Doctoring Art Gotic Part II

In Part I of this series I discussed the esoteric nature of the character of the Doctor from the long-running BBC science fiction program "Doctor Who". If Part I was a relatively easy slide down the time corridor, Part II is more akin to Himalayan quest. In Part II I'm going to examine the illuminated Doctors of the Marvel Comics Universe. And if we're discussing occult Doctors of the Marvel Universe, the only place to start is with the Sorcerer Supreme himself, the Master of the Mystic Arts, Doctor Strange.

Art by Steve Ditko

Doctor Strange was created by artist Steve Ditko and writer/editor Stan Lee, the same team that created the Amazing Spider-Man. Strange first appeared in "Strange Tales" #110, cover dated July 1963. He appeared twice in "Strange Tales", was absent two issues, and then returned as a regular feature of the title with issue #114, dated November 1963. Doctor Strange's introduction came mere months before the initial broadcast of "Doctor Who".

"Strange Tales" was a two feature title shared between Doctor Strange and the Human Torch . In 1965 the Human Torch feature was replaced by adventures of the left-eye missing super-spy Nick Fury, Marvel's answer to James Bond and "The Man From U.N.C.L.E.". 

The association between Strange and John Dee is not missed by Neil Gaiman who cast Doctor Strange in the role of court magician and adviser to Queen Elizabeth I in the 2003 miniseries "Marvel 1602".


Art by Scott McKowen

Doctor Strange is one of the rare comic book super heroes to have an established date of birth, November 18th, 1930, making him a Scorpio. There are few other super heroes whose daily horoscope one could peruse. Strange was born in Philadelphia, PA, a characteristic I believe was chosen as a reference to America's most famous "wizard" Benjamin Franklin.

Before being trained in magic Doctor Strange was an accomplished neurosurgeon, highly gifted but arrogant and self-interested. An auto accident caused permanent nerve damage that limited the fine-motor control of his hands. This led him to seek out a legendary Tibetan healer known as the Ancient One. The Ancient One sensed great potential in Strange and offered to take him on as an apprentice, an offer Strange dismissed. As a scientist Strange could not accept the existence of literal magic. But while at the Himalayan abode Strange witnessed a mystical attack on the Ancient One by the sorcerer's apprentice Baron Mordo.

Mordo prevented Strange from warning the Ancient One by mystically binding him. Aware now of the reality of magic, Strange had a spontaneous change of heart and decided he must learn to wield magic in order to serve as a counter to the evil Baron Mordo. The Ancient One, who as a far greater magician was never in any danger, released Strange from Mordo's binding and revealed that he let events proceed in order for Strange to find his true purpose. Strange studied with the Ancient One for seven years before returning to New York City as a protector of humanity from all things supernaturally malicious. Amongst Doctor Strange's near infinite array of magical abilities is his frequent use of astral projection and acts of clairvoyance assisted by his illuminating Eye of Agamotto which when used in this manner positions itself over Doctor Strange's third eye.

The process of enlightenment is readily apparent in Doctor Strange's origin, complete with Himalayan quest, and finding a higher purpose while "bound". Doctor Strange's base of operation is termed the The Sanctum Sanctorum (Latin for the "Holiest of Holies"). Like the TARDIS, the Sanctum Sanctorum is dimensionally transcendent, with an interior of much greater size than the exterior. A few years into his career Doctor Strange is forced to sacrifice the Ancient One in order to save the world from the entity Shuma-Gorath, an extrapolation of a Robert E. Howard creation with Lovecraftian overtones, which sought entry to the Earthly plane via the Ancient One's mind. Strange inherited the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme, and the Ancient One transcended into a purely spiritual entity who continues on occasion to advise Strange in ghostly form.

Other major opponents of Doctor Strange include the supernatural entity Nightmare, Mephisto, Marvel's Satan, the Marvel Comics version of Dracula and the Dreaded Dormammu, ruler of the Dark Dimension. In "Strange Tales" #138, November 1965 Doctor Strange first met Eternity, the sum of all existence incarnate.


Dormammu and Eternity, art by Steve Ditko

In issue #157-158, the summer of 1967, Strange communed with an even greater conceptual entity, the Living Tribunal, a tripartite god in singular form representing three essential principles described as Necessity, Equity and Vengeance.


Art by Steve Ditko

The above image was reproduced a year later on Pink Floyd's album "A Saucerful of Secrets", the last to feature Syd Barrett.



The Tribunal can be seen in the upper left corner, Strange, in Orion posture, is on the far right. Doctor Strange is also referenced in Pink Floyd's "Cymbaline", as well as in the T.Rex song "Mambo Sun", and "Superbird" by Country Joe and the Fish. Another album cover featuring Doctor Strange is Al Stewart's "Past Present and Future" from 1973.



Doctor Strange is also one of many comic book super heroes referenced in Tom Wolfe's "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test". Wolfe made an appearance in "Doctor Strange" #180, May 1969, as an acquaintance of Doctor Strange. In recent days Doctor Strange is depicted as one of the members of Marvel's Illuminati, a ultra-secret organization revealed to have been manipulating certain key-events of Marvel history. Other members include the Hermetic Submariner, and the mentor of the X-Men Professor Charles Xavier. The concept of a super team whose existence is unknown to the world at large, including most of the super hero community, was first explored in association with Doctor Strange in 1969 when he founded the "non-team" called The Defenders. The other initial members were again the Submariner, the Apollonian/Dionysian Incredible Hulk, and on occasion the Hermetic Silver Surfer.


Art by Gil Kane and John Romita (Surfer figure)


Art by Jack Kirby

Doctor Victor von Doom is unquestionably the greatest Marvel super-villain and arguably the greatest of all comic book super villains. He first appeared in "Fantastic Four" #5, July 1962, designed to be the arch nemesis of Marvel's first super team. In the issue Doom took the Invisible Girl hostage and forced Mr. Fantastic, the Thing and the Human Torch to utilize Doom's Time-Platform to travel hundreds of years into the past and steal the pirate Blackbeard's treasure. The Time-Platform is considered the first operational Time Machine of the Marvel Universe.

Doctor Doom (note the phonetic similarity to Doctor Du) was born in the fictional nation of Latveria and is of Roma/Gypsy decent. His mother was a witch who sold her soul to Mephisto, and was murdered by soldiers of Latveria's baron while Victor was still an infant. A few years later, when his father, a healer, was unable to prevent the death of the baron's wife, Victor and his father were forced to flee to a local mountain range where Victor's father died of exposure. Young Doom vowed at that time to make all of humanity pay for the loss of his parents. Discovering his mother's collection of mystic artifacts, young Doom began his study of both the occult and modern science.

Doom possesses one of the greatest minds of the Marvel Universe, rivaled only by Reed "Mr.Fantastic" Richards of the Fantastic Four. The enmity between the two first arose when both were students at Empire State University. Doom was conducting dangerous experiments and constructed a device to allow him to look into other dimensional planes in order to locate his mother's soul. Richards noted an error in Doom's "trans-dimensional projection device", but Doom felt Richards to be his inferior and ignored his warning. Doom's device did work but the machine exploded, scarring Doom's face, a condition his vanity could not abide. He blamed Richards for the accident and vowed revenge. Expelled from ESU, Doom traveled the world looking for any means of curing his scars. He eventually made his way to an enclave of Tibetan monks with whom he stayed for several years. Mastering their magic, Doom soon came to control the monastery. The monks assist Doom in the forging of his emblematic suit of armor and mask (note the similarity to the origin of Dr. Strange). Doom further adapted the mystic armor by adding numerous technological devices and weapons including jets for flying and an impenetrable force field. During his villainous career Doom builds numerous inventions including robots with full artificial intelligence.

After Doom donned his armor he returned to Latveria, overthrew the government and crowned himself king. Doom is an absolute monarch but his rule brought unprecedented prosperity to his nation. Wikipedia describes Doom's manner of rule as enlightened absolutism. Doom's sovereignty further granted him a near unique attribute as a super-villain, diplomatic immunity.

Amongst Doom's magical powers is an ability to open portals to other dimensional planes such as Mephisto's Hell-like realm and the Australian Aboriginal Dream Time. Early in the character's career Doctor Doom learned from an alien race called the Ovoids to psionically transfer his consciousness with another individual by making eye contact.

Doctor Doom teams up frequently with the Submariner, the first time in Doom's second appearance, "Fantastic Four" #6, August 1962.


Art by Jack Kirby

Another milestone in Doctor Doom's career occurred in "Fantastic Four" #s 56-60, December 1966 to March 1967. Doom managed to capture the Silver Surfer by trickery and stole the Surfer's Cosmic Power and Surfboard.


Art by Jack Kirby

Doctor Doom and Doctor Strange have also worked together as allies, most notably in the Marvel Graphic Novel "Doctor Strange and Doctor Doom: Triumph and Torment", in which the two enter Mephisto's realm and free the soul of Doom's mother.


Art by Mike Mignola

While much of the mythology of "Star Wars" was clearly drawn from Jack Kirby's Fourth World, the character of Darth Vader was largely inspired by Kirby's Doctor Doom.

1963 it seems was a banner year for Doctors in high fantasy fiction. The July 1963 "Amazing Spider-Man" #3 introduced the world to Doctor Octopus, a character once again created by the team of Lee and Ditko.


Art by Steve Ditko

Lacking the apparent occult overtones of Doctors Strange and Doom, Doctor Octopus allows us the opportunity to observe the super hero comic book use of nuclear science and radiation as a metaphor for transformation/illumination. Doctor Octopus is a member of that wonderful species of super villain, the Mad Scientist (and while Strange is clearly magical and Octopus scientific, Doom is the balanced synthesis of the two, a proper alchemist). All Mad Scientists are branches off the Tree of the Promethean Doctor Frankenstein.

Otto Octavius was born into a working class family in Schenectady, New York (the home of General Electric) and was the victim of lifelong physical abuse from his father. This led Octavius to pursue a study of the physical sciences so that he could escape the life of a common laborer. A scientific genius (with socialization difficulties that today might label Octavius a victim of Asperger Syndrome), he comes to be one of the world's most gifted and respected nuclear physicists and inventors. His greatest invention is his tentacled harness, designed as a device to conduct atomic research with radioactive isotopes. A radiation leak caused an explosion that fused the tentacles to Octavius' body. The accident also mutated Octavius' mind, allowing him complete motor-control of his accidental prosthetics as if they were his natural limbs and making him a sociopathic criminal. He was reborn as Doctor Octopus. Later in his career, after the tentacles were surgically removed, Octopus displayed his mental control to be fully psychokinetic, allowing him operation of the tentacles even at a distance.

Doctor Octopus is perhaps Spider-Man's greatest villain (a status rivaled only by the original Green Goblin). With his multi-functional tentacles strong enough to bend steel Doctor Octopus is a fair match for the web-slinger. In their first encounter Spider-Man was so badly beaten he considered giving up his heroic career, but was inspired to carry on by the Human Torch (of course).

There is interest to be had in the symbolic connotations of the Octopus. We can of course easily see the significant number eight in the character's name and his design. The fact that four of his limbs are normal and four specialized or enhanced, adds a clear duality to this allegorical Octagram. The symbolic significance of this does not seem to have been missed by illustrator Kaare Andrews, the artist of 2004's "Spider-Man/Doctor Octopus: Year One".


Art by Kaare Andrews


Leonardo DiVinci's "Vitruvian Man", c. 1492

The symmetrical form of the Octopus, it's aquatic nature, it's large round eyes, and other factors (such as the tentacles propensity to take spiral form) make it a deeply significant symbol since prehistoric times. It was the model for mythological beasts like Scylla and the Kraken. Its physical appearance may also relate to Medusa and other Gorgons. Hans Biedermann informs us that the cuttlefish is occasionally associated with the zodiac sign of Cancer. Juan Eduardo Cirlot intriguingly states, "(the Octopus) is related to the spider's web and the spiral, both being symbolic of the mystic Centre and of the unfolding of creation". Add to this the symbolic envisioning of a world-controlling collection of secret cabals as an "Octopus" and the dark, godlike cephalopodic forms of the Lovecraft mythos, and you have a very potent metaphorical chowder indeed. As formidable, or even more so, then the Spider.


Art by Jack Kirby

The focus of this investigation is on high fantasy characters identified by name as Doctors, which I contend is a detail that designates them as symbolic instructors of the Invisible College. The only possible term that could be even more indicative of this is that of Professor. This is a topic I discussed earlier in Mercury Retrograde. In that article I make mention of the Lee/Kirby character Professor X and his School For Gifted Youngsters, a clandestine education center where Professor X houses and trains the X-Men and The New Mutants.

Professor Charles Xavier was introduced in "X-Men" #1, again in 1963. Like his students he is a mutant, specifically a telepath of great power, termed the world's most powerful mutant mind. These mental gifts are contrasted with Xavier's status as a paraplegic, a condition Xavier suffered when his legs were crushed by a block of stone early in his career while fighting an alien entity calling itself Lucifer (prior to his first appearance). This life-altering event occurred in Tibet.

Xavier's mutant ability is such that he can read and manipulate minds in a radius of hundreds of miles. He can also fully alter perceptions, erase memories, induce mental, emotional or physiological experiences, fire "mental bolts" that debilitate their targets, and astral project like Doctor Strange.


Art by John Byrne

Xavier is the son of a wealthy nuclear physicist, ostensibly the cause of Xavier's mutant nature. A child prodigy, Xavier graduated with honors from Harvard at the age of sixteen and went on to earn Ph.D.s in genetics, biophysics and psychology. Besides his clandestine Professor status, he also for a time served as an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University. Xavier also displays great skill as an inventor, designing the elaborate X-Men training center "the Danger Room" and the mutant detecting device Cerebro.

During his world travels, but prior to his encounter with Lucifer, Xavier engaged in a psychic duel with Amahl Farouk, the Shadow King, in Cairo, Egypt. This encounter caused Xavier to dedicate his life to the protection of humanity from evil mutants, and to protect mutants from the prejudices of humankind. Xavier believed humans and mutants could learn to coexist peacefully, a philosophy that came to be termed "Xavier's Dream" by his students, and in contrast to the terrorist tactics of his former friend Magneto. It is not uncommon for parallels to be drawn between Professor X and Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. both inside and outside the comic book page.

The purely mental abilities of Professor X are contrasted by the purely physical nature of his step-brother Cain Marko, the Juggernaut. Marko is not a mutant, but rather was mystically transformed by the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak. The dimension of Cyttorak is the source of one of Doctor Strange's most frequent spells, the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak, which are capable of binding almost any entity. As mentioned earlier, Xavier and Strange are both members of Marvel's Illuminati. Xavier has had more then one love interest, most notably Lilandra, Empress of the multi-galaxy spanning Empire of the Shi'ar, a race evolved from birds.

Like nearly all comic book characters with any amount of history Professor X has seemingly been killed and returned many times. Perhaps the most prominent example of this came in "X-Men" #42, March 1968, when the Professor was mortally wounded while battling Grotesk, the Prince of a subterranean civilization.


Art by Don Heck

He remained dead until issue #65, February 1970, where it was revealed that the Professor X who had died was really the shape-changing mutant Changeling. Xavier employed Changeling to stand-in for him while he sequestered himself in preparation for repelling an alien invasion he had psionically detected. Despite his altruistic principles Professor Xavier demonstrates frequent instances where he behaves in a highly secretive, and at times manipulative manner. His mutant advocacy not withstanding, Professor Xavier's own status as a mutant and as the leader of the X-Men was not made public until recently in X-Men continuity.

According to Wikipedia the name Charles Francis Xavier may have been derived from St. Francis Xavier (cofounder of the Jesuit Order), the physiologist Marie Francois Xavier Bichat , or the character Charles Xavier Vseslav/Charles Kinbote from the 1962 Vladimir Nabokov novel "Pale Fire". The latter perhaps carries the most credence as the middle name "Francis" was not added to the character until the mid-90s (a fact I was unaware of until researching this article). However, the addition very well could have been made to attach the symbolism of St. Francis Xavier to Professor X, as well as that of the major esoteric figure Francis Bacon.

That's more then enough for now I'm sure. There are of course more obscure Marvel Doctors that I hope to make mention of at a later time. Part III of this series, however, deals with the major Doctor figures of Marvel's Distinguished Competition.

Doctoring Art Gotic Part I

Note:  This article predates Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi as the Doctor

According to the Online Etymology Dictionary the term "Doctor" entered common English usage in the early 14th century as a term for Church Fathers. The Latin term means teacher, which evolved into "religious teacher, adviser, scholar". The doct- derives from docere, "show, teach, make to appear right". In the late 14th century it became the term for the holder of the highest degree of a University and as such the term for a medicinal practitioner. The verb form, "to alter, disguise or falsify" developed late in the 18th century.

The alchemist/philosopher/theologian Raymond Lully was nicknamed Doctor Illuminatus by Duns Scotus, another important philosopher/theologian of the High Middle Ages. Scotus' code name was Doctor Subtilis for the subtle, penetrating, sophisticated manner of his reasoning.

High fantasy fictions (such as super hero comic books) are full of enlightening characters whose codenames utilize the term Doctor. And what better descriptor could there be for a degree holder and teacher of the Invisible College? I've broached the subject of the Invisible College before in my article Mercury Retrograde, and as I stated at that time, the Wikipedia description just scratches the surface of this conceptual entity. But that does not mean their description is not of interest, as is the case when Wikipedia states:

"The idea of an invisible college became influential in seventeenth century Europe, in particular, in the form of a network of savants or intellectuals exchanging ideas (by post, as it would have been understood at the time). This is an alternative model to that of the learned journal, dominant in the nineteenth century. The invisible college idea is exemplified by the network of astronomers, professors, mathematicians, and natural philosophers in 16th century Europe. Men such as Johannes Kepler, Georg Joachim Rheticus, John Dee and Tycho Brahe passed information and ideas to each other in an invisible college. One of the most common methods used to communicate was through annotations written in personal copies of books that were loaned, given, or sold from person to person".

A primary method for initiates of an Invisible College to communicate is through the use of an argotic system of symbolism, which the enigmatic 19th century alchemist Fulcanelli termed the Language of the Birds or Green Language. Fulcanelli, it should be noted, is the pseudonym of an unknown individual or individuals. The name means "Little Vulcan" and he could properly be termed Doctor Vulcan. The more common English term for argotic language is Cant which demonstrates clearly the mystical nature of a cryptolect.

Then there is Doctor John Dee, one of the most influential minds of all time. That's not hyperbole, it is more likely an understatement. Dee is closely associated to the most visible manifestation of the ancient Invisible College as described in the Wikipedia article. The surname Dee is derived from the Welsh "du" meaning black. Doctor Dee is Doctor Du is Doctor Black is Doctor Dark.

Above and beyond all the many intellectual caps Dr. Dee wore in his lifetime was his role as a Hermeticist, an occult philosophical and alchemical movement based upon the teachings of the legendary Hermes Trismegistus. Trismegistus means "Thrice Gifted" and he could just as well be called Doctor Trivia. The term Trivia derives from the Latin Trivium, which is the "place where three roads meet". These crossroads were dedicated to the Messenger god Hermes/Mercury/Thoth since ancient antiquity. Hermes Trismegistus is the legendary initiator of the occult science and philosophy that informs Doctor Dee, and as such can be viewed as the fountain head of the Underground information Stream termed the Invisible College.

Now it is my contention that super hero comic books and other forms of high fantasy fiction serve as the perfect vehicles for communication of argotic symbolism. High fantasy fiction is Romantic, it is Art Gothic, which Fulcanelli tells us is itself an inter-lingual phonetic punning term. Art Gothic is the Art Goetic and the Cant Argotic. The initiates who navigate this information stream are Argonauts. The masthead of the Argo was Athena. This is not to state that comic book creators and other fantacists purposefully embed secret symbols in their works (though some may). The beauty of the Language of the Birds lies in its subtle function, its subconscious expression, and its synchronistic manifestation.

The many Doctors and Professors of high fantasy fiction are symbolic representatives for the teachings of the ancient, prehistoric Invisible College. So should I approach this accounting chronologically? No, that would likely be impossible. At any rate, many of these illuminated Doctors defy chronology on a regular basis, sometimes as their raison d'etre. So in this article let's focus on the character who most connects the symbolic model of the Doctor as an entity beyond Time and Space. I speak of course of the protagonist and near title character of "Doctor Who", The Doctor.

I'm not nearly the Whovian I'd like to be, but I love Doctor Who. Clearly it is one of the most pertinent science fiction classics of all time. Doctor Who manages to connect to just about everything, I suppose a natural given the qualities of the character and the subject matter of the program. I'm still so amazed by the fact that Doctor Who premiered on the day John F. Kennedy died. I do feel it is worth noting the synchronicity of these events. The sacrifice of the Sun King JFK is near coincident with the opening of this corridor through Space/Time which millions of viewers have been exploring for nearly 45 years. Yes it is a fantasy, an allegory, a metaphor. But though a symbol, while abstract, it is still a portal to the most immediate Other World available to us, the Dream Time. And Who is our guide for this journey in between days. That's a statement.

The BBC program "Doctor Who" is more than just a science fiction program. It is an institution and has developed as an emblem in modern British culture. It is the Guiness World Record holder for longest running science fiction television program. The character of The Doctor has become a world-wide cultural icon, as has his time machine The TARDIS and his most prominent antagonists, the exterminating Daleks.

Amongst the most interesting characteristics of the time and space traveling Doctor is his and other Time Lords ability to regenerate. A Time Lord who suffers a mortal wound or whose physical body wears out from advance age undergoes a "genetic reshuffling" and incarnates in a new physical form that differs not just in physical appearance but in personality and characteristics as well.

This is a very interesting element of the show for a number of reasons. It is a great example of how commercial or programming concerns can incidentally derive storytelling elements with intriguing symbolic significance. The regeneration ability was not introduced to the "Doctor Who" program until it was necessary. When the original Doctor portrayer William Hartnell left the program in 1966 the producers faced the prospect of ending the series or finding another actor to portray the lead role. Rather then just ignoring the fact that the Doctor now looked and behaved differently the show's creators took advantage of their time-bending subject matter and introduced the element of Regeneration.

And so developed one of the most profound symbolic aspects of the program. The Time Lords are described as being limited to twelve reincarnations for a total of thirteen lives (though certain Time Lords have been shown to have found ways to exceed this limitation, such as the Doctor's archnemesis The Master). The significance of twelve reincarnations leading to thirteen lives is clear, the zodiacal twelve represents a complete cycle, the thirteenth life takes things full circle. Thus far the Doctor has been seen to have had ten official incarnations.


The Ten Doctors, clockwise begining at upper left: William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann, Christopher Eccleston, and David Tennant.

It is suggested at several points throughout the series that the Doctor and other Time Lords are transcendent beings, entities existing in someway on a higher temporal plane manifesting in our dimension in a corporeal form. One example of this comes during the end of the Doctor's Fourth incarnation when he encounters and is assisted by a featureless, white clad entity known as The Watcher. When the Doctor begins his regeneration into his Fifth form he and the Watcher merge.



During the Doctor's Seventh incarnation he appears to share many traits with his previous lives such as the whimsy of the Second and Fourth Doctors and the scientific brilliance of the First and Third. But as the storyline of the Seventh Doctor developed it could be seen that beneath the surface he was an entity akin to a demigod, dedicated to destroying evil at all costs. Indeed I think it is quite clear that the Time Lords are a sort of science fiction angel, not unlike the Ainu of Tolkien's Middle Earth mythology. Further, the Doctor is a rebel Time Lord with a pronounced sense of justice which causes him to disregard Time Lord policies and take direct action with time and space for the benefit of humankind and other sentient lifeforms. This clearly makes the Doctor a Promethean figure. According to the Master, the Doctor took on his pseudonym (his true name has never been revealed) to denote himself as "the man who makes people better".

The Doctor's time machine, the TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension In Space) is said to locked in its iconic shape of a Blue British police box due to a faulty Chameleon Circuit. The phone booth sized exterior opens to a labyrinth complex because a TARDIS is "dimensionally transcendent", its interior occupying a pocket dimension separate from the exterior. Interestingly, one of the elements the TARDIS needs to function is mercury. True Whovians should check out the fan made "TARDIS Manual" by A. B. Roberts.

As stated near the beginning of this article, Doctor Who manages to connect to a wide array of diverse cultural elements. Within the context of the story, for example, is a future or alternate reality version of the Doctor who goes by the name Merlin. As for the program itself, past episode writers for the series include author Douglas Adams who not only brought us the life, the universe and everything solving "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" series but also "Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency" and its sequel "The Long, Dark Tea-Time of the Soul". Not very weird considering the nature of Adams' reality bending works, right? Well then, how about Henry Lincoln? Lincoln is perhaps best known as coauthor of "Holy Blood, Holy Grail"* and he continues to investigate the mysteries of Rennes-le-Chateau to this day.

Then there is the Doctor's slim but existent connection to the universe of Marvel Comics. As one would expect with a program with the longevity and level of fandom of "Doctor Who" there arose many spin-offs and presentations in other media including numerous novels, radio programs and "Doctor Who Magazine". The magazine, still in publication, began in 1979 as "Doctor Who Weekly" and was initially published by Marvel UK. Included in the magazine's features were short comic book adventures. Amongst the creators of the Doctor's comics were Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons the writer/artist team who brought us "Watchmen". Another artist on "Doctor Who Weekly" was David Lloyd, who was also the artist on Moore's "V for Vendetta".

Lloyd was working on the Doctor Who comics with Moore when the Special Executive was introduced. The Special Executive is a band of time-traveling mercenaries, and several members of the group are native to the Doctor's home planet of Gallifrey. Later Alan Moore worked on Marvel UK's Captain Britain serial with illustrator Alan Davis (the two Alans would collaborate again on Marvelman/Miracleman), and Moore reintroduced the Special Executive to Captain Britain's adventures.


Art by Alan Davis

Moore came to grow dissatisfied (quite rightly) with Marvel's treatment of creative talent, ceased working for the company and refused permission for them to utilize the Special Executive. So Alan Davis then developed the similar and related band known as the Technet for use in the Captain Britain stories. Later Alan Davis teamed with long-time X-Men writer Chris Claremont on the X-Men spin-off "Excalibur" with a team that included Captain Britain. The Technet followed the Captain to the title.


Art by Alan Davis

This creates an interesting phenomenon that is again the result of commercial decisions and concerns. More than once Marvel has done adaptations such as "Doctor Who" and allowed the characters and concepts to coexist in the shared universe of their super hero titles. This plastic feature of Marvel comes up in "Doctoring Art Gotic" Part II where I'll examine some of the Doctors and Professors of the Marvel Universe.

Want one more wild Doctor Who connection before we close Part I? In 1988 "The Illuminatus! Trilogy" inspired, discordian acid house band The KLF (aka the JAMs, the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu), under the name The Timelords released "Doctorin' the Tardis", combining Dalek voice overs with the Doctor Who theme and Gary Glitter's "Rock and Roll(Part Two)". It reached #1 on the UK charts:


Note, this is not the original video, but a fan creation utilizing clips from recent seasons of "Doctor Who". Any nostalgic fans of really low-budget discordian absurdism can see the original here.

And things just aren't complete without a Dog around lately. If you watched the video you may have spotted the Doctor's longest running companion, the robotic K-9. Because travelers should have a Dog, just ask Dorothy Gale.



*You may have already heard that "Holy Blood, Holy Grail" coauthor Richard Leigh passed away on November 21st of this year at the age of 64 due to complications of a heart condition.