Doctor Doom #1

[cyberghostface]

"Getting a real in-depth human look at Doom has been fascinating. The first thing I did was to go back and read all of the best Doom stories I could find, stretching all the way back to the Kirby days. I was kind of blown away by the entire 'Zorba' arc, too…to see Doom overthrown by a 'rightful' heir, then to see that heir completely screw up the country, and turn into a worse despot than Doom. It was amazing to read a story where the Fantastic Four help reinstall Doom as the Latverian ruler. It was this strange argument for totalitarianism that was much more complex than you’d think at first glance. Not that I support totalitarianism, it just gave tremendous insight into the guy behind the mask. It’s this storyline that shows Doom receiving flowers from a young Latverian girl, one of the earliest glimpses of his love for his people." -- Christopher Cantwell

Comments

[lordultimus]

Swearing? DOOM IS ABOVE SUCH LOW-CLASS BEHAVIOR!

But hey, this does look good.

[agharta75]

You dare criticize DOOM? DOOM can #$#$ swear #@%# WHENEVER HE WANTS! Especially when speaking about THAT &@&$%@# RICHARDS!!

[shakalooloo]

Cussing, no third person-ing, calling someone Steve... This ain't my Doom.

Though hey- they remembered that his eyes are brown, not green or blue. That's something.

[owlbrigade1]

It is obviously a Doombot then.

[owlbrigade1]

It isn't real swearing if it is written in punctuation symbols, that is just the writer being ashamed to admit that the character said "gosh dang it to heck-a-diddily" or similar, because if they wanted the character to actually swear then there would be actual swear words; or if it was because of a PG rating then they'd be skilled enough to write dialogue that didn't require swearing in the first place. Faking actual swearing is just silly and weak, and I'm totally sure no pro writer would be daft enough to try that.

[laughing_tree]

Counterpoint: It can be $&@# hilarious.

[owlbrigade1]

Well, I'll admit that paired with fun-with-fonts in the Asterix comics that it can be somewhat humorous.

[locuatico]

"EVERYTHING is Dooms doing, Zora, EVERYTHING! ALL THE TIME!"
"Even the rain?"
"ESPECIALLY THE RAIN!...... except when fighting the X-men. then it is Storm's doing"

[agharta75]

Time for Doom vs Trump - battle of the Super Stable Geniuses.
(Doom will just brush off the gnat, of course.)

[every_spiegel]

Seems... off.

[broblawsky]

I just can't imagine Doom surrendering, no matter the odds, no matter the price to himself or Latveria. Admitting defeat would kill him. Suing for peace, maybe, but an actual unconditional surrender? Impossible.

[lbd_nytetrayn]

So, I've lost track: Is this coming off of his Iron Man phase, or did he get New Coked and revert to Doctor Doom Classic between then and now?

[cyberghostface]

The Hood fried his face at the end of Bendis’ Iron Man run and then fled back to Latveria. Dan Slott’s Fantastic Four run began with him in a funk until Zora encouraged him to reclaim Latveria and become Doctor Doom again.

[sisterofbloomerjunior]

I was wondering if this was Memphiso's work.

[wizardru]

I do like more modern takes (like Waid's run in both FF and DD) where it's made clear that a LOT of people in Latveria think Doom is aces. Yes, he's a totalitarian dictator and crossing him is a Bad Idea; but he kept the country independent against the onslaught of the Iron Curtain, raised a minor nation into a global power, maintained a solid economy and genuinely loves his people. AS LONG AS THEY UNDERSTAND THEIR PLACE.

Doom runs a nation, but he has an entire loyal beauracracy to do it. And unlike some administrations I can name, he appears to populate his with loyalists who are COMPETENT AT THEIR JOBS.

[scorntx]

Well, he'd hardly have a government run by incompetents.
That would make him look bad.

[scarabknight]

This looks like it's at least acknowledging the Iron Man characterization? At least in the sense this isn't Doom acting like the usual crazed, never surrender dictator and appears to be making moves to save the civilian population. I kinda like this synthesis of the two, as long as it keeps up.