Featuring: Dr. Strange Release: January 10, 1967 Cover: April 1967 12 cents A mystical Marvel masterwork by: Stan Lee and Marie Severin Lettered by: Artie Simek 10 pages
So long as this bridge endures– this bridge which is not a bridge– and yet, which is more a bridge than any other– Just so long shall hope of escape remain alive within us–
In an opening page clearly meant to evoke Ditko, Dr. Strange hurtles at the speed of thought to outrace the death spell Umar has sent toward Clea.
At last, Dr. Strange has rescued Clea, but it’s a long road to get her to Earth. They encounter many hazards along the way. Perhaps too many for a ten page comic, as each is too easily evaded.
But some of them are cool, like when they get caught in a road of repetition, stuck in a loop.
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
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.
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
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.
Featuring: Dr. Strange Release: December 12, 1965 Cover: March 1966 12 cents Extravagantly edited and written by… Stan Lee! Painstakingly plotted and drawn by… Steve Ditko! Lovingly lettered and bordered by… Artie Simek! 10 pages
I was born to battle the forces of evil– and though death be my reward, I would have it no other way!
Ditko’s time on this title draws short, and Lee is starting to hand off more and more of his scripting duties. So this is the final Dr. Strange story to be written by the team of Lee and Ditko. (I use the word “team” a bit loosely, as Ditko is by this point utterly refusing to even speak to Stan Lee.)
Dr. Strange’s adventures had been characterized by stories that fit entirely within 10 pages. Then his first battle with Dormammu lasted twoissues and 20 pages, the size of a normal Spider-Man or Fantastic Four comic.
Then Strange Tales #130 ended with a cliffhanger. Dormammu and Mordo had teamed up; they’d seriously injured the Ancient One, and Dr. Strange was on the run. Without a break, Dr. Strange struggled against this duo of foes for a full 12 issues. Then finally it seemed as though Mordo and Dormammu were defeated, and Dr. Strange could rest.
But not quite! The woman from the Dark Dimension who befriended Strange remains a prisoner. Dormammu was humbled by Strange but remains a threat. And Mordo’s servants remain at large, and in fact have planted a bomb in Dr. Strange’s sanctum, and the last issue ended with the bomb about to go off.
We then paused and checked in with the many other Marvel titles. That was 8 months ago our time. Thank you for your patience in learning what’s up with that bomb. We won’t quite see the resolution of all the threads at present, but at least we’ll resolve this bomb question.
It’s actually a clever resolution. This cleverness is important as sometimes it seems Dr. Strange could maybe magic his way out of anything, so it’s good when we understand how. The villains left an ordinary bomb, because he would have sensed a mystical trap. And they erased traces of their presence, so he would not detect they had been there.
But… he sensed no trace of evil presences! And knew Mordo had been there recently, thus realizing someone had used a spell to eliminate traces of evil presences! See, clever. Anyways, this puts him on guard, and he finds the bomb. It was a close one, though.
And while he evades the bomb, he’s caught in the shockwave and captured by the baddies.
Mordo’s servants don’t know what’s happened in the Dark Dimension. They just know they can’t contact Mordo. They are unaware Dormammu had him banished for being a pathetic loser.
