{"id":35458,"date":"2026-05-08T18:10:34","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T18:10:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=35458"},"modified":"2026-05-08T18:10:34","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T18:10:34","slug":"doctor-doom-epic-collection-volume-1-962-1969-enter-doctor-doom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2026\/05\/08\/doctor-doom-epic-collection-volume-1-962-1969-enter-doctor-doom\/","title":{"rendered":"Doctor Doom Epic Collection volume 1 (962-1969): Enter Doctor Doom"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nBy Stan Lee<\/strong> &<\/strong> Jack Kirby<\/strong>, Steve Ditko<\/strong>, Larry Lieber<\/strong>, Roy Thomas<\/strong>, Don Heck<\/strong>, Gene Colan<\/strong>, Frank Giacoia<\/strong>, Joe Sinnott<\/strong>, Dick Ayers<\/strong>, George Roussos<\/strong>, Chic Stone<\/strong>, Vince Colletta<\/strong>, John Tartaglione<\/strong> & various (MARVEL)
\nISBN: 978-1-3029-6612-6 (TPB\/Digital edition)<\/p>\n

This book includes Discriminatory Content<\/strong> produced in less enlightened times.<\/em><\/p>\n

As the world\u2019s greatest supervillain (Sorry, Donny Littlehands!) prepares for his next big screen debut, expect to see a bunch of books featuring the dark side of the eternal war between Good and Evil. And if that isn\u2019t the perfect metaphor for the Master of Latveria I don\u2019t know what is…<\/em><\/p>\n

Doctor Doom<\/strong> is one of the most monumental villains in comics: definitely Top 3 and to many the absolute number 1 nemesis. Once upon a time, you hadn\u2019t really made it as a Marvel superhero (or villain) until you\u2019d clashed with him. Victor Von Doom <\/em>is a troubled genius who escaped the oppression heaped on his Romani people in a backwards looking Balkan autocracy via an ultimately catastrophic scholarship to America. Whilst there proud, arrogant Victor succumbed to an intense rivalry with young Reed Richards<\/em>, even then perhaps the most brilliant man alive.<\/p>\n

The smug, openly hostile student performed unsanctioned experiments which went wrong and marred his formerly-perfect features, leading him down a path mastering and merging super-science and sinister sorcery, and fuelled his overwhelming hunger for ultimate power and total control. From the ashes of his failure, Von Doom rebuilt his life, returned to seize control of his homeland and become a danger to the world and the multiverse.<\/p>\n

This carefully curated compendium traces his public progress and greatest battles via landmark moments of triumph and tragedy, collecting wholly or in part material from Fantastic Four<\/strong> (1961) 5-6, 10, 16-17, 23, 39-40, 57-60, 73; Fantastic Four Annual<\/strong> (1963) 2-3; Amazing Spider-Man<\/strong> (1963) #5; Avengers<\/strong> (1963) #25; Daredevil<\/strong> (1964) #36-38 and Marvel Super-Heroes<\/strong> (1967) #20 and opens without preamble as it must, with that debut in Fantastic Four<\/strong> #5 cover-dated July 1962 and on sale from April 10th<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

At that time, aliens and especially monsters played a major part in young Marvel\u2019s output. However, after a tentative start, Stan Lee & Jack Kirby\u2019s recreation of superheroes embraced the unique basics of the idiom, and took a full bite out of the Fights \u2018n\u2019 Tights apple by introducing the first full-blown, unrepentant supervillain to their budding Marvel Universe. Mole Man<\/em> debuted in FF <\/strong>#1, but that tragic little gargoyle, for all his world-dominating schemes, wouldn\u2019t truly acquire the persona of a costumed foe until his more refined second appearance in FF<\/strong> #22.
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\nInked by the sublimely slick and perfectly polished Joe Sinnott, \u2018Prisoners of Doctor Doom!\u2019<\/em> had it all. A brazen attack by a mysterious enemy from Reed \u2018Mr. Fantastic\u2019<\/em> Richards\u2019 past; bizarre fringe-science, magic, lost treasure, time-travel, and even pirates. Ha-Haar, me \u2018earties!<\/p>\n

The tale is sheer comics magic and the creators knew they were on to a winner as the deadly Doctor returned in the very next issue, teaming with the recently revived and recalcitrantly reluctant Sub-Mariner<\/strong>\u00a0to attack our heroes as \u2018The Deadly Duo!\u2019 <\/em>in the first Super-Villain Team-Up of the Marvel Age\u2026<\/p>\n

Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner<\/strong> was the second superstar of the Timely Age of Comics – but only because he followed cover-featured Human Torch<\/strong> in the running order of Marvel Mystery Comics<\/strong> #1 in 1939. He has had, however, the most impressive longevity of the company\u2019s original \u201cBig Three\u201d – Torch, Subby & Captain America<\/strong>. The Marine Marvel was revived in Fantastic Four <\/strong>#4; once again a conflicted but noble villain, and remains prominent in the company\u2019s pantheon to this day.<\/p>\n

Inked by Dick Ayers, FF<\/strong> #6 reintroduced the concept of antiheroes as Namor was promptly betrayed by Doom, and ended up saving the quirky quartet from death in space. This created a truly complex dynamic with his fellow rogue monarch and the FF. The Devil Doctor\u2019s inevitable betrayal has coloured the relationship of both sinister sovereigns ever since.<\/p>\n

1963 was a pivotal year in the development of Marvel. Lee & Kirby had proved their new high concept – human heroes with flaws and tempers – had a willing audience. Now they would extend that concept to a new pantheon of heroes and even the bad guys. Here is where that second innovation came to the fore. Previously, superheroes were sufficient unto themselves and shared adventures were rare. Now, however there was a shared universe where characters often tripped over each other, sometimes fighting each other\u2019s enemies! The creators themselves might turn even up in a Marvel Comic!<\/p>\n

Cover-date January 1963, Fantastic Four<\/strong> #10 was released in October of 1962 and saw \u2018The Return of Doctor Doom!\u2019<\/em> Here, the archvillain used Stan & Jack themselves to lure Richards into a trap where his mind is switched with the bad Doctor\u2019s. Unfortunately the scheme does not survive his own impatience as alien body-swap techniques come undone because Doom cannot keep up the sham long enough to spring his shrinking-ray ambush on the rest of the team…<\/p>\n

Thematic follow-up Fantastic Four<\/strong> #16 explores \u2018The Micro-World of Doctor Doom!\u2019 <\/em>in a spectacular romp guest-starring emergent superhero Ant-Man<\/strong>. Despite his resounding rout, the steel-shod villain promptly returned to the larger universe with more infallible, deadly traps a month later in \u2018Defeated by Doctor Doom!\u2019<\/em> (#17, August 1963, and on sale from May 9th<\/sup>). Of course, they actually weren\u2019t and soon sent the sinister tyrant packing in what seemed a fall to his death\u2026<\/p>\n

Doom was the most frequent threat to the FF, and the first foe to break another unspoken rule by going after other heroes in the cohesive shared universe Lee & Kirby were building. Cover-dated October 1963 and with Ditko on pencils & inks, Amazing Spider-Man<\/strong> #5 saw the webspinner \u2018Marked for Destruction by Dr. Doom!\u2019 <\/em>and not so much winning as surviving his unwanted duel against the deadliest man on Earth. In a titanic comedy of errors Doom seeks another super-powered pawn in his war on humanity, but utterly underestimates his obviously juvenile opponent. Moreover, in this tale, Peter Parker<\/em>\u2019s nemesis, jock bully Flash Thompson<\/em>, first displayed depths beyond the usual in contemporary comic books, beginning one of the best love\/hate buddy relationships in popular literature\u2026
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\nFantastic Four<\/strong> #23 (February 1964) heralded \u2018The Master Plan of Doctor Doom!\u2019<\/em>, and introduced his frankly mediocre minions the Terrible Trio<\/em> – Bull Brogin<\/em>, Handsome Harry<\/em> and Yogi Dakor<\/em>. Even after they were augmented by Doom\u2019s science these goons were sub-par opponents for the FF, but the Iron Dictator\u2019s uncannily menacing \u201cSolar Wave\u201d was enough to raise the hackles on my 5-year-old neck… and still does! (Do I need to qualify that with: all of me was five but only my precious neck had developed hackles worth boasting of back then?)<\/p>\n

The one-dimensional evil genius was recast as a tragic figure forever shackled by his flaws thanks to the primary contents of Fantastic Four Annual<\/strong> #2 (September 1964) wherein Chic Stone inked \u2018The Fantastic Origin of Doctor Doom!\u2019 <\/em>A short (12 page) scene-setter, this momentously detailed how a brilliant \u201cgypsy\u201d youth remade himself into the most dangerous man in creation, ruthlessly overcoming obstacles such as ethnic oppression, crushing poverty and the shocking stigma of being the son of a sorceress. That past informed the present as the ultimate villain again attacked old college classmate Reed Richards and is left falsely believing he has achieved \u2018The Final Victory of Dr. Doom!\u2019<\/em> However, he has actually suffered his most ignominious defeat after Richards turned the despot\u2019s guile, subterfuge and mind-control tools against him. This clash also introduced a long-running and bewildering plot thread connecting the Monstrous Monarch to time-travelling tyrant Rama Tut<\/em>\/Kang the Conqueror<\/strong>\u2026<\/p>\n

Jumping forward to the summer of 1965, FF <\/strong>#39 (cover-dated June, and on sale from March 11th<\/sup>, with Frank Giacoia AKA \u201cFrank Ray\u201d inking) saw the team deprived of their powers. Having remembered he had not beaten his enemies at last, an enraged Doom targets the helpless heroes in \u2018A Blind Man Shall Lead Them!\u2019 <\/em>with sightless swashbuckling vigilante Daredevil<\/strong> stepping up to provide their only hope of staying alive. The tale concluded in #40\u2019s \u2018The Battle of the Baxter Building\u2019 <\/em>with Vince Colletta inking a bombastic battle revealing the undeniable power, overwhelming pathos and indomitable heroism of the brutish Thing <\/strong>as – deprived of his greatest wish and cruelly restored to his monstrous mutated form – Ben Grimm<\/em> hands Doom the most humiliating defeat of his life\u2026<\/p>\n

After a brief but significant tenure, Colletta signed off by inking one of the most crowded Marvel stories ever. Fantastic Four Annual<\/strong> #3 famously featured every hero, most of the villains and lots of ancillary characters in the company pantheon… such as teen-romance stars Patsy Walker & Hedy Wolf<\/strong> and even Stan and Jack themselves. \u2018Bedlam at the Baxter Building!\u2019<\/em> spectacularly celebrates the Richards-Storm<\/em> nuptials, despite a massed attack by an army of baddies mesmerised by the diabolical Doctor into crashing the wedding party. In its classical simplicity it signalled the end of one era and the start of another…
\n\"\"
\nWith inker Ayers backing up Lee & Don Heck, Avengers<\/strong> #25 (cover-dated February 1966 but released before Christmas 1965. The still-learning but ever-improving new squad of Captain America<\/strong>, Hawkeye<\/strong>, Quicksilver<\/strong> and the Scarlet Witch<\/strong> face their greatest test yet after being lured to Latveria and captured by the deadliest man alive in \u2018Enter\u2026 Dr. Doom!\u2019 <\/em>With the entire nation imprisoned under an energy the trainees are forced to fight their way out of the tyrant\u2019s utterly cowed, hyper-militarised kingdom…<\/p>\n

Quiet for almost a year, the Iron Dictator exploded back into the forefront of comics with an absolute epic spanning Fantastic Four<\/strong> #57-60 released in the last four months of 1966. After a sequence of yarns introducing The Inhumans<\/strong>, Black Panther<\/strong>, Silver Surfer<\/strong> and Galactus<\/strong>, Lee & Kirby were at their sublime best and concocted what for many was the ultimate Doom saga.<\/p>\n

Packed with unbearable tension, breathtaking drama and shattering action on all fronts it sees the most dangerous man on Earth steal and empower himself with the Silver Surfer\u2019s cosmic forces, even as in a parallel story arc, those long-imprisoned Inhumans at last win their freedom even as we learn the tragic secret of mute Black Bolt<\/strong> in all his awesome fury. It begins with a jailbreak by Sandman<\/em> in #57\u2019s \u2018Enter\u2026 Dr. Doom!\u2019<\/em>, escalates in \u2018The Dismal Dregs of Defeat!\u2019<\/em> as Doom tests his limitless stolen power and crushes all earthly resistance; builds to a crescendo in \u2018Doomsday\u2019<\/em> with the FF\u2019s total defeat and humiliation before culminating in brains and valour saving the day – and all humanity – in truly magnificent manner in \u2018The Peril and the Power!\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

Read it, not about it!<\/p>\n

Daredevil<\/strong> 37-38 (February & March 1968 and available December 12th<\/sup> 1967 and January 9th<\/sup> 1968 respectively) saw an early crossover event. In the interests of completeness they are preceded by the cliffhanging final page from DD #36 (Lee Gene Colan & Giacoia) wherein the injured Man Without Fear is captured by Doom.<\/p>\n

With John Tartaglione on brushes, DD is penned in the Latverian Embassy and the full story unfolds in #37. \u2018Don\u2019t Look Now, But It\u2019s… Doctor Doom!\u2019<\/em> reveals how the Iron Tyrant uses his old body swap gimmick to trade meatsuits with Matt Murdock<\/em>, while sharing the secret of how he escaped the judgement of Galactus after depowering the Silver Surfer.
\n\"\"
\nInitially helpless before the Iron Dictator, DD is trapped in \u2018The Living Prison!\u2019 <\/em>(Giacoia inks) as Doom anticipates a perfect sneak attack on his despised foes. However, after warning the FF, DD outwits Doom anyway… but forgets to notify them. Thus Doom\u2019s devilish ploy culminates in a stupendous Lee, Kirby & Sinnott crafted clash in Fantastic Four<\/strong> #73. Outmatched and unable to convince the Human Torch, Thing and Mr. Fantastic any other way, DD enlists currently de-powered Thor <\/strong>and the ever-eager Spider-Man to solve the problem Marvel style – with a spectacular, pointless and utterly riveting punch-up: \u2018The Flames of Battle…\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

Closing this first annal of atrocity, is a yarn from experimental try-out title Marvel Super-Heroes<\/strong> #20 (May 1969) which awarded the villain his first full-length solo shot. Written by Larry Lieber & Roy Thomas, and illustrated by Lieber, Giacoia & Colletta, \u2018This Man\u2026 This Demon!\u2019 <\/em>restated Doom\u2019s origins and revealed a youthful dalliance with an innocent Romani maid named Valeria<\/em>. In the now, that failed relationship is exploited by demon alchemist Diablo<\/em> who claims to need an ally and partner but truly seeks a mighty slave. Doom deals with the charlatan in typically effective style\u2026<\/p>\n

This villain vehicle led to the Master of Menace winning his own solo series in Astonishing Tales<\/strong> #1-8, but that\u2019s a topic for another time…<\/p>\n

With covers by Kirby, Sinnott, Ayers, Stone, Ditko, Colan, Wood, Giacoia, Lieber, Colletta, Gil Kane, John Romita Sr., Sal Buscema, John Buscema, John Verpoorten and more, the bonus treat selection begins with landmark house ads for Doom\u2019s earliest appearances by Kirby, Bob Powell and Marie Severin; a selection of Doom pinups from Fantastic Four Annual<\/strong> #1 (1963, by Kirby) and Amazing Spider-Man Annual<\/strong> #1(1964, by Ditko) and Kirby original art pages.<\/p>\n

These are backed up by a series of reprint and premium covers from Marvel Triple Action<\/strong>; Marvel Treasury Edition<\/strong> #11 (1976); Spider-Man Classics <\/strong>#6 (Ron Frenz & Terry Austin, September 1993); Spider-Man Collectible Series<\/strong> #11 (Frenz & Milgrom, October 2006); Essential<\/strong> Fantastic Four<\/strong> vol. 2 (1999 by Alan Davis & Marie Javins): Mighty Marvel Masterworks: The Fantastic Four<\/strong> vol. 3 (2023 by Leonardo Romero): Doctor Doom<\/strong>: The Book of Doom Omnibus <\/strong>(2023 by Greg Land & Frank D\u2019Armata) and Fantastic Four Facsimile Editions <\/strong>#5, 6 & 10 (all 2025 by Ryan Brown, Ema Lupacchino, Rachelle Rosenberg, Mark Buckingham & Alex Sinclair).<\/p>\n

This graphic grimoire contains sheer comic enchantment, and is a book no lover of fantastic fiction and appreciator of arcane evil can afford to ignore – just as long as they remember which side they\u2019re on…
\n\u00a9 2025 MARVEL.<\/p>\n

Today in 1909, Golden Age All Star Everett E. Hibbard<\/strong> (Flash<\/strong>, Justice Society of America<\/strong>) was born, as was erotic comics artist Tom of Finland<\/em><\/strong>\/AKA Touko Valio Laaksonen<\/strong> in 1920 and master mangaka Kazuo Koike<\/strong> (Lone Wolf and Cub<\/strong>, Lady Snowblood<\/strong>, Crying Freeman<\/strong>) in 1936.<\/p>\n

Today in 1938 Filipino artist Adrian Gonzales<\/strong> (All-Star Squadron<\/strong>, Arak, Son of Thunder<\/strong>, Super Powers<\/strong>) and French master Jean Giraud<\/strong>\/Moebius<\/em><\/strong> (Blueberry<\/strong>, Arzach<\/strong>, The Incal<\/strong>) showed up for the first time, like Full Metal Alchemist<\/strong> creator Hiromu Arakawa<\/strong> in 1973, Planetes<\/strong> mangaka Makoto Yukimura<\/strong> in 1976 and Jamie McKelvie<\/strong> (The Wicked + the Profane<\/strong>, Phonogram<\/strong>, Young Avengers<\/strong>) in 1980.<\/p>\n

In 1961, Nicholas P. Dallis <\/strong>& Alex Kotzky<\/strong>\u2019s strip Apartment 3-G<\/strong> began on this date but we lost UK humour stalwart Thomas Watson Williams<\/strong> (Creature Teacher<\/em>, Peter Pest<\/em>, Stevie Star<\/em> for Shiver and Shake<\/strong>, Whizzer and Chips<\/strong>, Monster Fun<\/strong> and Cor!!<\/strong>) in 2002, and the irreplaceable Maurice Sendak<\/strong> in 2012.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Stan Lee & Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, Larry Lieber, Roy Thomas, Don Heck, Gene Colan, Frank Giacoia, Joe Sinnott, Dick Ayers, George Roussos, Chic Stone, Vince Colletta, John Tartaglione & various (MARVEL) ISBN: 978-1-3029-6612-6 (TPB\/Digital edition) This book includes Discriminatory Content produced in less enlightened times. As the world\u2019s greatest supervillain (Sorry, Donny Littlehands!) … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Doctor Doom Epic Collection volume 1 (962-1969): Enter Doctor Doom”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[222,351,94,85,290,317,54,98,189,117,79,174,242,219,107,157,39,144,155,100,70],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35458","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ant-man","category-apes-monkeys","category-avengers","category-daredevil","category-dinosaurs","category-doctor-doom","category-fantastic-four","category-hulk","category-inhumans","category-jack-kirby","category-marvel-superheroes","category-nick-fury","category-pirates","category-s-h-i-e-l-d","category-science-fiction","category-silver-surfer","category-spider-man","category-steve-ditko","category-sub-mariner","category-thor","category-x-men"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4AFj-9dU","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35458","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35458"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35458\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35468,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35458\/revisions\/35468"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35458"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35458"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35458"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}