Featuring: Dr. Strange
Release: June 8, 1965
Cover: September 1965
12 cents
Edited and written by mystical, magical Stan Lee
Plotted and illustrated by weird, wondrous Steve Ditko
Lettered and bordered by loveable, laughable Artie Simek
10 pages
| Previous | #418 | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Strange Tales #135, Story B | Reading order | Strange Tales #137 |
| Strange Tales #136 | Strange Tales | Strange Tales #137 |
Demons of Darkness, at my command transport me to the hidden land!
Dr. Strange is still searching for Eternity. Last issue was something of a misstep along the way. He sought answers from a once-loyal servant of the Ancient One only to find betrayal and a trap. This will have a similar flavor. He’ll seek out another wise mystic and again get led astray.
While these are in a sense interludes, I appreciate that it’s not easy to find Eternity. Dr. Strange is somewhat fumbling in his quest. He doesn’t know where to go and keeps taking wrong turns.
Mordo remains in pursuit this whole time, grown more desperate since Dr. Strange seeks Eternity. Mordo doesn’t understand the word. But Dormammu knows exactly what it means and fears Dr. Strange learning the secret. This increases the excitement for the search.
As he searches, our insight into this world grows. We meet a woman whose life he once saved. We meet another unnamed mystic. We see Rama Kaliph has been rendered comatose by Mordo, and only Mordo’s defeat will save him.
Finally, we meet the Aged Genghis, who has been driven mad by the years. He gives Dr. Strange a scroll that will lead him to Eternity, claiming this is knowledge the Ancient One had tried to once purge from his brain.
But the Genghis is quite mad, and was a bit confused. The Ancient One had tried to erase knowledge of the evil realm Dr. Strange has gone to, but it is not the realm he seeks.
This wrong turn interlude has a twist reminiscent of many of Ditko’s old weird tales. Dr. Strange frees a man who has been imprisoned by a demon, only to learn that it was actually the demon he freed. Now he is the prisoner.
For they have switched places and Dr. Strange will become another trophy in the demon’s weird collection.
The final battle ends perhaps too easily. Perhaps this chapter was running out of pages, and Ditko didn’t want to dwell on this interlude.
Dr. Strange meets one bad guy and destroys an entire dimension. Harsh.
Dr. Strange will now have to seek a more direct means of finding Eternity, by probing the mind of the comatose Ancient One, appreciating how dangerous that will be to them both.
We’ve finally caught back up with ourselves. This is the June issue of Dr. Strange and we are generally at July in our reading. This is also the last issue of Strange Tales we’d started previously.
As the search for Eternity continues, we’ll keep reading Strange Tales, but for the next 5 issues, we’ll read the entire issue, and thus the posts will alternate between the Hydra Saga and the Eternity Saga.
Invocations:
- May the Omnipotent Oshtur guide your steps — Abu Ben Hakim
- Demons of Darkness, at my command transport me to the Hidden Land!
- In the name of the Eternal Vishanti
- Under the light of justice, under the rays of the all-seeing eye…
Iron Man has so few entries on the Best We’ve Read page. He just got one added, the battle with Titanium Man from Tales of Suspense #69, but it’s now getting pushed off. He only has two stories left, his origin and the introduction of Hawkeye.
Rating: ★★★★☆, 70/100
Significance: ★★★☆☆
Characters:
- Girl from Dark Dimension
- Dormammu
- Baron Mordo
- Mordo’s servant
- Abu Ben Hakim
- Rama Kaliph
- Aged Genghis
- The Demon of the Masks
- Ancient One’s servant
Story notes:
- “The series was voted ‘most likely to succeed’ (by Stan Lee and Baron Mordo)”
- Girl imprisoned for betraying Dormammu; she will live to see Strange die, then die herself.
- Baron Mordo knows nothing of Eternity, but Dormammu does, and fears Dr. Strange learning the secret.
- Mordo communicates with his disciples all over the globe.
- Dr. Strange visits a woman whose life he once saved. She has heard of Eternity but knows nothing.
- He asks another mystic to no avail, pursued as always by Mordo’s agents.
- Rama Kaliph tutor to Abu Ben Hakim.
- Rama Kaliph placed under spell of silence by Mordo.
- Only Mordo’s defeat can free Rama Kaliph.
- Genghis has gone mad due to long life.
- Only Genghis and Ancient One still know of Eternity (per the unreliable Genghis). Ancient One had tried to erase the knowledge from Genghis.
- Genghis has an ancient faded parchment with the truth.
- Globe can alert Mordo to any spells; but Dr. Strange can use his cloak to fly without casting a spell. He alerts Mordo when he casts the spell to find Eternity.
- Mordo is too late to follow Strange through portal, but found the Scroll.
- Dormammu realizes Strange used the wrong spell.
- Dimension has columns of masks. Dr. Strange finds a shackled and blindfolded figure. He claims to have been imprisoned by a demon.
- The demon’s eyes have the power to make him the master of any he gazes on.
- Demon trades places with Strange. Strange now the prisoner and demon in Strange’s costume.
- Mystic mold prevents Strange from uttering spell.
- Dr. Strange still controls cloak, even with demon wearing it.
- Demon possesses masks which means his prisoners must obey him. Victims from all ages and worlds.
- Dr. Strange bathes demon in amulet’s enchanted light.
| Previous | #418 | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Strange Tales #135, Story B | Reading order | Strange Tales #137 |
| Strange Tales #136 | Strange Tales | Strange Tales #137 |
