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Casey At The Bat
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At this point in the series 'Not Brand Echh' had gone double-sized on a bi-monthly publication schedule, increasing the page count in an attempt to be more like 'Mad'. It even has a contents page, unlike (nearly?) all other Marvel comics of the time.
Doom's first appearance is in an adaptation of the poem 'Casey At The Bat'. I must admit I had to look this one up - it's one of those (very few) pieces of American culture which haven't made it into the public consciousness over on this side of the Atlantic, possibly because it was never mentioned in an episode of 'Friends'! It's a nineteenth century poem about baseball, which is 'recited' faithfully here, with the humour coming from the use of comics characters and their commentary on what's going on.
For some reason Doctor Doom talks in a German accent throughout the story. He's never done this in any of the comics, so I imagine it's an attempt to make it even MORE hilarious (NB I am now heartily fed up with 'Not Brand Echh' by this point, so that is definitely sarcasm) by referencing the Wolfgang character in 'Rowan And Martin's Laugh-In'. This character also appears on the front cover of Not Brand Echh #11 in another example of the growing focus on TV parodies as the series attempts to further mimic 'Mad' .
Doom shows up again in a couple of 'Super-Hero Greeting Cards'.
As in most of Doom's appearances in 'Not Brand Echh', they don't refer to his actual character, rather using him as a signifier for all Super-Villains. In most cases another villain like Magneto or Doctor Octopus could have been used instead, but it's generally Doctor Doom who's used when a baddie's needed. It doesn't make for hilarious reading, but it does show how important he is as a character, even though at the moment he's being used a lot more for this than for actual narrative action in the main Marvel universe!
link to information about this issue
posted 11/7/2018 by Mark Hibbett
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