Victor Von Doom: Doctor Doom Appreciation 2019

[Iron Maiden]

Not much going on lately except a couple of Doombot updates. I've been reading Old Man Quill since allegedly Doom is the Overlord of the Wastelands in this alternate future we were introduced to in Old Man Logan. So far we've had only a few panels of Doom on a throne with Madame Masque as chief lieutenant or his Boris or whatever. Most likely it is a Doombot controlled by her since it hasn't uttered one word since this series began. It does have some great work by artist Ibraim Roberson. I like the "barechested" Doombots and will follow this series to see where it goes. I think his Old Man Logan arc was one of the few things I liked done by Mark Millar, except for the part with the incest involving Bruce Banner and his cousin Jennifer, who were mostly played like a family of inbred "hillbillies".




Turning to Runaways, poor Doombot is still out of commision after his not so wise decision to defend the Runaways home against the young Gib.



Later, Gert is a bit mortified by the Doombot's lack of his usual fashionable attire. I hope Doombot gets better. I like how Gert is concerned about Doombot being "naked" and covers him up.

We know his friend Victor is going through some rough times and I hope between the two of them they eventually succeed in healing each others wounds.

[Batmil]

You're welcome, Batmil. I really hope that whoever ends up doing the Doom movie does the character justice this time. I have confidence in Kevin Feige putting together the right combination of casting, script and director/producer. The Russo brothers are very interested in doing something with Doom. But most likely that is at least 3 - 5 years down the line. Marvel Studios has other projects schedule and the Russo brothers are taking a bit of a break from the MCU to work on other projects.


As to other "Books of Doom", I'm going to go way back to the Stan Lee/Jack Kirby era. I don't think anyone would question that Stan and Jack are the co-architects of the character. His early appearance prior to Fantastic Four annual #2 are a bit inconsistent. There is no indication that Doom is anything but an American. He even tries to force JFK into making him a member of his cabinet. (Fantastic Four #17) You can check out those early issues, particularly if you join the Marvel Unlimited. They have frequent one month trial subscriptions and I think Comixology is running one now.

FF annual #2 is where Stan and Jack really get into the business of giving Doom a proper origin so I would say you should check that out. Before the digital age, that was like the Doom Holy Grail got me because it was difficult to find. Comic shops in my area didn't always have a deep back issue stock. But I eventually found one.

I'd also check out the Doom solo's of the Silver Age and that would be Astonishing Tales and Super-Villian Team Up. Again, the quality is inconsistent but I'd check out all the issues anyway. I'd say the better SVTU issues are done by Bill Mantlo. For Astonishing Tales, the best issues IMO are the last 2 written by Gerry Conway (who was only about 19 at the time) and the late great Gene Colan. This would be issues #7 and #8. Issue #8 is a little jewel of a story done by them called Though Some Call it Magic and is the inspiration for the Triumph and Torment GN by Roger Stern and Mike Mignola



Stan and Jack's run has 3 more Doom arcs after the origin. They would be FF #39-40 where the FF have lost the powers and have to face a ticked off Doom who's looking for some payback from a trick Reed played on him in the annual. Then there are their final two arcs where Doom steals the powers of the Silver Surfer (#57-60) and the Fantastic Four's mission to Latveria in issues 84-87

The FF run from the end of the Lee/Kirby era has several Doom arcs but the one I like the best has a long build up from around #193 and ends in #200.

I would read anything from from the John Byrne era of the Fantastic Four. I think he does a great job in building Doom back up again after the events of issue #200.

In the middle of this is the original Secret Wars by Jim Shooter. I like how this is a part of building up Doom as someone who fearless steps out of his league to take on these powerful entities of the Marvel Universe.

I'd skip Steve Englehart's Fantastic Four run and go to Walt Simonson's. There's a great Reed vs Doom story in issues #350 and #352 (issue #351 is a filler issue....don't know what happened there)

Another exceptional Doom story is the graphic novel Doctor Strange/Doctor Doom: Triumph and Torment. In a perfect world, this would be a great Doctor Strange film that would introduce us to Doom, even though he is primarily known to comic book fans as the key FF villain. The second Doom GN Emperor Doom by Michelinie and Bob Hall is not in the same caliber but it's a interesting to see their take on how the world would be if Doom were in charge.

The time travel story in Iron Man #149-150 is great fun IMO. Bendis obviously liked this issue a lot because he made several reference to it when Doom appeared in his Mighty Avengers run and later in Infamous Iron Man.

Definitely try out Doom 2099 if you can find some back issues. Unfortunately, Marvel hasn't added it to Marvel Unlimited. The first writer on the series was John Francis Moore. Later some new young British writer named Warren Ellis come on board in issue #24 His work in collected in a recent TPB.

Well that will take you through to the 1990s at least. But there's more good stuff out there!

I'm going to have to pick up some epic collections I think! I've also heard great stories about Triumph and Torment (it's being collected in a Dr Strange epic coming out later this year so then I'll get a chance to read it). What do you think of Hickman's portrayal of Doom in his F4 run? I've been contemplating on grabbing that series for a while now.

[Falcon16]

Bow before me! Foot dive! Foot dive!

[Iron Maiden]

I'm going to have to pick up some epic collections I think! I've also heard great stories about Triumph and Torment (it's being collected in a Dr Strange epic coming out later this year so then I'll get a chance to read it). What do you think of Hickman's portrayal of Doom in his F4 run? I've been contemplating on grabbing that series for a while now.

I think you definitely should pick it up and all of it is on Marvel Unlimited. I've only been able to snag one of the ominbus collections at a 2nd and Charles store. If I don't get the book, I will wait and see if it the digital stuff goes on sale again. I'm running out of room for some of this stuff anyway. I was lucky enough to meet Jonathan Hickman several times during his Fantastic Four / Secret Wars era at Chicago's C2E2 and we briefly chatted about some of the neglected Fantastic Four characters. I knew he had an upcoming story with Nathaniel Richards that involved Reed, Victor and Ben's college days because of the advance solicits had come out. I also mentioned how seldom Kristoff and Boris were being used these days and he agreed. Later on they both make appearances in his run, although Boris's is very brief. But Kristoff is brought in as part of one of Hickman's themes during the run of fathers and sons...just to a lesser extent than Reed/Nathaniel and Reed/Franklin. This year I met him again at his booth and we chatted a bit about no one using Kristoff since he did in his New Avengers. But since he's on X-Men titles now, I don't expect him to turn up there. He said he might get a chance to talk to Dan Slott about it. But we'll see.

I think most Doom fans are very happy with how things turned out when Hickman was writing Doom. I especially liked the relationship he developed between Doom and Valeria (Reed and Sue's child, not Victor's childhood sweetheart) I think a writer can still write a dark version of Doom without neglecting the anti-hero aspects that had been developed way back in the early days of the MU. Stan Lee was especially fond of mentioning how he didn't think Doom was a villain in several interviews before he passed away.

[Falcon16]

I came to this forum while I was looking up who did the voice of Doom in the Doctor Doom's Fear Fall ride at Universal Studios Islands of Adventure, and there was a post about the ride on this thread. Is it true Neil Ross does the voice of him? His tempo is more close to what is heard in Fear Fall, but I don't hear the "badass evil robot overlord" sound to his voice the IoA Doom has. I personally prefer that voice for Doom. And no, I haven't been on the ride. I'm too scared to do that, yet I can go on the Hulk. My brother did that and it was his first upside down coaster!

[Iron Maiden]

I came to this forum while I was looking up who did the voice of Doom in the Doctor Doom's Fear Fall ride at Universal Studios Islands of Adventure, and there was a post about the ride on this thread. Is it true Neil Ross does the voice of him? His tempo is more close to what is heard in Fear Fall, but I don't hear the "badass evil robot overlord" sound to his voice the IoA Doom has. I personally prefer that voice for Doom. And no, I haven't been on the ride. I'm too scared to do that, yet I can go on the Hulk. My brother did that and it was his first upside down coaster!

By coincidence, My brother and his wife took their 3 children there this week. He said they went on the Fear Fall. I will have to ask him if he remembers seeing a credit for the voice somewhere. One of my favorite Doom voices was for the first Marvel Ultimate Alliance game, done by British actor Clive Revill. He was in the movie "The Legend of Hell House" and he also did the voice of the Emperor in the first cut of Empire Strikes back. George Lucas later had the movie redubbed in a new cut of the film back in 2004 by the actor Ian McDiarmid since he played Emperor Palpatine in the Return of the Jedi. Doing a little searching myself, and I haven't found a credit on the voice actors used for the Fearfall ride

[Ravin' Ray]

Brian Cronin did a recent article on Five Times Doctor Doom Swapped Minds With Other People!, but he didn't show the panel where Aunt May was next to the guy Doom swapped minds with during the Terrax affair; and as Iron Maiden liked to speculate, what if somehow he swapped minds with her instead!

[Iron Maiden]

Thanks for posting that Ray and remembering my "What If" scenario. I may pop over there for a comment. It was much easier to do that on CBR columns in the old days.


In other news, we don't have any Doom-pages in the preview for next week's War of the Realms: War Scrolls #3. And as far as I know, this is Doom's first appearance in this event. But all we can go by is the title of his segment, which is intriguing considering there's a big battle going on. Longshot guess.....maybe Doom and the Enchantress have a Secret Wars reunion?

Full preview pages here

Doom poster Decoy contributed a link to the artist's Cian Tormey's Twitter where he previewed a nice panel of Doom work on this issue in his post you can find here.

[ImperiusWrecked]

I wonder if the "a Rose for Victor" is in reference to the Latverian Blue Rose?
I can't wait for this issue to be out!

[Iron Maiden]

That could be.....there's not been very many hints about the story. I admit I am only casually following War of the Realms so I haven't got much to go on.

In other news, Noah Hawley is still out there ready to pitch his Doctor Doom story.

Looks like Fox was ready to go with the movie if the Disney / Fox deal hadn't been completed. I like that he says he really wants to get something going on this. I think it's kind of a ways off if Marvel does pick up his script. But who knows? My hope is that we get a Doom teaser like we got with Thanos in some future production.

‘They liked the script, they wanted to make it, and I wasn’t available in the window that it needed to go in order to be done before the takeover, and therefore we entered a kind of limbo. ‘I’m just letting the dust settle, but I feel somewhere in the next couple of months, I’ll engage in a real conversation to say this is something I feel passionately about and want to make.’

Hawley, however, is uncertain at this stage whether his movie will fit into Marvel’s potential wider plan to introduce the Fantastic Four into the MCU. ‘I have to assume they have a plan in a desk drawer somewhere for the Fantastic Four and a roll out strategy potentially,’ Hawley said. ‘So it may be that my standalone movie doesn’t fit their plan, but it may also be that they like it and they want to go forward. I just don’t have clarity yet.’

[Iron Maiden]

Just finished reading War of the Realms: War Scrolls and I think this is the best Doom story so far this year ( I know...there haven't been that many!) First of of all, it shows how Doom is still dealing with the aftermath of the recent Fantastic Four arc while facing the decimation of Latveria. Doom himself doesn't have much dialogue but I like that writer Chrisopher Cantwell lets the story be told from the viewpoint of a couple of Latverian citizens. Most of the narration is done by one of Doom's soldiers and part of it is done by a young girl. It looks like Doom's forces will not win the day and even Lady Victorious is missing in action. When death is brought to Doom's very doorstep and the people are ready to flee, the tide is turned.

I think Cantwell captures the odd relationship that Doom has with his people and also the reverse, how the people see Doom. He is like the stern father figure that they all seem to desire. They inspire each other with their loyalty to king and country. Well worth picking up except I 've one nitpick, which always irks me a bit. The colorist gives Victor blue eyes. If you're a Doom fan you should pick this up!

[lordozone]

Just finished reading War of the Realms: War Scrolls and I think this is the best Doom story so far this year ( I know...there haven't been that many!) First of of all, it shows how Doom is still dealing with the aftermath of the recent Fantastic Four arc while facing the decimation of Latveria. Doom himself doesn't have much dialogue but I like that writer Chrisopher Cantwell lets the story be told from the viewpoint of a couple of Latverian citizens. Most of the narration is done by one of Doom's soldiers and part of it is done by a young girl. It looks like Doom's forces will not win the day and even Lady Victorious is missing in action. When death is brought to Doom's very doorstep and the people are ready to flee, the tide is turned.

I think Cantwell captures the odd relationship that Doom has with his people and also the reverse, how the people see Doom. He is like the stern father figure that they all seem to desire. They inspire each other with their loyalty to king and country. Well worth picking up except I 've one nitpick, which always irks me a bit. The colorist gives Victor blue eyes. If you're a Doom fan you should pick this up!

I did'nt liked this story at first, but you are right, it's more nuanced that I thought. At first, It was like Doom didn't learn anything of the "Secret war" but, even it's more complex than that.

[Ravin' Ray]

Don't look now, but the beloved monarch of Latveria is due for a reunion in September with…

Squirrel Girl!



THE UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL #48
RYAN NORTH (W) • DEREK CHARM (a)
Cover by ERICA HENDERSON
With Melissa doing everything she can to destroy Squirrel Girl, is there anything Doreen can do to survive??
Gosh, I sure hope so because it’d be nice if we actually make it to #50 BUT TECHNICALLY YOU NEVER KNOW!!
Especially when Squirrel Girl’s first villain, DOCTOR DOOM, is involved...
I don’t want to say more because SPOILERS, but trust us when we say this is a bonkers issue in which bonkers things happen, and you should definitely order it right now!!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Are you looking forward to this? Will we see some payback?!

(Odd that Henderson posed Doreen and… Tony, if that is him, like the Pieta.)

[SuperiorIronman]

Don't look now, but the beloved monarch of Latveria is due for a reunion in September with…

Squirrel Girl!



THE UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL #48
RYAN NORTH (W) • DEREK CHARM (a)
Cover by ERICA HENDERSON
With Melissa doing everything she can to destroy Squirrel Girl, is there anything Doreen can do to survive??
Gosh, I sure hope so because it’d be nice if we actually make it to #50 BUT TECHNICALLY YOU NEVER KNOW!!
Especially when Squirrel Girl’s first villain, DOCTOR DOOM, is involved...
I don’t want to say more because SPOILERS, but trust us when we say this is a bonkers issue in which bonkers things happen, and you should definitely order it right now!!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Are you looking forward to this? Will we see some payback?!

(Odd that Henderson posed Doreen and… Tony, if that is him, like the Pieta.)

A Pieta would be odd but the Griffon does work for Victor's courage and boldness. Then you have his leadership and millitary might and you got a nice comparison between the two. Not sure about the pieta being used but it does work.

[Iron Maiden]

I did'nt liked this story at first, but you are right, it's more nuanced that I thought. At first, It was like Doom didn't learn anything of the "Secret war" but, even it's more complex than that.

I'm glad to see someone else likes it too. Maybe it's just me but I got the sense that the story was showing that the people were disappointed that Doom was humiliated when Sue exposed him to the world. The vast majority of Latverians don't see the Fantastic Four as heroic these days. We've seen some rebellion in the past but I think it today's world, he provides security and continuity. Things went to hell pretty fast when he went off to find his way as Infamous Iron Man. He never found much support among the heroes, except for Doctor Strange and I think being among his people his helping to find his footing again.


and I'll just throw in another Doom cover appearance in the comics coming out in September. Steve McNiven really captures the Silver Age look.

History of the Marvel Universe #3