Hearts & Minds issue 4
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 It's called Two Doctors. Two doctors! It's just called Two Doctors. | |||||||||||||
| Publisher | IDW Publishing | ||||||||||||
| First published | September 1, 2010 | ||||||||||||
| Cover date | August 2010 | ||||||||||||
| Written by | Max Brooks | ||||||||||||
| Art by | Howard Chaykin "Dr. Mindbender" Antonio Fuso "Doc" | ||||||||||||
| Color assist by | Aburtov "Dr. Mindbender" Filippo Flores "Doc" | ||||||||||||
| Letters by | Robbie Robbins | ||||||||||||
| Editor | Andy Schmidt | ||||||||||||
| Assistant editor | Carlos Guzman | ||||||||||||
Dr. Mindbender dismisses the outdated concept of "morality"; Doc reflects on his career as a surgeon.
"Dr. Mindbender"[edit | edit source]
Synopsis[edit | edit source]
Many years ago, a young scientist suggests to his impressed colleague the use of shaped charges to delay pre-initiation on their project. In a laboratory, he oversees a primate's vivisection. In a political prison, he is given countless dissidents to use as test projects. In a university, he scowls on hearing a conversation between two anti-nuclear weapons campaigners...
"Ethics". "Morality". These, he thinks, are for lesser minds: those too cowardly and primitive to embrace the gifts they've been given, clinging to their models of behavior and the idea of their "conscience" — as ridiculous a fantasy as any cartoon cricket.
In the South American jungle, he sings cheerfully as he has drugs tested on local children in the guise of inoculations. He performs brain surgery on a living subject, watching as his language ability degrades. In a clinic, he administers a "miracle drug" for morning sickness to a pregnant woman.
Good, evil, right, wrong — he rejects them. He chooses truth, knowledge, freedom: freedom to use his awesome, sacred gifts. And it is sacred — for what purpose could man's genius be meant other than to, as a child replaces its parent, replace God himself?
Out in the desert, with his fellow scientists, the man watches the detonation of a nuclear bomb, and smiles in glee.
His codename is Dr. Mindbender. He is Cobra.
Featured characters[edit | edit source]
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Cobra | Others |
|---|---|
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Quotes[edit | edit source]
"Good and evil. Right and wrong. I chose neither. I chose truth! I chose knowledge. Enlightenment. Growth! I chose freedom!"
- —Dr. Mindbender
Notes[edit | edit source]
- This story jumps back and forth through time; you can generally trace Mindbender's age through his increasing baldness and increasingly glorious moustache.
Real life references[edit | edit source]
- Numerous real-world people and events are referenced throughout this issue, most notably J. Robert Oppenheimer and the Manhattan Project at the beginning and end.
- The deeply ironic tune that Mindbender sings in the jungle is "Give a Little Whistle", from Disney's Pinocchio; ironic, because it's specifically a song about the importance of following one's conscience!
"Doc"[edit | edit source]
Synopsis[edit | edit source]
A doctor remembers...
In the midst of a firefight, he ran to the aid of a wounded man, for a doctor must apply all measures required for the benefit of the sick. In a hospital, he reassured a woman's family that her coming medical procedure was nothing to be worried about. In aid missions across the world, he displays warmth, sympathy and understanding, knowing that it can have greater weight than any medicine. Encouraging a wounded soldier to get back on his feet, he remembers that he does not treat injuries and diseases, but human beings; calling in assistance in an operating theater, he remembers not to be ashamed to call in others when necessary. Reading a letter to a blinded soldier, he remembers his obligations to his fellow humans.
In the woman's hospital room, he explains to her family that she has developed a pneumothorax, but promises them that she will be fine. On the battlefield, he takes the wounded man's hand, helping him back to safety step-by-step. He remembers the awesome responsibility that comes with his ability to save, or take, a life; he helps to set up a discharged, injured soldier with proper care and treatment at home, to the man's extreme gratitude. And above all, he remembers that he must not play God... because after unforeseen complications, the hospitalised woman died, and his promise was broken.
His codename is Doc. He is G.I. Joe.
Featured characters[edit | edit source]
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
Quotes[edit | edit source]
"If it is given me to save a life, all thanks. But it may also be within my power to take a life. This awesome responsibility must be faced with extreme humility... and awareness of my own frailty."
- —Doc
Notes[edit | edit source]
Real life references[edit | edit source]
- With the exception of the "My code-name is Doc. I am G.I. Joe" at the end, Doc's narration consists entirely of excerpts from the modern Hippocratic Oath.
- During the aid montage, Doc is seen speaking Swahili, Turkish and Spanish.
- The "UN Tsunami Aid" that Doc is seen working with is part of the response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.
Covers (4)[edit | edit source]
- Cover A: Dr. Mindbender, by Howard Chaykin.
- Cover B: Doc, by Antonio Fuso.
- Cover RI: A wrap-around cover featuring both the A and B cover art.
- Barnes and Noble exclusive cover: Mindbender's cover A art on a red background, with Max Brooks' name highlighted at the top.
