Doctor Fate # 1-10, Annual # 1 (DC Comics) (1988)

 A few months ago, I wrote about the 1987 Dr. Fate limited series in this post.  That limited series introduced a new version of the character formed by the merging of Eric and Linda Strauss, and also introduced a supporting character in the form of Nabu, a cosmic Lord of Order trapped in the corpse of an elderly Kent Nelson.  That limited series was successful enough to spawn an on-going series written by the same scripter (J.M. DeMatteis) with a new penciller, Shawn McManus.  That on-going series lasted just over three years, and I'll be talking about the first ten issues and its first annual in this post.

As a general matter, the series holds an interesting place in comics fandom.  It's often discussed as a sort of "hidden gem" that has a deep, profound story but can never be collected in a TPB because of controversial subject matter.  When I first read the series several years ago, I didn't like it and couldn't see what the fuss is about.  Now, with hindsight, I still don't like it and I still don't see what the fuss is about.  To me, its "profundity" is a really vapid take on eastern philosophy mixed with a New Age spirituality that boils down to "all religions are the same deep down, and god is really love!"  The heavy-handed proselytization in the series is annoying even if it's not from the more common Christian angle.  More, Dr. Fate as a character isn't particularly interesting (generic power blasts and flight is about it), the villains often tend toward generic demons, and characters that were intended as comic relief (Nabu and Petey) usually fall flat.  Even the "souls destined to be together through various bodies over time" angle (provocative because Linda is Eric's step-mom in the current bodies the souls inhabit) proves uninteresting with DeMatteis' saccharine take on spirituality.  Anyway, that's my take--here's what each issue has to offer:

Issue # 1 introduces some recurring characters, as Dr. Fate rescues (and berates) a guy named Joachim Hesse for summoning demons.  One of the demons escapes banishment, turns out to actually be innocuous, and stays on with Erik, Lynda, and Nabu in funny dog form and is named Petey.  The artwork is really bad in this first issue (Erik looks like Plastic Man in some panels).  It's okay, but not a great first issue, and surely confusing to people who haven't read the limited series yet.

In Issue # 2, Nabu (still in Kent's body) is trying to teach Eric & Linda about the powers they have as Dr. Fate.  But the Lords of Order transform a neighbor into a super-powered figure ("The Champion") in a bid to show that Fate should give in to a coming age of chaos (after which, apparently, order will reign).  But Fate refuses to fight, and the Lords of Order leave.  Meanwhile, Michael Bennett ("I, Vampire", a character from the late 70s) makes a reappearance--he wants to die but, being immortal, can't.  He visits a monk friend for help.

The Lords of Order are back in Issue # 3, this time trying to get Bennett to help bring about the Mahapralaya (an event from Hindu cosmology) in which there will be a time of nothingness and then a golden age of order thereafter.  But Nabu recruits Typhon (a Lord of Chaos from the limited series) to help stop the Lords of Order.  Typhon takes over a human host--a tax lawyer named Jack.  In short, the series is trying to establish that neither Order nor Chaos can be trusted--traditionally, Dr. Fate served the Lords of Order, but here we see neither side has the world's best interests at heart.  The book has a jokey (albeit not actually funny) tone in a lot of places that just doesn't work with the metaphysical ramblings in the book.

Erik is suffering from PTSD after the events of the limited series and starting to act mentally disturbed.  Thus, in Issue # 4, Linda has to become Dr. Fate all by herself!  We get what is (I think) the first female-bodied version of the character.  The Mahapralaya plotline continues to develop, but I can't really explain it.

Most of covers are pretty ugly, but I really like the one to Issue # 5.  Anyway, Linda-Fate attacks Typhon for what he did to Eric in the limited series.  Kent learns that Bennett is in India and still trying to bring off the Mahapralaya, so that's where everyone heads.  There's stuff with a/the holy grail, a vampire who drank from Christ on the cross, and something about how playing a flute will bring on the Mahapralaya.  Yeah . . . okay . . . 

In Issue # 6, Bennett gets enlightenment and says that the Mahapralaya will come when the time is right and rebukes the Lords of Order for trying to hurry it.  Linda-Fate defeats Typhon.  There's a lot of wishy-washy metaphysics and spirituality that annoys me, but at least it's the end of that storyline.

Issue # 7 is a one-off tale where Petey tells about his attempt to return to Hell to find his lost love but learns it was not meant to be.  It's admittedly pretty funny.  I think if DeMatteis co-wrote the series with Keith Giffen (like they did with JLI) the comedy would have been better mixed with the plotlines.

Deadman guest starts in Issue # 8 as Joachim Hesse (the would-be sorcerer from the first issue) is trying to spend 40 days in a magic circle in order to become the "Lord of the Fourth Heaven."  However, his attempt is causing emotional disturbances all over the city so Linda-Fate has to investigate (Eric is still incapacitated).  Man, the interior artwork is ugly.

The current Lord of the Fourth Heaven is pretty annoyed at how well Joachim Hesse is doing in that magic circle and doesn't want to lose his place, so he asks Fate for help.  The solution (luring Hesse out with food) is pretty predictable in Issue # 9, but enjoyable nonetheless.  There's some funny Doctor Strange jokes along the way.  And then near the end . . . Darkseid!?!

McManus' artwork on faces makes everyone look at least 70 years old in Issue # 10.  Darkseid addresses the Lords of Order and the Lords of Chaos and says the end of a cycle of cycles is coming and that a new (more enlightened) humanity is about to emerge--but that he can destroy the prototype of this new humanity (incarnated as Dr. Fate) in exchange for co-rule!  We'll have to wait and see if the plan works.  (Spoiler: It won't)

Annual # 1 has two stories, both great, and both making me wish the regular series were as good.  Tom Sutton does the artwork for the first story and is fantastic in a tale about Linda's backstory.  It's a dark tale in the horror vein with an emotional core that is very effective.  The second story is also a flashback, and it tells about what it was like when Nabu first occupied the corpse of Kent Nelson.  I would have love to have seen this annual as a standalone special printed after the miniseries but before the regular series.  It sets a much better and more interesting tone for the characters.

The good news is that the universe hasn't come to an end.  The bad news is there's still more of the series to discuss in a future post.  Until next time!