Doctor Occult (Richard Occult, sometimes nicknamed the Ghost Detective, and one time referred to as Doctor Mystic) is a fictional

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...

s published by

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

. Created by

Jerry Siegel Jerome "Jerry" Siegel ( ; October 17, 1914 – January 28, 1996) Roger Stern. ''Superman: Sunday Classics: 1939–1943'' DC Comics/ Kitchen Sink Press, Inc./ Sterling Publishing; 2006 was an American comic book writer. He was the co-creator of ...

and

Joe Shuster Joseph Shuster ( ; July 10, 1914 – July 30, 1992) was a Canadian-American comic book artist best known for co-creating the DC Comics character Superman, with Jerry Siegel, in ''Action Comics'' #1 ( cover-dated June 1938). Shuster was involv ...

(the creators of

Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

), Doctor Occult is an occult detective,

private investigator A private investigator (often abbreviated to PI; also known as a private detective, an inquiry agent or informally a wikt:private eye, private eye) is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. ...

and magic user who specializes in cases involving the supernatural. Doctor Occult first appeared in 1935 during the Platinum Age of Comic Books. He was published by

National Comics Publications National Comics Publications (NCP; later known as National Periodical Publications Inc. or simply National) was an American comic book publishing company. It was the direct predecessor of modern-day DC Comics. History The corporation was origin ...

and

Centaur Publications Centaur Publications (also known as Centaur Comics) was one of the earliest American comic book publishers. During their short existence, they created several colorful characters, including Bill Everett's Amazing-Man (Centaur Publications), Amazi ...

within anthology titles. He is the earliest recurring, originally featured fictional character still used in the

DC Universe The DC Universe (DCU) is the shared universe in which most stories in American comic book titles published by DC Comics take place. In context, the term "DC Universe" usually refers to the main DC Continuity (fiction), continuity. It contains v ...

. He is sometimes affiliated with the

All-Star Squadron The All-Star Squadron is a DC Comics superhero team that debuted in ''Justice League, Justice League of America'' #193 (August 1981) and was created by Roy Thomas, Rich Buckler and Jerry Ordway. Although the team was introduced in the 1980s, its s ...

and has appeared in paranormal-related stories by DC and

Vertigo Comics DC Vertigo, also known as Vertigo Comics or simply Vertigo, is an Imprint (trade name), imprint of the American comic book publisher DC Comics. Vertigo publishes comics with adult comics, adult content, such as nudity, drug use, profanity, and ...

titles.

Publication history

Mainstream version

Golden Age titles

Doctor Occult first appeared in the sixth issue of the

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...

comic books series '' New Fun'' in October 1935. (New Fun was retitled ''More Fun'' beginning with issue #7 and again to ''More Fun Comics'' with issue #20.) The character was credited to "Leger and Reuths" — partial anagrams of Siegel and Shuster's surnames. Later, Siegel and Shuster left the character for the more popular

. Occult was depicted as a

supernatural Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...

detective whose detecting style was in the style of

Sam Spade Sam Spade is a fictional character and the protagonist of Dashiell Hammett's 1930 novel '' The Maltese Falcon''. Spade also appeared in four lesser-known short stories by Hammett. ''The Maltese Falcon'', first published as a serial in the pulp ...

, but with supernatural abilities. Supporting characters in the strip included Rose Psychic and Occult's butler. Writers such as Les Daniels have cited the character as a prototype of Superman. Renamed to "Dr. Mystic", Occult also appeared in

' ''The Comics Magazine'' #1 (May 1936), with that story continuing in DC's ''More Fun Comics'' #14-17. In this story, he travels to a mystic realm where he flies and wears a cape, making him the first caped comic book superhero. Doctor Occult's last

Golden Age The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology, particularly the ''Works and Days'' of Hesiod, and is part of the description of temporal decline of the state of peoples through five Ages of Man, Ages, Gold being the first and the one during wh ...

appearance was in ''More Fun Comics'' #32 in 1938.

Bronze Age revival

After years of obscurity, the character was revived in the 1980s, appearing in issues of ''

'', ''

Swamp Thing Swamp Thing is a superhero and antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson, the Swamp Thing has had several different incarnations throughout his publication. The ch ...

'', and ''

Crisis on Infinite Earths ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' is a 1985 to 1986 American comic book fictional crossover, crossover series published by DC Comics. Written by Marv Wolfman and penciller, pencilled by George Pérez, it was first released as a 12-issue limited ser ...

''.

Modern Age revivals

The character had a featured

origin story In fiction, an origin story is an account or backstory revealing how a character or group of people become a protagonist or antagonist. In American comic books, it also refers to how characters gained their superpowers and/or the circumstances ...

in ''

Secret Origins ''Secret Origins'' is the title of several comic book series published by DC Comics which featured the origin stories of the publisher's various characters. Publication history ''Secret Origins'' was first published as a one-shot in 1961 and c ...

'' #17 (1987). He later appeared in comics such as

Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman (; born Neil Richard Gaiman; 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, audio theatre, and screenplays. His works include the comic series ''The Sandman (comic book), The Sandma ...

's ''

The Books of Magic ''The Books of Magic'' is the title of a four-issue English-language comic book Limited series (comics), miniseries written by Neil Gaiman, published by DC Comics, and later an ongoing series under the imprint Vertigo Comics, Vertigo. Since its or ...

'' (1991), '' The Trenchcoat Brigade'' (alongside Mister E, the

Phantom Stranger The Phantom Stranger is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, of unspecified paranormal origins, who battles mysterious and occult forces, sometimes under their Vertigo (DC Comics), Vertigo imprint. The character ...

, and

John Constantine John Constantine (), also known as Hellblazer, is an antihero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. He was created by Alan Moore, Steve Bissette, and John Totleben, and first appeared in ''Swamp Thing'' #37 (June 1985). I ...

) (1999), and "

Day of Judgement The Last Judgment is a concept found across the Abrahamic religions and the '' Frashokereti'' of Zoroastrianism. Christianity considers the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to entail the final judgment by God of all people who have ever lived, res ...

" (1999) as part of the

Sentinels of Magic The Sentinels of Magic is a fictional team of supernaturally powered superheroes created by Geoff Johns and Matthew Dow Smith appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. First appearing in ''Day of Judgment (comics), Day of Judgment ...

Reboot

The New 52 The New 52 was the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire Line (comics), line of ongoing monthly superhero American comic books, comic books. Following the conclusion of the "Flashpoint (comics), Flashpoint" Fictional crossover, cros ...

continuity reboot, Doctor Occult appears in ''

Justice League Dark Justice League Dark, or JLD, is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team made their debut in ''Justice League Dark'' #1 (September 2011). The team features some of the more supernatural characters in t ...

'', '' Constantine'', '' Secret Six'', and ''

'' series.

Other versions

Doctor Occult appears in comic books outside of the mainstream

in what is referred to as the

multiverse The multiverse is the hypothetical set of all universes. Together, these universes are presumed to comprise everything that exists: the entirety of space, time, matter, energy, information, and the physical laws and constants that describ ...

. Many are adaptation tie-ins, including ''

Justice League Unlimited ''Justice League Unlimited'' (''JLU'') is an American superhero animated series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation with DC Comics in season 3 and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Universe, and ...

'' (vol. 1) #14, '' Batman: The Brave and the Bold'' #9, and '' Injustice: Gods Among Us: Year 3 Annual'' #1. Occult also appears in issue #2 of the

Elseworlds Elseworlds is the publication imprint (trade name), imprint for American comic books produced by DC Comics for stories that take place outside the DC Universe Canon (fictional), canon. Elseworlds publications are set in alternate realities that ...

comic series '' Superman & Batman: Generations II''.

Fictional character biography

The fictional character's origin was revealed in ''

'' (vol. 2) #17. (August 1987) by E. Nelson Bridewell and Roy Thomas. They depicted him and his partner Rose Psychic being slated as human sacrifices at the hands of a demonic cult, but were rescued by a shadowy group called "The Seven". The two were later trained in the use of occult magics themselves. Thirty-six years later, Doctor Occult establishes a detective agency and joins the All-Star Squadron during World War II. After Occult sacrifices his soul to defeat the Stalker, Rose fuses with him to save his life. Occult has used sorcery to halt his aging, causing him to appear middle-aged despite being born in the late 1800s. In 1991, Occult appeared in ''

'', written by

. He, Mister E, the

, and

mentor Timothy Hunter and guide him to become a powerful magician. In ''

Day of Judgment The Last Judgment is a concept found across the Abrahamic religions and the '' Frashokereti'' of Zoroastrianism. Christianity considers the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to entail the final judgment by God of all people who have ever lived, res ...

'', Occult joins the

, a group created to prevent artifacts such as the

Spear of Destiny A spear is a polearm consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fastened to t ...

from falling into the wrong hands. Occult appears as a main character in ''

Reign in Hell A reign is the period of a person's or dynasty's occupation of the office of monarch of a nation (e.g., Saudi Arabia, Belgium, Andorra), of a people (e.g., the Franks, the Zulus) or of a spiritual community (e.g., Catholicism, Tibetan Buddhism, ...

'', where he enters

Hell In religion and folklore, hell is a location or state in the afterlife in which souls are subjected to punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history sometimes depict hells as eternal destinations, such as Christianity and I ...

to find Rose Psychic. In The New 52, Occult is depicted as the keeper of the House of Secrets. In the DC All In series ''Justice League Unlimited'' (vol. 2), he joins the expanded

Justice League The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived the ...

Powers and abilities

Doctor Occult has the powers of astral projection, hypnosis, illusion creating, and telekinesis. He wields a powerful talisman, a sphere or disc with a black and white pattern, called the Mystic Symbol of the Seven. It grants him the powers of clairvoyance, exorcism, deflection, and force field projection.

In other media

* Doctor Occult appears as a

non-playable character A non-player character (NPC) is a character in a game that is not controlled by a player. The term originated in traditional tabletop role-playing games where it applies to characters controlled by the gamemaster (or referee) rather than by a ...

in ''

DC Universe Online ''DC Universe Online'' (''DCUO'') is a free-to-play massively multiplayer online game set in the fictional universe of DC Comics. Developed by Dimensional Ink Games and co-published by Daybreak Game Company and WB Games, the game was initiall ...

''. * Doctor Occult appears as a character summon in '' Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure''.

Reception

Bill Reed of

Comic Book Resources ''CBR'', formerly ''Comic Book Resources'', is a news website primarily covering comic book news, comic book reviews, and comic book–related topics involving movies, television, anime, and video games. It is owned by Valnet, parent of publicat ...

praised the character saying that

could portray more of him despite him not having the staying power as other supernatural heroes such as

References

{{GoldenAge Characters created by Jerry Siegel Characters created by Joe Shuster Comics characters introduced in 1935 DC Comics characters who use magic DC Comics fantasy characters DC Comics male superheroes DC Comics telekinetics DC Comics titles Fictional hypnotists Fictional paranormal investigators Golden Age superheroes Merged fictional characters Vertigo Comics titles