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Eric Jansen
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Joined: 27 October 2013
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Posted: 05 December 2022 at 9:52am | IP Logged | 1 post reply

For over forty years, I've read FANTASTIC FOUR off and on, and I've never quite been sure what lies under Dr. Doom's mask!  Is his face totally ruined or is there more of a twist and perhaps he's mostly fine?

I remember Byrne's close-ups of Doom's eyes showed what seemed to horrible scarring, but there were other moments where it was implied that there was more of a surprise there.

I just finished reading Will Eisner's interview with Jack Kirby in Eisner's SHOP TALK.  In it, Kirby says he wrote everything he drew with Joe Simon or Stan Lee.  To whatever extent that's true, Kirby claims that Dr. Doom "was one of mine."

At least twice in the interview, Kirby flat out states that Dr. Doom is a "handsome guy"!  A handsome guy who merely has a scratch on his face, but his ego forces him to cover it with the mask!

Should I consider this canon?  Does what an original creator says in an interview hold as much weight as published issue #1272 by Joe Writerguy and Bill Artist?

There are other examples I'm sure.  (In the movies at least, I believe the writers of AVENGERS: ENDGAME totally disagree with the directors about whether Steve Rogers grew old in an alternate timeline or not.)

Do you guys agree with Kirby or disagree?
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Mario Ribeiro
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Posted: 05 December 2022 at 10:41am | IP Logged | 2 post reply

It's not about agreeing or disagreeing with Kirby: if it's not in the text, it's not canon. Even because people often contradict themselves in interviews throughout the years.

Now, of course, taken as a whole, FF contradicts itself constantly, but tthat's another discussion.
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Brian Miller
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Posted: 05 December 2022 at 12:04pm | IP Logged | 3 post reply

FF 278 explains it pretty clearly.
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Peter Martin
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Posted: 05 December 2022 at 3:50pm | IP Logged | 4 post reply

FF #5: [panel shows Doom in hospital bed with bandaged face] "HE MANAGED TO ESCAPE WITH HIS LIFE, ALTHOUGH HIS FACE WAS BADLY DISFIGURED!"

FF Annual #2:  [panel shows Doom in bed with bandaged face] "HIS HELPER MIRACULOUSLY ESCAPED WITH MINOR INJURIES! AS FOR VICTOR VON DOOM... HIS FACE WAS HOPELESSLY DISFIGURED!!"

On top of this, the annual also has Doom putting on the mask before it has completely cooled, with Kirby drawing steam coming off it as Doom places it on his face (though he doesn't show any visible discomfort, but then again the script tells us Doom thinks pain is for lesser men).

Stan's text tells us quite clearly that the initial explosion itself badly disfigured him. Maybe that's not quite what Kirby intended, or maybe Kirby changed his mind over the years (Kirby's take is a clever idea), but as JB says, what's canon is what's on the printed page not what Kirby later recounts in interviews.
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David Teller
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Posted: 06 December 2022 at 2:15pm | IP Logged | 5 post reply

Look at a Song like "sympathy for the Devil". Imagine the musician and the lyricist were different like Elton John and Bernie Taupin. 

The music is a Samba! 
The Lyrics are about Lucifer.

What's the song about? It ain't about Samba. 


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