Crossposted from upstairs. This is from the Dr Droom origin story which appeared in Amazing Adventures #1, pencilled by Jack Kirby and inked by Sturdy Steve himself.
Remember our discussion about whether Dr Strange was originally intended to be Asian? Why is it that you had to be Oriental to be a master of mysticism back then?
Let's not forget Dr. Strange's "colored" period when he was blue...with almond-shaped eyes and kabuki-looking eyebrows. I say "Strange Blue" was supposed to evoke the same “exotic” sense as all the previous more literally Asian mystics.
(Now, some reliably wise men have called me a racist, so keep that in mind now as I vomit up my lies and foolishness.)
Many English-speaking people continue to use the term “oriental” to refer to ethnic groups from eastern Asia. “Oriental” refers to the easternmost compass point, and means “as far the fuck to the east as an English-speaker can ever imagine, edge-of-the-universe far, and east.” Nowadays, most people whose ancestors come from eastern Asia -– at least among people I know – prefer (rather strongly) to be called “Asian.” This term introduces semantic complications of its own, but oh well, let's muddle through somehow.
When Europe began sea trade with eastern Asia, tradesmen encountered a culture vastly older than Rome, full of stuff of great mystery. None of it was Christian. None of it used European alphabets or Arabic number systems. No damn Zeus. No damn Eye of Horus. It seemed completely alien, yet vastly elaborate and obviously sophisticated.
Like another universe. Like magic. “Oriental” in more than one sense implied “far out, way way out.”
Plus, Europe had a Masonic tradition also, which found the source of all things arcane and mystica in the Ancient East. The source to which Masonry really referred was the Middle East and Egypt (origins of mathematics and most classic engineering). Relative to Byzantium, China and Tibet were way, way more “east” and implicitly that much more arcane.
So when imagining a "mystic" character, a lot of writers and readers habitually imagined an Asian man. They just seemed mystical, and almost "inhumanly" exotic.
I think there's some validity to those comments as regards the very early Dr. Strange (and certainly, to Dr. Droom), but the blue Dr. Strange has a different, simpler rationale. The move was intended to make the character (who had only recently gotten his own title) more commercial by making him look more super-heroic. Notice that outfit, at that point, loses its skirt and puffy sleeves and becomes skintight, like Batman's or Daredevil's.
_______________________
Watch for THE INCONSTANT MOON, my SF trilogy
beginning in 2004 from Ace Books.
"Strange Blue" doesn't look more "Asian" to you, in a thoughtless iconic way?
( See, I'm a racist. )
There are limitless ways to make a character look more "superhero-y". Back then, giant wristbands seemed to help signify. How about an emblematic V-shape down from the shoulders pointing to the crotch? Or big boots? Or a big fucking weapon? Or a domino mask?
I have no trouble believing Marvel editorial handed Gene Colan a mandate to "make Dr. Strange more superheroic." See how Gene chose to do so (if in fact it was Gene). He gave him some costume changes, almond eyes, and Dragon Lady eyebrows. Are those typically superheroic characteristics? I think Gene obeyed the mandate as he saw best: to make Strange more exotic, less "human" to American eyes, thereby invoking "the Ancient Eastern Mystic" character type that we readers semi-consciously carry around in our heads.
Or were the changes supposed to make Strange look more butch or something? They were a reference to something we think of as "magic-looking."
Well, this is one of the things that can be gone around and around on, but --
a. No, blue skin doesn't look especially Asian to me.
b. In context, I'm not sure that the eyes (which glowed yellow) and eyebrows do, either -- I always thought that design looked vaguely demonic, even when I read the issues new off the stands.
c. Roy Thomas -- writer and essentially editor of the book at the time -- has always referred to this as the "super hero" Strange, intended to goose sales (which it apparently didn't, since the book was cancelled soon after).
d. That's the same storyline that has Eternity grant Dr. Strange a new civilian identity, as "Stephen Saunders," another superhero trope (abandoned when they revive the character for MARVEL FEATURE/The Defenders).
_______________________
Watch for THE INCONSTANT MOON, my SF trilogy
beginning in 2004 from Ace Books.
This message has been edited by PierceAskegren on Mar 5, 2004 3:54 PM
I suppose I am not suggesting the Blue Strange looks Asian. I'm suggesting he looks exotic and "magical" --of a type that started as the Inscrutible Asian Mystic of Victorian-Empire pop fiction and theater (Fu Manchu, stuff like that) and later (in 20th century America and Britain) evolved into elves and aliens.
Elves didn't have almond-shaped eyes in the 19th century. That began to happen after WWII.
Aliens to HG Wells were green monsters with a single compound eye. Aliens didn't develop slim, "androgenous" bodies and almond-shaped eyes until after WWII.
Somebody please alert me when I begin to talk racist. So far, I think I'm simply making observations about trends in pop culture regarding the Asian-mystic character type observed by Linda up top.
Lovely, powerful page by the way, Linda. I had never seen it. I like the shading on Droom's face in panel two, especially in contrast to the starkness of his face transformed in the last panel.
The page looks super-condensed and iconographic as if, were there a "Dr. Droom" a tv series, this sequence would play during the opening credits and theme.
Ah, with this origin, if it had been a TV series at the time we'd only be able to find it on "off-brand" DVDs nowadays. I'm astonished that they still show The Green Hornet without overdubbing a different job description for Kato than "houseboy".
Didn't Dr. Droom become Dr. Druid? Or was that a Stern retcon? I have always thought Dr. Strange was half-Asian, or somesuch. He was very heavily drawn that way, in the first issues.
