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Strange Tales #128, Story B

The Demon’s Disciple!

Featuring: Dr. Strange
Release: October 8, 1864
Cover: January 1965
12 cents
Written by: Stan Lee– unchallenged master of the dramatic word!
Drawn by: Steve Ditko– unquestioned innovator of the occult illustration!
Lettered by: Artie Simek– unabashed purveyor of the captivating caption!
10 pages

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Strange Tales #128	Reading order	Tales of Suspense #61
Strange Tales #128	Strange Tales	Strange Tales #129

Dr. Strange gets more cover real estate than usual.

Recall that after last issue’s epic battle with Dormammu, Dr. Strange was rewarded with a more powerful amulet and a new cape. The narrator here notes the amulet and new powers of levitation. This seems to imply the cape itself bestows the power of levitation. Dr. Strange confirms this at the end of the story.

A man comes to Dr. Strange seeking help. He had become the disciple of a magician known as the Demon and wishes to leave the Demon’s service. The Demon summons him back before Dr. Strange can help.

Strange Tales #127, Story B

Duel with the Dread Dormammu!

Featuring: Dr. Strange
Release: September 8, 1964
Cover: December 1964
12 cents
Story by: Stan Lee, master of macabre menace
Art by: Steve Ditko, weaver of wondrous witchraft
Lettered by: S. Rosen, sultan of speedball sorcery
10 pages

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Strange Tales #127	Reading order	Amazing Spider-Man #19
Strange Tales #127	Strange Tales	Strange Tales #128

Last issue saw the build-up to Dr. Strange’s fight with Dormammu. It established pretty clearly that Dormammu is one of the most powerful beings in the universe, on a level we can’t even comprehend. Dr. Strange has no chance against Dormammu. Last issue was quite clear on that, but then cut off just as they were about to battle.

The promised battle does not immediately commence. Dormammu gives Strange a chance to reconsider first, as this would be more slaughter than battle.

The girl from last issue finds Dr. Strange again, this time to show him the moral complexity of the situation. Dormammu poses a threat to Earth; that is why Dr. Strange must stop him. But Dormammu also rules his realm. Early indications are that he’s something of a tyrant, imprisoning people who question him or fail him.

He may be a tyrant; he may be evil; he may be about to destroy our world… but he’s also the only force standing between his subjects and the Mindless Ones. Whatever else he may be, he keeps his people safe. Even if Dr. Strange somehow succeeded in defeating Dormammu, the mystic shields sustained by Dormammu’s will would break, allowing the Mindless Ones to enter the Dark Realm, where they would proceed to kill all the inhabitants. Quite the moral quandary.

Strange Tales #126, Story B

The Domain of the Dread Dormammu!

Featuring: Dr. Strange
Release: August 11, 1964
Cover: November 1964
12 cents
Written by: Stan Lee Prince of Prestidigitators!
Illustrated by: Steve Ditko Lord of Legerdemain!
Lettered by: Art Simek Nabob of Necromancy!
10 pages

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Strange Tales #126	Reading order	Strange Tales #127
Strange Tales #126	Strange Tales	Strange Tales #127

The last few issues of Dr. Strange have essentially been filler. Forgettable stories, with Ditko not even supplying his own finishes on the art. I begged your indulgence, promising they had something good in the works. They did. This is it.

Lee and Ditko’s work on Dr. Strange is recognized as one of the best runs of comic books ever. For the next 20 issues, we’ll see why.

Generally speaking, Ditko does the heavy lifting on this series. But, assuming all the narration is attributable to Stan, he does his share here with some evocative prose.

There is a world half-hidden between the real and the imaginary!

A world in which the impossible is believable, and the incredible is commonplace…

Dr. Strange enters the Realm of Darkness, ruled by the Dread Dormammu. Dormmamu is a powerful sorcerer the Ancient One himself had once fought and been unable to defeat. Now, Dormammu plans to expand his domain and conquer Earth. Only Dr. Strange can stop him.

Strange Tales #125, Story B

Mordo Must Not Catch Me!

Featuring: Dr. Strange
Release: July 9, 1964
Cover: October 1964
12 cents
How proud we are that Stan Lee wrote this sensational thriller!
How fortunate we are that Steve Ditko drew these magical masterpieces!
How triumphant we are that Geo. Bell inked these priceless panels!
How ecstatic we are that Artie Simek lettered these deathless phrases!
10 pages

This is the actual first page for the comic, found online. The Masterworks version colors the characters white, as though both in their astral form. Marvel Collectors’ Item Classics #16, where most of the scans below come from, colors all the astral forms a weird bluish color, and the front page from that issue follows suit.

The Masterworks also colors Mordo’s disciples white. They are garbed in green in the original and light blue in the scan below.

This is the last of the “filler” issues of the Dr. Strange stories. One more issue until Ditko returns to full art duties and the series kicks into high gear. As these go, this issue’s actually pretty good. Despite the story where Dr. Strange and Mordo battle for the 77th time.

The most egregious coloring error in my reprint is the coloring of Dr. Strange’s cloak. It is quite possibly an intentional error, aimed at consistent marketing to match Dr. Strange’s cloak at the time of the reprint. But, quite obviously, Dr. Strange’s cloak should be blue, as it is in any other reprint of this story.