Spider-Man and Dr. Strange v. Dr. Doom Dormammu The Dread Dilby

 

It wouldn't surprise me if those of you who picked up the 1980 Amazing Spider-Man Annual found it to be something of a mixed bag--enjoyable, but falling short. There's the teaming of Spider-Man and Dr. Strange, an unexpected chemistry between the characters which has worked out well in past stories but here is practically nonexistent. There's the prospect of the teaming of the two against the surprising pairing of Dr. Doom and the Dread Dormammu (the prospect, mind you). There's the artwork of Frank Miller, who is more than adept at laying out a story and who encloses this one in a clever and stylish theme comprised of passages from the Book of the Vishanti. And there's writer Denny O'Neil, who gets high marks from those within the industry and whose approach to a story I almost always find to be compelling, but whose scripting on Invincible Iron Man during the early 1980s I still recall as a trudging, enduring disappointment. In this issue, however, he turns in engaging work for nearly all of the featured characters. (O'Neil and Miller would also work on the succeeding year's ASM Annual.)

Combined, the issue's cover and its splash page give every indication of a page-turner story to look forward to:

But, caveat emptor. The cover caption, in particular.

In actuality, our two villains make little more than cameo appearances. (You'd think the Vishanti would have divulged that up front.)

While it's difficult to imagine Dormammu regarding Doom as a partner rather than as a lowly mortal speck who dabbles in sorcery, their brief scenes are handled well enough in terms of facilitating the use of Lucius Dilby, a pawn in Doom's employ who constructs a device which unfortunately sees him placed into the service of Dormammu--the timing of which coincides with unleashing on humanity a deadly event called the Bend Sinister.

You may as well know at this point that you've seen the last of Dormammu for the duration of this forty-page issue. Doom will go on to appear in... one more page. Let's hope the guy Spider-Man actually does battle is enough to justify the 75¢ you forked over for this annual, eh?

As for Dr. Strange, Dilby's efforts with his conjured robot "plaything" pay off when he sends it to capture the sorcerer, the man who will serve as the human sacrifice required to manifest the Bend Sinister.

Both Strange's body and his escaping astral self are overwhelmed and taken, though not before Strange manages to send a mystic distress call to Spider-Man, who makes it past the considerable forces left behind to prevent entry to Strange's sanctum. Inside, the injured Wong relays to him a telepathic message from his master that directs the wall-crawler to the CBGB club in the Bowery district. But Strange's location is currently elsewhere--and what Spider-Man (as Peter Parker) finds at CBGB is not only good music, but also evidence of mystic incursion orchestrated by none other than Dilby.

With Spider-Man's realization of Dilby's role not only in the mesmerized, chanting crowd activity but also in regard to Strange's capture, it only remains for him to free the sorcerer from the crystal in which he's encased--a task which Dilby prevents with his summons of the same robot which captured Strange, bringing this crisis down to the wire. Dilby knows that he need only keep Spider-Man occupied while he awaits the proper alignment of forces--while Spider-Man fights alone, not able to receive any assistance from the imprisoned and restrained Strange (another party who isn't taking on Doom, Dormammu, or, for the time being, even Dilby).

But as we know from past Strange/Spider-Man conflicts, the web-slinger's abilities and instincts can often catch mystic foes flat-footed--and so when he puts Dilby's creation to good use, it's the crystal that's his target, and just in time.

Spider-Man, for his part, is not at all pleased with Strange's reluctance to explain the Bend Sinister and what it entailed, which results in a brief tantrum that may not have been received well by longtime readers. And our other "player"? As much as Doom might be livid at being relegated to a bookend, he serves the story well as such.

BY THE WAY...

Shrapnel, our military-themed performers who were used like pied pipers to chant the coming of the Bend Sinister, were a real-life punk and power pop band from New Jersey who played during the late '70s to the mid-'80s (and performed at CBGB frequently). Their on-stage appearance and attitude reflected a pro-war aesthetic (albeit satirical), performing in military uniforms and carrying M16 rifles as props. You'll find in the annual's ad section a promo (along with a noteworthy endorsement) for their 45 rpm single, Combat Love b/w Hey.