Featuring: Dr. Strange
Release: October 8, 1864
Cover: January 1965
12 cents
Written by: Stan Lee– unchallenged master of the dramatic word!
Drawn by: Steve Ditko– unquestioned innovator of the occult illustration!
Lettered by: Artie Simek– unabashed purveyor of the captivating caption!
10 pages
| Previous | #286 | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Strange Tales #128 | Reading order | Tales of Suspense #61 |
| Strange Tales #128 | Strange Tales | Strange Tales #129 |
Dr. Strange gets more cover real estate than usual.
Recall that after last issue’s epic battle with Dormammu, Dr. Strange was rewarded with a more powerful amulet and a new cape. The narrator here notes the amulet and new powers of levitation. This seems to imply the cape itself bestows the power of levitation. Dr. Strange confirms this at the end of the story.
A man comes to Dr. Strange seeking help. He had become the disciple of a magician known as the Demon and wishes to leave the Demon’s service. The Demon summons him back before Dr. Strange can help.
The spell the Demon used to summon the disciple did not generally include his garments. Fortunately for the Comics Code seal on the cover, the spell did transport his undergarments.
This turns out to be an oversight on the Demon’s part, as Dr. Strange can magically compel the vestments to retrace the path to the Demon’s lair.
We get one of those weird art/script dichotomies we sometimes see. We’ve seen this happen enough times that we can tell Dr. Strange’s astral form is leaving his corporeal body, and then reuniting with it. Stan seems confused on this point, as the dialogue indicates the body is a vision image.
“Demon, you have mistaken my compassion for weakness!” Great line, though one Stan has used before. Captain America said basically the same thing to Zemo in Avengers #6. But that’s okay. It’s a good line. When a villain expressed the opposite sentiment in Captain America #78, I noted Stan Sakai used a similar line in Usagi Yojimbo.
Stan Lee signs off with the phrase “Tamam shud!” This is of course a Persian farewell phrase. By itself, it’s not problematic. But look to the rest of the caption box. Stan refers to Agamotto and Raggador. The suggestion seems to be that the Middle Eastern culture is just as strange and exotic as these fictional interdimensional beings. Stan’s comics of the era have the most progressive treatment of African Americans in comics history up to that point, but he has quite the blind spot when it comes to Middle Eastern and Asian cultures. Iran may as well be the Dark Dimension to his mind.
Hey, another one of those nifty pin-ups!
It seems to me like most of these heroes and villains find hypnosis to be a pretty easy trick, given how often we’ve seen it. I had guessed it was a complex art. But now I understand. They’ve probably all taken the course advertised on the back of this comic.
Invocations:
- By the Twelve Moons of Munnopor
- Eternal Vishanti
The Demon’s invocations:
- Shades of the Seraphim
- May Seraphim open the floor beneath your feet…
- Crimson Bands of Cyttorak
- Let all the Hoary Hosts of Hoggoth assemble–
- Seven Rings of Raggador
Stan’s invocations:
- In the name of the All-Seeing Agamotto
- By the Seven Rings of Raggador
Dr. Strange notes only the most able and proficient magicians can command power such as Cyttorak’s Crimson Bands. At another point, Dr. Strange suggests the power of the Vishanti is greater than that of the Seraphim.
Rating: ★★★½, 61/100
Significance: ★★★☆☆
You can find this story in Marvel Masterworks: Dr. Strange vol. 1 or Dr. Strange Epic Collection vol. 1: Master of the Mystic Arts. Or on Kindle.
Characters:
- Dr. Strange
- The Demon
- The Demon’s disciple
Story notes:
- Full title: The Dilemma of “The Demon’s Disciple!”
- Reference to last issue’s battle with Dormammu.
- We learn the cape received in #127 empowers Dr. Strange to levitate.
- The Demon’s Disciple has abandoned him and sought Dr. Strange for help.
- The Demon’s lair is in a sub-cellar within the canyons of Manhattan… “the great city”.
- Dr. Strange refers to earthly scanner as the All-Seeing Eye of Agamotto.
- The Demon is able to block the Eye of Agamotto.
- The Demon dissolves all his spells so that he cannot be traced.
- Dr. Strange’s spirit form looks over the Demon’s books to see what he has studied and what spells he has mastered. This helps him defeat the Demon.
- Because Demon’s spells were born of darkness and evil, the light of the amulet washes them away.
- Dr. Strange places a veil over the Demon’s brain. In time it shall be lifted, and he will remember who defeated him. Dr. Strange urges he then renounce the mystic arts.
| Previous | #286 | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Strange Tales #128 | Reading order | Tales of Suspense #61 |
| Strange Tales #128 | Strange Tales | Strange Tales #129 |
