DOOM: It is as DOOM has decreed!

2. CLOSER now: we see DOOM’s silhouette on a CASTLE balcony. Melodramatically shaking a CLENCHED IRON FIST at the town below.

DOOM (BURST): HOW DARE YOU patronize DOOM with such obedience!?

3. Closer to the castle— moving in on two DOOM BOT guards, DOCTOR DOOM’S robot doppelgangers which make up his personal security. These pair guard the big wooden doors to the main entrance. A night patrol. The DOOM BOTS stare straight ahead as they talk to one another in hushed tones.

DOOM BOT 1: Yikes. He’s in a mood. Paranoid, much?

DOOM BOT 2: ’Tis the season.

DOOMBOT 2: If there are five things the man hates, it’s the Fantastic Four…

DOOMBOT 2: And the holidays

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-Ba-dum-ching!

Okay that’s it for this week. Hope y’all have an amazing weekend.

More soon…

-j

*The doctorate is of course honorary.