First page of the comic

"The Doctor Is In... Over His Head" is a comic based onDr. Mario, printed inNintendo Comics System featuring Super Mario Bros. No. 9 as part of theSuper Mario Bros. series of comics.

Plot synopsis[edit]

Mario is rushing to theMushroom Kingdom General Hospital because he believes there is a plumbing emergency there. He has enlistedPrincess Toadstool to carry his tools for him asLuigi is busy, but upon arriving, the team finds out there is no plumbing emergency, much to Mario's disappointment. However, the scatterbrainedDr. Waldo Bloom remarks that there is indeed an emergency here - he needs a new research assistant, and he has decided to give Mario that position. Mario is not keen on the idea (or on being calledDr. Mario), but the Princess insists.

Dr. Bloom shows Mario and the Princess through the hospital, showing off the room where they cureMushroom People and enemies alike (they make enemies sign a contract to be good, though, as theGoomba in the room shows, it does not always work). Dr. Bloom then brings them to his laboratory, where he explains that he has recently discoveredViruses that have been multiplying ever since. He has placed the original specimens under a giant microscope and the multiples in a jar. Suddenly the original Viruses break loose from their container and land inside the giant microscope. Mario uses his plunger to open it up, releasing the now human-sized Viruses, who introduce themselves as Chill (blue), Fever (red), and Weird (yellow). After inflicting their respective sicknesses on Mario, the Princess, and Dr. Bloom, the three break their smaller kin loose and escape through a window.

Mario takes off after the Viruses, but not before Dr. Bloom lends him his coat (which turns Mario's hair brown). He soon catches up to them and tries fending them off. Eventually he discovers a supply ofvitamins that Dr. Bloom had stored in the coat's pockets and finds that stacking Vitamins of a certain color on the same-colored Viruses eliminates them. He then proceeds to take out the Viruses. Afterwards, he returns to the hospital, only to find that Princess Toadstool, now in a nurse uniform, has suggested that Dr. Bloom take up golf. Dr. Bloom will not return until he is finished his game, but Mario notes that this could take a very long time: Bloom has made 456 strokes and is still on the first hole. Peach suggests that Mario stick around as theMushroom Kingdom's doctor in addition to being a plumber, which he eventually agrees to do.

Characters[edit]

• Mario
• Princess Toadstool
• Dr. Waldo Bloom
• Mushroom People
• Goomba
• Viruses

Notable mistakes and errors[edit]

• WhenDr. Mario jumps out the window of theMushroom Kingdom General Hospital, his hair changes from black to brown, which remains for the rest of the comic.
• When theMushroom People congratulate Dr. Mario for curing everyone, a small portion of the latter's hair is the same color as his stethoscope.

Naming[edit]

The title is a portmanteau of the phrases "the doctor is in" and "in over one's head", the former of which refers to interjection used to announce a patient's arrival and the latter of which refers to something that is too much for one to handle.

Names in other languages[edit]

References[edit]

• Super Mario Bros. (Valiant Comics) comics