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Strange Tales #155, Story B

The Fearful Finish–!

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

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Strange Tales #155	Reading order	Tales of Suspense #86, Story B
Strange Tales #155	Strange Tales	Strange Tales #156

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.

Strange Tales #154, Story B

Clea Must Die!

Featuring: Dr. Strange
Release: December 8, 1966
Cover: March 1967
12 cents
A mystic Marvel masterwork by: Stan Lee and Marie Severin
Lettered by: Sam Rosen
10 pages

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Strange Tales #154	Reading order	Strange Tales #155
Strange Tales #154	Strange Tales	Strange Tales #155

Do as you will, Spectral One! Dr. Strange cannot be harmed by the truth!

Where were we? Oh yes, Dr. Strange thought he had rescued Clea. But it turned out to be a Mindless One in disguise.

I’m sympathetic, having grown up thinking I’d been successful in finding a woman only to be constantly told, “Our princess is in another castle.”

Featuring: Dr. Strange
Release: November 10, 1966
Cover: February 1966
12 cents
Stupefying story by: Spellbinding Stan Lee!
Inconceivable illustration by: Mystical Marie Severin!
Legendary lettering by: Sardonic Sammy Rosen!
10 pages

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Strange Tales #153	Reading order	Strange Tales #154
Strange Tales #153	Strange Tales	Strange Tales #154

I must endure their blows… regardless of the pain… By the Omnipotent Oshtur, I shall not fail… I shall not fall!

After Ditko left, Bill Everett became the regular artist on Dr. Strange for the next half dozen issues. And I was unimpressed. But I do really like Bill Everett. Last post, I rattled off Sub-Mariner, Venus, and Daredevil. All great works by him.

We get a new artist. Marie Severin. We haven’t seen her work yet. We saw her coloring when we read an old tangentially related EC comic. We saw an issue of Nick Fury illustrated by John Severin. Some possible connection, there. Siblings, perhaps.

But she’s actually been with Marvel for the entirety of our reading, just one of those unsung heroes behind the scenes, working on the production of the comics, sometimes as a colorist, perhaps lending a hand to some bits of art here or there.

Strange Tales #152, Story B

Into the Dimension of Death!

Featuring: Dr. Strange
Release: October 11, 1966
Cover: January 1967
12 cents
Truly hath Stan Lee authored yon awesome epic–
Verily hath Bill Everett such scenes depicted–
And, finally didst Artie Simek the lettering incribe!
10 pages

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Strange Tales #152	Reading order	Strange Tales #153
Strange Tales #152	Strange Tales	Strange Tales #153

I sense– a female!

I’d say this issue picks up where the last issue left off, but nothing happened last issue. Except that Clea was captured by Umar after a recap of the last 40 issues.

Everett’s depiction of Dark Dimension is fine, maybe even good. Maybe I’m just in a bad mood since Ditko left and am being unfair to Everett. I do appreciate Everett for his work on Sub-Mariner, Venus, and Daredevil… just not here.

Strange Tales #151, Story B

Umar Strikes!

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.

Strange Tales #150, Story B

The Conquest of Kaluu!

Featuring: Dr. Strange
Release: August 9, 1966
Cover: November 1966
12 cents
Gloriously edited by Stan Lee
Graniloquently scripted by Roy Thomas
Gorgeously drawn by Wild Bill Everett
Grudgingly lettered by Artie Simek
10 pages

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Strange Tales #149, Story B	Reading order	Tales of Suspense #81
Strange Tales #150	Strange Tales	Strange Tales #151

It is the Sacred Griffin– the beast appointed by the priests of the Babylonian god Marduk to stand eternal vigil over the mystic text! It has ever been written in the Words of Flame that he who defeats the fearsome sentinel… is the destined possessor of the book!

Dr. Strange gets the cover again. Seems like he and Nick Fury will be trading off who gets featured.

We’re skipping the Nick Fury half of this comic to finish off the Kaluu arc.

O’Neill had been the writer for the last few issues, but Thomas fills in for this one. His scripting is described as “graniloquent”. Looks like Stan will return to the title next issue.

As you can see from the list down the page, Thomas is all in on the invocations.

So far, the Kaluu story has been terrible. Will Thomas turn it around?

Four issues into the battle, and Dr. Strange and Kaluu still haven’t met. So if we get that far, it will be a step up.

We’d heard Ancient One whine for several issues now about how powerful Kaluu is. But now Kaluu seems to fear that he will lose if his foes get any time to plan.

Strange Tales #144, Story B

Where Man Hath Never Trod!

Featuring: Dr. Strange
Release: February 10, 1966
Cover: May 1966
12 cents
Edited with percipacity by: Stan Lee
Written with precocity by: Roy Thomas
Plotted and illustrated with profundity by: Steve Ditko
Lettered with the windows closed by: Artie Simek
10 pages

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Strange Tales #144	Reading order	Strange Tales #145
Strange Tales #144	Strange Tales	Strange Tales #145

How dare you make a request of the great Tazza! In the name of Satannish the Supreme, you shall join the other unmoving forms in my hallowed halls…

We are in what I see as the spinning-the-wheels phase. We had an extremely tense and fast-paced adventure that took us from issues 130-141. Then it slowed down. Mordo was defeated. Dormammu was humbled. Loose plot threads included servants of Mordo’s to deal with, and this woman who had helped Strange, who was now a prisoner of Dormammu. We’ve spent the last couple issues dealing with Mordo’s servants and now we’ll go look for this unnamed woman.

Dormammu was beaten with yet another vow to not move against Strange. But there’s a loophole if you read the fine print. Dormammu agreed not to attack Strange on Earth. But if the good Doctor travels to another dimension…

Strange Tales #135, Story B

Eternity Beckons!

Featuring: Dr. Strange
Release: May 4, 1965
Cover: August 1965
12 cents
Written and edited by Marvel’s mystical madman: Stan Lee
Plotted and illustrated by fandom’s favorite fiend: Steve Ditko
Lettered and bordered by comicdom’s cuddlesome conjurer: Sam Rosen
10 pages

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Strange Tales #134, Story B	Reading order	Strange Tales #136, Story B
Strange Tales #135	Strange Tales	Strange Tales #136

By the Seven Rings of Raggadorr… By Cyttorak’s Crimson Bands! I send thee through the unseen door… go thou where my spell commands!

This is a big issue for Strange Tales, as Nick Fury takes over the lead feature. This was the issue that introduced SHIELD and Hydra. But in the backup feature, Dr. Strange’s saga is still barreling along. Anybody picking up the title for the first time to check out the new Nick Fury stories will find themselves smack in the middle of a long Dr. Strange story.

Notice Ditko gets credited with the plotting. He’s plotted every Dr. Strange story, but now he’s getting credit. Proper credit is at the heart of his conflicts with Stan Lee.

We enter into a new status quo for the story. Mordo continues his pursuit of Strange, but Strange is no longer just on the run. He has a goal now, to find Eternity.

He seeks out a former disciple of the Ancient One, Sir Baskerville.

Strange Tales #133, Story B

A Nameless Land, A Nameless Time!

Featuring: Dr. Strange
Release: March 11, 1965
Cover: June 1965
12 cents
Strange is this script by: Stan Lee!
Awesome is this art by: Steve Ditko!
Lilting is this lettering by: S. Rosen!
10 pages

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Strange Tales #132, Story B	Reading order	Strange Tales #134, Story B
Strange Tales #133	Strange Tales	Strange Tales #134

For I have truly gained the greatest power of all… that which is the fountainhead of all other power… I have gained the gift of knowledge!

Dormammu and Mordo have teamed up. The Ancient One is comatose. He keeps ominously referring to Eternity. Last issue ended with Dormammu possessing Mordo to destroy Dr. Strange, and Dr. Strange died.

I expect this to be a short issue.

Wait. Maybe I should read the first panel better. Dormammu claims Dr. Strange still lives. Strange summoned all his remaining power to transport himself to another dimension.

I’ve claimed repeatedly this is a great story arc. I think there’s some excellent melodrama throughout and some cool ideas coming, but it’s also a perfect showcase for what Ditko’s Dr. Strange is best known for: these bizarre almost formless dimensions that defy description or visualization, yet somehow rendered on our page.

More than that, what Ditko seems to be depicting in these first three panels is the transition from one strange dimension to another.

Strange Tales #132, Story B

Face-To-Face At Last with Baron Mordo!

Featuring: Dr. Strange
Release: February 11, 1965
Cover: May 1965
12 cents
Though there be many writers, none but Stan Lee could have penned this tale!
Though there be many artists, none but Steve Ditko could have drawn this tale!
Though there be many letterers, none but Artie Simek was available when we needed him!
10 pages

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Strange Tales #131, Story B	Reading order	Strange Tales #133, Story B
Strange Tales #132	Strange Tales	Strange Tales #133

Eternity! If only Strange could know of– Eternity!

Again, the splash page serves as the cover.

Again, I love the noirish atmosphere of rain-soaked desperation that Ditko creates. This is a man on the run, who feels the whole world closing in.

Oh, Stan. Stan, Stan, Stan. Four issues ago Dr. Strange encountered a minor sorcerer he knew as the Demon. Ditko has plainly brought back the same character. Certainly, Dr. Strange would remember this person. Yet he gives no hint or reference to the fact that he and this guy just fought. Who was supposed to have renounced the mystic arts at Strange’s command. But who apparently got a better offer from Mordo. Strange mentions none of this, perhaps because Stan doesn’t recognize the guy. And we’re pretty near the point where Steve stopped speaking to Stan, which doesn’t help.

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