Dr. Strange and "The Raven"

[Earth 2 Chris]

I was going through the DVR last night, and decided to watch Roger Corman's The Raven, from 1962 with Vincent Price, Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre, and a very young Jack Nicholson. I'd never seen it all the way through, although I knew of it.

A thought occurred to me. Since this film was released in 1962, and features a protagonist sorcerer with a pencil thin mustache and a penchant for hand gesture magic...do you think there is any way it influenced the creation of Dr. Strange the following year.

Chris

[madmarva]

That's a good question. It could have.

I watched Orson Wells' version of Macbeth Friday night and I have a feeling its set and costume designs influenced Kirby and Buscema's work on Thor.

[cockyhoskins]

I remember an interview with Stan Lee where he stated the influence was old serial radio shows he listened to growing up, specifically Chandu the Magician.

My guess is that the Raven release date and Strange's first appearance (newsstand date) are too close for any real influence.

[PNGwynne]

I can see what you're grasping at, Chris-- but wasn't Strange somewhat Asiatic and vaguely sinister in his first appearance? His origin, and art changes, came later.

[hedrap]

Originally, I was replying that "look" originates with Mandrake, and Price/Ditko were both invoking it from separate paths as was everyone else from '34 and on.

But, then I remembered an odd film price did after House of Wax: The Mad Magician. This is the studio PR headshot for the movie...white shocks and all

vinc7.jpg

...and the crazy irony is it was released in '54, the same year that "Ben Cooper Spiderman" costume was produced. The majority of comic artists use references, so now I'm wondering what exactly was in Ditko's collection.

[madmarva]

Some shots from MacBeth

[hedrap]

Wow, I haven't seen that movie in several years.

I can really see what you're getting at with Kirby Thor.

[madmarva]

Yeah, that tunic is so similar to Thor's and Kirby used helmets with those nose guards in Thor or Tales of Asgard and the Demon.

And of course, Lee was aping Shakespeare with the dialogue.

[Earth 2 Chris]

Wow, that's pretty neat. I'd say that was resting in the back of Kirby's noggin...if nothing else.

Chris

[phil]

Kirby admitted to being a movie buff so it's possible he may have been influenced by the Wells movies. When I first started reading the reprints of Ditko's Doctor Strange I thought of Vincent Price. Later I thought of English actor Peter Wyngarde as a potential Steven Strange.