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DOCTOR WHOZONFIRST

Real Name: Whozonfirst

Identity/Class: Extradimensional/alternate reality (Earth-88131) extraterrestrial (Melmacian? - see comments)

Occupation: Adventurer (possibly Slimelord - see comments)

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: King Ringrod and fellow Drapes, Gordon Shumway (later ALF), various companions

Enemies: Barbie-Dolleks, others

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Who (nickname only)

Base of Operations: Mobile through time and space in the Tardis Gras

First Appearance: ALF#38/2 (February, 1991)

Powers/Abilities: Doctor "Who" Whozonfirst has a whimsical, adventurous and helpful nature. He traverses time and space in a unique craft called the Tardis Gras, which has a broken "karma chameleon" disguise function and is dimensionally larger on the inside than it appears on the outside. Whozonfirst has a sound knowledge of chronal-spatial dynamics. He presumably has the usual physical attributes of a Melmac native (compared to humans), with heightened immunity, extended lifespan (set at 650 years) and a savage appetite open to many forms of food (including cats), although his reference to being a "Slimelord" and the planet Gallifree may indicate other hidden genetic aspects, such as the power of regurgitation to adopt new personalities. He wears a serpentine scarf that sometimes slithers of its own accord.

Height: 4'
Weight: Unrevealed
Eyes: Black
Hair: Brown fur

History:

(ALF#38/2 (fb) - BTS) - The Slimelord Doctor Whozonfirst traveled through time and space in his transdimensionally reconfigured spacecraft, the camouflaged Tardis Gras, often with a female companion, and battled badly costumed villains. At one point, he landed on Melmac, his craft's chameleon camouflage circuit stuck as a Melmacian Orbit Guard call box. Whozonfirst hoped to encounter his next female assistant.

(ALF#38/2 (fb)) - Coincidentally, having just crashlanded nearby, Orbit Guard Gordon Shumway stumbled into the Tardis Gras and met the friendly Slimelord. A sudden distress call from across the galaxy led them to the Planet of the Drapes. Quickly traveling there, the duo found tattered Drapes and King Ringrod under attack from three villainous Barbie-Dolleks. Whozonfirst, Shumway and Ringrod escaped with their foes in pursuit. Quick-thinking  Shumway manipulated a nearby signpost so that "Duke of Kent" instead read "Ken". Distracted by the overriding romantic objective to find Ken, the Barbie-Dolleks fell off a cliff. At Shumway's request, Whozonfirst returned him to Melmac where the Slimelord met a buxom new companion.

(ALF#38/2 (fb) - BTS) - Whozonfirst later used his power of regurgitation to adopt new personalities.

 

Comments: Created by Michael Gallagher, Rusty Haller, Marie Severin.

Doctor Whozonfirst is another potential survivor of Melmac's destruction.

Whozonfirst says "Gallopin' Gallifree" as an expletive; later in ALF#41/1 Gallifree is shown on a signpost in space that ALF zooms past on his way to Earth, so the planet/place exists in ALF's universe. Is it Whozonfirst's home? And is Slimelord a role or his race?

Interestingly, ALF#42/2 revealed that ALF's favorite TV show was "Dr Whom", showing a character who changed appearance to escape alimony payments and who traveled in a phone booth with assistant Sara-Lee. Whozonfirst was likely an inspiration for this TV show (or maybe just a recycled joke).

Doctor Whozonfirst is, of course, a parody of the British sci-fi television show Doctor Who, showing the Doctor in his 4th scarfed incarnation. See also the Appendix profile on Marvel's The Doctor for more info. The Call Box-shaped spacecraft Tardis Gras is a spoof of Doctor Who's TARDIS. The Barbie-Dolleks of Masskaro are an amalgam of the Daleks of Skaro and Barbie dolls (the latter distinctly not Doctor Who!), while Gallifree references the Doctor's homeworld of Gallifrey and Slimelord relates to the Doctor's Timelord race. Regurgitation and new personalities refers to a Timelord's ability to regenerate and take on a new appearance.

Clearly, Doctor Whozonfirst gets his name from Abbott & Costello's Who's On First comedy routine. --John Holstein

Further details on the Melmacian alien species (according to the ALF television show) can be found on a Melmac fansite. No problem!

Profile by Grendel Prime.

CLARIFICATIONS :
Doctor Whozonfirst has no known connections to:

Barbie-Dolleks

The villainous Barbie-Dolleks from Masskaro were cyborgs/robots bent on destruction, notably the denizens of the Planet of the Drapes. They were armed with scissors, hair-dryers and laser blasters. They pursued Doctor Whozonfirst and Gordon Shumway until Shumway diverted the villains' attention with a sign manipulated to read "Ken" and they fell off a cliff chasing this new objective.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

--ALF#38/2 (ALF#38/2 (fb)

images: (without ads)
ALF#38/2, p3, pan1 (main image)
   p4, pan3 (headshot)
   p8, pan2 (in Tardis Gras)
   p5, pan5 (totally Barbie-Dolleks!)

Appearances:
ALF#38/2 (February, 1991) - Michael Gallagher (writer), Rusty Haller (pencils), Marie Severin (inks), Fabian Nicieza (editor)

First posted: 12/31/2020
Last updated: 12/31/2020

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™  and © 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com.

Special Thanks to www.g-mart.com for hosting the Appendix!

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