The Ascendance of... Baron Mordo!?

 

OR: "Dr. Strange, Hiker of the Mystic Arts"

The thought of Michael Golden handling the artwork for the forty-page What If story featuring Baron Mordo as the Master of the Mystic Arts would be enough to spur even the Dread Dormammu into picking up a copy. Alas, Mr. Golden took care of just the cover art. Still, one look at the exquisite splash page for the issue has one thinking that artists Butch Guice (née Jackson Guice) and Sam Grainger are the next best thing, eh?

Mordo's turn at being the Ancient One's choice to succeed him is an interesting premise to explore, though we don't really need the Watcher to get that ball rolling: Basically, something must happen (or not happen) to prevent Strange from taking Mordo's place as the Ancient One's disciple. But Mordo actually wanting to be worthy of the Ancient One's teachings is a new twist that only Uatu could see coming.

(Of course, if you're under the impression that those tentacles somehow played a part in Mordo becoming the model student, you get a complimentary copy of the Book of the Vishanti! (Not really!) )

From here, things progress for Mordo as they did for Strange--except for writer Peter Gillis feeling the need to plant a seed in our minds that something is up here. (It occurs to me that if Wong distrusts Mordo, surely the Ancient One would still have misgivings, but what do I know.)

Soon enough, Mordo's baptism of fire arrives in the form of Dormammu's intent to invade our dimension. Unlike Strange, however, the shrewd Mordo decides to forcefully secure the aid of another denizen of the Dark Dimension, Clea, in order to enact a plan to free a menace from captivity that even Dormammu must drop everything to defend against.

And what of Strange? He's decided to use his new lease on life to become an instructor at a New York medical school--yet unknown to him, he has also fallen prey to a powerful entity who uses a person's dreams to inflict suffering, a foe he would have battled in our reality as "the Master of Black Magic."

It's Not Nice To Bind Mother Nature

 

For nearly all of its 1974-1987 run, Doctor Strange was obliged to follow a bimonthly publication schedule, having briefly flirted with monthly issues from April-October of '76 during the height of Steve Englehart's time as scripter on the book. It was Englehart who had announced that, despite the strenuous toll such a schedule would take on both himself (who had other projects he'd hoped to pursue) and artist Gene Colan (who was also doing Tomb Of Dracula at the time), the effort would be made, since all involved (which now included inker Tom Palmer) were "determined to keep at it, and to keep the quality high," in Englehart's words.

Flip the calendar ahead to October, with both Englehart and Colan having departed and writer Marv Wolfman announcing that the book would return to a bimonthly schedule--the reason being that its sales, though good, didn't warrant being published monthly. Early on, however, there were similar bumps in the road for readers of the new monthly series to weather, such as a reprint issue being released so shortly after the book's launch, with bimonthly status kicking in two issues later; then, the departure of celebrated artist Frank Brunner, who made no secret of the fact that he preferred a bimonthly schedule but also had other projects he was interested in pursuing, at which point Colan, who had worked on the first Dr. Strange series in the '60s, came aboard. Englehart would later provide a bit of perspective in that regard:

"When Dr. Strange had his own book in the late '60s, it failed. The insider's official explanation has always laid it off on Gene's panel layout ("you couldn't follow the story"). But it's been my conviction for some time that the real reason is far more basic: in the late '60s, despite all the hue and cry over mind expansion, there just weren't enough spacy people reading comics to support a mystic--while today, there are. In fact, as I say, there are so many spacers around that this book is not just supported. This book is a certified hit. That means there are a lot of people out there who dig Dr. Strange as he now is, and they deserve consideration."

And that leads us to a four-issue story from 1975 which I like to think smoothed the road ahead for our new Sorcerer Supreme and his creative team, and certainly for his readers who despite a two-month wait between issues were demonstrating that they were in it for the long haul. Monsieur Brunner has left us a stunning cover for that story's first installment, featuring Strange facing the unrelenting Umar, the sister to none other than the Dread Dormammu--and while Colan had yet to contribute cover work, we get a sense that Strange, as well as his lover and now-disciple, Clea, are literally about to undertake their baptism of fire!

Finders, Keepers

 

Slipping by the wave of issues which were branded with the Assistant Editors' Month stamp in January of 1984 was the 1983 X-Men Annual #7 (which also happened to slip by the PPC's roundup of 1983 annuals in the fall of '22). Written by Chris Claremont with art by Michael Golden (with an assist by Bret Blevins) along with inkers galore, the story makes a fine addition to the who's-running-the-asylum theme of the other AEM books whose editors were attending the San Diego Comic Con, leaving their underlings free to publish their own stories in their own way. Unfortunately for them, they become collateral damage as they're swept up with others in the X-Men's pursuit of a powerful "foe" who is engaged in a series of thefts for reasons unknown.

As we can see, however, the jig is up almost immediately, since it appears that no one thought to advise cover artist John Romita Jr. not to spill the beans on the identity of the perpetrator first thing. (Also, Mr. Romita, Cyclops doesn't appear in this story at all, but Professor X certainly does. Those asst. editors pranked you but good, didn't they?) But mum's the word, since everyone else in the issue will remain in the dark for the duration of this crazy roller coaster ride we're about to embark on.

Taking a leaf from Asst. Editor Eliot Brown, whose clever title/credits page appears at the very end of the story (which coincides with his detonation of same), we're placing it instead alongside the issue's cover, just to give you a taste of the ride you're in for in this forty-page tale. Because while the X-Men treat this "threat" with all due seriousness, you can bet that with the Impossible Man at the center of it all, the situation has the potential of spiraling beyond the control of anyone and everyone involved.

"The Spider And The Sorcerer(s)!"

 

Given the circumstances in which we left the former sorcerer known as Xandu the Unspeakable, it appeared that he was never going to trouble the world again in his mad quest to achieve the ultimate power to be gained by possession of the mystic Wand of Watoomb, his efforts foiled by both Spider-Man and the Master of the Mystic Arts, Dr. Strange. In that encounter's denouement, Strange not only drained the wand's power, but also removed Xandu's memories of it as well as absolved his evil nature, essentially giving him a second chance at life.

Yet, almost nine years later, it appears that Xandu's "reset" didn't take--appearing none the worse for wear when he sets his sights again on the wand, as well as the two who came between him and his goal. What that goal was and is will be revealed in short order; for now, however, we join him just after he's ambushed Spider-Man at the scene where the wall-crawler had just saved a lone figure from a mugging, only to find himself to be the victim.

As for the wand, what's the point of Xandu seeking it out again? With its power vanished, isn't it just an ornate paperweight at present? We'll have to wait a bit to find that out, as well, since the story's symbolic splash page is also posing questions to be answered--and from the look of things, Xandu intends to be holding all the cards as well as the wand.

(It seems Xandu's assertion that Strange is Spider-Man's enemy is true--he's made sure his cover "spotlight" figure is large enough to shove even the book's masthead aside!)

The Purloined Power of... Xandu!

 

While the story content of Amazing Spider-Man Annual #2 consists mostly of reprints of prior ASM tales by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko (along with additional rogues gallery profiles), the issue's lead story is impressive original material by the same writer/artist team and offers the first meeting between Spider-Man and Dr. Strange, Master of the Mystic Arts, as well as the first appearance by the sorcerer who calls himself Xandu the Unspeakable, or Xandu the All Powerful, or whatever adjective suits his whimsy when announcing himself to others. But to clear up one thing right away, Xandu is not to be confused with Shangdu, one of three capital cities of Kublai Khan's Yuan Dynasty--a city otherwise known by a name which became attached to one of the biggest box office disappointments of 1980.

Too bad, Xandu--one more letter and your name would have been up in lights. Briefly.

As it happened, this 1965 story also came in handy about 3½ years later during the short run of the first Doctor Strange series, presumably as a way to entice readers to try the book. It was something of a red flag to see a reprint appearing so soon in a still-nascent series--in this case, just four issues prior to the title's cancellation.

(Trivia note: Ditko's standing image of Spider-Man just took a bit of mirroring to become a classic corner box.)

As for what Xandu has in mind, he'll first need a little hired muscle to pull it off--that is to say, enslaved muscle, in the form of two bar room bruisers who were accustomed to throwing their weight around.

And just in case you were wondering who had custody of the other half of the mystic wand Xandu covets, it indeed happens to be Dr. Strange--though not for long, as his attackers are not susceptible to a mystic defense given their current state.

All of which paves the way to a fine original story with what seems to be a very off-brand title for a Spider-Man issue. (More than likely another pitch to Spidey readers to check out a character still playing second fiddle to Nick Fury at this point in time. Sheesh!  Can the hard sell already, Stan!)

Heroes Defeated!

 

Few moments in comics are more dramatic than your favorite comic book hero(es) meeting defeat at the hands of a villain. And while in some cases there are extenuating circumstances to the situation, you can always count on the story's cover to not mince words and make it seem as if there's no coming back for the beaten--a stain that cannot be purged.

(Though things can't be too bad for Dr. Strange if the same cover buffers the impact of the announcement with images of the Thing and the Human Torch in Beatles wigs.)

Here, then, is a sampling of covers which made the most of the stinging word:

(Even if the jury may have still been out on the matter.)

The Sorcerer, The Ally, and the Avengers!

 

Even as early as its Silver Age books, Marvel was discovering the value of story crossovers in regard to not only profit but also as a means to entice readers to pick up a title that they'd passed on or didn't know about. In addition, the practice may have also helped to light the match of the budding collectors of the day, well before the marketing insanity of multiple crossover "events" would make even collectors balk. The early days of crossovers also offered the likelihood that the same writer would be handling scripting for each of the issues, while art buffs benefited from the opportunity of either seeing the same artist pull double duty or a different artist's take on the other book's character(s). Some examples that may come to mind in that respect were the Daredevil/Fantastic Four crossover featuring Dr. Doom (with artists Gene Colan and Jack Kirby), the X-Men/Avengers story involving Magneto (both penciled by John Buscema), and the Avengers/Incredible Hulk tale (featuring the work of both Sal Buscema and Herb Trimpe) which introduced an intriguing new villain, Psyklop.

In 1968-69, Avengers scribe Roy Thomas was also handling the first solo series of Doctor/Dr. Strange (the good doctor's masthead title abbreviated at about the halfway point) and would feature two crossovers during its 15-issue run. Regrettably, the second crossover, depicting the threat of the Undying Ones, would occur posthumously following the book's cancellation, in issues of Sub-Mariner and Incredible Hulk--but the prior crossover would have its conclusion take place in a more high-profile title, as well as bring in a guest-star along with a threat drawn from no less than the realm of the gods.

The Vengeance of Salomé--Sorceress Supreme!

 

Having dealt with the mysteries of two body-and-soul analogs of Dr. Strange which were created to carry out specific earthly tasks for him during his self-exile from our dimension--"Vincent Stevens," the body, designed to impersonate Strange and handle his personal and business affairs... and "Strange," the soul, tasked with continuing to gather Earth-based mystical artifacts and deliver them to the doctor for use in his ongoing work--the true Dr. Strange prepares to face the ancient Sorceress Supreme named Salomé, whose ambush left Strange no choice but to retreat in order to forge a new source of magic for himself, having abandoned his reliance on other-dimensional mystical beings after being forced to reject the Vishanti's demand for aid in the imminent, cosmic War of the Seven Spheres.

As for Salomé, she's been doing a little forging of her own--in this case, an alliance with the Vishanti in order to penetrate Strange's new sanctum, where Sister Nil, a former threat but now Strange's "ward" and scribe, delays her while Strange is engaged with his two doppelgangers. Even so, Strange keeps tabs on her progress, even as his taunts and those of Nil chafe at her frustration and incense her to no end.

Yet Salomé's luck changes when she gains entry to a crucial part of Strange's work with Gaian-based magick--and though Strange has not been able to recover the power he expected to gain from the dissolution of Stevens and "Strange," he nevertheless intends to meet the challenge of this sorceress head-on.

The Incursions of... Strange!

 

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.

Which is our cue to swoop in with another

---

Marvel Trivia Question

---

Who--or what--was the aetheric entity who called himself... Strange?

Invoke The Planes of Pohldahk At Your Own Risk

 

Mid-1984 saw the first volume of Doctor Strange arguably at the height of its acclaim and pivoting toward a new chapter in its run, with writer Roger Stern continuing in the series after taking a two-issue break (which, for a bimonthly comic, worked out to four months) following an ambitious storyline which saw the eradication of all vampires from the Earth. Joining Stern again would be artist Paul Smith, who contributed a one-shot issue previously profiled in the PPC and who would remain with the writer (with the exception of a single issue in October) until they would both depart the book near the end of '85. Leading off their collaboration was what appeared to be an understated story involving a man who wanted to stake his own claim as a practitioner of the mystic arts--but as we'll see, the danger he posed went beyond the threat he represented to the Sorcerer Supreme.

An Eye For An Eyepatch

 

In April of 1987, two months after the second volume of Doctor Strange came to an end, writer Peter Gillis, who had succeeded Roger Stern to script the final eight issues of the series, would continue with the Sorcerer Supreme in a new incarnation of Strange Tales--the book returning to its split format from the Silver Age with its double bill now featuring Strange and the duo of Cloak and Dagger. Published monthly, Gillis would have roughly eleven pages per issue to begin an extended arc for Strange that built on the sorcerer's confrontation of and battle with Urthona, the alien sorcerer who raided Strange's sanctum of its mystic tomes and powerful artifacts (along with capturing the sanctum itself) and attempted to establish himself as our dimension's new supreme mystic. That battle ended at great sacrifice for Strange--watching helplessly as his manservant Wong was horribly mutilated, and then having no recourse but to destroy the book of the Vishanti, the Orb of Agamotto, and other valuable, irreplaceable tools of his trade so as to deny them to Urthona.

The powerful empath, Topaz, is fortunately able to heal Wong's grievous wounds; yet as Strange surmises, the mystic sources of danger to Earth are even now manifesting around the world, while Stephen Strange himself, now bereft of the tools and resources he would normally call upon to confront them, will be forced to make difficult and even unconscionable choices. And to make matters worse, he also suffers from an affliction of the spirit, as Topaz realizes when she urges him to resolve his feelings for his former disciple and love, Clea, whose departure had left him a shattered man.

With the issue "settled" (at least as far as Clea is concerned), Gillis is free to put his story arc in motion, which is already beginning to have an effect on this mystic master who has weathered much heartbreak and inner conflict in a relatively short time. And there is still more to come, when this series introduces a more visible sign of Strange's turmoil.

And so we train our eye on yet another

---

Marvel Trivia Question

---

How and why did Dr. Strange suffer the loss of an eye?

"Come Into My Sanctum, Said The Sorcerer..."

 

OR: "Second Time's The Harm"

Previously we were witness to a Stan Lee/Steve Ditko tale from 1966 which featured a life-and-death struggle between the Master of the Mystic Arts, Dr. Strange, and the minions of Baron Mordo--a trio of sorcerers who assumed the worst when they could no longer contact their master and set out to assassinate Strange by use of a conventional explosive device hidden in his own sanctum. The attempt failed, but led to Strange's captivity, and a lopsided battle where Strange was limited to the use of his astral form against three powerful foes who were determined to prevent his escape. As villains go, these nameless minions--consisting of a sorceress who acted as Mordo's deputy, a one-time foe of Strange's who called himself the Demon, and Mordo's disciple--were a surprisingly viable and well-coordinated threat who also had the manpower available to hunt down Strange, with the ambitious deputy assuming the role of their ringleader. But through resourcefulness and perseverance, Strange was able to turn the tables on them and reclaim his physical form, finally casting a spell of forgetfulness upon them which would deal with them indefinitely.

Which serves as our segue to December of 1982, where Strange now holds the distinction of Sorcerer Supreme and is currently scheduled for, of all things, a television interview to be conducted by his good friend and love interest, writer Morgana Blessing. The appointment has come as something of a surprise to Strange's manservant, Wong, who never imagined his master would be so forthcoming with the news media; but to look at Strange's calm demeanor, it's obvious he's not only comfortable with the idea but also eager to begin. That is, if we don't think to read between the lines of his greeting to Morgana which assures her of his readiness.

And if we do so read, we must ask:  Just what is it he's ready for?

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?