The Doctor Strange Readathon

[Reviresco]

I looked back at my rating (done for the DR. Strange review thread that ran here in the old classics forum before the reboot) for ST #110.

A quick explanatory note-I generally break down a story into 3 scores-story, art and overall impression (sometimes the sum is better than the component parts, sometimes not, sometimes one carries the story or the other, sometimes one weighs it down despite the other being spectacular)

So for Strange Tales #110 I had given it:
Story: 7/10
Art: 9/10
Overall impression 8/10

A good debut that gives you the sense of what the strip and the character will be, done in a short, compact and efficient story. Ditko's art carries the day, and while the story could have used a little more room, what was there hit all the right notes.

-M

Oh, man. I wish I had known about that before the reboot. That would have been a treasure trove!

I like your rating system, especially the sum sometimes being better than the parts ... and definitely all things to consider.

The story is really amazing for being told in FIVE pages. I just couldn't get over that when I first read it. I'm not sure I'd rate it quite as high as you did on the art, as I sort of compare it to what comes later, which isn't really fair, I suppose.


Sorry for the delay in posting the next issue review. It's mostly written and I'm getting pics and hopefully will have it up tomorrow.

[Abe]

It's a really nice and pertinent rating system, indeed ! I love it ! (But that activity reminds me the work too much with his dilemmas... How much for this student's work ?.. How will he take this rating?.. Do my ranking need to have a meaning for this very moment, or according to the next and previous ones in the long term?... And what criteria for the scale ?... In France it's from 0 to 20 btw... And I HATE doing that...)

For this issue, because it's the first, that the story is told in only 5 pages - but the character and world building are extraordinary, like in the "Tales" of the Atlas Era -, because the art is incredible, already surrealist yet in some details - the gloves ! - but stylized in a very Ditkoesque classic AND innovative way, and totally designed to serve the story-telling also, my ranking would be very very very high ! A maximum is possible - but then a different scale could be used for the next issues.

Ditko literally opens the reader's Eye in these few pages. He also opens a full new range of possibilities for his art too. Not to forget the very importance he had in the idea of the series. If what I've read elsewhere is true - and please, you erudite wizards of this thread, correct me if I'm mistaking - he's the one who has to be credited for the character more than Stan.

I'm sure this is well known here and I know it's easy to find elsewhere, but what follows could be useful for a thread promising to be "A Companion To The Doctor Strange Omnibus", so I quote here (from wikipedia) the 2008 Ditko's letter :

"On my own, I brought in to Lee a five-page, penciled story with a page/panel script of my idea of a new, different kind of character for variety in Marvel Comics. My character wound up being named Dr. Strange because he would appear in Strange Tales."

And the Stan Lee's letter to Jerry Bails of January 9, 1963

"Well, we have a new character in the works for Strange Tales (just a 5-page filler named Dr. Strange) Steve Ditko is gonna draw him. It has sort of a black magic theme. The first story is nothing great, but perhaps we can make something of him-- 'twas Steve's idea and I figgered we'd give it a chance, although again, we had to rush the first one too much. Little sidelight: Originally decided to call him Mr. Strange, but thought the "Mr." bit too similar to Mr. Fantastic -- now, however, I remember we had a villain called Dr. Strange just recently in one of our mags, hope it won't be too confusing!"

The full reproduction can be seen in this page of a site that seems to me absolutely wonderful :

http://themarvelageofcomics.tumblr.c...o-super-fan-dr

I hope I'm not an ugly pirate if I add the images too here...





Now I will need to read that letter in its entirety - it seems to be really interesting.

I'm also realizing that this letter is from January 1963, at a time where the character created in Amazing Fantasy #15 (dated of Aug. 1962) has the issue of his first own series surely already done and possibly published yet : Amazing Spider Man #1 is dated of March 1963 - the same date than the final issue of The Incredible Hulk #6, March 1963 which Ditko drew too.

Looking through the future, Ditko's run on ASM will end in the issue #38 dated of July 1966, same date than the last issue of his run on Dr Strange. But it's interesting to notice that it's also the conclusion of the story featuring Eternity - appearing in the issue of November 1965 : a time when Ditko was already working to Charlton, on his first cosmic character created in 1960. I mean Captain Atom - and need to quote the name of another doctor here, Doctor Manhattan of course : the first issue of his new run on this character is dated of December 1965.

Ditko was full of "questions" at the time. Look at the cover of ASM #31 (Dec 1965) :



(The one of ASM #30 (Nov 1965) is worth checking too, did he feel also like in "The claws of the Cat" ?)

Sorry for so many dates, but these facts (publishing dates are not that much reliable, and I hope also that I was accurate reporting them...) gave me an interesting context to fully appreciate the Ditko's work on the incredible character of the Sorcerer Supreme, at the light of his other creations, with or without Stan. Of course the words of Stan are incredible as always - he's such an extraordinary author !

I can't wait for the next review !

(I've also just understood why the French Marvel comics books of my childhood were all called "Strange" - with a French accent please ! - they collected several series and the first one was called "Strange" (1970, Xmen, Iron Man, Daredevil, Silver Surfer), it was simply because of Strange Tales...)

[Abe]

Too much blah blah means of course that a beautiful image is needed for the pleasure of the eyes of the reader. So :



I know I've already posted it elsewhere, but I think that nobody will complain !

(It's Reviresco during his preparation for his next posts, btw...)

[MRP]

I posted this in the appreciation thread a long time ago, but another resource for Doc info and a companion for reading the Doc stories is this site: http://www.luckymojo.com/vishanti.html

The Lesser Book of the Vishanti compiled by catherine yronwode

Cat was a frequent contributor to the Doc letters pages in the 70s (maybe starting in the late 60s) and to other books (she also appeared quite frequently in the Master of Kung Fu letters columns) and went on to a career in comics as an editor for several indy companies, most prominently at Eclipse , in the 80s.

She is also quite knowledgeable in occult lore which informs her work on Doc's mystical world.

-M

[Reviresco]

Strange Tales 111
August 1963

“Face to face with magic of Baron Mordo!”

Writer: Stan Lee
Pencils: Steve Ditko
Inker: Steve Ditko

RATINGS
Reviresco:
CBR Readers:
Supermegamonkey: 3.5 / 5
Supermegamonkey Readers: 4.5 / 5
Trajan23: 7 / 10

REVIEWS / LINKS
http://strangescribe.blogspot.com/20...face-with.html
By StrangeScribe -another excellent and entertaining synopsis. Read this instead!

http://www.supermegamonkey.net/chron...s_110111.shtml
SuperMegaMonkey's short, but illustrated, synopsis, placing the story in the MU chronology.

http://goodcomics.comicbookresources...r-strange-run/
Trajan23's short synopsis and ratings.

##########

SYNOPSIS SHORT
spoilers:

Baron Mordo poisons his former teacher, the Master, to gain his mystical secrets, but is foiled by the cunning of his arch-rival, Doctor Strange.

end of spoilers


SYNOPSIS LONG
In the heart of Europe, Baron Mordo makes decides to take the magical secrets of his former Master and use them against his arch foe, Dr. Strange.

He sends his astral form to Tibet and mentally controls a servant, forcing him to give the Master a potion in his meal. Baron Mordo jinxes himself by uttering, “I cannot fail.”

The Master eats, feels the effects, and immediately blames food tampering instead of indigestion – low magic resistance, but high magic detection. Baron Mordo reveals his 'spirit image' and demands the Master's magical secrets, or the potion will weaken him unto death.




Meanwhile, back in his New York Sanctum, Doctor Strange finishes a black magic experiment and tries to report the results to the Master. When the Master doesn't pick up the magical amulet connection, Strange immediately decides his teacher is in peril and hies off astrally to Tibet. He finds Mordo's astral form over the prone body of the Master and they immediately fall on each other and start airing their old apprentice era grievances.




Though near death, the Master keeps trying to drop a hint to Dr. Strange, which prods him into remembering he is wearing giant magical bling around his neck. Apparently, even an astral form of the amulet works, and Strange is willing to chance his own destruction to give the Master, slow working, but reviving energy from the amulet.

Mordo realizes he's lost his chance to win anything from the Master, but he still has time to kill Strange. They struggle, and Strange desperately escapes Mordo's hold for moment. He tells the gloating Mordo that he will beat him with the amulet, which can find Mordo's body and transmit energy to it that will keep Mordo's 'spirit image' from returning to his body. Mordo tells Strange that's not happening, because he's stronger, etc. etc. and races off to his body, with Strange in pursuit.




Mordo does make it his body before Strange, only to learn, he's been played! Strange explains that leaving removed his threat to the Master, and broke his control over the Master's servant, who is now helping the Master recover. Plus, Strange was bluffing. The amulet couldn't find Mordo's body, but the magician led Strange right to it, and now Strange can use the amulet to freeze Mordo, allowing Strange to escape back to Tibet. He and the Master talk about what a disappointment and threat Mordo is.

[Reviresco]

THOUGHTS

• There's plenty of world building going on here, but still a bit nebulous, with much still being unnamed -- like the heart of Europe, instead a country or Castle Mordo. Though, Lee does narrow down the Master's home to Tibet, instead of the 'heart of Asia.'
  
  
  
  
  
• Most of the character work involves the familial / mentoring relationship between Doctor Strange and the Master. I don't recall anything like it in the MU at that time.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Second story in, and again, we can see that Dr. Strange is no deus ex machina super power. He's not as strong as Baron Mordo, and he still needs help from the Master. What we see instead is Strange wins by being clever, and tricking a stronger opponent. We also see he's willing to sacrifice himself for the Master -- who has picked up some bling himself, and some throne like furniture. I also love how the Master eats over his work, like so many of us.
  
  
  
  
  
• There is a whole lot of fighting in this issue, and all of it between two ghostly, white figures. Besides taking advantage of their weightlessness, Ditko cleverly draws the figures "phasing' through solid objects (see above). Ditko continues to use the 9 panel grid for the most part, and the story stays in our mundane dimension. I did notice this time, that Ditko rarely draws everything fitting into the panel. There's always half of some object, usually in the bottom of the panel. And in this story, there's a lot less caption boxes at the top of the panels. But they are a bunch of word balloons, filling the panels, i.e. there's a lot of talking going on during the fighting.
  
  
• Strange still has the higher silver streaks and still looks Asian. Mordo continues the trend of weird tufting. I have no idea what Mordo is wearing. Not a good costume design at all.
  
  
• We see plenty more of the Seal of the Vishanti in both Strange and the Master's homes, though it is not named so, but it does not appear at all in Mordo's home.
  
  
• Two five page stories in, and we've already got two iconic Strange foes, Nightmare and Baron Mordo.
  
  
• Why are the Master's students all Caucasian?
  
  
• More 'rules' of magic here. One, if the 'spirit image' is killed, then the physical body also dies. Two, magical items worn on the physical body seem to work on the astral projection also. Three, the Eye can send out energy.

[Reviresco]

I wanted to add these two panels, which made me laugh, cause I'm just silly. I didn't notice it immediately, because of the page break and fighting, but in the first one, the Master is saying 'A' repeatedly. I was like, WTF? And of course, the second panel, the Master manges to get Strange's attention with another letter, 'AM'!

It's like he's playing hangman. ;p

[Reviresco]

I meant to get this review up today come hell or high water, but I am in a bit of figurative high water, so I'll have to save responses to posts till tonight. Some great stuff you guys are posting, that I want to look at more closely.

[616MarvelYear is LeapYear]

There are other earlier collection options too, though they might be harder to find and a little pricier.

Pocket Books released 2 Dr. Strange paperbacks in the 70s (traditional paperback book size) that collected a lot of the Ditko run...

the second volume...



collected 130-144

-M

I have the first paperback LOVE the traditional paperback book size.
I had no idea there was a second one

[juan678]

[Clea]

This is wonderful.

[Abe]

This is wonderful.

Yes it is ! Thanks to share, Juan678... Clea, I have to say that your signature too is wonderful. What a powerful wordplay... I hope it's not a spell !

[Darthkostis]

Oh dear Aunt May, you and your qurkiness...But wait, if we apply the Jar Jar theory to her then that means...Forget the Goblin, Forbet the Octopus, SHE is the mastermind behind everything!

In other news, I succumbed and added the new series to my pull list again. I've made it clear that I really disliked the charecterization but...it's Strange appearing in solo form after God knows how many decades. I feel as if I am compelled to support the book. Oh well, let's just hope we get GOT Aaron and not THOR Aaron in the later issues... Hell, I'd even be okay with GR Aaron...

[Abe]

Another way to purchase old Doctor Strange stories without make your wallet bleed too much. I found these three little wonders this week :



Marvel Collectors' Item Classics #8 (April 1967) includes ""The Possessed!" from Strange Tales #118 (March 1964)



Marvel Collectors' Item Classics #9 (June 1967) includes ""Beyond the Purple Veil!" from Strange Tales #119 (April 1964)



Marvel Collectors' Item Classics #14 (April 1968) includes "The Challenge of Loki!" from Strange Tales #123 (August 1964)

(A few more words in another post)

[juan678]

Clea art by Ed Tadeo