The Hidden History of Doctor Cyborg
Lies! Deception! Death!
These all lie at the heart of the story of Malcolm Syberg, better known to
the secret intelligence community as Doctor Cyborg. The on-line comic strip
you are reading today represents six years of grueling research that I began
in 1998. At that time, Insight Studios had just completed publishing a five
issue Doctor Cyborg comic book mini-series, collected as a graphic novel called
The Clone Conspiracy. That story was taken on faith from a chance encounter
with a certain woman who made amazing claims concerning her role in a fascinating
conspiracy.
The Clone Conspiracy was a cold war journal that connected everything from the
Cabalistic beliefs of Hasidic Judaism to the history of cybernetics, the truth
behind the nuclear fallout that ravaged Nevada desert towns during the atomic
tests of the 1950s and references from scarce journals on catastrophism and
ancient history. Names and events within that story were altered to obscure
the truth and allow the story’s publication before forces that would conspire
to suppress it were able to react.
I can tell you one thing. Some of the evidence still exists within the public domain, scattered throughout the congressional record and assorted other sources. At one time, anyone with a little imagination and perseverance could have pieced it all together. Now much of it has been erased. However, the story did not end with The Clone Conspiracy. Though it took many years and great perseverance, the rest of the story has been uncovered. Not only did I learn that Malcolm Syberg had survived, but I was shocked to learn the extent to which the conspiracy had entwined itself into the fabric of today’s society.
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. If I have learned anything, it is that there is nothing new under the sun. And conspiracies usually are not what they seem. You should understand, that in general, I don’t believe in the occult or so-called pseudo-science. Then again, these days I don’t believe most of what I read, hear, or see. Misinformation is rampant. Bias and selective coverage pervade the media. Scientific papers contain manipulated and inaccurate data. In historical accounts, revisionists often promote a hidden personal agenda. Why? Motivations vary. Some are deceitful. Other distortions are unintentional. It wasn’t until I began to research Doctor Cyborg that I learned that sometimes, the truth is present, but purposefully hidden. And I decided that this might actually be a good practice.
While investigating evidence relevant to Doctor Cyborg, I became fascinated by two literary “heresies”. Not only would I become convinced of their accuracy, I would also borrow from the techniques they used for hiding information. These methods included parables, ciphers and simple name changes. You might be surprised by my influences: The Christian Gospels and the works of Shakespeare. In both cases, the authors’ motivations were similar to mine: self-preservation.
You should keep one thing in mind. These are not wild postulations. The Christian Gospels have been reinterpreted using knowledge brought to light by the Dead Sea Scrolls and the works of Shakespeare have been analyzed using elaborate word counts and comparative writing analysis. While the authorship of the plays can be debated, between the genius of Francis Bacon (whose personal notebook contains many lines directly used years later in the works) and Christopher Marlowe, who may have worked in concert with Bacon after faking his death, there is little doubt that the man named Shakspur from Stratford was not the author, just a mask for the true author. The political minded Bacon would not have wanted to be associated with the (then considered) lowbrow plays and Marlowe was accused of blasphemy.
Meanwhile, the Dead Sea Scrolls document an ancient Hebrew technique called
Pesher –
meaning interpretation, where historic events were hidden within the parables
of miracles and visions and provide the critical link between the ascetic Qumran
inhabitants who wrote the scrolls and the more permissive early Christian church.
Hiding information was necessary to the early Christians given the political
climate. The “miracles” were also useful in recruiting followers
from the Pagan Hellenistic world who required the symbolic power of miracles.
Considering this, I realized that besides disguising portions of my story in parable, I should also provide some embellishments. The more interesting, enticing and acceptable to the public, the more effective Doctor Cyborg would be when the truth was exposed! Many will read and enjoy Doctor Cyborg on a purely fictional level, while others will grasp the hidden truth. In the words of Jesus describing Pesher to his inner circle, “To you is given the mystery of the Kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything is in parables.” Likewise, the works of Shakespeare become more meaningful when I read them as Francis Bacon’s writings and understand his Masonic mission to enlighten the world. Perhaps that is the most important similarity between Doctor Cyborg and its precursors. Doctor Cyborg is about looking at something old in a new way. Any subject can benefit from a critical reexamination. Especially comics.
So as you read the latest installment of Doctor Cyborg, keep an open mind. If you read The Clone Conspiracy, you will find that the echoes of the past will still haunt Malcolm Syberg, but the challenges of the present are even more daunting. And the implications for the future may terrify you. And they should.