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: January 11, 1966 Cover: April 1966 12 cents Edited and rehashed by: Stan Lee Written and rewritten by: Roy Thomas Plotted and drawn by: Steve Ditko Lettered and blotted by: Artie Simek 10 pages
And just like that, Stan Lee is not writing this series any more. He’s been the credited writer since the beginning, and isn’t quite done as the regular writer. But he’s off for the next half dozen issues or so. Last issue was his final collaboration with Ditko on the character of Dr. Strange. Maybe for the best as they no longer get along by this point.
Roy Thomas is Marvel’s young writer that Lee will increasingly be leaning on to take the burden of scripting some of these titles. He’s now the regular scripter on Sgt. Fury, but is only on Dr. Strange for the next two issues.
Either way, this is really Ditko’s comic. Whoever is scripting is just there for finishing touches.
We’re kind of maybe still in the middle of the Eternity Saga. Mordo defeated. Dormammu humbled. That woman missing. The Ancient One off searching for her. Mordo’s minions causing trouble. Dr. Strange with his hands and face bound, and his amulet and cloak stolen.
In this issue, Strange defeats the disciples and recovers his amulet and cloak.
Notably, we still don’t get the name for either disciple. The man will eventually be named Kaecilius, and he’ll be the main villain in the first Dr. Strange film, played by Mads Mikkelsen.
The woman will be known as Adria. It will be 16 years before either shows up again.
Featuring: Dr. Strange Release: November 11, 1965 Cover: February 1966 12 cents Dialogue and captions: Stan Lee Plot and artwork: Steve Ditko Lettering and more lettering: Artie Simek 10 pages
…I must destroy him! And destroy him I shall!! For I am truly– the Dread Dormammu!!
Chapter 12. Dr. Strange had defeated and humiliated Mordo, so Dormammu challenged Strange directly to a duel of honor for the fate of Earth. They fought using “pincers of power”. Dr. Strange was on the edge of victory when the treacherous Mordo intervened and struck a cowardly blow, leaving Dr. Strange defeated.
And so we continue the Eternity Saga.
Notice the plotting credit for Ditko. He’s plotted every Dr. Strange story.
Generally these stories have really been 9 pages, with the opening splash page serving as a sort of cover for the issue, since the actual issue covers always go to Nick Fury. However, this time Ditko seems to need all 10 pages, so a lot of plot is covered on the opening splash page.
Dormammu banishes Mordo for daring to presume he needed help. That’s the end of that partnership and Mordo’s last bow for this story.
Then Dormammu gallingly still tries to claim his prize despite clearly cheating.
Featuring: Dr. Strange Release: August 10, 1965 Cover: November 1965 12 cents Written and edited by incredible: Stan Lee Plotted and illustrated by invincible: Steve Ditko Lettered and bordered by indelible: Sam Rosen 10 pages
This is part 9 of a 17-part saga. We’re halfway there. This midpoint issue is also the turning point issue. Dr. Strange has spent most of the saga on the run, and then on the run while also searching for Eternity.
The reason this saga is one of my favorite Marvel stories largely comes down to this being one of my favorite Marvel comics. And that mostly comes down to two great pages. Let’s give them some attention.
Featuring: Dr. Strange Release: April 8, 1965 Cover: July 1965 12 cents Written by Marvel’s own living legend, Stan Lee Illustrated by Marvel’s own unsung genius, Steve Ditko Lettered by Marvel’s own beaming pixie, Artie Simek 10 pages
This is the final issue of Strange Tales to feature Ben and Johnny. We read their finale over a year ago, but are long delayed in finishing the comic.
With the end of the Human Torch/Thing and Giant-Man/Wasp series, Marvel basically stopped putting out bad superhero books. They aren’t all great. Hulk is flailing a bit without Ditko. Colan’s Namor is off to a rocky start. Iron Man hasn’t quite found his footing, but is much improved. And Ayers isn’t delivering on Sgt. Fury the way Kirby did, and I anyway think the best of Ayers’ work is mostly behind us on the series. But they’re all at least decent now. And the best of them–Spider-Man, Dr. Strange, and Fantastic Four–are getting even better.
We get some progress in our big arc, and we’ll have some pedantic questions.
Let’s start with the progress. Dr. Strange at last learns that Ancient One has been occasionally awakening to say “Eternity”, and agrees to uncover the secret. That quest should occupy him for a few issues.
Mordo and his wraiths find Dr. Strange again, and again Dr. Strange is basically helpless against Dormammu’s power.
Featuring: Dr. Strange Release: January 12, 1965 Cover: April 1965 12 cents Written in a stygian swampland by: Stan Lee Drawn in a dismal dungeon by: Steve Ditko Lettered in a conjuror’s castle by: Artie Simek 10 pages
…it is almost like the calm before a terrible storm!
We read the first half of this issue in June 2021 and wrote the following.
I must emphasize that the Dr. Strange story is one of the single greatest Marvel stories of all time, yet the Bouncing Ball of Doom is what gets spotlighted on the cover.
The first page almost serves as a cover, as is common for Ditko stories. The story really begins on the next page, which picks up exactly where the previous issue went off. I’ve seen arguments online that how well this reads if you just chop off the splash page chapter breaks means this should just be read as a 153 page graphic novel, perhaps the first graphic novel ever.
We saw this same servant of Mordo’s last issue. Ditko is good about using distinctive faces and taking care to repeat characters. Lee is often unconcerned about naming these repeat characters. This random dude will eventually get a name, and then weirdly get chosen as the lead villain in the first Dr. Strange film.
I appreciate how Ditko illustrates the espionage thriller, where Dr. Strange is furtively trying to escape detection.
Featuring: Dr. Strange Release: November 10, 1964 Cover: February 1965 12 cents Edited by: Stan Lee, and his magic typewriter. Script by: Don Rico, and his mystic fountain pen. Illustrated by: Steve Ditko, and his miraculous lead pencil. Lettered by: Sam Rosen, and his melancholy penpoint. 10 pages
Welcome to the 300th Marvel Age story! We’re almost 1% finished!
I think the periods that end each credit above are the first periods we have ever seen. Stan Lee holds to a pretty strict exclamation point-only policy. But then, Stan Lee didn’t write this.
For the second time this month, and the second time in our entire Marvel Age reading, Stan Lee claims no story credit for the issue. His name still comes first, but he takes credit for editing. The only other time we’ve seen this is with Tales to Astonish #64, published just a week earlier, and scripted by Leon Lazarus.
Rumor is that publisher Martin Goodman was concerned of the power Lee held by being the sole writer on these increasingly successful titles, and instructed Lee to diversify the writing staff. However, neither Rico nor Lazarus became regular writers. So if that was Goodman’s intent, he was not successful.
We’ve met Don Rico twice before, though he used the alias of N. Korok, when he worked on Tales of Suspense #52–53 and helped introduce Black Widow. The first time we saw him work with Stan, Stan credited himself with “story” and Rico with “plot”. I don’t know the difference either.
This is Rico’s final scripting assignment for Marvel, a company he’s worked for off and on for 25 years at this point. It’s pretty close to his last comics work. He’d basically already left comics behind for prose writing at this point. A couple miscellaneous pieces in the 70s, including the art for a short Captain America story.
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
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.
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
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…
Original
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.
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.
