Following the run of Roy (and Dann) Thomas on Dr. Strange, Sorcerer Supreme, writer David Quinn began a sixteen-month story arc that introduced a new, enigmatic character which appeared during Strange's involvement with the Midnight Sons, a group of nine men and women with ties to the occult. All well and good for the "Siege Of Darkness" crossover event taking place in no less than seven separate horror/occult books, where Quinn's eerie character would fit right in--but in Strange's own book, he would have greater problems when Salomé, a Sorceress Supreme from ancient times, announces her intent to eliminate him and reclaim her rightful title.
Thanks to Caretaker, one of the Sons, a memory seems to resurface in Strange which indicates a way to deal with Salomé--but given what happens next, his future is in doubt, following what appears to be a massive, mystic conflagration of self-sacrifice.
In her rage, however, neither Salomé nor anyone else on the scene is prepared for the stark sight which then swoops in to savagely attack her--something that mimics her own power and who, despite appearances, she rules out as being the corpse of a dead man.
It's a fairly long and winding road that Quinn sets out on, with information on this new "Strange" being handed out piecemeal. Everyone seems to agree that Strange is unlikely to be Stephen Strange behind that mask, with Strange wielding elemental-based power as well as possessing something of a vicious streak and a terse speech. He also appears to be after certain artifacts for no discernible reason, even if they happen to be sought by others--a convenient way for Quinn to open the door to other books and storylines whose characters (the Sub-Mariner, Polaris, the Hulk) would cross paths with Strange. One such meeting in particular must have been a no-brainer as a guest-star sure to catch the eye of comics readers--though as we'll learn, Dr. Doom, like Strange, turns out not to be whom one would assume at first glance.
Yes, it's actually Nathaniel Richards who had his head handed to him (if virtually), rather than Doom. And with Namor's appearance, we discover two key pieces of information in this ongoing story: First, that Stephen Strange is very much alive, having retreated to the cemetery alongside Trinity Church and constructed a new sanctum which will allow him to forge an entirely new form of magic for himself... and secondly, that the Strange entity operates under his direction, particularly when it comes to acquiring the artifacts he seeks.
With Namor graciously but firmly saying no to Dr. Strange's request, we discover something else--that the other Strange is capable of acting on his own, which he does in order to acquire the artifact that Namor has designated off limits. During the inevitable conflict between Strange and Namor, the Sub-Mariner manages to recover the artifact, though remaining just as mystified as to the origin and purpose of this enigma calling himself Strange.
And what of Salomé, who has been monitoring Strange's activities? She yet remains in the dark as to his motives or where he comes from, but she is certain that Dr. Strange yet lives--while Strange, who is now seeking "Victor Stevens," another identity of Stephen Strange which he feels holds the secret to his survival, will brook no interference from either sorcerer in claiming his own right to existence.
And so, while Dr. Strange attempts to placate the Midnight Sons as to his own activities, Strange at last locates Stevens, just as he falls victim to an apparent assassin--but Strange has no intention of letting Stevens slip away, when so much is at stake for himself.
Eventually, then, the groundwork is laid for a face-off between these three men who share certain aspects of each other aside from their obvious physical connection. Dr. Strange now stands ready to face Salomé, once he can reclaim the power that his disparate doppelgangers possess; but both Strange and Stevens, having sealed an informal alliance with each other, are insistent on confronting the doctor and arranging their "freedom" on their terms. Depending on who has the upper hand at any given time, it turns out to be a meeting that challenges Dr. Strange even as he seeks to assert his will.
Yet at least one of these men is taken out of the mix when Stevens, the most arrogant and manipulative of them, is dealt with by the doctor and becomes a victim of his own "techno-magick"--leaving Strange alone, and furious, his rage allowing him to gain the upper hand in this drama.
But despite Strange's triumphant words, what we've seen is only the prelude to the penultimate struggle that Dr. Strange wages with him before settling accounts with Salomé. Yet in dealing with Strange once and for all, he realizes that he can give this entity what he wants, while also providing much-needed aid to his love, Clea, who is waging her final stand in the Dark Dimension against Dormammu.
And so Strange meets both his end, and a new beginning--leaving Dr. Strange to pivot to his final battle with Salomé, who is chomping at the bit to deal with him without any further delay.
If you had read Quinn's story during its original publication and managed to stick with it to the end, you were probably giving off a sigh of relief at this point at having made it through the saga of Strange at long last. Fortunately, you were rewarded with a first-rate battle between two sorcerers supreme that, were it not the mid-1990s, might have garnered more notice than it did. But fear not if this book wasn't on your pull list at the time, because your humble host did take notice--and the PPC is even now prepping a ringside seat to that clash for you. (Uh, once we run it by Salomé, that is.)
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