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Title-The Most Fateful Trip

Issue - 6

Writer - Michael Jan Friedman

Art - Marie Severin

Summary:

Accompanied by Fortune and Wire, Doom travels to an island off the coast of California coast to search for a device known as an ambient energy collector. On the island they discover a population of humans enthralled to a collection of antique television sets. Soon they also find that the ambient energy collector is projecting old TV sitcoms into the nervous system of everyone on the island, thus placing everyone into a virtual reality sim. Fortune and Doom quickly succumb to the effects of the collector so Wire jacks into the collector's signal in a attempt to destroy it. Inside the collector's signal, Wire travels through simulations of old TV sitcoms who act as obstacles to his reaching the man in charge, Mr. Money. When at last Wire reaches Mr. Money, headquartered in a bank, Wire is forbidden to exit the sim reality. Wire then deduces that the exit out of the sim reality is behind the bank's security safe. Unlocking the door Wire lunges outwards and exits back into reality and uses a laser to destroy the collector. With the collector destroyed, Doom and company retreat from the island while under attack from the island natives who have gone mad without the power of the collector.

Notes:

• Story features appearances by characters from classic sitcoms such as Bewitched, Get Smart, The Honeymooners, Mister Ed, and others.

Title - Mirrors

Issue - 7
Writer - Terry Kavanagh
Art - Edmund Perryman

Summary:

The story opens with Doom aboard the floating city he acquired from Alchemax. He is contemplating his next move when an entity coming from the Virtual Unreality Gate opens communications with him. The "Oracle" as he is referred to offers to tell Doom what his past may have been like. Unknown to Doom, far away in New York, this is all planned by Tyler Stone in order to recover the floating city from Doom's clutches. But unknown to even Tyler Stone is that even more powerful forces are working form the Virtual Unreality Gate. The Oracle then shows Doom a past where Doom is a rich millionaire industrialist. In this world Victor Von Doom is a caring man whose concern for his home Latveria also stretches to his adopted home of America. Unknown to the world he secretly uses his hidden armor to right wrongs and defend the interest of the nation he loves. During the course of the vision we see Von Doom saving the famed Mercury capsule from cosmic rays and thus inadvertently averting the creation of The Fantastic Four. Also seen is an assassination attempt on his life which leaves him horribly scarred both physically and mentally. Von Doom in this world becomes somewhat vengeful in his quest to protect his nation. In the real world of 2099 Doom rejects the insinuation that he could ever care for another nation as he would Latveria and therefore destroys the gate in a fit of anger. Back in New York Tyler Stone's attempt to regain the floating city is foiled and concludes that Virtual Unreality is a lost cause.

Notes:

• In the unreality vision we have guest appearances by Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, Ben Grimm, Otto Octavius, Peter Parker, and if I am not mistaken, Stan Lee.

• The Victor Von Doom presented by the Oracle is no doubt a blend of Tony Stark/Iron Man, Bruce Wayne/Batman [note at the end he has a signal that is used to call him], and of course Dr. Doom himself.

• Tyler Stone cameo.

• It is implied by the scribbling that Tyler Stone makes at the end that the "Oracle" is in fact Kang the Conqueror, frequent adversary of The Avengers. Doom and Kang have a long history, shrouded mostly in mystery and contradictions. When the two first met in Fantastic Four Annual #2, the two men believed that they were the same person. The theory has changed over the years so that Kang and Doom are believed to be relatives of some kind, most likely a descendent. Although it has also been said that Kang is descended from Nathanial Richards (Mr. Fantastic's father and a man who briefly masqueraded as Doctor Doom).

Title - Rumors of War

Issue - 8
Writer - Ernie Colon
Art - Ernie Colon

Summary:
Hearing rumors that an ancient Latverian hero has come back to lead Latveria, Doom disguises himself as a common Zefiro to investigate. Doom uncovers that the Latverian military is getting out of hand and oppressing Zerifo gypsies under the orders of one particular Latverian army general. Doom confronts the general and promptly executes him. Doom then searches for the so called Latverian hero leading the popular revolt. He soon learns that the rumors were started by old village folk who assumed that their hero had returned when they saw his armor walking around the country side. In fact the armor was being worn by two small children who were playing in the tombs of the Latverian rulers. Doom tells his people to rebuild the homes that were destroyed and makes the children clean the tombs and shine the armors of the mausoleum.
 

Notes:

• Doom takes on a human countenance, could the face he put on be his face as it was before he was scarred or did he pick just any face?

• We see for the first time that Latveria apparently has an army, Generals, and they do follow Doom as leader.

• Here Doom carries the title "Emperor", something that is not exactly made clear in the main title. John Francis Moore never makes it clear exactly who runs the government in Latveria or what Doom's official title is. When Doom leaves for his conquest of America he leaves Fortune "in charge of Latverian affairs." The fact that he leaves Fortune in charge seems to imply that the Zerifo tribal council of elders plays a very important role in governing Latveria but are still in some way subservient to Doom. To what extent Doom or the council has control over the whole country is never truly made clear. The only thing that is for sure is that Doom can pretty much do whatever he wants and generally speaks for all Latveria. 

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