Dr. Weird, Master of the Macabre #1
Publisher: Big Bang Comics
Creators: Pedro Angosto, Joan Vives; Gary Carlson, Carlos Rodriguez, Lluc Baños, Bruno Redondo, Allen Forbes II
Cover Art: Joan Vives
Price: $7.99 at IndyPlanet.com (64 pages)
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
“Dr. Weird, the Master of the Macabre, was created by Howard Keltner in 1962 and turned into a cult classic by G.R.R. Martin & Jim Starlin in 1970. He returns now in a respectful revision of his origin. Here we will find out how the soul of a dead time traveler from the future, Rex Ward, attained his magical powers and garments, ghostly castle, and new name! Lovecraft fans shouldn’t miss this one. Plus, a mob-hit man gains power over life and death with an enchanted Egyptian Ankh containing the mystical Black Flame in Death Stalks Dr. Weird. Finally, this issue also uses the classic origin of the Golden Ghost from 1970 by George R.R. Martin and Jim Starlin.
Remember when comics were fun? Big Bang Comics does. Big Bang is a retro series, honoring the creators, styles, and characters from the Golden and Silver Ages right up to modern times. Enjoy 80 years of faux comics history in the pages of Big Bang Comics, which began as a mini-series at Caliber Press in 1994, moved to Image Comics for about 50 issues and one-shots and as a series of annuals from AC Comics.”
I want to get a couple of things out of the way right at the start: First off, the art in this book is GORGEOUS. Like, REALLY, REALLY nice. It’s an absolute visual pleasure. Secondly, despite what some folks may think, I’m fairly new to the whole Big Bang Universe. There are characters I know and recognize of course, but I don’t have anywhere near the encyclopedic knowledge that longtime fans have. So a lot of these concepts and characters are new to me. And Dr. Weird is one of those. Fortunately, the creators involved in this book take care of that for new (or new to the character) readers like myself.
The book is divided into what amounts to three separate stories, along with a series of pin-ups by a variety of artists including Angel Bernuy, Mike W. Belcher, Andrés Bernuy (not sure if there’s any relation between the two Bernuys here), Eric Bowen, Ron C. Williams, Allen Forbes II, Pablo Alcalde, Pedro Belushi, Joe Zeirman, Fred Hembeck, Joan Vives, Glenn Whitmore, and Ken Meyer, Jr.
The main story, which details an expanded origin for the good Doctor, is by Big Bang alum Pedro Angosto, with art (pencils, inks, and colors) by Joan Vives. Angosto takes an in-depth look at the circumstances that allowed time traveler Rex Ward to become our resident Master of the Macabre. For those that don’t know, Ward traveled back in time from the far-flung year of 2013 to the year 1963 (though I’m a little unclear if this is actually when he ended up). But when he arrived and emerged from his time machine, he was shot and killed by a couple of crooks, who then set fire to the place they were robbing to cover the murder. But Ward’s spirit was prevented from passing into the afterlife because he had “…died before he was born” and “…became a thing which cannot be.” And that’s the short of it. But Angosto takes that starting point and dives MUCH deeper into the lore, taking Ward (and us along with him) on a journey through the afterlife and dreamlands as Ward quests to become that which he needs to be to fulfill the new mission placed on his shoulders. Angosto explores a lot of really fun concepts here worthy of a Vertigo series. The stuff he brings to the table here is BIG. It adds a lot of depth to the character and brings a bit more Doctor Strange to the Spectre-like nature of the character. I loved it. And like I said at the top, Vives art is just stunning. There’s a richness of both color, depth, and detail that is a visual treat. Plus, Vives’ art has an almost Kyle Hotz-like quality that really strikes me. The pair are perfect for this story, and I don’t know another artist who could have brought Angst’s concepts to life better than Vives did. Bravo. The letterer of this story is uncredited, but does a really nice job, whoever that is.
The second story is more along what I, in my limited knowledge of the character, expected. Carlson and Rodriguez really get into the Spectre-like nature of the character, showcasing some imagery that is worthy of Jim Aparo and Tom Mandrake’s tenures on the aforementioned Spirit of Vengeance. The man turned into a living candle is especially nightmarish, and really well done. I loved that. Carlson’s story, “Death Stalks Dr. Weird!”, deals with what amounts to “The Many Deaths of Dr. Weird”, as he battles a man with the power over life and death itself. Rodriguez’s art on this is just great, and like the lead feature is a treat for the eyes. Carlson and Rodriguez come up with some really unique and torturous ways that the villains deal with the good Doctor, and none of them are pleasant.
The final feature reprints a story from 1970’s Star-Studded Comics #1, by Jim Starlin and character creator Howard Keltner, and tells the classic origin of Dr. Weird. Since I’m not an authority on the character, I had to do a little research to find out that this is indeed reprinting the character’s first appearance. This was a fun read, and nice to see where the character originated.
In conclusion, I really don’t want to go into spoiler-filled descriptions of the stories any more than I have, as I’d much prefer folks pick up the book and read it themselves. Suffice it to say that while the price tag on this might seem a little hefty at first, you’re definitely getting your money’s worth. This is a great book, and I look forward to more from the creators with this character. You can tell they all had an absolute blast working on it, and it shows.
Highest recommendation.
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