Featuring: Dr. Strange
Release: April 9, 1964
Cover: July 1964
12 cents
Written, with a touch of sorcery by: Stan Lee
Drawn, with a dash of necromancy by: Steve Ditko
Lettered, with a number 6 pen point by: Art Simek
9 pages
We finish up Strange Tales #122. A couple things to recall from last time. I actually own this comic. And Dr. Strange is now a corner box star.
Dr. Strange, exhausted from recent battles against supernatural evil, falls asleep without proper protective chants, which leaves him vulnerable to Nightmare. This is Dr. Strange’s third battle with Nightmare.
I imagine when most people picture Steve Ditko’s work on Dr. Strange, they think of pages like this.
This comic is the best we’ve yet seen for surreal mystical surroundings and effects.
This is all pretty awesome, but I am at a loss for words on how to express that, so let’s just look at one more picture.
Nightmare had deprived Dr. Strange of his mystic powers, but Dr. Strange could still hypnotize Nightmare for some reason. Dr. Strange is able to hypnotize him into seeing a really complex illusion of Nightmare’s ancient enemy, the sleepless Gulgol.
Invocations:
- Hosts of Hoggoth
Rating: ★★★½, 63/100
Significance: ★★★☆☆
You can find this story in Marvel Masterworks: Dr. Strange vol. 1 or in Dr. Strange Epic Collection vol. 1: Master of the Mystic Arts. Or on Kindle.
Characters:
- Dr. Strange
- Nightmare
- The Gulgol
Story notes:
- Reference to black magic.
- Dr. Strange has had many days without sleep battling supernatural forces.
- Dr. Strange confronts a mysterious stranger, and finds none of his usual magic is working. Dr. Strange soon realizes he is dreaming.
- Dr. Strange forgot to utter protective chant before falling asleep; he is now the prisoner of Nightmare.
- The Gulgol never sleeps and has sworn to destroy Nightmare.
#205 story in reading order
Next: Fantastic Four #28
Previous: Strange Tales #122
God I forget how great this but at 9 I didn’t like Ditko. I’m reading every one of these I’m addicted. What a waste of time. LOL No seriously I like your writing style or I’d have bailed. I read pre code monsters in late 59 when I was Kindergarten and just climbed the Marvel ladder from there! Thanks for the effort!
Glad you’re enjoying them. Thanks for reading. I think there are worse ways to waste time on the internet.