Doctor Occult

Doctor Occult is the U.S. publisher DC Comics published in alternating form since 1935, the title of a comic series.

Doctor Occult told - as the name already suggests the series - stories which are located in the " Mystery" and also include elements from the field of horror and weird fiction generally.

Publications on Doctor Occult

The first "Doctor Occult " story was published in October 1935 in the issue # 6 of the comic series "More Fun Comics ", in the "Doctor Occult " series made ​​a permanent feature in the following years. Author of these early stories, and creator of Doctor Occult was the American Jerry Siegel, who later reached by the cartoon characters he invented or -series "Superman" and " Spectre " as a science fiction writer world ranking.

With "More Fun Comics " # 38 from 1938 disappeared "Doctor Occult " as a feature of this series. More Stories of the figure were first published in "The Comics Magazine" ( under the title Dr. Mystic )

In the 1980s, published "Doctor Occult " stories in the series "All Star Brigade" before the figure in the early 1990s by authors such as Neil Gaiman - as one of the title characters of "The Trenchcoat Brigade" as well as the main character in the graphic novel "The Book of Magic " - and Roger Stern - in the series " Superman " - " revived" in a modernized form was. 1994 devoted Vertigo, a DC imprint that publishes comic books that should specifically target an adult audience, a one-shot to Doctor Occult. In 1999 he played in the - also published by Vertigo - miniseries "Trenchcoat Brigade" a supporting role.

Title character and action

Doctor Occult, who is actually a private investigator Richard Occult hot of the research on natural processes dedicated to. Optical - with trench coat, pulled into the front fedora hat, elegant suits and chain-smoking - the " hard-boiled detectives " of the so-called black series, as Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe or Dashiell Hammett's Sam Spade modeled, has the figure itself in newer stories her at the fashion maintained in the 1930s and 1940s ajar appearance.

In solving his cases, which almost always have something to do with phenomena such as magic, occultism, Satanism, Mysticism or other action forces darker, more sinister powers come Occult his own supernatural abilities benefit: It can other people hypnotize, can deceptively force of his will genuine conjure up illusions and exercise telekinetically control over things and people. He also has a "magic disc " (a kind of amulet), which looks visually like a trapped in a circle Maltese cross and it enables him to accomplish a wide variety of magic tricks and that can only be touched by him. Assisted in his adventures is Occult by his butler Jenkins and his partner / companion Rose Psychic ( from More Fun Comics # 19 in March 1937). Frequent guest stars in occults adventures are next to Superman, the mysterious Phantom Stranger and the cynical John Constantine. Occults most frequent adversary is the evil magician Koth.

To occults enemies among the shamanistic group "The Seven", a clique of seven questionable mystics who had raised him and Rose Psychic. The most important development in the various rows is the fusion occults and Roses to a person with two personalities that are separating from each other.