Doctor Strange Omnibus, Vol. 1
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- Author：Stan Lee
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Summary
Vain， greedy and prideful， Dr。 Stephen Strange was a world-renowned surgeon until a car accident crippled his hands。 Broken and destitute， he journeyed to Tibet in search of a legendary healer。 He found not a man of medicine， but the venerable Ancient One…and the path to the mystic arts！ From Dr。 Strange’s eerie house on a Greenwich Village corner， Stan Lee and Steve Ditko created new dimensions and otherworldly terrors — stories which remain as influential today as they were on 1960s’ counter-culture。 Now， Marvel is proud to offer this collection of the complete Lee/Ditko Doctor Strange run！ In one beautifully restored hardcover volume， experience the iconic first appearances of Baron Mordo， Eternity， Dormammu and the Mindless Ones， as well as Wong and the lovely Clea！
COLLECTING: Material from Strange Tales （1951） 110-111， 114-146; Amazing Spider-Man Annual （1964） 2
COLLECTING: Material from Strange Tales （1951） 110-111， 114-146; Amazing Spider-Man Annual （1964） 2
Reviews
Chad
，
Stan Lee is needlessly wordy， but Steve Ditko's trippy artwork is Awesome！ Stan Lee is needlessly wordy， but Steve Ditko's trippy artwork is Awesome！ 。。。more
Nicholas
，
Notes: This was a fast read for me。 I did fairly enjoy the stories as they were easy to follow。 I will note that the comics included are older since the ones in this collection are from before the 1980’s。 So it’s going to be different than newer comics released later。 That may throw some people off-personally， I enjoyed the issues。
Traumal
，
Je supr koukat jak se v obou svých titulech Ditko vykresluje a laťka stoupá。 Titul představil kultovního marveláckého magiče numero uno a společně s ním Prastarého， Dormammu， Morda a pár dalších。 A fakt myslím pár。 Titul si na rozdíl od spider-mana nebere servítky s osobním životem Stephena Strange。 Netuším， jestli má matku nebo jestli je naklonovaný， jestli má přátele。。。 Na začátku krátkého desetistránkového segmentu začne magický problém， na konci se vyřeší （On totiž strange vycházel jak "bonu Je supr koukat jak se v obou svých titulech Ditko vykresluje a laťka stoupá。 Titul představil kultovního marveláckého magiče numero uno a společně s ním Prastarého， Dormammu， Morda a pár dalších。 A fakt myslím pár。 Titul si na rozdíl od spider-mana nebere servítky s osobním životem Stephena Strange。 Netuším， jestli má matku nebo jestli je naklonovaný， jestli má přátele。。。 Na začátku krátkého desetistránkového segmentu začne magický problém， na konci se vyřeší （On totiž strange vycházel jak "bonus" v strange tales。。。）。 A s tím není problém， problém je s tím， že Mordo chce vytlouct z Prastarého zakázané vědění Magie a vlastně nic jiného a nevíme co ho vlastně žene。 Dormammu se chce dostat do naší reality， protože proto， ale má tendenci se kvůli hazardu dostat do pozice， kdy musí přísahat， že nechá Zemi být。 Nightmare chce zajmout Strange ve snové říši， ale je to zkrátka omezenej idiot a tak se mu to nikdy nepovede。 Dobrý doktor má i jiné záporáky， těžko zapamatovatelné。 Démon， Rasputin。。。 Mimozemšťané。。。 Jo a jednou Loki！ Ale to je jedno。 Schéma je vždy stejné。 Přijde problém， honička astrálních těl， konfety a lejzry střílející z prstů， triumfující Strange。 Světlou vyjímkou je boj s Dormammu， kde se autoři dopustili alespoň náznaku nějakého dilematu。 A druhá půle， slavná Eternity Saga， taky měla své momenty ale to hlavně kvůli ambicióznější ucelenější struktuře ságy， jejíž části nejsou jen samostatné epizodky typu: "přijde takhle jednou Strange za Prastarým。。。" 。。。more
Jeremy Kazimer
，
This is maybe Stan Lee at some of his worst， unfortunately。 I do appreciate that this is the beginning of Dr。 Strange， but it was wandering directionlessly for about three fourths of the story。 Overdrawn on villains， it kept coming back to Baron Mordo or Dormammu。 It definitely got better in the end， but far too late for me to care。 Overall， a 1。5/5。
Tacitus
，
A good， entertaining run， even if the stories felt the same。 If the formula works， why change it。Lee and Ditko managed to pack a lot of punch in these early stories of Doctor Strange。 All of these stories were basically one-half of Strange Tales issues， and so they run about 10 pages each with above 6-9 panels per page。 （The other half of these issues， which don't feature Doctor Strange） are not included）。 As usual for Silver Age comics， there's a lot of dialogue to help explain the action。 This A good， entertaining run， even if the stories felt the same。 If the formula works， why change it。Lee and Ditko managed to pack a lot of punch in these early stories of Doctor Strange。 All of these stories were basically one-half of Strange Tales issues， and so they run about 10 pages each with above 6-9 panels per page。 （The other half of these issues， which don't feature Doctor Strange） are not included）。 As usual for Silver Age comics， there's a lot of dialogue to help explain the action。 This is normally OK for a few issues， but maybe not for a collection like this one， where it becomes stale when read in succession。 There also isn't much of an arc in this collection， although Strange fights ongoing battles with Dormammu and Mordo， primarily。 There is kind of chain of stories that have to do with Stephen saving his master， which involves Eternity， who takes on a larger role， of sorts， as the stories go on。 The final battle between Eternity and Dormammu showcases what Ditko could do on one page with little of Lee's narrative help; in fact， that one page highlights how confining the medium must have been for someone of Ditko's talent。 In any event， Lee and Dikto together created a fitting climax to this collection。I use the term "climax" loosely here， because it implies a narrative thread here that isn't so grand and doesn't seem intentional at all points。 Most of the stories involve either Mordo， Dormammu， or both trying to kill Strange so they can kill the Ancient One and take over this reality。 Of course， that never happens， and I'm not sure I always understood how Strange got himself out of his jams， but suffice it to say he always does。 Usually， the battles are between the two magic users standing in the same frame shooting magic bolts at each other， but some of the stories do have clever twists， or at least attempts at clever twists。 At least， Lee made me believe that they were clever， but I'm not always sure that they really were when I read them again。Even so， the battles felt samey。 I tried not to think too hard about the times Strange performs mind control or a memory wipe。 I wasn't sure if Lee was giving Strange a dark edge， but more probably Lee wasn't thinking too hard about it， and neither should we。In any case， the Doctor Strange staples are introduced in this early work。 The origin story， which hasn't changed much if at all， although the Manhattan dock workers Strange overhears talking about the Ancient One have morphed over time。 The mansion in Greenwich Village。 Clea （seen throughout but revealed in the last issue）。 The cloak。 The amulet。 His classic sayings。 It's interesting to note that as the series developed， the hand gestures were established as the primary way Strange conjured spells; the painful rhymes of later eras were not present in these early issues。 In this way， the MCU movie is more like these original stories than some of the later comics。 While the Ancient One is present， Wong is not。 Too， Strange doesn't show much growth in these stories; the relationships and his arrogance of later Strange runs are absent here， not that I would expect them to be， given the period these were produced。When seen as the Silver Age romps that they were intended to be （alongside stories with Storm and Thing endlessly fighting）， these stories work。 This is underscored by the contemporary letters， written mostly by young people when these stories were printed， and the responses by Marvel staff。 Altogether， this collection reminds us of a time when comics were meant to be fun。 。。。more
Matthew D'Souza
，
A fantastic journey into the mystic arts with Doctor Strange’s origin story！Stan Lee’s Doctor Strange Omnibus compiles the majority of his comic issues written in Strange Tales from the early 1960’s throughout that decade， including the fascinating origins of Doctor Strange himself！ It’s pretty comprehensive and took me back to reading my grandfather’s reprint issues of Doctor Strange comics about a magical wizard defending Earth from the forces of evil。 It’s the first truly out there series of A fantastic journey into the mystic arts with Doctor Strange’s origin story！Stan Lee’s Doctor Strange Omnibus compiles the majority of his comic issues written in Strange Tales from the early 1960’s throughout that decade， including the fascinating origins of Doctor Strange himself！ It’s pretty comprehensive and took me back to reading my grandfather’s reprint issues of Doctor Strange comics about a magical wizard defending Earth from the forces of evil。 It’s the first truly out there series of magical， metaphysical， surreal， and imaginative on another level for Marvel Comics。 Lee’s mind was so expansive as he creates new worlds with an unique phrase or new terminology that has persisted for decades in comic book lore and history。 Doctor Strange is one of my all time favorite Marvel superheroes and this series is a fun camp comic like Adam West’s Batman with a smarter philosophical center thanks to Stan Lee’s writing。Lee’s writing is intriguing as he defines magic on new terms with spells being cast across dimensions with mystic amulets， flying capes， and strange tales。 Stan Lee was a godsend to the comic world and for every boy and girl dreaming of a more interesting world with magic everywhere。 Doctor Strange succeeds because he is clever， witty， and intelligent with rational choices being made with his awesome powers。 Stan Lee knew this man had to be as smart as any Avenger and more cunning than any comic book villain。 Rest in peace， Stan Lee。 Thank you for your stories and ideas。 I’ll always love Doctor Strange。Steve Ditko is the other key element to Doctor Strange’s narrative brilliance as his gorgeous， colorful illustrations bend your mind in entirely new ways。 His groundbreaking artwork for Doctor Strange herein is astonishing in scope， creatively， vibrance， and originality。 Rest in paradise， Steve Ditko and thank you for your incredible paintings， drawings， and mind。 Stan Lee and Steve Ditko deserve equal praise and credit for their outstanding， timeless， influential， and downright cool work on creating Marvel’s most odd and jaw-dropping superhero only comparable to Jim Starlin’s Adam Warlock to be completely honest。I highly recommend this rare Doctor Strange Omnibus， if you can get your hands on a copy。 Doctor Strange will live in my memories forever as a joyous part of my childhood and a cherished aspect of my adulthood。 Godspeed Stan Lee and Steve Ditko。 Thank you for the magic。 。。。more
Taylor
，
I quite enjoyed my time reading these original Dorctor Strange comics。 I find something satisfying in seeing an idea evolve over time and shape into something really memorable。 This is the case with this collection of comics。 Dr Strange starts out really as a little anthology series featuring unconnected adventures with the Doctor essentially going around solving supernatural problems plaguing the world。 Whether this is a haunted house that traps a local daring news reporter within its walls， or I quite enjoyed my time reading these original Dorctor Strange comics。 I find something satisfying in seeing an idea evolve over time and shape into something really memorable。 This is the case with this collection of comics。 Dr Strange starts out really as a little anthology series featuring unconnected adventures with the Doctor essentially going around solving supernatural problems plaguing the world。 Whether this is a haunted house that traps a local daring news reporter within its walls， or an interdimentional alien race plotting a secret invasion of our world， Doctor Strange is not too far behind ready to combat with his black magics。 What stood out to me was that it was not that Doctor Strange is more powerful than most of the adversaries that he encounters， but his intelligence and the fine control of the powers he does have access to are used to such great effect， be manages to believably outsmart or surprise his foes into defeat。 As characters， themes， and storylines begin to form， this collection takes on long-form storytelling。 Essentially the second half of the omnibus is all one long story - a pretty great one if you ask me - which pushes Strange to the limits of his magics and mental capacity as he faces down Gods and Abstract entities of the cosmos。 I adored the 60s comic art and， surprising to me， the corny dialog did not detract， rather it enhanced the reading experience and overall atmosphere。 Great fun to leisurely read through over a couple months。 。。。more
Jake Nap
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Silver Age Marvel is my favorite era of comics， Stan Lee， Jack Kirby， Steve Ditko and more were firing on all cylinders delivering the best products possible。 What the Marvel bullpen was doing at the time was unmatched by anyone else in the industry。 Pure creativity。 Steve Ditko’s place as one of the architects of this period in Marvel’s history is accepted by most fans of the medium but it’s usually his 38 issue （and one annual and amazing fantasy issue！） stint on Amazing Spider-Man that people Silver Age Marvel is my favorite era of comics， Stan Lee， Jack Kirby， Steve Ditko and more were firing on all cylinders delivering the best products possible。 What the Marvel bullpen was doing at the time was unmatched by anyone else in the industry。 Pure creativity。 Steve Ditko’s place as one of the architects of this period in Marvel’s history is accepted by most fans of the medium but it’s usually his 38 issue （and one annual and amazing fantasy issue！） stint on Amazing Spider-Man that people talk about。 I’d argue however that his Strange Tales is better in almost every way。 Ditko’s Doctor Strange is a run filled with pure creativity， especially after Dormammu is introduced。 Dormammu’s introduction in Strange Tales #126 led to a 20 issue arc culminating in Strange Tales #146。 It’s an epic nearly unmatched in the Silver Age。 Ditko crafts these charming， psychedelic inter-dimensional landscapes that are mesmerizing to look at。 。。。more
B
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The essentialy trippiness of this book has been overstated。 Or at least it does not appaer that strong looking back。 This feels a lot like other books of the era except that Ditko has the wisdom not recycle an endless series of stock villains。 He sticks primarily with two， which keeps the story purposeful。In most of the issues， Strange just wins because he's more powerful。 When he's not more powerful， he usually splits into multiple people， plays rope-a-dope， and/or uses his astral form at the l The essentialy trippiness of this book has been overstated。 Or at least it does not appaer that strong looking back。 This feels a lot like other books of the era except that Ditko has the wisdom not recycle an endless series of stock villains。 He sticks primarily with two， which keeps the story purposeful。In most of the issues， Strange just wins because he's more powerful。 When he's not more powerful， he usually splits into multiple people， plays rope-a-dope， and/or uses his astral form at the last second。 Some clear rules would have helped make the stories feel a little less silly。 （It seems like the amulet can always win whenever it's used， for instance>） 。。。more
Alex Andrasik
，
I dig Doctor Strange！ He's far-out， inventive， and introduces more of a mystical cosmology to the Marvel Universe early on than I would have guessed。 There's no denying that we owe most of this to the recently-departed Steve Ditko， whose artwork conjures up a trippy pop-art surrealism that informs the entire series， and his hand in plotting these adventures is clear。 That's not to say that Stan the Man is off the hook; his love of language， the more over-the-top the better， lends a cadence and r I dig Doctor Strange！ He's far-out， inventive， and introduces more of a mystical cosmology to the Marvel Universe early on than I would have guessed。 There's no denying that we owe most of this to the recently-departed Steve Ditko， whose artwork conjures up a trippy pop-art surrealism that informs the entire series， and his hand in plotting these adventures is clear。 That's not to say that Stan the Man is off the hook; his love of language， the more over-the-top the better， lends a cadence and rhythm to Strange's stories， and， at his best， an inscrutable sort of majesty and nobility。 This collection of stories is very thin on the usual tropes that Marvel leaned on in the Silver Age。 There's not a communist to be found， and sci-fi style extraterrestrial menaces are in equally short supply。 Oh， sure， the various extra-dimensional entities fulfill essentially the same role; but their status as mystical threats， beyond the conception of the science-minded like Reed Richards or Bruce Banner， adds a chilling， almost Lovecraftian sort of inscrutability to their methods and motives。 The earliest Strange tales， indeed， dip into 50's-style twist-ending occult tales that Ditko， in particular， was so good at crafting。But the storytelling really takes off when Lee and Ditko introduce a narrative concept that I haven't seen yet in the Marvel canon so far: the ongoing， multi-part， continuous story--and it is glorious。 I don't know how much of a risk this format must have been in the era it appeared--maybe not so much of one， since the good doctor was the B-story to the Human Torch and， later， Nick Fury--but it feels pretty momentous， introducing a pattern that Marvel and the rest of the industry would make such heavy use of in the decades hence， for better or worse。 Whatever your personal opinion of the multi-part epic generally， you've got to admit this one's a great example: you've got a real challenge for the hero， with some built-in dramatic irony in that while we， the audience， understand the true threat he's facing， he's mystified about the source of his enemy's sudden power-boost; there's mystery， in the question of what， or who， is "Eternity;" and there's peril for two supporting characters， one a captive， the other ailing and hidden away from hunting villains。 Strange himself if on the run through most of the story， which is thrilling in itself; it's unusual to see a hero depicted as a fugitive， especially for such an extended period， as his headquarters is invaded and his allies scattered。 There are daring escapes， nail-biting duels， and hints of the mighty Marvel cosmos to come。 Oh， sure， it gets a little flaccid in the middle， and it's clear that toward the end there were either disagreements about the direction of the story， or else fill-in issues required to make up for delays， but for the most part the story stands as a very successful epic。This collection is also notable for its treatment of non-white characters。 I'm not sure we've met any Asians before the point who aren't villains and/or subjugated victims; even the nobel Professor Yinsen from Iron Man barely registers as more than a plot device。 This changes in Dr。 Strange with the introduction of the Ancient One， Strange's mystic mentor and a formidable sorcerer despite his advanced age。 Certainly he owes much to less-than-pleasant stereotypes， but he's depicted， for the most part， with respect and dignity; Strange's travels to the Ancient One's realm and throughout the world， moreover， allow for sympathetic portrayals of other characters of color。 There's even an African-American doctor depicted in one of the later issues--surely an eye-catching choice in 1965。All told， Dr。 Strange is an intriguing and exciting read with a lot of new ideas and cool characters。 The psychedelic artwork and amazing character designs simply must be experienced。LADYWATCH: AN interesting edition of Ladywatch here today; this collection is light on the ladies， and the most significant of them （Clea） goes unnamed until its very end， after spending many issues in captivity。 Still， she's a pretty decent character， having earned her imprisonment by bravely aiding Sr。 Strange。 Another issues features a powerful female villain， opposed by her somewhat timid sister。BRING ON THE BAD GUYS: This collection is dominated by the twin threats of Baron Mordo and Dormammu， the latter of whom sports one of the all-time great character designs。 The cosmology of mystic Marvel provides plenty of kotivation for villainous threats， as dabblers in the dark arts seem primarily concerned with one-upping each other and gaining power by acquiring some new artifact or bit of spellcraft; Doctor Strange will have none of that， of course。 But threats like Dormammu--extra-dimensional and beyond mortal ken--exist merely to dominate， subjugate， or destroy。 An interesting addition is the Mindless Ones， who are less supervillain than force of nature， living on the edges of Dormammu's realm and serving primarily as a check on his power， seemingly an attempt to head off readers before they can ask， "If Dormammu's so all-powerful， why doesn't he just wreck everything with a snap of his flaming fingers？" Of course， there are some magical turkeys here among the proud eagles of villainy; Mister Rasputin springs to mind， because no Silver Age run of comics can go too long without impugning the reputation of at least one eastern European。 （I guess Mordo fits that category as well， but at least he's got self-respect。） Special shout-out to Mordo's ethereal servitors， who flit around hunting Strange very creepily in a way that made me think of J。K。 Rowling's Dementors。COSMIC ENCOUNTERS: Though first appearing here in a supernatural setting， the mighty figure of Eternity， embodiment of all that is， will go on to be featured primarily among Marvel's cosmic pantheon。 Of course， the line between the cosmic and the mystic has always been rather porous for Marvel。HOSTS OF HOGGOTH: This series lays the foundation for pretty much all of Marvel's mystic wing， as best expressed by the various wizards' use of cool-sounding epithets that may or may not get fleshed out in future stories。 Among them are the eponymous Hosts of Hoggoth， the Flames of the Faltine， the Roving Rings of Roggador， and the ever-lovin' Vishanti。 Mystical implements introduced here are the Eye of Agamotto and the Wand of Watoomb。SUPERHERO TEAMUP: Doctor Strange meets Spider-Man in the annual that concludes the collection。 Spider-Man handles his introduction to magic with decided equanimity， and makes a good friend of the Doctor。CONTINUITY NOTES: Another of the mystic watch-words introduced here is the "crimson bands of Cytorrak;" these will play an important role in X-Men history via their Cytorrak-empowered foe， the Juggernaut。 Strange's long ongoing story-arc raises an interesting question for the first time: how much time passes within and between issues of a comic book？ At various points in the story， Strange mentions being on the adventure for weeks and then months， but in my headcanon it's no more than a matter of days。 This may have been hard for readers， and even creators， to conceptualize in a process that would take over a year to complete。 Meanwhile， Stan makes liberal use of asterisked continuity notes， though sometimes admits to being unsure of which issue the events referenced took place in; they must not have kept back issues around the office for long。 。。。more
Scott
，
This volume collects the earliest Doctor Strange stories， from the two-in-one comic Strange Tales。 I had read a few of them in earlier reprints， but most were new to me。 Reading this collection was at first a wondrous experience of sixties psychedelia。 Artist Steve Ditko， though never a favorite of mine， was at the top of his game， and one has to appreciate his original renderings of other-dimensional realms and magical effects。 As the book wore on， though， Stan Lee's voluminous verbiage--and le This volume collects the earliest Doctor Strange stories， from the two-in-one comic Strange Tales。 I had read a few of them in earlier reprints， but most were new to me。 Reading this collection was at first a wondrous experience of sixties psychedelia。 Artist Steve Ditko， though never a favorite of mine， was at the top of his game， and one has to appreciate his original renderings of other-dimensional realms and magical effects。 As the book wore on， though， Stan Lee's voluminous verbiage--and let me be clear here， I adore Stan and often refer to him as "my real dad"--began to wear on my brain。 It probably would have been better to read a few issues at a time and then put it down for a while--except that I didn't want to put it down。 They start to feel samey after a while， especially as the eeeevil Baron Mordo （never forget that he is evil） keeps returning time and time again to destroy Doctor Strange。 So by the second half of the book （it may not seem like a large volume， but each episode is only about eight pages on average， with a lot of writing packed into each page） I was enjoying myself a bit less。 Recommend you take 2-3 chapters and then call on the Doctor again the next evening。 。。。more
Daniel Cornwall
，
After a slow start， lots of good fun。 Mostly self consistent。
Saif Saeed
，
Going back this far is never a good idea when it comes to comics。 It's like a meet your heroes situation， or seeing a picture of the love of your life when they were in the 8th grade。 Most of the time， its just an ugly awkward precursor to the beautiful thing you love right now。 That's about how I'm feeling with this book。Its fun to see Dr。 Strange when he was still a vignette in Strange Tales， battling Mordo and Dormammu in ten pages an issue sandwiched between The Human Torch and Nick Fury bac Going back this far is never a good idea when it comes to comics。 It's like a meet your heroes situation， or seeing a picture of the love of your life when they were in the 8th grade。 Most of the time， its just an ugly awkward precursor to the beautiful thing you love right now。 That's about how I'm feeling with this book。Its fun to see Dr。 Strange when he was still a vignette in Strange Tales， battling Mordo and Dormammu in ten pages an issue sandwiched between The Human Torch and Nick Fury back when he was white。 It was nice seeing the origins of Strange， back when he was just a black magic sorcerer and not the Sorcerer Supreme。 Clea， Dormmamu， Wong was in like two panels。 This was fun。 It just wasn't good。This is supposed to be a remastered HD Bluray recolored version of these old comics and it still mostly looks like crap。 The stories are ok， but they're a lot better when they do them again in Dr。 Strange or in Dr。 Strange Sorcerer Supreme。 Here in Strange Tales though， they're kinda crap。For me， personally， its ok， its a fun read。 I can imagine nine out of ten people would give this a negative star review， and the people who would actually enjoy this comic are a very rare breed。 If you actually want to jump into Dr。 Strange， definitely go for any of the collected Dr。 Strange or Dr Strange Sorcerer Supreme stories， those are great。 Skip Strange Tales unless you like Silver Age stuff。 I've enjoyed very little Silver Age stuff and even as a Strange fan this is definitely more on the meh side。 。。。more
Zachary King
，
By the hoary hosts of Hoggoth！ Stan Lee and Steve Ditko at their mind-numbingly mystical best。 Maybe all the stories haven't aged so well， but they're important for introducing Doctor Strange and his offbeat adventures。 The long arc against Mordo and Dormammu in pursuit of Eternity is a real highlight。 By the hoary hosts of Hoggoth！ Stan Lee and Steve Ditko at their mind-numbingly mystical best。 Maybe all the stories haven't aged so well， but they're important for introducing Doctor Strange and his offbeat adventures。 The long arc against Mordo and Dormammu in pursuit of Eternity is a real highlight。 。。。more
Michael
，
The entirety of Ditko's run on Strange is collected here。 It doesn't really get going until the Eternity sequence midway through。 Also for some reason Stan Lee doesn't give half these characters names。。。 Clea appears at least ten times before they name her。 So odd。 The entirety of Ditko's run on Strange is collected here。 It doesn't really get going until the Eternity sequence midway through。 Also for some reason Stan Lee doesn't give half these characters names。。。 Clea appears at least ten times before they name her。 So odd。 。。。more
Karen
，
Sorry， guys。 I didn't like it at all。 （Lies--I liked the very last issue with Spider-Man in it。 That got a star of its own。） Sorry， guys。 I didn't like it at all。 （Lies--I liked the very last issue with Spider-Man in it。 That got a star of its own。） 。。。more
Relstuart
，
Contains the origin story of Dr。 Strange and mostly short single issue stories。
Richard Guion
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I decided to crack open the recently published Marvel Doctor Strange Omnibus， which has all of Lee/Ditko's Strange Tales stories plus the team up between Doc & Spidey in Amazing Spider-Man Annual 2。 Original comics are the best， but this oversized format is superb， I love the larger page format。 While many of the original comics listed Ditko as only the artist， the index page here clearly states that he was the plotter for the entire run。 His genius on this series seemed to expand every few issu I decided to crack open the recently published Marvel Doctor Strange Omnibus， which has all of Lee/Ditko's Strange Tales stories plus the team up between Doc & Spidey in Amazing Spider-Man Annual 2。 Original comics are the best， but this oversized format is superb， I love the larger page format。 While many of the original comics listed Ditko as only the artist， the index page here clearly states that he was the plotter for the entire run。 His genius on this series seemed to expand every few issues， designing new characters and dimensional vistas。 By the middle run Ditko embarks on a multi chapter saga with the Ancient One deliriously sick & Doc on the run as Mordo， powered up by Dormammu， pursues him across Asia。 Reading this in the early 70s was frustrating because the stories were scattered across different reprint titles like Marvel's Greatest Comics & Marvel Tales - I had to wait years to find out how Doc got out of an iron mask / manacles because I missed a reprint。 Having them all collected in one volume is fantastic。 It also contains reprint covers & illustrations from other artists。 。。。more
Tony Calder
，
This omnibus edition reprints the early appearances of Doctor Strange - from his start as the back-up story in Strange Tales （the main feature was solo stories of the Human Torch） through to the period when he was sharing equal space - having outlasted the Torch， Strange Tales was now co-featuring Nick Fury。 It also includes the story where Doctor Strange co-starred with Spider-Man in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #2。 It does not include Doctor Strange's guest appearance in any other Marvel comics， This omnibus edition reprints the early appearances of Doctor Strange - from his start as the back-up story in Strange Tales （the main feature was solo stories of the Human Torch） through to the period when he was sharing equal space - having outlasted the Torch， Strange Tales was now co-featuring Nick Fury。 It also includes the story where Doctor Strange co-starred with Spider-Man in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #2。 It does not include Doctor Strange's guest appearance in any other Marvel comics， nor does it include the other characters stories from Strange Tales。In the 60s， the dominant creative forces at Marvel were Stan Lee， Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko。 Kirby was doing the artwork on Marvel's flagship title， Fantastic Four， and Ditko was bringing his ability to invoke weirdness to Marvel's most popular character - Spider-Man。 He also provided the artwork for Doctor Strange and his style was an excellent fit for the mystic mayhem of Doctor Strange。 The scripts are much simpler （and often much cornier） than current day fare。The omnibus starts with Doctor Strange's origin and introduces the main characters - Doctor Strange， the Ancient One， and Baron Mordo - who are all portrayed reasonably accurately in the movie。 The initial stories are pretty much stand alone until about halfway through， when the long running story pitting Doctor Strange against Mordo and Dormammu， and it's conclusion ends this omnibus。 This story also introduces another important character， Clea， although we don't discover her name until the last few pages of the final issue。If the movie has piqued your interest， and you want a crash course in the Doctor Strange universe， this is an excellent place to start。 Unfortunately， there is no volume 2 in this omnibus series， and it doesn't seem that there will be anytime soon。 。。。more
Blindzider
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This was pretty good。 I've read enough of classic Stan Lee writing to expect a certain type of story， but this was even a little bit better。 There are a couple one-off stories in the beginning， introducing his main nemeses Baron Mordo and Dormmamu， then fairly quickly moves into a multipart duel between them。 Along the way you see the origin of Clea and even Eternity and also see the moment when Strange receives his cloak。 It's all a really nice introduction to Dr。 Strange。 This was pretty good。 I've read enough of classic Stan Lee writing to expect a certain type of story， but this was even a little bit better。 There are a couple one-off stories in the beginning， introducing his main nemeses Baron Mordo and Dormmamu， then fairly quickly moves into a multipart duel between them。 Along the way you see the origin of Clea and even Eternity and also see the moment when Strange receives his cloak。 It's all a really nice introduction to Dr。 Strange。 。。。more
Sean Gibson
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After 400+ pages of Stan-Lee-in-his-prime dialogue， I’m contemplating changing the way I talk， at least at work， to mirror Stan’s writing—that is， I’m going to conclude every sentence with， at a minimum， one exclamation point！ Or， I might even use two！！ If warranted by the circumstances—say， an emergency like running out of staples—I might even use three！！！ EVERYONE WILL UNDOUBTEDLY PRAISE MY ENTHUSIASM， THE VISHANTI INCLUDED！！！！（I kid， Stan—you know I love you。） Doctor Strange was a weird addit After 400+ pages of Stan-Lee-in-his-prime dialogue， I’m contemplating changing the way I talk， at least at work， to mirror Stan’s writing—that is， I’m going to conclude every sentence with， at a minimum， one exclamation point！ Or， I might even use two！！ If warranted by the circumstances—say， an emergency like running out of staples—I might even use three！！！ EVERYONE WILL UNDOUBTEDLY PRAISE MY ENTHUSIASM， THE VISHANTI INCLUDED！！！！（I kid， Stan—you know I love you。） Doctor Strange was a weird addition to the burgeoning Marvel Universe， a curiously arcane figure who debuted after the underwear-on-the-outside， human-emotions-on-the-inside likes of Spider-Man， the Fantastic Four， and the X-Men （one wonders what it would be like to wear one’s underwear on the inside…hmmm…perhaps one shouldn’t wonder so much）。 Rather than cosmic rays， a mutation， or clever use of technology， the good Doctor derived his powers from enchanted objects and mystical mumbo jumbo， and， even by the end of this run—which collects the initial collaboration of Lee with legendary artist Steve Ditko， who pulled double duty as penciller and plotter—he was still an awkward fit alongside those heroic luminaries。 That said， he had come into his own as a character， with his own mythology， burgeoning rogue’s gallery， and stylish visual flair that would guarantee his popularity—if not his sales success—to the present day， when inexplicable international sex symbol and presumed advocate for the discontinuation of surnames Benedict Cumberbatch is poised to send interest in this red-robed bastion of arcane abilities careening across dimensions and all the way into the domain of the Dread Dormammu。 The most interesting part of reading Doctor Strange’s early adventures was watching the character evolve from a generic back-up story cipher to a fully formed （and unique by the measure of his cape-wearing colleagues） character capable of carrying his own book （albeit with only sporadic success…I suggested in a review of another Doctor Strange book that he’s a tough character to write a monthly series for because the stakes are too high; if he loses， Earth—and the Marvel U—are essentially kaput， so there’s a paucity of dramatic tension ）。 Even more than his character developed， however， his look evolved， with Ditko upping his game each issue and producing a look and feel that was entirely its own， whether Strange was relaxing in his Greenwich Village sanctum sanctorum or projecting his spirit self through the ethereal plane。Are the stories themselves a little repetitive？ Sure。 There are only so many times you can read about a character succeeding through the use of exceptional willpower before you start to wish the Hoary Hosts of Hoggoth would knock back a few tequila shots and become the Whorish Hosts of Hoggoth so we could have a sexy time interlude （one wonders if said Hosts met Mr。 Cumberbatch whether they would do just that…but， again—one shouldn’t wonder so much）。 Still， Stan and Steve created a character that has stood the test of time and， by virtue of his uniqueness， has acted as a fulcrum in major storylines that have transformed various aspects of the Marvel Universe。 And， come on， let’s be honest with ourselves…if you could have a cloak of levitation and a manservant and pull off a goatee without looking like someone stapled a diseased wolverine to your face （as this author discovered he could not do when he made the unfortunate decision to rock a goatee consistently during his collegiate years; to be fair， though， that was more a result of laziness with respect to shaving than it was because I thought I was as sexy as Doctor Strange）， you’d do it。 。。。more
Donovan
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"Dr。 Strange: Master of Black Magic！"Collecting Strange Tales issues #110-111， 114-146 and Amazing Spider-Man Annual #2， Doctor Strange Omnibus Volume 1 takes us way back to July 1963 through July 1966。 At 409+ pages of incredibly redesigned classic comics， this is totally worth owning！And damn， what a long book！ Somewhat exposition heavy， but fun and enjoyable。 These are the oldest comics I've read， and they hold up fairly well for being 53 years old！ （I've read newer and far worse！） It's a bit "Dr。 Strange: Master of Black Magic！"Collecting Strange Tales issues #110-111， 114-146 and Amazing Spider-Man Annual #2， Doctor Strange Omnibus Volume 1 takes us way back to July 1963 through July 1966。 At 409+ pages of incredibly redesigned classic comics， this is totally worth owning！And damn， what a long book！ Somewhat exposition heavy， but fun and enjoyable。 These are the oldest comics I've read， and they hold up fairly well for being 53 years old！ （I've read newer and far worse！） It's a bit sci-fi campy， as Stan Lee makes it up as he goes along， and Dr。 Strange always wins in the end。 But take it in context and you'll enjoy yourself。 Doctor Strange's "indomitable will，" his wit， the alliterative incantations， the outlandish foes， and the brilliant modern art of Steve Ditko make this a great read。 A five page feature in the back of Strange Tales #110， featuring The Human Torch， is where Doctor Strange makes his first appearance in comic history。 It was decided by readers' letters to continue the series， and so "Dr。 Strange" appeared again in Strange Tales #114 with the return of Baron Mordo and the Ancient One。 That's how it all began！Dean Mullaney writes in the introduction: "The series incorporated themes of Eastern mysticism with the multidimensional planes of science fiction， all wrapped within the near-psychedelic landscapes that the straightlaced Ditko brought to the page。" What I enjoy about the world of Dr。 Strange is that it rides the line between indie and superhero comic。 Instead of heroics and feats of strength， it's mysticism and wit， spells and dimensional travel， monsters and evil magicians。 And there's even a pretty girl or two！ It's refreshing to read a comic that's so quintessentially Marvel in its levity and sci-fi wackiness， but there's no spandex！ And though the stories always start in reality， you never know where they'll go。As this book literally collects individual comics， it's interesting how the covers progress for Strange Tales。 At first there's no mention of Doc Strange。 Strange indeed！ Then tiny boxes tagged "also starring" show up after a few issues。 Not until #121 does Strange get the bottom 1/4 of the cover。 And #124 he gets half the cover。 #126 and 127 are interesting issues for two reasons: they feature a huge special detailing Strange's voyage to the Dark Dimension and his battle with the Dread Dormammu， and at the end of #127 it's revealed that Strange has essentially been promoted and gets a new costume。 In #128 he gains his now well known red cape of levitation and a more powerful round amulet！In #130 Dr。 Strange gets nearly a full cover while The Human Torch is a feature。 Ha！ Only at #146， the big finale between the Dread Dormammu and Eternity， does Strange finally get the whole cover！ By the Hoary Hosts of Hoggoth！ It's also interesting how these short and infrequent comics are relatively self-contained yet draw upon a larger universe over time。 Each battle with his enemies gets greater and more epic as they learn each others' weaknesses， and sly Stan Lee has to increase the danger and hyperbole。 Nightmare， Baron Mordo， and the Dread Dormammu are awesome villains！ Can't wait to see them in future books！So overall a great book and time machine into mid-century Marvel Comics。 Light humor， great adventure， and creative， engaging storytelling make Stan Lee and Steve Ditko's Doctor Strange a timeless classic。 。。。more
Camilo
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I haven't read much of Silver Age comics， but this definitely was one of the best I've ever read。 Loved all the crazy stories and love even more the art by Steve Ditko。 I haven't read much of Silver Age comics， but this definitely was one of the best I've ever read。 Loved all the crazy stories and love even more the art by Steve Ditko。 。。。more
Sean Curley
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Stan Lee， Steve Ditko and Jack Kirby laid the foundations of the Marvel Comic universe in the 1960s in a succession of seminal series。 Lee and Ditko's most famous creation was， of course， The Amazing Spider-Man; Doctor Strange would have to count as a somewhat distant runner-up。 This Omnibus collects the entirety of Lee and Ditko's collaboration， issues #110-111 and 114-146 of Marvel's Strange Tales split book （the good doctor shared the book with， by times， the solo adventures of the Human Torc Stan Lee， Steve Ditko and Jack Kirby laid the foundations of the Marvel Comic universe in the 1960s in a succession of seminal series。 Lee and Ditko's most famous creation was， of course， The Amazing Spider-Man; Doctor Strange would have to count as a somewhat distant runner-up。 This Omnibus collects the entirety of Lee and Ditko's collaboration， issues #110-111 and 114-146 of Marvel's Strange Tales split book （the good doctor shared the book with， by times， the solo adventures of the Human Torch and later Nick Fury， Agent of S。H。I。E。L。D。）。The aforesaid split books means that any individual Doctor Strange tale is at most half the length of a standard solo issue from the period， and in turn that means this is easily the shortest Omnibus of a major run （it amounts to about 400 pages; comparatively， something like the Lee/Ditko Amazing Spider-Man Omnibus exceeded 1000 pages）。 It shows， in some respects， in the stories themselves。 It's easy to see why Stephen Strange never made it above the B-tier of Marvel's superhero characters， even in the hands of his most storied creative team。 Many of the signature aspects of Marvel's innovative 1960s superhero comics are wholly absent here: Strange has no personal life at all （neither friends nor love interests， though by the series' end a prospective one has finally appeared in the form of Clea）， no duel between person and superheroic demands on his time， and minimal supporting cast。 The first half of the run is decent， if somewhat formulaic。 Strange spends the bulk of his time fighting just one villain: Baron Mordo， a rival former student of the Ancient One， Strange's mentor。 These schemes recur frequently enough that at one point a reader wrote into the letters column to complain。 Mixed in are other Marvel villains such as a memorable one-shot appearance by Loki （which establishes， for the record， that Lee and Ditko consider Loki far more powerful than Strange）， and a few appearances by Nightmare。 However， things markedly improve in the second half， as Lee and Ditko create a huge serialized storyline pitting Strange once again against Mordo， but a Mordo now backed by the Dread Dormammu， a powerful sorcerer from the Dark Dimension （who is also， confusingly， invoked repeatedly earlier in the series as a source of Strange's power）。This lengthy storyline features some of Ditko's more expressive and imaginative artwork， particularly the design for the character of Eternity。 And the magical combat gradually becomes more interesting to watch， as the creators get the hang of creating strategic challenges for Strange， a man whose powers often seem infinite。 。。。more
David
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