Doctor /co/ccult

 

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A mystical master of magic. Also, sort of 90's.

 

 

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Affiliation: Freelance, but a friend of the Justice /co/ciety.

 

Status: Active

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While never one of the company's most popular heroes, Doctor /co/ccult enjoyed a brief period of popularity in the late 60's, as his often very psychedelic adventures struck a chord with the young comic buyers of the time, leading to a brief title of his own (The Mysterious Doctor /co/ccult #1-17). Eventually, his popularity died down and though he kept a small but dedicated fanbase, he remained fairly obscure in the 70's, being relegated mainly to ocassional back-up stories in other characters' titles and appearances in The Mathador stories. An attempt to revive the character in the 80's fell flat as many felt the now "socially aware" take on the character had moved too far away from his mystic roots, and the title was cancelled after just six issues (/co/ccult! #1-6). The 90's brought another revival of the character, which, while it was praised for capturing the zeitgeist without straying too far into the "grim 'n' gritty" style of comics that was prevalent at the time, was a(nother) big departure from the original version (Doctor /co/ccult #1-36). By incorporating both philosophy and referencing historical texts on magic and religion and combining it with a more modern take on the character (including a redesign that he retains to this day), but still placing the doctor in psychedelic and fantastic situations, most people agreed that the update managed to stay true to the original intent.

 

While never a part of the Justice /co/mrades (something that could've arguably boosted the character's popularity), he crossed over several times, both with individual members and the team itself, as well as guest-appearances in various other titles.

 

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