Featuring: Dr. Strange
Release: March 10, 1966
Cover: June 1966
12 cents
Eerily edited by: Stan Lee
Spookily scripted by: Dennis O’Neil
Demonically drawn by: Steve Ditko
Laconically lettered by: Artie Simek
10 pages
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| Strange Tales #145 | Reading order | Tales of Suspense #77 |
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Am I a child, to be frightened by a mere illusion– a shadow of shadows?
Lee seems to have stepped away as the regular writer for the end of Ditko’s run. Just as well as Ditko has been doing most of the writing and refusing to even speak to Lee for a little while anyway.
Roy Thomas stepped in the last two issues, and now we have Dennis O’Neil. While for artists, Stan has been seeking veterans from the ’40s and ’50s, for writers, he has been giving new talent a try. Thomas is new to comics, and O’Neil was hired at his suggestion. This is O’Neil’s first comic work. He’ll go on to do some good things, and will perhaps be eventually better known for his work with the Distinguished Competition.
That Lee is handing off scripting duties to new and untested writers gives a hint as to how important these Dr. Strange stories are to him.
We meet a villain named Mr. Rasputin. He uses magical and scientific means to do espionage. His ancestor had been a famous Russian advisor.
Of course he runs afoul of Dr. Strange.
Dr. Strange uses an orb that looks like a globe he refers to as a “crystal”, but that we know as the Eye of Agamotto. Or do we? More below.
Rasputin casts the Illusions of Ikonn. Dr. Strange warns that the ritual of Ikonn is forbidden. We’ll remember that and ensure that Dr. Strange never breaks his own rules.
Rasputin is losing the mystic battle so he pulls out a gun and shoots Dr. Strange. Indiana Jones, take note.
Dr. Strange’s Cloak manages to get him to a hospital. He’s stuck in bed but his ectoplasmic form finds Rasputin has broken into his house and is reading his books.
We see Dr. Strange use the Eye of Agamotto, that floating Eye above his head. He uses it to summon his Cloak and to hypnotize people. There’s some confusion about terminology here. Agamotto gets invoked a lot, but the Eye of Agamotto was the name of that orb that could detect mystical threats Dr. Strange used earlier. We learned its name in Strange Tales #125 and confirmed in issue 128. That orb was also simply called his earthly scanner originally. And Mordo referred to the orb as the Orb of Agamotto in issue 132.
We’ve seen this floating eye appear above Strange’s head many times, usually from the power of his Amulet. And Strange seemed to call this floating Eye the Eye of Agamotto in issue 135, as he does here. Does this floating Eye have the same name as that Orb? We know the Amulet itself comes from Eternity, not Agamotto.
As is usual for both Strange and Xavier, the villain’s mind is tampered with in the end. Rasputin will remember nothing of magic.
This battle of Rasputin was something of an interlude because there are unresolved plot threads. That woman is missing. The threat of Dormammu looms. All these plot threads will resolve next issue, because Ditko is leaving the series and the company. And he’ll go out with a bang.
But the build-up to that bang is a bit of a whimper. Issues 142-145 are utterly forgettable. This menace of Rasputin is a complete tangent. Early on, the Dr. Strange series was all stories like this, and that was fine. But it got better as the plots became bigger. And this issue simply feels like marking time until the big finale.
It’s too bad because I think issues 130-141 make up one of the best comic stories of all time. I’m a bit sad we got these next 4 issues.
Fortunately, there is a big finale coming up. We can see from the hype box.
“Next month– Dormammu vs. Eternity! More than ’nuff said!”
Here’s the letters page.
Invocations:
- May the Eternal Vishanti aid me
- “By the Flames of the Faltine” — Mr. Rasputin
This is only the second reference to the Flames of the Faltine. They were last invoked by the Demon. Dr. Strange has never invoked them.
Rating: ★★★☆☆, 54/100
Significance: ★★★☆☆
Characters:
- Dr. Strange
- Mr. Rasputin
Story notes:
- Mr. Rasputin visits capital of a tiny European Republic and attacks the Prime Minister with the illusion of a ghost because he refused to hand over state secrets.
- The traitorous guard seeks payment, and is rendered immobile by a spell as Mr. Rasputin disappears.
- In another government office, Rasputin learns two once hostile nations have agreed to exchange defense secrets.
- World’s secrets are pilfered by Mr. Rasputin.
- Rasputin in New York to hit United Nations.
- Rasputin has both magic and stolen scientific knowledge at his disposal.
- Dr. Strange is superior to Rasputin, but weak from his battle with Tazza.
- Cloak floats Dr. Strange to hospital as he passes out.
- Dr. Strange suspects Rasputin is hiding in his own house and sends ectoplasmic form to investigate.
- Rasputin studies texts of the Vishanti and Oshtur.
- Eye of Agamotto (the floating eye) summons Cloak of Levitation.
- Rasputin’s assassin finds unconscious Dr. Strange.
- Rasputin seeks to force Strange’s spirit form into Limbo/Nether Dimension.
- Dr. Strange’s floating eye hypnotizes Rasputin.
- Henchman immobilized by Amulet.
| Previous | #510 | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Strange Tales #145 | Reading order | Tales of Suspense #77 |
| Strange Tales #145 | Strange Tales | Strange Tales #146 |
