M.D. was a short lived comic book published by EC Comics in 1955, the sixth title in its New Direction line. The bi-monthly comic was published by Bill Gaines and edited by Al Feldstein. It lasted a total of five issues before being cancelled along with EC's other New Direction comics.
Content
M.D. focused on medical stories, surgical practices and the day-to-day work of doctors. Each issue featured four stories, plus at least one text piece about a real-life major medical figure.
The frontispiece to the first issue set out its role:
This magazine, M.D., is the sixth of E.C.'s "New Direction" publications. It is dedicated to Mankind's tireless and unceasing battle against disease and to the man who fights that never-ending battle day after day after day... your Family Doctor... your M.D.
But although the M.D. is the protagonist in this magazine, he is not necessarily the hero! The real hero is the man, woman, or child who enters into the M.D.'s stirring and grim world of real medicine to seek out the help and relief his wisdom and experience can give.
This, then, is the theme of M.D. It will contain stories of people... people who are helped by their Family Doctor and his associates in the Medical Profession. It will deal frankly and honestly with the diseases and misfortunes that beset people. It will deal graphically and candidly with the treatment they receive. At times, its stories will be poignant... at time they will be sad... at times they will be grim. But at all times, they will be true to life!
And now, because we feel it best epitomizes the ideals of the Medical Profession, we, the editors of M.D. offer the view taken by all M.D.'s... "The Hippocratic Oath":
...the Hippocratic Oath was then reprinted in full.
The letters page (upon the first of which the above text appeared in lieu of early letters) was titled "The Needles", and contributors to M.D. include Graham Ingels, Marie Severin, George Evans, Joe Orlando, Reed Crandall and Carl Wessler.
Reprints
M.D. was reprinted as part of publisher Russ Cochran's Complete EC Library collection, alongside Valor and Impact as Volume 2 of the "New Direction Part 2" slipcased set (1985). Between September 1999 and January 2000, Cochran and Gemstone Publishing reprinted the five individual issues. This complete run was later rebound, with covers included, in a single softcover EC Annual. Dark Horse reprinted M.D. as part of the EC Archives series in 2021.
