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By Tim Stevens
Like the most popular guests at a party, the
Masters of Evil arrive fashionably late to the book bearing their name in DR. DOOM AND THE MASTERS OF EVIL #3, written by Paul Tobin with art by Patrick Scherberger, after two issues of taking a backseat to the
Sinister Six and Circus of Crime. And that suits Tobin just fine.
"Nate Cosby and I wanted to take a trip across the rich fields of Marvel's villains to give them more individuality," explains the writer. "Just like heroes, all of the villains have origin stories. The thing is, origin stories can only go so far. After your 35th bank job, your rage over getting tossed over for promotions in your earlier life
has to have faded a little bit. There's a time in a villain's life when they wake up in the morning and go, 'Gee, I'm actually a bit of a crumb,' and then they either change, or they just accept it, mark themselves as villains, and lay in bed planning that 36th bank job.
"The assembled members of the Sinister Six are prime examples," he continues. "If you check out the first issue, you'll find that they can't quit robbing things even when they're just walking down the street. It's what they do. The Circus of Crime is a bit different for me. They're bad, but maybe not evil. Some of them, at least, are villains of circumstance. Princess Python
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was especially hard for me to think of [as] bad, but maybe that's just because I'm wired to trust pretty ladies."
With the arrival of #3, however, the Masters of Evil have come front and center.
"Our third issue is chock full of them," Tobin pledges.
As with any endeavor, a few favorites have emerged for Tobin that he thinks readers should pay close attention to.
"Princess Python, just because she's playing with all these major league super-villains, utilizing her powers of being pretty and having a large snake," he reveals. "
Zemo was also a kick. That dude is evil."
Of course, they and the rest of the Masters must come prepared to be the back-up band as
Dr. Doom plays second fiddle to no villain. How will that sit with the Masters, who have lived with the leadership of Baron Zemo and no one else?
"When the new boss is Dr. Doom, people develop a wise tendency to stay away from the suggestion box," Tobin jokes.
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Tobin promises readers that Doom remains as crafty as ever, teasing, "As always, don't turn your back on Doctor Doom."
Fans should not expect the villainy to be the only thing playing at a higher level this issue. The art also rises to the occasion.
"I think this issue has Patrick Scherberger's best art so far," praises Tobin. "And I really challenged him on this one, with huge battle scenes, and otherworldly views, spaceships and aliens and chaos chaos chaos. And he came through with flying colors."
Watch Doom and his team take on Blastaar in DOCTOR DOOM AND THE MASTERS OF EVIL #3, due out March 25. For more by Paul Tobin, head over to Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited!
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