By the Vishanti! Clea & Stephen Strange Appreciation 2024

[Reviresco]

Welcome to the combined appreciation thread for Clea and Stephen, Sorcerers Supreme, who will be sharing an ongoing this year!



by Nszerdy

Long, long ago there was a young neurosurgeon named Stephen Vincent Strange, and he was about to make the big time. He had everything the world considers success -- talent, youth, wealth, looks -- but he had no heart. Then fate and his own carelessness caught up with him and stripped him of his career in a single moment. Suddenly, nothing he had was of any value; he deserted his colleagues, was deserted by his friends, and spent his entire fortune seeking a cure for his ruined hands. In desperation, he used the last of his resources to chase a scrap of hope -- the rumor of an Ancient One, far away in the mountains of Tibet, who could work miracles.

Doctor Strange found the old monk and demanded help, but the Ancient One could see that, underneath the wretchedness, he was just as uncaring as ever. He knew that Strange needed a change of heart more than he needed working hands, and offered to let him stay and learn from him. Strange, hurt and angry, called the ancient mystic a fraud and would have left at that moment except that a blizzard suddenly arose, preventing his escape. He was snowbound in the monastery with the Ancient One and his disciples, stewing in his own bitterness.

Then at last came the moment when he realized the Ancient One's most trusted disciple, Baron Mordo, was plotting to murder his master. Strange rushed to interfere, but Mordo turned dark magic on him to silence him. Faced all at once with the stunning knowledge that EVIL magic is very much real, Strange finally let his self interest go. He humbled himself before the Ancient One and asked to learn magic as well, hoping to save the old master from his deceptive disciple. Pleased to have reached Strange's heart at last, the Ancient One accepted him, freed him from Mordo's spell, and sent his former student away.

Since then, Strange has been fulfilling his silent vow to take a stand against dark magic. His adventures have taken him in and out of the hidden pockets of reality, from Eternity's domain to the throne room of the Dread Dormammu. He has primarily stood alone. He has suffered loneliness, anonymity, and a growing sense of isolation from the rest of the world, but his career has been filled with unexpected joys -- the undying loyalty of his assistant Wong, the respect of the superhero community, the turbulent friendship of the Defenders, and the love of many noble women, particularly Clea, heir to the Dark Dimension. He has allied with Doctor Doom. He has defeated Shuma-Gorath in his own dimension. He has argued with the Living Tribunal, faced down the Scarlet Witch, and ridden the winged horse Aragorn. In some cases he prevails by strength of arms, but in far more he succeeds by keeping calm, cleverly using what he has on hand, and never, EVER giving up.

All hail the master, Doctor Strange, ambassador of the mystic arts to the Marvel universe. May his star never fade.

This wonderful introduction was written by Dr. Strange fan extraordinaire, Chariset, for the original Master of the Mystic Arts: Doctor Strange Appreciation Thread.

Clea is the Sorcerer Supreme and occasional ruler of the Dark Dimension. She is the daughter of Umar and niece of Dormammu, the Faltine warlords who took over the Dark Dimension after the death of Olnar, the last of the Mhuruuk wizard kings who had previously ruled the Dark Dimension for thousands of years. Umar had an affair with Olnar's son Orini, resulting in Umar becoming pregnant and giving birth to Clea. Umar abandoned Clea into Orini's care and he raised her in complete ignorance of her relationship to Umar and Dormammu. Clea became Stephen Strange's ally in the Dark Dimension, resulting in her nearly being killed by Umar and imprisoned by Dormammu. To save her, the Ancient One hid her in a pocket dimension, where Stephen Strange eventually found her and brought her to earth. She became Strange's lover and his magical disciple. Strange taught her all the magic he knew. Although Clea and Strange loved each other deeply, she eventually returned to the Dark Dimension to liberate it from Umar and Dormammu. She led a rebel army and eventually defeated Umar - who Clea learned was her mother - and then she became the new ruler of the Dark Dimension. Clea and Strange were married in a Dark Dimension ceremony and the pair agreed that each would stay in their own home dimension to protect it, but they would still get together whenever they could. Eventually the two became estranged and separated, though Strange was not willing to officially end the relationship. Dormammu took over the Dark Dimension again and Clea fled to Asgard for a time. Clea and Strange got back together during a fight with Galactus. To win that battle, Strange made a deal with Mephisto that meant sacrificing the one thing that meant the most to him: Clea. Strange wiped all of her memories of him and left her in the Dark Dimension. Her memories were restored after Strange's death in the Death of Doctor Strange mini-series. As a result of the events in that series, Clea has become the Sorcerer Supreme of the Earth Dimension. She has vowed to retrieve his lost soul and bring him back to life. This is the basis for the new series, Strange which debuts in March 2022.

Clea first appeared in Strange Tales #126, back in 1964. In all those years, she's largely been a supporting character in the various Doctor Strange series or in the Defenders, and only rarely appeared in other titles. The new Strange series by writer Jed MacKay is the first time that she is being featured as a leading character in her own right, so it seems like a good time to establish an Appreciation thread for her and this new series. Clea has not yet made an appearance in any of the MCU films. It's unknown at this time if she will be appearing in the next Doctor Strange film. She has appeared as an NPC and a playable character in some of the Marvel games.

This wonderful introduction was written by Clea and Dr. Strange fan extraordinaire, Clea, for the original Clea - Sorcerer Supreme of the Dark Dimension - Appreciation Thread.

Master of the Mystic Arts: Doctor Strange Appreciation 2014-2018
Master of the Mystic Arts: Doctor Strange Appreciation 2019
Stephen Strange: Doctor Strange Appreciation 2020
Stephen Strange: Doctor Strange Appreciation 2021
Master of the Mystic Arts: Doctor Strange Appreciation 2022
Clea - Sorcerer Supreme of the Dark Dimension - Appreciation 2022
By the Vishanti! Clea & Stephen Strange Appreciation 2023

[Reviresco]

ONGOING SERIES

Strange Tales (1951)
Doctor Strange (1968)
Doctor Strange (1974)
Strange Tales (1987)
Doctor Strange Sorcerer Supreme (1988)
Doctor Strange (2015)
Doctor Strange and the Sorcerers Supreme (2016)
Doctor Strange (2018)
Doctor Strange Surgeon Supreme (2020)
Strange (2022)
Doctor Strange (2023)




COLLECTED EDITIONS

Doctor Strange Master of the Mystic Arts v1 (mass market size in color)
Doctor Strange Master of the Mystic Arts v2 (mass market size in color)
Doctor Strange Master of the Mystic Arts (Fireside 1979) (Collects: Strange Tales #111, 116, 119–120, 123, 131–133, The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #2, and Marvel Premiere #3)

Essential Doctor Strange v1
Essential Doctor Strange v2
Essential Doctor Strange v3
Essential Doctor Strange v4

Marvel Masterworks Doctor Strange v1 (Strange Tales 110-111, 114-141)
Marvel Masterworks Doctor Strange v2 (Strange Tales 143-168)
Marvel Masterworks Doctor Strange v3 (Doctor Strange (1968) 169-179 and Avengers (1963) 61)
Marvel Masterworks Doctor Strange v4 (Doctor Strange (1968) 180-183, Sub-Mariner (1968) 22, Incredible Hulk (1962) 126, Marvel Feature 1 & Marvel Premiere 3-8)
Marvel Masterworks Doctor Strange v5 (Marvel Premiere 9-14 & Doctor Strange (1974) 1-9)
Marvel Masterworks Doctor Strange v6 (Doctor Strange (1974) 10-20, 22 and Annual 1, and Tomb of Dracula 44)
Marvel Masterworks Doctor Strange v7 (Doctor Strange (1974) 23-37 and material from Chamber of Chills 3-4)
Marvel Masterworks Doctor Strange v8 (Doctor Strange (1974) 38-46; What If? (1977) 18; Marvel Fanfare 5)
Marvel Masterworks Doctor Strange v9 (Doctor Strange (1974) 47-57, Marvel Fanfare 6; material from Crazy 88, OHOTMU (1983))


Epic Collection Doctor Strange v1 Master of the Mystic Arts (Strange Tales 110–111, 114–146; Amazing Spider-Man Annual 2)

Epic Collection Doctor Strange v3 A Separate Reality (Doctor Strange 180–183; Sub-Mariner 22; Incredible Hulk 126; Marvel Feature 1; Marvel Premiere 3–14; Doctor Strange (1974) 1–5)

Epic Collection Doctor Strange v4 Alone Against Eternity COLLECTING: VOL. 4: DOCTOR STRANGE (1974) 6-28, ANNUAL (1977) 1; TOMB OF DRACULA (1972) 44; GIANT-SIZE DOCTOR STRANGE (1975) 1

Epic Collection Doctor Strange v5 The Reality War (Collecting: Doctor Strange (1974) 29-51, Man-Thing (1979) 4; material from Chamber of Chills (1972) 3-4, Defenders (1972) 53)

Epic Collection Doctor Strange v8 Triumph and Torment (Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme 1–13; Doctor Strange and Doctor Doom - Triumph and Torment OGN)

Epic Collection Doctor Strange v9 Vampiric Verses (Collecting: Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme (1988) 14-33; Ghost Rider (1990) 12)

Epic Collection Doctor Strange v10 Infinity War (Collecting: Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme (1988) 34-47; Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme Annual (1992) 2; Silver Surfer (1987) 67; Spider-Man/Dr. Strange: The Way to Dusty Death (1992) 1)

Epic Collection Doctor Strange v11 A Nightmare on Bleeker Street (Collecting: Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme (1988) 48-61; Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme Annual (1992) 3; Morbius: The Living Vampire (1992) 9; material from Marvel Super-Heroes (1990) 12, 14; Marvel Comics Presents (1988) 146)

Epic Collection Doctor Strange v13 Afterlife (Collecting: Strange Tales (1994) #1;Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme 76–90, Ashcan Edition; Doctor Strange: What Is It That Disturbs You, Stephen?)


Doctor Strange Omnibus v1 (Collecting: STRANGE TALES (1951) 110-111, 114-146; AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL (1964) 2)

Doctor Strange Omnibus v2 (Collecting: Doctor Strange (1968) 169-183, Avengers (1963) 61, Sub-Mariner (1968) 22, Incredible Hulk (1968) 126; material from Strange Tales (1951) 147-168, Marvel Feature (1971) 1, Not Brand Echh (1967) 13)

Doctor Strange Sorcerer Supreme Omnibus v1 (Collecting: DOCTOR STRANGE, SORCERER SUPREME 1-40, GHOST RIDER (1990) 12)

Doctor Strange Sorcerer Supreme Omnibus v2 (Collecting: DOCTOR STRANGE, SORCERER SUPREME 41-59, ANNUAL 2-3; Spider-Man / Dr. Strange: The Way to Dusty Death; SILVER SURFER (1987) 67; MORBIUS: THE LIVING VAMPIRE (1992) 9; SECRET DEFENDERS 1-11; MATERIAL FROM INCREDIBLE HULK ANNUAL 18; NAMOR THE SUBMARINER ANNUAL 2; SILVER SURFER ANNUAL 5)

Doctor Strange Sorcerer Supreme Omnibus v3 (Collecting: Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme (1988) 60-90; Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme Annual (1992) 4; Strange Tales (1994) 1; Midnight Sons Unlimited (1993) 6; Dr. Strange: What Is It That Disturbs You, Stephen? (1997) 1; Untold Tales of Spider-Man: Strange Encounter (1998) 1; Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme Ashcan Edition (1995) 1)


A Separate Reality (Collects: Marvel Premiere #9, 10, 12-14, and Doctor Strange #1, 2, 4, 5)

Doctor Strange VS Dracula

Doctor Strange: Strange Tales (1987 series)

Doctor Strange: Into the Dark Dimension

Doctor Strange: Don't Pay the Ferryman (2015) (Collects: Doctor Strange (1974) #75-81)

Doctor Strange: The Flight of Bones (1999)

Strange (2004)

Doctor Strange The Oath (2007)

Strange: The Doctor is Out (2009)

Doctor Strange (2015) v1: The Way of the Weird
Doctor Strange (2015) v2: The Last Days of Magic
Doctor Strange (2015) v3: Blood in the Aether
Doctor Strange (2015) v4: Mr. Misery
Doctor Strange (2015) v5: Secret Empire
Doctor Strange By Aaron & Bachalo Omnibus (Collecting: Doctor Strange (2015) 1-20, Doctor Strange Annual (2016) 1, Doctor Strange: Last Days of Magic (2016) 1)

Doctor Strange and the Sorcerers Supreme v1 Out of Time (1-6)
Doctor Strange and the Sorcerers Supreme v2 Time After Time (7-12)

Doctor Strange Cates v1 God of Magic
Doctor Strange Cates v2 City of Sin
Doctor Strange: Damnation the Complete Collection (Damnation 1–4; Johnny Blaze: Ghost Rider 1; Doctor Strange 386–389; Iron Fist 78–80; Ben Reilly: Scarlet Spider 15–17)

Doctor Strange/Punisher: Magic Bullets (2017) Collects Doctor Strange/Punisher: Magic Bullets 1-4

Doctor Strange (2018) v1 Across the Universe
Doctor Strange (2018) v2 Remittance
Doctor Strange (2018) v3 Herald
Doctor Strange (2018) v4 The Choice
Doctor Strange Surgeon Supreme v1 Under the Knife

Death of Doctor Strange (2021) (collects 1-5)
Death Of Doctor Strange Companion (collects Death of Doctor Strange: Avengers (2021) 1, Death of Doctor Strange: Strange Academy Presents (2021) 1, Death of Doctor Strange: Spider-Man (2021) 1, Death of Doctor Strange: White Fox (2021) 1, Death of Doctor Strange: Blade (2021) 1, Death of Doctor Strange: X-Men/Black Knight (2021) 1)
Strange (2022) v1 I Belong to Death (collects 1-5)


OGN

Doctor Strange: Into Shamballa (1986)

Doctor Strange & Doctor Doom: Triumph & Torment (1989)

Spider-Man / Dr. Strange: The Way to Dusty Death (1992)

Doctor Strange: What Is It That Disturbs You Stephen? (1997)

Doctor Strange Season One


PROSE

Nightmare by William Rotsler

Doctor Strange Fate of Dreams by Devin Grayson

Sisters of Sorcery by Marsheila Rockwell

[Reviresco]

Recommended Reading

RECOMMENDED READING

Greatest Dr. Strange Stories Ever Told

"A Separate Reality" (collects Marvel Premiere #9, 10, 12-14, and Doctor Strange #1, 2, 4, 5) Dr. Strange becomes Sorcerer Supreme by making the toughest choice of his life, Baron Mordo and confronting GOD(?) and his first battle with Silver Dagger. -- NightMage

Triumph and Torment -- DigiCom (formerly Beware Of Geek)
Doctor Strange and Doctor Doom and Roger Stern and Mike Mignola, what more needs to be said? -- Reviresco

Into Shamballa is my favorite. It’s written by J.M. DeMatteis and painted by Dan Green. Simply beautiful. -- Shadowcat
This is one of my favorites, too. Beautiful book. -- Clea

[Reviresco]

LINKS

Sanctum Sanctorum Comix

Neil Alien Doctor Strange Fansite

The Lesser Book of the Vishanti

Doctor Strange Archive


COMICS 101 by Scott Tipton: Strange Days, Indeed 2/11/04 A selective history of Dr. Strange with plenty of pics.

A 'Respect' thread from ComicVine

Andrew Wheeler's Original Sin Recap#1
Andrew Wheeler's Original Sin Recap#2



CBR LINKS

Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed 43 - Dr. Strange Has a Daughter 3/23/2006


Barbiere Embarks on a Strange Journey in "New Avengers Annual" #1 04/18/14


Nothing Was Delivered - Roger Stern and Frank Miller's Doctor Strange 8/22/2016

CBR TAG Doctor Strange
CBR TAG Dr Strange

The Doctor Strange Readathon

Some previews and reviews for Strange #1:

https://www.superherohype.com/comics...ew-strange-1#2

https://aiptcomics.com/2022/02/25/ma...iew-strange-1/

https://screenrant.com/doctor-strang...cerer-supreme/

https://comicbook.com/marvel/news/do...e-debuts-clea/

Per Jed MacKay, in the comicbook.com review:
"Stephen's take on the role of Sorcerer Supreme has strayed over the years, but essentially he believed himself a doctor. The scale may have changed and the patient lists may have swelled to include everyone on the planet, but essentially he was there to fix, to heal, to put to rights," MacKay said. "Clea, on the other hand, comes from a line of rapacious conquerors, and her views on the correct way to discharge her duties are going to be colored by that. She's not even a native resident of Earth, but rather an alien queen, heir to the title of warlord, and we'll see how that influences her in the position of Sorcerer Supreme."

He added, "It's fun putting Clea into the spotlight and seeing how she goes about her business. She's native to the Dark Dimension, has never been human, and wants something with the same single-minded desire that we've grown accustomed to seeing from Umar and Dormammu. And now she's the world's Sorcerer Supreme, and isn't shy about reminding people what that, all of that, means."

[Reviresco]

MCU

Work in Progress







designed by John Staub, originally posted by Galerion

[Reviresco]

GAMES, ANIMATION, LIVE ACTION

Work in Progress

[Reviresco]

QUOTES

WiP

[Reviresco]

by Adam Hughes, originally posted by Clea



DOCTOR STRANGE #1

Cover by ALEX ROSS

[your_name_here]

What are peoples thoughts on Fall Sunrise a year after its completion? There was a lot of praise and hype which seems to have gone down a fair bit since its release. I liked it - but not sure it’s in the “all-time” list.

[Frontier]

Happy New Year to Dr. Strange, Clea, and their fans !

[Reviresco]

Happy New Year to Dr. Strange, Clea, and their fans !

Happy New Year to you, Frontier!

What are peoples thoughts on Fall Sunrise a year after its completion? There was a lot of praise and hype which seems to have gone down a fair bit since its release. I liked it - but not sure it’s in the “all-time” list.

I LOVED the art. The story was so trippy and weird, so it fit an old school Strange, but I wouldn't say it was an all time great. I need to sit down and read it all together -- perhaps the story will flow better than.

[Reviresco]

Preview for Doctor Strange 11:

https://bleedingcool.com/comics/doct...strikes-again/

[Reviresco]

[Tulku]

And may I just say that Bats remains one of the Best Characters Ever?

[Steroid]

After reading this latest issue all I know is that I really want to see Mr. and Mrs. Strange take Donna to the animal prison for a fun adventure.