CRAZY "Flu Strains from DIfferent Countries"

You thought that, during the 1970s, we were becoming more sensitive to ethnic humor?

You obviously weren't around then, bunkie!

While TV series like All in the Family and films like Kentucky Fried Movie were cleverly skewering racial stereotypes, some pop culture contributors were still indulging in them, as this (not surprisingly) never-reprinted feature from Marvel's Crazy Magazine #43 (1978) proves!

I don't know what writer Fred Wolfe and artist John Langton were thinking when they created this, but the fact that editor Paul Laikin let it see print doesn't speak well for any of their sensibilities!

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Sincerest Form of Parody

Before Doctor Strange Was...Doctor Droom!

Before any other heroes (including Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four)...

...this MD-turned sorcerer protected the Silver Age Marvel Universe from mystical menaces!*

BTW, note the guy in panel 3 is the guy in the first panel...but that ain't mascara around his eyes!

Keep reading...

Wait a second...

"My Eyes! They're becoming slanted!"

"I have given you an appearance suitable to your new role!"

What sort of "reverse racism" is this?

Did writer Stan Lee, penciler Jack Kirby, or inker Steve Ditko theorize only an Asian-looking person could manipulate magic?
At least they didn't give him any sort of cliched Chinese/Japanese speech pattern...

The good Doctor's strip lasted five issues, including this one from Atlas' Amazing Adventures #1 (1961)

Many of the elements were reused in the origin of Dr Strange, (who was created by the guy who inked this tale, writer/artist Steve Ditko!)

Perhaps Steve looked at this concept and said "Well, this part works, but this one sure as hell doesn't!" and reworked the concept.

At any rate, "Doctor Droom 2.0" aka Doctor Strange turned out to be one of the longest-lasting characters at Marvel, and Droom disappeared, never to be seen again.

Hah!

Fooled you!

In the mid-1970s, reprint editor Roger Stern decided to revive the character to host a horror anthology, but with some modifications, like a costume (Droom always wore street clothes), eliminating the whole "asian look" aspect, and making him a descendant of Druids (hence the name change)!

Here's his revamped reintroduction from Marvel's Weird Wonder Tales #19 (1976)

Dr Druid became an ongoing guest-star in the Marvel Universe, even briefly leading the Avengers, and helming his own miniseries....where he was killed off!
But, with Marvel rebooting their entire multiverse several times over the past decade, the good Doctor is, in fact, alive again, and living in retirement, assisting Doctor Strange upon occasion.

Medical Trivia: Though Droom's medical credentials were never specified, Druid received his MD from Harvard and completed a residency in psychiatry.
Note: We were caught by the Dreaded Deadline Doom due to preparing for our nephew's nuptuals this weekend, so we're re-presenting this feature about one of Marvel's less-known medicos because we didn't want to disappoint our fans...who are increasing in number again!
*Note: this doesn't count Timely/Atlas/Marvel's Golden Age characters, none of whom were being published in 1961!

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Hellstorm

by Warren Ellis

(TPB which contains the complete 1990s Doctor Druid miniseries where he dies)

Before Doctor Strange Was...Doctor Droom!

Before any other heroes (including Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four)...

...this MD-turned sorcerer protected the Silver Age Marvel Universe from mystical menaces!*

BTW, note the guy in panel 3 is the guy in the first panel...but that ain't mascara around his eyes!

Keep reading...

Wait a second...

"My Eyes! They're becoming slanted!"

"I have given you an appearance suitable to your new role!"

What sort of "reverse racism" is this?

Did writer Stan Lee, penciler Jack Kirby, or inker Steve Ditko theorize only an Asian-looking person could manipulate magic?
At least they didn't give him any sort of cliched Chinese/Japanese speech pattern...

The good Doctor's strip lasted five issues, including this one from Atlas' Amazing Adventures #1 (1961)

Many of the elements were reused in the origin of Dr Strange, (who was created by the guy who inked this tale, writer/artist Steve Ditko!)

Perhaps Steve looked at this concept and said "Well, this part works, but this one sure as hell doesn't!" and reworked the concept.

At any rate, "Doctor Droom 2.0" aka Doctor Strange turned out to be one of the longest-lasting characters at Marvel, and Droom disappeared, never to be seen again.

Hah!

Fooled you!

In the mid-1970s, reprint editor Roger Stern decided to revive the character to fill out a horror anthology, but with some modifications, like a costume (Droom wore street clothes), eliminating the whole "asian look" aspect, and making him a descendant of Druids (hence the name change)!
Here's his reintroduction from Marvel's Weird Wonder Tales #19 (1976)

Dr Druid became an ongoing guest-star in the Marvel Universe, even briefly leading the Avengers, and helming his own miniseries....where he was killed off!
He'll not doubt, rise again at some point!

Medical Trivia: Though Droom's medical credentials were never specified, Druid received his MD from Harvard and completed a residency in psychiatry.
*Note: this doesn't count Timely/Atlas/Marvel's Golden Age characters, none of whom were being published in 1961!

Please Support Medical Comics and Stories

Visit Amazon and Order...

Hellstorm

by Warren Ellis

(TPB which contains the complete 1990s Doctor Druid miniseries where he dies)

CoronaVirus Comics DR KILDARE "Skin Deep" Conclusion

When Last We Saw Our Stalwart, Dedicated, Young Resident...

...he had met Dr Yang Li, a talented British surgeon of Chinese descent who had come to America to teach new techniques to minimize diseases related to nutritional deficiency!

Volunteering to aid the English surgeon find an apartment for himself and his en-route family, the suo find the perfect place, close to the hospital.

But the owner, Bates, due to his hatred of Chinese in general, and Chinese doctors in particular, refuses to rent the "flat" (as the British call apartments).

But a fickle Fate is about to weave a web of irony...

Dr Kildare ran five years, ending in 1966.

In 1972, a prequel series without any of the cast members of the movie, radio or earlier TV series,  Young Dr Kildare, was syndicated to local stations.

Cancelled after a single season, it isn't available in any media.

Note: the 1960s tv series (by season, or a complete set), b-movie series, and episodes of the radio show are available in a variety of formats.

You can find them though the link to Amazon below...

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Dr Kildare Scrapbook

Covering the Radio, B-Movie, and TV Series!

CoronaVirus Comics DR KILDARE "Skin Deep" Part 2

We Have Already Seen...

Dr Yang Lin, a British citizen of Chinese descent, has come to America to teach about his speciality, dietary deficiency, at Los Angeles' Blair General Hospital.

Seeking an apartment for himself and his family who will soon be arriving from England, Yang and Dr Kildare (who volunteers to help familiarize Yang with the city) check out the neighborhood around the hospital.

Seeing a "for rent" sign, they ring the doorbell, but the building's owner refuses to rent to Yang...

Fate has a strange way of taking a hand in such matters, as we shall see in the conclusion...

NEXT WEEK!

I suspect this was either an adaptation of an aired episode or an unused script sent by the producers as a guideline for the comic's writers...but used almost verbatim!
It's incredibly-wordy for an original comic script, with some of the dialogue balloons taking up half a panel at a time!

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Dr Kildare

Complete First Season