The Minions of Mordo!

 

Following his hard-fought and almost unbelievable victory over the dread Dormammu (and on his foe's home ground, at that), a weary Dr. Strange, Master of the Mystic Arts, returns to his sanctum sanctorum for some much-needed rest--while Baron Mordo, who had allied himself with Dormammu but fell out of favor during the battle, has been banished by the Dread One. Yet unknown at present to Strange, three of those who had served Mordo in the villain's hunt for his rival have resolved to carry out their master's vengeance--and they now strike in secret at the place where Strange would least suspect a trap.

Unfortunately for our assassins, however, they haven't covered their tracks as thoroughly as they believe--but while Strange escapes death from their explosive device, he is left too vulnerable to escape capture, leaving those who lie in wait to act on their master's behalf and render him completely helpless. And to the victors go the spoils.

(We'll have to assume that Strange took a moment to mystically protect his hands and wrists from the searing fire, as well as the bomb's by this time red-hot casing.)

And so with Strange at their mercy, the minions of Mordo have achieved victory where Dormammu and their master had failed! Who is there now to help Dr. Strange except... himself?

Unable to even reach the Ancient One for assistance, Strange is forced to accept the fact that he must find a way out of this predicament on his own. As for his foes, just who are they? For the duration of the story they will remain nameless (as befits minions), though two of them have appeared before. You may have already recognized the Demon, who on his own did fairly well against Strange in their prior battle:

...while our mustached friend outfitted the same as the others milling about in the shadows is Mordo's disciple, who was seen leading other minions in the field during Mordo's hunt for his enemy. As for the third, an unveiling certainly seems to be in order, and it stands to reason that this person will prove to be the most dangerous of the three (and, as we'll learn, the most ambitious).

Yet it's the Demon--the one who has had the most first-hand experience with Strange--who underestimates his foe in an attempt to probe Strange's mind, and pays the price. Yet before Strange can free himself completely, he is discovered by the minion who had taken custody of Strange's amulet, a sorceress who considers herself to be Mordo's deputy--leaving Strange still very much a prisoner, with only his astral form able to guide his movements in an attempt to evade his pursuers.

What occurs from this point is a battle which goes back and forth for Strange, using his physical body as best he can to fight back while at the same time struggling to keep it safe from discovery and becoming a captive once more. But when he manages to locate and reclaim his cloak of levitation and use it to take control of Mordo's disciple, it's he who underestimates the power and resourcefulness of the deputy, who in the meantime has found his body and knows she has only to wait for him to attempt to merge with it once more.

And as the deputy had planned, Strange indeed falls prey to the trap she has laid--finally leaving him no choice but to make his stand in his astral form, seizing any opportunities that arise in the course of the battle and dealing with the actions of his foes as they occur while making use of the only sorcerous tools available to him. It all amounts to a splendid effort against heavy odds--though this may well be the first time any of us have seen a "spirit form" actually leap out of the way of an attack. (No wonder Strange keeps catching his foes off-guard.)

With only the sorceress now standing against him, this battle is now down to the wire. Strange's form is still vulnerable to a mystic attack--yet what few resources he's been able to bring to bear against his attackers can now be focused on one individual, who leaves herself vulnerable to a timely distraction which at last gives Strange the long-awaited chance to reclaim his body.

Taking place in the split format of Strange Tales, this story amounts to a normal-sized twenty-page tale by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko which, while condensed here, is surprisingly engaging in terms of the setbacks Strange endures and his perseverance in overcoming powerful enemies who had brought him to the brink of defeat--all while in a form which forced him to think on his feet and use whatever means he could take advantage of to turn the tables on his foes.

NEXT:
Despite Strange's words, our minions return demanding vengeance!
(And they'll even have monikers this time around!)