Stephen Strange: Doctor Strange Appreciation 2021

[Hypestyle]

writer/designer Kim Eastland's "Realms of Magic" supplement for the 1980s Marvel Superheroes Roleplaying game is an underrated resource for categorizing the different types of magic sources (personal energy, universal energy, dimensional energy, etc.), limits of usage , and items/paraphernalia, and how they apply to different sorts of users. https://www.amazon.com/Realms-Magic-.../dp/0880382783
(there are, of course, "unofficial" copies floating out there on the interwebs)

[DigiCom]

writer/designer Kim Eastland's "Realms of Magic" supplement for the 1980s Marvel Superheroes Roleplaying game is an underrated resource for categorizing the different types of magic sources (personal energy, universal energy, dimensional energy, etc.), limits of usage , and items/paraphernalia, and how they apply to different sorts of users. https://www.amazon.com/Realms-Magic-.../dp/0880382783
(there are, of course, "unofficial" copies floating out there on the interwebs)

Sounds like the same stuff that Gruenwald & Sanderson came up with in the OHTMU at roughly the same time.

[Albert1981]

I just want to emphasize how much I liked how magic was used in the first Strange movie. Folding space to crush your enemies, manipulating gravity to disorient them. Awesome!

I found this to be one of the better examples of how magic might actually be used if you had the type of power Strange et al. had, specifically in the mirror dimension. I, for one, am glad that they didn't rely on beam battles ONLY as the representation of magic. They look neat, but feel so one-dimensional within the possibilities of a full magic system. Moving space and folding it on itself felt like such an amazing and obvious extension of that magic system that of course they would use. Magic always seems to be used in ways that just replace our weapons when it could be used in so many more imaginative ways. I think the movie did a much better job of that then most.

The magic was nice because it was both completely mind-bending and reality-warping, but also appeared to have limitations and the sorcerers fight sequences were quite physical (i.e. whips, blades and shields). I loved the hand movements they use, especially the one for opening portals. Also the film established that you have to study magic, but also believe it and connect on a more spiritual level rather than logical. I think magic should definitely have ties to belief systems. I like magic systems, but not everything should have to be explained in rational and scientific terms. Keep that sense of wonder...Or dread. Also great to see was the Eye of Agamotto sequences. It showcased just how much power and control the sorcerers could have over the world, but also explains why they shouldn't necessarily use it and the potential consequences of using such great power. Another "ethical" limitation which I liked.

Now, I do have concerns about future Strange projects. Hopefully the internal consistency of the magic established in Strange 1, Thor 3, Infinity War and Endgame is maintained in future MCU projects. With Derrickson leaving, I'm hoping Raimi does a great job.

[Albert1981]

But looking at the success of Falcon and the Winter Soldier, I must say I'm even more impressed that WandaVision did as well as it did! Spy films, musical biopics, post-apocalyptic horror shows, medical dramas, police procedurals, monster flicks, martial arts movies, action series (with political, intelligence and military components) and the science fiction genre all seem to hold a wide appeal amongst audiences. I really enjoy onscreen fantasy stuff myself, but it seems to me most of it is geared towards young adults? I think in recent years only the Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones have done well as more "mature" properties. That makes WandaVision's success an INCREDIBLE accomplishment in my opinion. Hopefully Loki and the Multiverse of Madness do just as well!

[Clea]

Doctor Strange has many skills, but playing poker well isn't one of them. In this tongue-in-cheek story from Spectacular Spider-Man #21, Jan. 2005, Strange has been invited to Reed Richards' annual charity poker tournament. The winner donates all the proceeds to the charity of their choice. We learn that Strange learned poker from watching ESPN. This might be the first time he's ever played because he plays...poorly. (As the estimable Neilalien describes it as, "Doc playing poker like a childlike moron." Ouch!) Poor Strange goes all in on a pair of threes and loses everything, but that's no problem for him since he can just conjure up a new stack of cash to stay in the game. Spoiler alert: he still loses. (Note: the narrator of this story is Spiderman, hence the quip about Strange having a doctorate in Weirdology.)

[DigiCom]

I refuse to believe there is a sorcerer on the planet who doesn't know how to bluff.

[Albert1981]

Strange should really learn how to hustle pool.

[Albert1981]

Hey, do any of you guys/gals have access to PBS? Because tomorrow evening they will be airing a documentary dedicated to L. Frank Baum, the author of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, from 9:00 PM to 11:00 PM. It's simply titled American OZ. He's considered to be one of the founding fathers of modern American fantasy fiction. The Wizard of Oz was the first live-action fantasy movie I ever watched and it deserves its place as an all-time classic. I'm curious to see how he created his magical Land of Oz. His somewhat sympathetic portrayal of witches was pretty unique and to have a girl as the hero of a fairy tale was quite original. It must be noted that the Wizard of Oz was not given to excessive moralizing and removed romance from the story (because children wouldn't understand it). If the program gets into magic, I wanna compare it with how it is used in the Strange franchise:

https://chicago.suntimes.com/movies-...ard-experience

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wo...l_Wizard_of_Oz

And yes, even the Wizard of Oz had deus ex machinas!:

"In The Wizard of Oz, just before Dorothy and her companions reach the Emerald City, the Wicked Witch of the West produces a giant field of poppies that puts Dorothy, Toto and the Cowardly Lion to sleep. The Scarecrow and the Tin Man cry for help, and Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, produces a snow shower that wakes everyone up. The Wicked Witch of the West being melted on contact with water may also count, as there was no indication that this could occur in any previous point in the movie, but it was somewhat implied beforehand in the book, as she always carried around an umbrella there. Also, in the scene where Dorothy misses the Wizard's balloon, Glinda appears and tells Dorothy she had the power to return home the entire time, meaning the Ruby Slippers. When the Scarecrow asks in disbelief why didn't Glinda tell Dorothy about the Slippers, Glinda casually responds that Dorothy would not have believed her and had to learn it for herself. In the original book, this deus ex machina is less so, as Glinda, the only one who knows the shoes will send Dorothy home, doesn't appear until the end of the book. Finally, this film is yet another example of the entire plot being "all a dream", as Dorothy wakes up in the farm-house at the end, presumably having never left."

[DigiCom]

Strange should really learn how to hustle pool.

Unlikely:



From Defenders v1 #15

[Clea]

Unlikely...:

To be fair to Strange, I doubt he had much time to shoot pool when he was a med student. He probably gets most of his sports entertainment (and bad poker playing tips) from ESPN.

Speaking of ESPN, the only time I can recall seeing a TV in the Sanctum was in a rather demented story called "Call Waiting" in Marvel Superheroes Special #5, 1991. Wong had a tiny portable TV. It came in handy though, because trolls were manipulating the airwaves with a commercial designed to trick desperate people to call Strange so that he'd chant spells over the phone. Strange was able to hear the commercial and figure out the trolls' nefarious plans. Don't ask. Anyway, you'd think that if Strange wanted to watch sports, he'd get himself a much nicer big screen tv. Aside from Wong's pathetic little tv here, have they ever shown a TV in the Sanctum?

[Albert1981]

Unlikely:



From Defenders v1 #15

Strange does look like a little bit of a hustler to me.

[Albert1981]

To be fair to Strange, I doubt he had much time to shoot pool when he was a med student. He probably gets most of his sports entertainment (and bad poker playing tips) from ESPN.

Speaking of ESPN, the only time I can recall seeing a TV in the Sanctum was in a rather demented story called "Call Waiting" in Marvel Superheroes Special #5, 1991. Wong had a tiny portable TV. It came in handy though, because trolls were manipulating the airwaves with a commercial designed to trick desperate people to call Strange so that he'd chant spells over the phone. Strange was able to hear the commercial and figure out the trolls' nefarious plans. Don't ask. Anyway, you'd think that if Strange wanted to watch sports, he'd get himself a much nicer big screen tv. Aside from Wong's pathetic little tv here, have they ever shown a TV in the Sanctum?

Ain't nothing wrong with watching PBS! How do you think I learned about geography as a kid? By watching Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?

[Phoenixx9]

Strange does look like a little bit of a hustler to me.

Well, Doc does state that he does not own any pool table. He did not say that he has never played, nor that he is good at it.

[Hypestyle]

Well, Doc does state that he does not own any pool table. He did not say that he has never played, nor that he is good at it.

my speculation is that he is available to help someone in a jam, who is in debt to a sorcerer or demon. "Let's settle things with a game". I'm sure all the mystic pubs have a billiards table, with appropriately weird rules: 15 balls, self-moving pockets, dodging flames after a scratch, etc. It would actually make for a good short story or one-shot to explore something like that.

[Phoenixx9]

my speculation is that he is available to help someone in a jam, who is in debt to a sorcerer or demon. "Let's settle things with a game". I'm sure all the mystic pubs have a billiards table, with appropriately weird rules: 15 balls, self-moving pockets, dodging flames after a scratch, etc. It would actually make for a good short story or one-shot to explore something like that.

Hahaha, yeah, and also, if Doc got in a jam where he had to play, he could just magic his shot into the side pocket.