30 Days of Winter: Day 17 - Pre-Golden Age Comics - Doctor Occult

[badficwriter]

Don't believe me?

The Golden Age is considered to have begun with Action 1 and the appearance of Superman, as well as the Phantom, in 1937.

Doctor Occult was introduced in 1935 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, despite the names listed on the strips below according to Wiki, and hails from the action adventurer/detective schools. Comic Book Resources has a nice article on him here. But the scans are a little small, so I rustled up what I could.

More Fun Comics was basically a comic book of, literally, the kind of comic strips you'd find in a Sunday supplement. Every page a different character/story, ranging from slapstick humor to sea captains (Skipper Jim looks like a more human version of Popeye), female spies (Sandra of the Secret Service), illustrated versions of classics (Ivanhoe, Treasure Island), bizarre space adventures (Dan Drake on the Planet Saro) straight out of Flash Gordon, straight scifi (2029 Super Police), and stuff with charming titles like BOB MERRITT, GENTLEMAN ADVENTURER and INVENTOR (doesn't it seem like it ought to be capitalized?). Really wish these were in better condition.

Here is a larger version of his second appearance in More Fun Comics 7.



More Fun comics 10 (Doc got 2 pages this time, but this page is in better condition)



And a cleaned up version of that page where Doc tried a typical 1930's hero costume. More Fun Comics 16. (1 of 2 pages)



I don't have 15, but I assume there was a reason for his new look...maybe. He's called the first costumed hero because of this, but it pre-dates the 'Golden Age' and that seems to handwave all the other wierdos in More Fun Comics.

The lady occultist, Rose Psychic/Spiritus, was taken with Doc as a baby to be trained by a mystic organization. Although they were attracted to each other, the group condemned any amorous relationship (why? chastity vows? brother and sister?). She seems to have acted as his assistant, until he was killed. At that time, she joined her soul to his to save his life. Since that time, they have shared their existence.

Books of Magic vol 1 (limited series), 3. Written by Neil Gaiman. Artist: Charles Vess.



Because of the new relationship, he/they are listed as transgendered at the Gay League.

And what the heck? S_D has virtually no scans from Gaiman's Books of Magic anymore?

Comments

[psychopathicus_rex]

I've always been rather fascinated by Dr. Occult. I haven't read much of him, but there's just something really compelling about his character that most other 'magic' characters in the DCU seem to lack.
And really, I don't think he counts as transgendered. It's two joined souls, one of whom happens to be female - I don't think that falls within the definition. It's not a transformation from male to female or female to male, it's two different characters who have joined themselves together. It's in a bit of a tricky grey area, I'll grant you, but I don't think it counts.

[espanolbot]

Like Etrigan, without the evil. :)

[psychopathicus_rex]

Indeed!

[turtlefu]

If anything, Dr. Occult is Third Gender.
Remember Negative Man during Morrison's Doom Patrol? It's like that. Wait a minute, it's EXACTLY that.

[icon_uk]

Don't see it like that myself; Rebis was a physical fusion of a male and a female with a uniting energy being which had no gender (and which had had male and female hosts in the past) as the catalyst, As such Rebis was a sort of a Divine Hermaphrodite, certainly possessing genitalia from both genders.

I don't see Doctor Occult as being like that at all (or even transgendered), but two different people, only one of whom can occupy their point in space at a time. Doctor Occult is male, Rose is female, both are individual and their apparent gender.

If there's a comparison character, I'd say it would be closer to Captain Marvel and Billy Batson.

[badficwriter]

While I agree, he/she is from a time when that sort of metaphor was common.

I think they were usually treated as a sort of Ladyhawke problem--in love, but never able to touch tragedy--but they could be treated *as if* they were transgender without touchy Real Life stuff coming up.

[icon_uk]

IIRC Rose and Occult being joined was only revealed in the Books of Magic, so it's a lot more recent than the character is.

[turtlefu]

I see what you mean, but I was coming from it as a perspective of two completely equal essenses of male and female joining together EQUALLY to form a being that is equally male and female.
Because transgendered people are usually whatever gender they actually are. Third Gender peoples are neither. They are not male or female, they are something else.

But, I guess you are right, because Dr. Occult is not a united entity but a single being inhabited by two spirits.

A more accurate comparison would be one adaptation of Princess Knight I've seen, where Sapphire contains both a male and female spirit.

[psychopathicus_rex]

I don't, actually, since I haven't read it yet, AND PLEASE DON'T TELL ME ABOUT IT. I hate having details spoiled for me before I read something.

[icon_uk]

You haven't read Morrison's Doom Patrol? You're in for a treat there! :) (IMHO of course)

[psychopathicus_rex]

So I keep hearing, yes. I keep putting off getting it because I've read precious little of the original series, and I want to be able to compare the two. (I know that Morrison's doesn't really have much to do with the original, but nonetheless.)

[leikomgwtfbbq]

I like Dr Occult and always wished he got more attention. I especially think that the joined-soul-thing would be an interesting concept to explore.