Featuring: Dr. Strange
Release: January 11, 1966
Cover: April 1966
12 cents
Edited and rehashed by: Stan Lee
Written and rewritten by: Roy Thomas
Plotted and drawn by: Steve Ditko
Lettered and blotted by: Artie Simek
10 pages
| Previous | #481 | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Strange Tales #143 | Reading order | Tales of Suspense #75, Story B |
| Strange Tales #143 | Strange Tales | Strange Tales #144 |
And just like that, Stan Lee is not writing this series any more. He’s been the credited writer since the beginning, and isn’t quite done as the regular writer. But he’s off for the next half dozen issues or so. Last issue was his final collaboration with Ditko on the character of Dr. Strange. Maybe for the best as they no longer get along by this point.
Roy Thomas is Marvel’s young writer that Lee will increasingly be leaning on to take the burden of scripting some of these titles. He’s now the regular scripter on Sgt. Fury, but is only on Dr. Strange for the next two issues.
Either way, this is really Ditko’s comic. Whoever is scripting is just there for finishing touches.
We’re kind of maybe still in the middle of the Eternity Saga. Mordo defeated. Dormammu humbled. That woman missing. The Ancient One off searching for her. Mordo’s minions causing trouble. Dr. Strange with his hands and face bound, and his amulet and cloak stolen.
In this issue, Strange defeats the disciples and recovers his amulet and cloak.
Notably, we still don’t get the name for either disciple. The man will eventually be named Kaecilius, and he’ll be the main villain in the first Dr. Strange film, played by Mads Mikkelsen.
The woman will be known as Adria. It will be 16 years before either shows up again.
Let’s see where we are with the checklist for this overall Eternity Saga. Mordo defeated. His disciples defeated. Dormammu still holds the woman prisoner. We’ll pause here.
Ditko seems to have timed things so that his final issue will end this saga. I don’t think he knew exactly how many issues he had left, so these issues between battles with Dormammu are a bit of filler. They could have been told over more or less issues as he needed.
Invocations:
- May the Omnipotent Oshtur be thanked!
- May the Vishanti protect me!
- By the staggering Vapors of Valtorr — Mordo’s male disciple
- By the Denizens of the Dark — Demon
Rating: ★★★½, 61/100
Significance: ★★★☆☆
Characters:
- Dr. Strange
- Demon
- Mordo’s male disciple
- Mordo’s female disciple
Story notes:
- Dr. Strange leaves body in water tower; water freezing.
- Dr. Strange’s spirit and cloak overcome male disciple, but the woman stole his body.
- Mordo’s male disciple under Strange’s mental control; led him to his body.
- Dr. Strange’s spirit uses amulet to hypnotize woman.
- Dr. Strange overcomes foes and uses spell to make them remember nothing of Black Magic.
| Previous | #481 | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Strange Tales #143 | Reading order | Tales of Suspense #75, Story B |
| Strange Tales #143 | Strange Tales | Strange Tales #144 |
