REX MORGAN, M.D. Exposes the TEEN-AGE DOPE SLAVES! Conclusion

We Have Already Seen...

When Bruce Grayson is brought to the hospital to treat his overdose, his pusher, Manny, tries to force Dr Rex Morgan to inject the helpless dope addict with enough drugs to kill him.

Morgan manages to overpower Manny and his stooge...

This story, which appeared in Harvey Comics Library #1 (1952), was written by Nicholas Dallis, and illustrated by Marvin Bradley & Frank Edgington, the creators of the Rex Morgan MD newspaper strip.

(In fact, the story was originally published as part of the strip's continuity in newspapers all over the country before being reformatted into a comic book.)

Though meant as a cautionary tale, it was vilified by Dr Fredric Wertham in his book Seduction of the Innocent and lumped with horror and crime comics as one of the causes of juvenile delinquency!

REX MORGAN, M.D. Exposes the TEEN-AGE DOPE SLAVES! Part 3

When Last We Left Our Addict...

Bruce Grayson was near death, a victim of his own overdosing.

Dr Rex Morgan, Coach Bill Neal, and Neal's daughter Louise, who loves Bruce, arrive to find the teen comatose...

Has Manny lost a customer?

Has Rex Morgan been shot?

Be here next week for the thrilling conclusion...

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REX MORGAN, M.D. Exposes the TEEN-AGE DOPE SLAVES! Part 2

When last we left young Bruce Grayson...

...the one-time honor student and gifted athlete had become addicted to narcotics provided by Manny, a dealer who forced Bruce to help him steal drugs from Dr Rex Morgan's office.

Now, as Bruce sinks deeper into a life of dope-induced depravity...

Has Bruce overdosed?

Has Manny lost a customer?

And what of Louise?

Tune in next week...

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REX MORGAN, M.D. Exposes the TEEN-AGE DOPE SLAVES!

June will be the month of...

...considered so lurid in 1954 that Dr Fredrick Wertham said "When adolescent drug addiction had finally come to public attention, it led to the publication of lurid new comic books devoted entirely to the subject, like the one with the title, Teen-Age Dope Slaves. This is nothing but another variety of crime comic of a particularly deplorable character. (Seduction of the Innocent, page 27)

And this was a comic created to help teens...

 What will happen when he does locate Manny?

Will Bruce get his fix?

Tune in next week...

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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!

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Hellstorm

by Warren Ellis

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