Who was the first (Dr.) Fate you ever read about?

[byrd156]

Depends on which one you're talking about.
I thought I heard that Khalid Nassour (New 52/DCYou)
is suppose to show up (possibly in JLDark?), but I have no idea what the story is with Khalid Ben-Hassin (Earth 2).

I was talking about the New 52 version, forgot that the Earth 2 version is also named Khalid.

[MajorHoy]

. . . Then I got a copy of a reprint of All-Star Comics number 3 (one of those huge format things DC did in the mid-1970s). I loved his story of his battle against the sorcerer, and was bitterly disappointed I couldn't find more stories with him . . .

During the 1970s, it was a lot easier to find reprints of individual Dr. Fate (and several other Golden Age characters) stories in books like Wanted: The World's Most Dangerous Villains; the 1970s run of Secret Origins, and many of the various 100-Page Super Spectaculars DC had then.





I wish we still had affordable options like that for a variety of Golden Age stories reprinted in comic books, as opposed to just the expensive hardcover archive collections focusing on single characters / teams. Even the tpb collections of Golden Age Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman stories aren't as cheap as a single comic book or two and don't have a good mix of different characters featured.

[DrNewGod]

During the 1970s, it was a lot easier to find reprints of individual Dr. Fate (and several other Golden Age characters) stories in books like Wanted: The World's Most Dangerous Villains; the 1970s run of Secret Origins, and many of the various 100-Page Super Spectaculars DC had then.





I wish we still had affordable options like that for a variety of Golden Age stories reprinted in comic books, as opposed to just the expensive hardcover archive collections focusing on single characters / teams. Even the tpb collections of Golden Age Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman stories aren't as cheap as a single comic book or two and don't have a good mix of different characters featured.

I do miss those 100- (closer to 90-odd with cover and ads) page spectaculars. Kind of wish the non-character/non-team titles (Action, Detective, etc.) would still do this.

This Justice Society digest also featured one of my earliest encounters with Dr. Fate, which remains one of my favorite Dr. Fate stories...
images.jpg
...the adversary is a reanimated mummy/servant of Anubis, and it's a terrific intersection of mysticism and horror, which I think is true of all the best Dr. Fate stories.

[MajorHoy]

. . . This Justice Society digest also featured one of my earliest encounters with Dr. Fate, which remains one of my favorite Dr. Fate stories...

...the adversary is a reanimated mummy/servant of Anubis, and it's a terrific intersection of mysticism and horror, which I think is true of all the best Dr. Fate stories.

I bought that digest (for the Golden Age JSA story in All-Star Comics #36), but I also already owned the comic book (from when it originally came out) where the Dr. Fate story first appeared.




from 1st Issue Special #9 (December 1975).

[MajorHoy]

It's been a while since I last updated the count here:

* Kent Nelson (orig. Golden Age version from 1940) = 45 votes (+7)
* Hector Hall (first became Dr. Fate in 1999) = 8 votes (+1)
* Eric & Linda Strauss (from 1987 series) = 6 votes (no change)
* Khalid Nassour (New 52/DCYou version from 2015) = 4 votes (no change)
* Inza Nelson (became Dr. Fate in 1991) = 3 votes (no change)
* Kent V. Nelson (2007 version / grandnephew of Golden Age Kent) = 1 vote (no change)
* Jared Stevens (as "Fate") - Fate #0 (October 1994) = 1 vote (no change)
* other = 2 votes (no change)

[Shadowcat]

I think it was the Strauss’, because they were the Doctor at the time that the Books of Magic were first printed.

[Adekis]

I first read the Strausses in their mini, and I don't think I understood a single word of it. I must have been like eight or nine years old at the oldest. I had absolutely no sense of what I was reading or who literally any of the characters were, except I knew it was messed up, and I guess that meant I was there for it.

Then I read a single issue of "Fate" with Jared Stevens, and then was finally introduced to Kent Nelson via Superman the animated series.

[mikelmcknight72]

Kent in All Star Squadron. The cover to issue 49 sticks out in my memory with the big green head of Wotan floating above the heroes. I got it off a spinner rack at a grocery store.

This was during the era where Kent wore a modified helmet and was himself instead of taken over by Nabu. Less magic, more generic super strength, super durability, and flight.

[MajorHoy]

Kent in All Star Squadron. The cover to issue 49 sticks out in my memory with the big green head of Wotan floating above the heroes. I got it off a spinner rack at a grocery store.

This was during the era where Kent wore a modified helmet and was himself instead of taken over by Nabu. Less magic, more generic super strength, super durability, and flight.

By the way, it looks like More Fun Comics #72 (October 1941) was when the half-helmet was originally first used.

[Jim Kelly]

In the first thirteen stories of Doctor Fate, including two appearances with the Justice Society of America, we don't even know if he's human. All that time, Inza Cramer has been partnered with him until he finally reveals his Kent Nelson identity to her and he gets an origin story. This makes me wonder what Gardner Fox was thinking, to wait a year before giving the character an origin story or a secret identity. Granted a lot of super-heroes didn't get around to their origins right away--there were six issues of DETECTIVE COMICS, before Batman got his origin story. But the mistifying thing is that Fate always wore the helmet, so that's quite a long time to keep the readers guessing before they got to see what was under the helmet. Turns out he's just a blond dude and not some alien monster.

[MajorHoy]

By the way, the current count shows:

* Kent Nelson (orig. Golden Age version from 1940) = 49 votes (+4)
* Hector Hall (first became Dr. Fate in 1999) = 8 votes (no change)
* Eric & Linda Strauss (from 1987 series) = 8 votes (+2)
* Khalid Nassour (New 52/DCYou version from 2015) = 4 votes (no change)
* Inza Nelson (became Dr. Fate in 1991) = 4 votes (+1)
* Kent V. Nelson (2007 version / grandnephew of Golden Age Kent) = 1 vote (no change)
* Jared Stevens (as "Fate") - Fate #0 (October 1994) = 1 vote (no change)
* other = 2 votes (no change)

[MajorHoy]

With 78 people having voted so far,

* Kent Nelson (orig. Golden Age version from 1940) = 50 votes
* Hector Hall (first became Dr. Fate in 1999) = 8 votes
* Eric & Linda Strauss (from 1987 series) = 8 votes
* Khalid Nassour (New 52/DCYou version from 2015) = 4 votes
* Inza Nelson (became Dr. Fate in 1991) = 4 votes
* Kent V. Nelson (2007 version / grandnephew of Golden Age Kent) = 1 vote
* Jared Stevens (as "Fate") - Fate #0 (October 1994) = 1 vote
* other = 2 votes (no change)

[Restingvoice]

Khalid Nassour

[MajorHoy]

With 83 people having voted,

* Kent Nelson (orig. Golden Age version from 1940) = 52 votes
* Hector Hall (first became Dr. Fate in 1999) = 9 votes
* Eric & Linda Strauss (from 1987 series) = 8 votes
* Khalid Nassour (New 52/DCYou version from 2015) = 6 votes
* Inza Nelson (became Dr. Fate in 1991) = 4 votes
* Kent V. Nelson (2007 version / grandnephew of Golden Age Kent) = 1 vote
* Jared Stevens (as "Fate") - Fate #0 (October 1994) = 1 vote
* other = 2 votes (no change)

[Babylon23]

Kent Nelson in a reprint of Justice League of America 100-101.