Featuring: Dr. Strange
Release: September 8, 1966
Cover: December 1966
12 cents
Script by Stan Lee, defender of the faith!
Art by Bill Everett, keeper of the flame!
Lettering by Artie Simek, printer of the word!
10 pages
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|---|---|---|
| Strange Tales #151 | Reading order | Strange Tales #152 |
| Strange Tales #151 | Strange Tales | Strange Tales #152 |
By the Demons of Darkness! By the oath I now speak! Umar commands– reveal what I seek!
At the end of last issue, we briefly met Dormammu’s sister Umar.
Given how weird and cool Dormammu looked, it’s disappointing to see his sister look just like a human woman. You can try to explain it off as these beings having amorphous forms or such. But it mostly seems like a failure of creativity and design.
The post-Ditko era of Dr. Strange began with a recap of the series thus far. Four issues later, we get the same again, covering a lot of the exact same ground as the previous clip show issue.
Maybe the letters will have something more interesting than the comic.
Invocations:
- “May the Hoary Hosts of Hoggoth be ever at my side!”
- “By the power of the Shades of the Seraphim!”
- “Though the Vipers of Valtorr themselves may bar the way!”
- “By the Demons of Darkness!” — Umar
- “By the Flames of the Faltine!” — Umar
- “By the Seven Rings of Raggadorr” — Umar
- “Flaming Lamp of Lucifer!” — Umar
- “By Cyttorak’s Crimson Bands!” — Umar
- “By the Demons of the Dark Dimension” — Umar
This is the first time that Lucifer has been invoked.
Rating: ★½, 25/100
Significance: ★★☆☆☆
I don’t usually give 2 stars for significance. My standard for 3 stars is, if you skipped this issue on a Marvel read-through, would you notice?
And well, Clea is imprisoned this issue. And still there next issue. So this was close to a three. But that’s literally the only thing that happens, and it’s like a panel in this issue.
2 stars means if you wanted to read through Marvel and skipped this comic, you’d be fine.
1 star means the Marvel Universe would make more sense if you didn’t read the comic.
Characters:
- Umar
- Baron Mordo
- Dormammu
- Eternity
- Ancient One
- Dr. Strange
- Clea
- Kaluu
- Wong
Story notes:
- Umar, sister of Dormammu is free. Dormammu was behind her captivity.
- Lamp of Luficer reveals how Dormammu was defeated.
- Dr. Strange conjures fake money.
- Umar imprisons Clea in void as trap for Dr. Strange.
| Previous | #617 | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Strange Tales #151 | Reading order | Strange Tales #152 |
| Strange Tales #151 | Strange Tales | Strange Tales #152 |
Huh. It seems difficult to review things that are not-vey-good in a boring way.
You’ll notice this post was terse.
I first read this in the black and white Essential collection, and it without the coloring I could not even tell that she at least had the flames around her head in common with her brother. She just looked like somebody’s mean aunt.
Books like this are why I never appreciate Everett until way later.
This is certainly the worst possible introduction to the artist.