Dr. Strange: By Steve Ditko

Hello Everybody, may I (Ethan Stranger) be the 1st to say (after a monthly break due to my studies):

Today, I’ll be reviewing the Sorcerer Supreme himself (the Master of the Mystic Arts who inspired my Blogger name, Ethan Stranger), Dr. Stephen Strange. I’ll be going over his Co-Creator’s, Steve Ditko’s, Iconic run, what I find relatable about Dr. Strange himself (Especially within the MCU films), and (in a funny fictional take) on why I (Ethan Stranger) was absent from making a cameo in the sequel (Multiverse of Madness), which I did go see in Sitka (Picture, Bottom Right), remember (I’ve mention this throughout many of blog posts), My 2016 Dr. Strange cameo (picture, bottom left) is me donning a fedora hat, sunglasses, wearing a colorful striped shirt and carrying a backpack.  

(0:44-0:47-Pause around there to get a better look)

To begin with, Dr. Strange appeared all the way back in 1963, 2 years before that, another sorcerer appeared, Dr. Anthony Druid (Formely Dr. Droom), and he would go on to become an Avenger (Years before Dr. Strange himself would join Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, though helped them on several occasions, as Dr. Strange was the leader of “The Defenders” at times). Though Dr. Strange would overshadow Dr. Druid, Writer Mark Gruenwald (who was known for being a master with comic continuity) used him a lot within both his Captain America & Quasar Runs (if he were still alive, not sure if he would’ve written a Dr. Druid mini-series), check out my “Captain America: By Mark Gruenwald” post to learn more about his Cap Run (I site him a major influence within my writing).

 

Back to Dr. Strange himself, when Stan Lee/Steve Ditko introduce the Sorcerer Supreme within the pages of Strange Tales #110, a few months before there was a mad scientist under the name “Dr. Strange (Dr. Carlo Strange)” who was a foe of Iron Man, appearing within the pages of “Tales of Suspense #41” (Picture: Bottom left). A little fun fact was that “Dr. Strange was about to be called Mr. Strange”, but Stan Lee thought it sounded too similar to Mr. Fantastic. 

Most of Dr. Strange’s adventures (throughout Ditko’s run, in my opinion) mostly featured Dr. Strange very too often in (while in battle) in his astral projection form (Pictures: Bottom), (plus given how he was originally drawn at first (picture: Top Right Corner), was he meant to be Asian), I guess we’ll never truly known (as Steve Ditko was a mysterious artist who never truly gave out interviews in person, he was just a private guy and nobody knows why), how did he manage to make a living without people pointing out “hey look, it’s Steve Ditko”, there was no internet back then so couldn’t do shopping online, did he had like private doctors/dentists?   

Steve Ditko’s artwork on Dr. Strange was known to add some spark into the “counterculture of the 1960s (like hippies and beatniks)”, though some thought Steve Ditko was high on drugs when seeing his art (which wasn’t true), perhaps Ditko’s crowning creation during his Dr. Strange run would have to be both “Eternity and Dormammu (Picture: Bottom Center)”, as Jack Kirby was going “cosmic crazy” during his runs with Fantastic 4 and Thor (alongside with Stan Lee), Steve Ditko tried something similar, fun fact, Dormammu was originally meant to be “just another otherworldly word within the world of Dr. Strange”, but when readers were hooked on the word, Stan Lee entrusted Steve Ditko to come up with a design for the word (Dormammu), an evil dark ruler-like being who wishes to conquerer various dimensions and manipulates other to do his dirty work. In the end, the design for Dormammu turned out great (wish we saw that design in the movie)     

To be honest, since I never truly grew up too well with Dr. Strange (as I didn’t have enough comics of him and was more of a Spider-Man Fan), thus I only aspect I know that I can relate with to Steve Ditko’s Dr. Strange to today’s society is how he slowly had a change of heart when becoming the sorcerer supreme (since he began as an egotistical surgeon) and forced to deal with foes far too powerful for even the mighty sorcerer, in the mini-series (The Oath, Picture: Bottom Left Corner), Dr. Strange is on a race against to save Wong from cancer, even sorcery can’t kill cancer (everybody in today's society wishes if there was magic, for that to be the cure for everything)

In the MCU Dr. Strange was a bit more relatable (in my opinion) as in the 1st movie, he was struggling in accepting his new life as a sorcerer (which involved taking lives, since he was a doctor who swore an oath to save lives, Picture: Top Right Corner). Avengers Infinity War (Bottom Left Corner) saw him make the ultimate sacrifice to save Tony’s life (but then again, he saw the outcome, it wasn’t a pretty one, but if it was really the only way to defeat Thanos, then there really was no other way. In Spider-Man: No Way Home, we witness give a mutliverse lesson 101, something I wish Peter and Aunt May took more seriously (Picture: Bottom Right Corner), in my own words (as Ethan Stranger), for being a man of principle, I would never help evil beings from an alternate universe, for starters, I don’t know them and they don’t know how my universe works and since they’re bad guys (it’s ever fault they started bad either because of a poor childhood or jealously clouded them, I can’t fix that), why help them (so they can cause chaos and kill others in my universe), I’m not taking a chance and I would never violate my core beliefs (do not ask me to violate my core beliefs), sorry my peoples, but if beings from an alternate universe started off as bad guys, there’s nothing we can do, but send them back and fate deal with them for their sins, circle of life,hakuna matata (I ain’t no Pacifict like Steven Universe) and I must separate myself from being like Dr.Strange (Remember, every variant in a multiverse is different, hardly ever the same).   

And finally with the release of “Multiverse of Madness” (shame Steve Ditko wasn’t alive to see it, even though it felt more like a “Scarlet Witch Movie than “an actual Dr. Strange Movie, but it was nice to see Sam Raimi back in the game”), however the theme of the movie (surrounding Dr. Strange himself) and that’s the question, “ARE YOU HAPPY?” (Picture: Bottom Left Corner), as Strange’s old flare (Christine Palmer) got married (especially since Strange was blimped for 5 years) and despite “being a sorcerer with the powers of god”, he still wasn't happy (as he thinks he’s only happened when he’s with Chrisitne), it’s until his encounter with his “sinsiter strange counterpart” and his multiverse journey with “America Chavez and an (alternate) Christine Palmer (as well as witness the corrpution that the Scarlet Witch was going through”), it was then Dr. Strange decided that it was time to move on (which explain on why he fixed his broken wristwatch) and later on meets his real lover (Clea, Picture: Bottom Right Corner). That quote alone (ARE YOU HAPPY) really hit me hard, because (as somebody on the spectrum who’s not really a sorcerer) I always asked myself that question (AM I HAPPY), despite the fact several of my friends (who aren’t on the spectrum) managed to find their happiness (even a cousin of mine found her “bizarre caveman of a prince charming”) and I ask myself (AM I HAPPY FOR HER), well…I don’t trust him (R.Sherman doesn’t make any sense, like P.Sherman). Within the Neourdivergent community, we ourselves may not be sorcerers, but we try hard to find our own happiness, without getting jealous of others (after all, it’s your life, you else besides parents can control it).

(Plus finding happiness is a pain, depending on the environment you’re living in, right, Dr. Strange)?

And now it’s time for me (Ethan Stranger) to explain why I no cameo in Multiverse of Madness (Fictional Edition), first I had an encounter with a variant of “Pizza Poppa (Picture: Bottom Left Corner)”, dubbed “Pizza Q” (Picture: Bottom Right Corner) and no, he ain’t related to the Q Race from Star Trek, like what Dr. Strange with Pizza Poppa, I made Pizza Q made have a “taste of his own medicine (which was pizza sauce, not mustard, you even puts mustard on pizza)”, then trapped him in a “spell” where he’s punching his guts (relax, the peoples, it ain’t permanent, like Pizza Poppa’s spell, Pizza Q’s spell is 3 weeks, may the lord have mercy on both their souls, cause they both have something bigger and it’s not just egos talking, but mainly it’s Pizza Q who has something bigger)   

And the real battle for Ethan Stranger begins, as I was face-to-face with a variant of Scarlet Witch (Picture: Bottom Center), though she preferred to be called “Spark: The Enchantress of the RED (Crimson Countess was already taken), plus she was more like a “siren”, as she possesses this powerful singing voice in which she lured other magic users to their doom, absorbing their abilities and youth to remain fit and young. Like that big battle at Kamar Taj in Multiverse of Madness, we were on Red alert, shields were up (like Riker said, Picture: Bottom right corner) and of course, all “sorcerers had to fortify our minds (Picture: Bottom left corner), but even that wasn’t enough to defeat her, for those who’ve already seen Multiverse of Madness and remember the battle of Kamar Taj, you probably know then on how my battle with The Enchantress goes:

And Now I (Ethan Stranger) and his canine companion (Chewie) must travel to the end of the universe seeking “an eternity-like being” (Picture: Bottom Left), Steve Ditko had Dr. Strange seek out Eternity when the Ancient One had fallen and while on the run from Baron Mordo and Dormammu (and all that happened within the Strange Tales #130-146, an epic 17-Part Dr. Strange storyline, dubbed: The Eternity Saga), however, the arc would be the final time Steve Ditko would work on both Dr. Strange and Spider-man (following his working relationship with Stan Lee not going well).

Having been an extra in the Dr. Strange film has made me more of a big fan of the character (makes me regret not “truly” growing up more with the character), as Steve Ditko really went “very beyond” when working on the wondrous world of Dr. Strange, as his vision was adventurous and colorful, but later writers (even Director Sam Raimi) would take the Sorcerer Supreme to more “Horror-like elements” (Had either Nightmare or Chthon been the true villain, then Multiverse of Madness would’ve rule).       

So until there is a way for Ethan Stranger to defeat the Enchantress of the RED (Remember to Fortify your minds, for those who come across her in the future) for good (within the world of Fiction), Ethan Stranger wishes the hoary hosts of hoggath, may the vishanti watch over thee (and may your amulets not tickle) to all Dr. Strange Fans and a big (heavenly) thanks to Steve Ditko for introducing me to the Wondrous world of Dr. Strange