Author Archives: Herbert Sherb
Doctober Spotlight – Doctor Doom
Most would probably say that Doctor Doom is the best villainous doctor in comics. I’d go one step further and say that he’s the best VILLAIN in comics. Sure, you’ve got your Magnetos and your Galactuses… Galacti? But Magneto can’t make up his mind about what side he’s on, plus he’s kind of got a point about humans. And Galactus? That guy’s not even doing anything wrong, he’s a force of nature in a dumb hat.
Doctober Spotlight – Doctor Destiny
About a year before Doctor Doom showed up in the pages of Fantastic Four, Doctor Destiny first appeared in Justice League of America. The characters are not very similar in terms of their M.O.s or their backstories but their ominous names and general design are reminiscent of one another. The cape and cowl alongside the spooky mask paired with the Doctor lofty D-Word sort of makes me wonder if this wasn’t another aspect of the Fantastic Four that was inspired by a DC comic.
Doctober Spotlight – Doctor Stein
In all of fiction there is no greater tale of the hubris of science than that of Doctor Stein from the Arrested Development episode “Sword of Destiny”.
Oh, Doctor Victor Frankenstein, you say? Well, that’s a damn fine point, but I’m sure there are already plenty of examinations of his mad science to be found, so let’s just roll with this.
A character who appeared in only one episode of the cult TV series, Doctor Stein was his own biggest advocate and continually evaluated his standing worldwide in the medical community. He initially introduces himself as the best doctor in the county, then in the state of California, and then downgrades to Southern California. However, if his last shown attempt at a radical procedure is successful, he thinks it may make him the best in the world.
Doctober Spotlight – Doctor Hurt
At least Summer has released us from it’s sweaty grip and we are free to sit by evening fires and wear hoodies like real Americans. And to celebrate the arrival of October, we here at evilgeeks.com are throwing a Doctober shindig! A month loaded with spotlights on some of the finest fictional doctors ever to be created. So let’s get this ball rolling, huh?
I love Grant Morrison’s run on Batman. He pulls so much from the history of Batman and adds his fair share as well. And while villains like Professor Pyg, The Flamingo, and the Black Glove are all fascinating additions to the myth, they all pale in comparison to the primary antagonist of Morrison’s first four or so years on the book(s), Doctor Simon Hurt.
First appearing in Batman #156 way back in June 1963, the then-unnamed Doctor performed a sleep deprivation experiment on Batman. While at the time this character was meant to have been a benevolent throwaway medical professional, Morrison drew very heavily from the hallucinatory nature of that original appearance and threw the twist that this unnamed scientist was actually planting seeds for the greatest trials in all of Batman’s career. Going Bat-Shit Crazy.
Pilot Error – Clerks
Recently, I’ve been stumbling onto more and more pilots to TV shows that never got off the ground. And much like the shows that actually make it to production, these pilots vary wildly in quality. I’ve begun seeking out some of the most unusual, most infamous, and most elusive of these to break them down for you kind folks at home, maybe even offer my own insight as to why these shows never made it.
The first entry in this series is one that I only discovered a few weeks back, although it was made 20 years ago, in that dark age of culture known as the 1990s.
When I think of the 90s, what comes to mind is a sea of gaudy patterns and neon against flannel. The art from that era, in my opinion, is in most cases only worthy of appreciation in an ironic sense. Sure, there are many exceptions that have stood the test of time, but I was there. I don’t just get to appreciate the gold that has lasted 20 years. I know that for every Jurassic Park there was a Congo. And one time there were dueling volcano disaster movies.