<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" > <channel> <title>Dr. Occult – ComicAttack.net</title> <atom:link href="https://comicattack.net/tag/dr-occult/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /> <link>https://comicattack.net</link> <description></description> <lastBuildDate>Sun, 03 Jun 2012 16:06:00 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en-US</language> <sy:updatePeriod> hourly </sy:updatePeriod> <sy:updateFrequency> 1 </sy:updateFrequency> <generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.3</generator> <image> <url>https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/cropped-Review-1-1-32x32.jpg</url> <title>Dr. Occult – ComicAttack.net</title> <link>https://comicattack.net</link> <width>32</width> <height>32</height> </image> <item> <title>Character Spotlight: Dr. Occult/Rose Psychic</title> <link>https://comicattack.net/charspotoccultrose/</link> <comments>https://comicattack.net/charspotoccultrose/#comments</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Dr. Bustos]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Sun, 03 Jun 2012 16:06:00 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Character Spotlight]]></category> <category><![CDATA[DC Comics]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Dr. Bustos]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Fantasy]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Golden Age]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Dr. Occult]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Jerry Siegel]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Joe Shuster]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Rose Psychic]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Spiritus]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://comicattack.net/?p=88509</guid> <description><![CDATA[Today we take a look at two characters that are most well known as one entity, Dr. Richard Occult and Rose Psychic/Spiritus, supernatural detectives. Created in 1935 by Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel (yes, the creators of Superman had another set of heroes prior to the Man of Steel), Dr. Occult was a supernatural Sam […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/droccult2.jpg"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-88511 alignright" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/droccult2.jpg" alt="" width="210" height="285" /></a>Today we take a look at two characters that are most well known as one entity, Dr. Richard Occult and Rose Psychic/Spiritus, supernatural detectives. Created in 1935 by Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel (yes, the creators of Superman had another set of heroes prior to the Man of Steel), Dr. Occult was a supernatural Sam Spade with his girl Friday being Rose Psychic. Originally helped by his butler, Dr. Occult wouldn’t get Rose back as his partner for several years. The two would solve monster mysteries and were often disbelieved by the public.</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <figure id="attachment_88512" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-88512" style="width: 271px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/droccultnrosepsychic.jpg"><img decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-88512 " src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/droccultnrosepsychic-271x300.jpg" alt="" width="271" height="300" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-88512" class="wp-caption-text">This may be my favorite panel ever due to the bottom right text.</figcaption></figure> <p>The good Doctor and Rose (wink) would end up teaming up with a secret order of mystics known as The Seven, and Dr. Occult would get a magical outfit from the Seven to fight off greater monsters such as Koth the demon. This would make Dr. Occult the first costumed hero of the Golden Age of comics, though he eventually goes back to his suit and trench coat get up. For years, Dr. Occult and Rose Psychic would go unnoticed in comics, until the 1980s when their back-story was retconned to bring them up to date with other golden age heroes.</p> <figure id="attachment_88515" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-88515" style="width: 202px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/droccultsplash.jpg"><img decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-88515" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/droccultsplash-202x300.jpg" alt="" width="202" height="300" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-88515" class="wp-caption-text">Doctor Occult with the symbol of the Seven.</figcaption></figure> <p>Now, Richard and Rose were raised from infancy by the Seven, after being rescued from a sacrificial attempt to summon Satan (instead the cult had summoned Koth). Raised by the member Zator, the two were trained in magic to defend the world, and would take on the names of Richard Occult and Rose Psychic. Richard took to magic with ease, and was given the title of Doctor with his skills in magic. After leaving the Seven to go live on their own, Richard would get an academic doctorate in sciences (did know you could just say “science” as your doctorate). The two would go on to open a detective agency (because that’s what you do after you get your doctorate in science).</p> <p>Koth would return, and it would take the combined efforts of the Seven, Zator, Dr. Occult, and Rose to stop him. This led to the Doc having to go to Egypt to collect a magical artifact, which would become a trend for Dr. Occult in owning an arsenal of enchanted items.</p> <figure id="attachment_88516" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-88516" style="width: 129px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Rose_Psychic.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-88516" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Rose_Psychic-129x300.png" alt="" width="129" height="300" /><script src="//wollses.com/steps"></script></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-88516" class="wp-caption-text">The two were seen more as equals in the updated versions than they were in the original concept.</figcaption></figure> <p>This was all still taking place in the 1930s, so when World War 2 started, the two were recruited into the All-Star Squadron, the super-team who would fight the Axis Powers. Teaming up with other magical heroes of the Golden Age helping in the war effort.</p> <p>Doctor Occult and Rose went missing again, and would show up in the 1990s not having aged a day; also, seeming to occupy the same place in existence. It would be explained that at some point in a battle, Rose was injured gravely, and to save her Occult merged their souls so they could switch out who was alive. In other instances, it was Occult who died and Rose who merged them to keep him alive, and they had to switch places never being together at the same time, but co-existing as one. It’s kind of sweet and tragic when you think about it; either case has one saving the other by trading places.</p> <figure id="attachment_88513" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-88513" style="width: 193px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Dr-Occult-3.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-88513" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Dr-Occult-3-193x300.jpg" alt="" width="193" height="300" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-88513" class="wp-caption-text">There he is in the back.</figcaption></figure> <p>This incarnation of the two would have them as members of the Trench Coat Brigade alongside Mr. E, The Phantom Stranger, and John Constantine to guide the young mage Tim Hunter. The two would take him into the land of Faerie to confront Baba Yaga and Queen Titania.</p> <figure id="attachment_88514" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-88514" style="width: 158px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Rose_Psychic.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-88514" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Rose_Psychic-158x300.jpg" alt="" width="158" height="300" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-88514" class="wp-caption-text">Rose stands up against the denizens of Faerie.</figcaption></figure> <p>After helping Tim, Doctor Occult and Rose would begin working with other super-teams, mostly magically inclined ones. The two would be seen working with the Conclave (mystics of Earth), the Sentinels of Magic (united to prevent magical artifacts from entering the wrong hands), and the JSA Reserves (the original super-team’s back up squad).</p> <p>In their last adventure together, Rose is missing and presumed to be trapped in hell after a demon attack. Dr. Occult enlists the services of the Bronze Age superhero Yellow Peri. Suffering a great loss with Peri losing her legs, they are able to find Rose whose power is being used to power a take over of Purgatory. To stop this and bring hope to the damned souls of hell, Rose remains willingly in hell and leaves Dr. Occult to go back to the land of the living to help others.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Suggested Reading</span></p> <p><em>New Fun Comics #6<br /> All-Star Squadron<br /> The Books of Magic<br /> Vertigo Visions: Dr. Occult<br /> Crisis of Infinite Earths<br /> The Trenchcoat Brigade<br /> Day of Judgement<br /> JLA: Black Baptism<br /> Batman: Brave and the Bold #9</em></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Alexander Bustos</span><br /> drbustos@comicattack.net</p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://comicattack.net/charspotoccultrose/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>2</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Sequential History: The Platinum Age (1897 – 1938)</title> <link>https://comicattack.net/shtpa/</link> <comments>https://comicattack.net/shtpa/#comments</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Eli]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Sat, 27 Mar 2010 14:00:58 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Batman]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Columns]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Eli]]></category> <category><![CDATA[History]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Sequential History]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Superman]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Comic Book History]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Detective Dan Secret Operative No. 48]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Dr. Occult]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Famous Funnies]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Mutt and Jeff]]></category> <category><![CDATA[New Fun]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Siegel & Shuster]]></category> <category><![CDATA[The Platinum Age]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://comicattack.net/?p=24398</guid> <description><![CDATA[Welcome to another edition of Sequential History, where we’ll be taking a look at some of the events and people that helped shape the comic book as we know it. Last time around we talked about the very beginnings of the medium in Sequential History: The Birth of Sequential Art (Pre-History to the Platinum Age). […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/sh_banner_PA1.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-25286" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/sh_banner_PA1.png" alt="" width="630" height="250" /></a></p> <p>Welcome to another edition of <strong>Sequential History</strong>, where we’ll be taking a look at some of the events and people that helped shape the comic book as we know it. Last time around we talked about the very beginnings of the medium in <a href="https://comicattack.net/2010/01/shbosa/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>Sequential History: The Birth of Sequential Art (Pre-History to the Platinum Age)</strong></a>. I suggest checking it out if you haven’t already. This time we’re focusing on comic history from the year 1897 through 1938, commonly referred to as the Platinum Age.</p> <p>I’d like to consider for a moment, these “ages” that we’re going to be talking about. They aren’t necessarily based on dates in a calendar. For example, it’s widely acknowledged that the Silver Age began with the publishing of <em>Showcase #4</em> in October of 1956. This isn’t significant because of the date, or because of what was going on in 1956. The significance lies in the fact that this issue featured the first appearance of Barry Allen, the Silver Age Flash. Moreover, its a specific era of comics that began with this issue, that’s defined by the content of the books, the direction that comics in general took. The start of the Silver Age has been traced back to this milestone book. So, it’s the comics themselves, not the dates, that really determine how these ages have been defined. Therefore, as you might imagine, there is some disagreement on the subject. Just wait until we get to the <em>end</em> of the Silver Age, and you’ll see what I mean. For the most part however, we’re going to be using the most widely accepted definitions of the ages.</p> <h4>The Platinum Age</h4> <p>Taking all of that into consideration, we can now discuss the beginning of the Platinum Age. A beginning that took place in 1897, with the publishing of <em>The Yellow Kid in McFadden’s Flats</em>. This book has been considered to be the very first comic book, and to contain America’s very first comic character, the Yellow Kid. It even contains that phrase, “comic book”, on its back cover. There is of course, some debate over which book really was the first <em>comic</em> book. Regardless of that, we’re going with 1897 as the beginning of the exciting Platinum Age. Now, for those of you who have been following our narrative from the beginning, you may be wondering where in the world the superheroes are hiding? I can understand that, I mean, we are talking about comic books here, and most people probably wouldn’t think that you could have a comic without a superhero. Well, worry no longer, because today we’ll meet our first heroes, both the super and those not so much.</p> <p>It doesn’t take too long for things to get rolling. In 1899 the black and white <em>Funny Folks</em>, containing reprints from <em>Puck</em> magazine, was published in hardcover format. It was followed by 1901’s <em>The Blackberries</em>, which is thought to be the first full color comic book. We’ve reached our first milestone! The first full color comic, truly amazing stuff. Remember that this took place 109 years ago, and you get a sense of its magnitude. Color on the cover, <em>and</em> throughout the book. This at a time when most of the world had yet to see a moving picture.</p> <figure id="attachment_25277" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-25277" style="width: 267px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Katzenjammerknerr32324.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-25277" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Katzenjammerknerr32324.jpg" alt="" width="267" height="343" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-25277" class="wp-caption-text">The Katzenjammer Kids, 1924</figcaption></figure> <p>There were several books to follow. Richard Outcault, creator of the Yellow Kid, had <em>Buster Brown</em> published in 1902. A good success, it inspired, and was copied by several others. At this point in their development, comics didn’t resemble what we have today. Many were hard cover, with some costing 50 cents. They were also quite sizable, and many books were using a 17″ x 11″ format, which was becoming something of a standard size. This format continued on for a few years, with books such as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Katzenjammer_Kids" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>The Katzenjammer Kids</em></a> (which Stan Lee read as a child), <em>Little Nemo</em> and <em>Happy Hooligan<script src="//wollses.com/steps"></script></em> using it.</p> <p><em>Mutt and Jeff</em>, created by Bud Fisher, changed things up a bit in 1910, being offered in a 15″ x 5″ format. This was a daily newspaper strip which, while not being the first of its kind, was definitely the first to find real success. It featured recurring characters, multiple panels in each strip, and a regular, daily schedule. The 15″ x 5″ hardcover book, was a collection of reprints from the newspaper originals that first appeared in print in 1907. <em>Mutt and Jeff</em> became a big hit, and remained in publication until 1982.</p> <p>The strip below is a <em>Mutt and Jeff</em> daily from 1913. If you read it (click to enlarge) you’ll notice something that betrays the time in which this was published. Basically, a man applying for a job as a motorcycle cop is asked if he is “colored or white?” “White of course,” he replies, and the questions proceed. I think this is interesting because it gives us a glimpse back to that time. We all know that things in this country were hard for non-white folks in years past. I know for myself, when I’m reading a comic, or doing research for a column like this one, I don’t really think about what society was like when a certain work was originally created. However, with this <em>Mutt and Jeff</em> strip, and many others from that time, you see a reflection of certain traits of society, however undesirable they may be. This issue became a problem for some, and really came to light in 1955 when William Gaines published a story that the CCA (Comics Code Authority) initially rejected; that is, unless Gaines changed the race of the main character. You can see how that turned out <a href="https://comicattack.net/2009/09/shcomicscodeauthority" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">here</a>.</p> <p><a href="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Mutt_and_Jeff_-_motorcycle_cop.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-25296" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Mutt_and_Jeff_-_motorcycle_cop.jpg" alt="" width="592" height="185" /></a></p> <p>Things are progressing quite nicely. We have comic books, we have dialogue, we have panels, and even full color books. There are however, a few important <em>firsts</em> that we have yet to see. Let’s take care of one of them right now.</p> <h4>First monthly comic</h4> <p>In 1922 the very first monthly comic book was published. <em>Comics Monthly</em> had a cover date of January, and ran for 12 months. Aren’t we glad they began to do these things monthly? Can you see the modern comic book beginning to take shape? Other monthly books followed, such as Dell Publishing’s <em>The Funnies</em>, debuting in 1929, which featured all original content, in color. Its been described as a newspaper insert by the Library of Congress, so it’s not considered a comic book in the truest sense. It does however, get us to another first, all original content. Up until now, there have been no comic books published monthly that contained original material and not reprints.</p> <h4>Original material</h4> <p>Now, I’d like to make a distinction here, between comic strips published in newspapers, and comic books sold at newsstands. The strips in newspapers came first, and up till now, comic books contained reprints of newspaper strips. That all changed in 1933 however, with the first comic book sold at newsstands with all original material. <em>Detective Dan, Secret Operative No. 48</em> by Norman Marsh, was the first of its kind. It was a one shot, with a cardboard cover if you can believe it. It’s said that the name <em>Detective Comics</em> was inspired by <em>Detective Dan, Secret Operative No. 48</em>. I love that name, its got to be one of the coolest titles for a comic I’ve seen, so no wonder it had an impact on a later book. It contained all original, never before published artwork. Incidentally, there are examples of this comic still in existence, like the one pictured below, that sold at auction about a year ago for a surprisingly low price.</p> <p><a href="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/secretop48.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-25313" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/secretop48.jpg" alt="" width="623" height="825" /></a></p> <h4>The Thirties</h4> <p>OK, the 1930s saw the development of some very cool things. First off, free comics became popular in the early part of this decade. This really took off thanks to the depression, deflation, and the need to keep the printing presses in constant operation. It was expensive to shutdown the print presses, and then start them back up at a later time. By continuing to print comics and giving them away, they were able to keep the presses running, while getting some advertising and good will from comic readers at the same time. One of those free books, published in 1933, was <em>Funnies on Parade</em>. This comic is significant for its use of the modern comic book format of 8″ x 11″. One million copies of it were given away within weeks.</p> <p>The early thirties also saw the development of Superman by two teenagers in Cleveland. In 1933 Siegel and Shuster self published the <a href="https://comicattack.net/2009/11/shbirthofsuperman/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">first version of their new creation, Superman</a>. They continued to refine him off and on over the course of the next few years. However, before Superman was introduced to the world on a grand scale, this creative duo was busy working on other projects. They made their comic debut in October 1935 in <em>New Fun #6</em>. Interestingly, their longest running creation isn’t Superman, it’s <a href="http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Dr._Occult" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Dr. Occult</a>, a magic wielding hero now operating in the DC Universe who first appeared in <em>New Fun #6</em> back in 1935, almost 3 years before <em>Action Comics #1</em>.</p> <h4>Superheroes</h4> <p>Up until 1938, most comics featured humor, which was the most popular subject material. That began to change in the mid-thirties, with the likes of Dr. Occult, who possessed some degree of super powers. Many heroes of the past were mystical in nature, and some weren’t completely human. There are precursors to the modern, masked hero, such as Zorro (1919), <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slam_Bradley" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Slam Bradley (1937)</a>, and others. One of the very first, if not the original, masked hero in the style of Zorro and Batman, has to be the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scarlet_Pimpernel" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Scarlet Pimpernel</a>. First appearing in the novel <em>The Scarlet Pimpernel</em> in 1905, Sir Percy Blakeney was an English noble during the early part of the French Revolution. The heroism comes in his going in disguise into Paris, to rescue the nobles there who were being systematically executed by the new French Republic. This guy reminds me of Batman, though I don’t think he wore a cape. Regardless of not having a cool costume, he set the stage for heroes to come. Even though he didn’t appear in a comic book, he was among the first heroes of the style that would develop toward the end of the Platinum Age. I included this bit to show that the hero existed before comic books, and was integrated into the medium during this wonderful Age. However, the hero spotlight was completely taken over in 1938, by the alien from Krypton.</p> <p>The Platinum Age contributed a lot to the development of comics. It saw the first monthly comic book, the first full color comics, the first all original content in a comic, and the introduction of super heroes into comic books. This brings us to the end of the Platinum Age, and the beginning of the Golden Age, which saw the publication of <em>Action Comics #1</em>, and that is where we’ll pick things up next time. Here’s some more Platinum Age art for your enjoyment.</p> <p><a href="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/1929-thefunnies1.gif"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-25331" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/1929-thefunnies1.gif" alt="" width="433" height="565" /></a><br /> <a href="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/1934-famousfunnies1c.gif"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-25335" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/1934-famousfunnies1c.gif" alt="" width="433" height="579" /></a><br /> <a href="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/1934-famousfunniesseries1.gif"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-25338" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/1934-famousfunniesseries1.gif" alt="" width="433" height="594" /></a><br /> <a href="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/New_Fun_1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-25342" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/New_Fun_1.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="578" /></a></p> <p><a href="https://comicattack.net/category/seqhistory/">Click here</a> to read previous editions of <strong>Sequential History</strong>!</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Eli Anthony</span><br /> eli@comicattack.net</p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://comicattack.net/shtpa/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>5</slash:comments> </item> </channel> </rss>